April 22
Hi everyone,
The plane ride to Hong Kong was extremely long, but a lovely flight. By the time we got on the plane to Kathmandu, I had only slept a couple of hours in a period of something like 40 hours, so subsequently fell asleep really really deeply for about 2 hours, and woke with a terribly kinked neck. We arrived in Kathmandu at 930 at night and were picked up by our real estate agent after a bombardment of people offering to carry our bags and give us a ride.
The house in Patan is about 15 minutes away from the airport, which we were thankful for. The house is beautiful and surpasses our expectations. I think I managed to score the best room in the house, with a double bed, private bathroom with shower and balcony overlooking a soccer field where school children are now having a soccer tournament. I felt a bit guilty about the room, but was told that someone had to have it, so why not me?
After a good nights sleep, we went for an early morning walk and breakfast. The city is incredibly busy, which is difficult to describe or capture on camera. Traffic runs mostly on the left side of the road, but this is not a hard and fast rule, and there are certainly no lanes defining the parameters a vehicle can drive within. People use their horns constantly, sometimes seemingly just let others know they are on the road and driving. Watch out! The smells are something like sewage, garbage, dog, yummy curry, incense, exhaust and dirt all mixed together. It is hot hot, but doable.
Whilst we were sitting at breakfast I was looking over my classmates shoulders at the busy busy intersection out the window and saw an elephant walk by carrying all sorts of branches. I jumped up to run outside to take a photo and the staff, understanding my purpose, pointed my way out the door, smiling. I managed to catch his tail end (as above). One of the highlights of the day thus far. The restaurant was a lovely little bakery that employs only deaf people, which I thought was fantastic.
Later in the day we went for a walk to Patan durbar. Durbar means palace. There we saw some amazing ancient buildings, walked around inside and were bombarded with people selling awesome goods. I haven't bought anything yet. We also went grocery shopping. One can buy $40 canadian dollars worth of fruit and veggies for about $6 here. And it is good looking produce too.
The most intense thing right now is the traffic and crossing the road. There are no real rules for driving and it is chaotic, plus there are few real side walks as well, and people drive fast. Having said that, my skill at navigating these trecherous obstacles is improving already. At first I was completely overwhelmed by the roads and alleys and twists and turns, but am orienting to the neighbourhood quickly, thanks to my excellent sense of direction.
The people here are incredibly accepting and pleasant and welcoming. I cannot wait to meet more people. Walking down the street I was joking and laughing with people and am generally feeling comfortable, but not too much so. This has been an incredible beginning to our journey, and I am very happy to be here.