Blogs from Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia - page 2

I've been in Nepal for over a month now and I can't say enough how much I'm enjoying living here. It's just such a great country to learn about living in a 3rd world country. I've lived in other parts of the world and by far Nepal has given me so much with regards to living the life. I don't have a lot of materials things that I was used to back in Chicago but I didn't need that much here either. I learned to just live with simplicity and take everything in stride. In the next 3 weeks or so, I'll be heading to Everest Base Camp. I couldn't believe that I'm actually doing this trek ever since I thought about it 5 years ago. So now I'm just waiting for that time to come ... read more

It seems as though we have chased the sunrise all around India, and we’re starting to feel the effect of those early mornings now. Bleary eyed and weary bodied we left our beds in Delhi to be at the airport three hours early rather than the customary two. The reason for the extra hour was down to the maddening experience we endured at Bangkok airport as we were destined for Calcutta; only three Indian men were boarding the flight before us, but in addition to their vast amount of luggage (much of which they wished to pass off as hand luggage), including but not limited to flat screen T.V.s, plastic bags filled with beer cans and a yard brush (!?), they brought with them an entourage of at least twenty people, all of whom crowded and ... read more

Ebbene si , riesco ad arivare in tempo al consolato cinese ...con il taxi per fortuna . resta aperto solo un ora ... arrivo alle 10 ma fino alle 10 .15 nessuno si degna di presentarsi allo sportello . finalmente arriva un personaggio che ricaccia via un italiano il primo della fila ( che ritorna in coda ) .Poi al mio turno dice che devo compilare 2 campi e mi da solo 3 mesi . alla fine riesco e chiedo super urgente .nel pomeriggio alle 15 devo tornare , e cosi tutta la giornata persa nel consolato . per non restare li a dormire nel cosnolato ne approffitiamo per fare compere .poche foto del passeggio ... Ritono alle 15 .pensando ce fosse una formalita . ah ah prima coda do' il biglietto me ne da un ... read more

The weather in Pokhara had closed in again. For two days I was greeted in the mornings by grey fog-heavy skies, pathetic drizzle, and a noticeable drop in temperature. And so, with a week left in Nepal, I excitedly booked yet another bus journey, the final one of this trip, from Pokhara to the bustling capital, Kathmandu. The journey between the two main tourist hubs of this mountain realm is a well known six hour ride along the Prithvi Highway. As the road twists and turns around hair pin bends with terrifying drops below, altitude is gained all the way, ending in the relatively high-up city known as KTM, (which I always thought was a motorbike). Well known and a promised six hours it may be, however there was one more bus induced treat in store ... read more

April 25th and 26th Thamel & Durbar Square The hardest part of this is the poverty. Nepal is one of the poorest countries on the globe. They receive $4B in US aid (60% of its development budget) & over 30% of its population lack basic food. Many don’t have electricity or running water - and for those that do there are frequent power outages, as power is rationed (my “guest house” has a generator that doesn’t always kick in during the outages). The street animals are heart-breaking: exhausted, sick, malnourished, mangy, neglected dogs. I walk through Kathmandu & see them motionless, coiled up in gutters, skiny, covered in mange. At night in my comfortable near-western guesthouse I can hear one crying in the distance. I’ve explored Thamel, the tourist area. Its streets are crowded with touts ... read more