Strange sights in Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Nepal

I spent nearly a week exploring the various sights of Kathmandu on foot, usually with my camera as my only companion. Getting around largely on foot has many advantages. I was able to photograph many interesting and some strange sights as I went along.

The above photo was one of those strange sights. It was typical of a number of building and construction sites dotted around the city. Scaffolding was crude and basic; the demands and standards of Australian Occupational Health and Safety regulations had obviously not had any impact or influence yet in Nepal.

The workers shown in the photo were attempting to trim some branches on this tree – at least, that what they appeared to be doing. The flimsy bamboo scaffolding obviously worked in keeping them up there. I’m just pleased that it wasn’t constructed over the footpath.

There were several other construction sites nearby and along the street near the hotel where I was staying. All sites had rather flimsy scaffolding, some more substantial than this bamboo style. Hardhats and safety boots were not apparent anywhere and much of the work was simply done by hard manual labour; machinery to do the job often seemed absent.