Archive for the 'Kathmandu' Category

The above photo shows a typical street scene in parts of Kathmandu, Nepal. Narrow laneways lined with such a variety of stores as to be somewhat overwhelming to the first time visitor. One shop is selling grain, such as rice in bags, the next is selling pashminas, the next a variety of vegetables and then you get a bookshop and a motor bike repair shop next to each other.

In front of one shop there is someone sitting on the path selling fruit, perhaps just bananas. Passing by you see a 3 or 4 wheeled bicycle converted into a mobile street stall selling popcorn. Across the street is an up-market restaurant alongside an internet cafe.

Actually, as I look at the photo above more closely, it is not really typical of many of the lanes of Kathmandu; there is an almost total absence of people! The streets are usually a frenetic bustling of humanity. I must have caught a brief lull in the traffic.

Kathmandu is not the cleanest city in the world. That is one fact that hits you immediately upon leaving the airport. In fact, even as you are landing and as the plane taxis to the terminal. Crashed helicopters and broken down planes line the runway and nearby hangars.

In central Kathmandu one is faced with a great variety of building styles. Some are ancient, many hundreds of years old and quite magnificent. Others are broken down wrecks that deserve to be bull dozed. Some are modern, spacious and beautiful.

One of the older buildings in Thamel caught my eye for another reason. The telephone and electricity supplies in Kathmandu are obviously struggling to keep up with the demands of a city trying to emerge into the modern world. In the photo above you can see that the cabling for electricity and telephone supplies can be a little chaotic at times. (Click on the image to enlarge – you will then see what I mean.)

Despite the chaos, life does go on. Phone calls can be made reasonably easily. Electricity is supplied where it is needed – most of the time. Internet connections, though slow and erratic, can be used.

It just demonstrates the pains of an ancient city struggling to emerge into the modern world.

I was fascinated by the great variety of buildings in central Kathmandu. This was another to catch my eye and have my camera trained on it. I was puzzled by the brickwork where the grey building in front of me met the red brick building on the left. It is best viewed enlarged (click on the image).

It seems that the grey building, by its style and ornate decorations, is from an earlier era. Part of this building seems to have collapsed at some stage, possibly during the earthquake of 1934. The red brick building appears to be a more modern building, more functional than beautiful.

Notice the spaghetti tangle of cables in the lower left hand corner of the photo.

Central Kathmandu is a mixture of modern buildings, run down older structures and a variety of temples, some dating back many centuries. Some of the prominent temples are situated at the junction of several streets, others are in a small square between medium high-rise buildings. The temple shown in the photo above is one of the latter. Much of life revolves around such temples.

Throughout the day people can be seen sitting around on the steps leading to these temples. Some of these are there attempting to sell a variety of items. Others gather there to use the taps and to do their washing. All the time there is movement, pedestrians, cyclists, taxis, rickshaws and motor bikes.