Singapore & KTM

Namaste!

after two extra days in Singapore, i finally made it to Nepal. it's been a great experience so far and every minute brings something new and unexpected.

my extra two days in Singapore were actually really enjoyable. i stayed in a hostel in Little India, checked out the area more, made friends with some of the shop keepers and visited the Singapore Zoo. if you ever get a chance, go to the Singapore Zoo. it's probably the best Zoo i've ever seen with tons of great animals and instead of being behind cages, they're just far enough away they can't really get to you. they even let you handle and feed some of the animals. i fed a rhino. i doubt a zoo back in the states could get away with letting you do this kind of stuff because of the chance of getting sued if something happened. my only regret is stopping at the snakes section to see all the poisonous and ridiculous huge snakes of SE Asia.

i arrived in Kathmandu last Wednesday and have been staying with the program director,Rajesh, and his family for my culture classes and exploring the city.

the group i'm working with is called Cultural Destination Nepal,  here's a link to their website.

Rajesh and his wife, Bandana, have two amazing kids, an incredibly focused and smart girl named Prarthana and little, goofy, rambunctious, Bivor. they also have a little girl between the ages of Prarthana and Bivor that is considered family but is actually from the a little town 3-4 hrs away that is going to school near by and being cared for by the family in exchange for additional help around the house. her name is Laxmi and you can tell she's the quiet, observant and methodical one. they've welcomed me with open arms and it's been really great staying here. they're truly my family away from home. it doesn't hurt that they're amazing cooks too.

daily food intake consists of tea early, breakfast around 10, tea and a small snack around 2 and dinner after 8. breakfast and dinner is with the whole family, sitting on the floor, eating the traditional Napelese way, with our hands. there's a technique to it though and it takes me about 2x as long to eat as everyone else.

i was an early riser before i left for this trip. in NZ, i would consistently wake up before 7 and now in Nepal, it's been 5am. my only justification for it is that it gets light then and the traditional Nepali bed i'm sleeping on is rock hard. it is more comparable to sleeping on the carpeted ground.

days consist of classes on culture, language, religion, history and other aspects of Nepali life and seeing the city. learning the language has been brutal. i was a terrible Spanish student in high school for 3 years but trying to learn this new language has resurrected what little knowledge i have of Spanish for some reason. i'm constantly fighting off the urge to answer in Spanish. my Napelese name is Sundar and every time i tell someone they laugh. at least it's a good ice breaker.

around the city, we've seen Buddhist and Hindu temples, historical sights and local markets. on my day off i took a flight out to see Everest and the Himalayas and after getting back to Kathmandu, i did a hike up a local mountain. you could drive up and a lady asked how i got there. when i told her i walked she said that it's really dangerous because of the tigers and lions in the jungle that i walked through. when i told Rajesh after i got back, he laughed.

the city is insane...

• i've heard talk of over-population and seen pictures of places in Asia where it's getting out of control but what you don't get from a picture, tv or book is the magnitude and the trickle down effect of it. the population growth in Nepal the last couple years has been massive and it's really straining the city. it's the scariest global issue i've seen. if China and India are anything like this, it's bad news. unfortunately, from what i hear, both places are worse.
• the pollution is sickening. in the States, especially in Seattle, the awareness of recycling and global warming and all that stuff is mainstream. it simply doesn't exist here. every body of water, river, stream, whatever, is filthy. over-flowing with garbage and backed with the gut-churning smell of human waste. everywhere you go, garbage is on the ground, strewn everywhere and small piles in random spots. even better yet, the vast majority of the garbage is metal, plastic and rubber. i have not seen a trash can in public. i've seen one garbage truck. the only treatment for garbage i've seen them deploy is just lighting it on fire. in little forest areas and under bushes, it completely covers the ground. i don't consider myself and recycle-gestapo but everyday, when i'm out and i see it, i get more and more upset about it. it's odd to me that this place has this problem because the people are obviously so strongly tied to the land and nature but seem to be unaware of this. the only out i can think of for them is that they've got much larger social issues to deal with before recycling. the cars all billow exhaust and the city is constantly covered in a haze reminiscent of L.A. but 2x as bad.
• the streets are pure chaos. the most common forms of transportation are motorcycle, micro-bus, bus and personal car. the roads, while split in cars going one way or another, is otherwise completely open. you go from 2 bicycles, 2 motorcycles, a micro-bus and bus all side by side all the way to the opposite shoulder and then down to one car width in seconds. pedestrians have no rights. cows walk down the middle of the street and get more right of way because they're sacred and it's a 10-yr jail fine if you kill one nonreligously. there are no road markings, stop signs, stop lights, speed limits or cops. everyone communicates with honking their horn. i usually take the micro-bus to get around. it costs roughly 12 cents, regardless of how far you need to go in KTM. the micro-bus is nothing more than a large mini-van that looks like it's been in a demolition derby. there are no seat belts, people ride on the roof and inside i've seen them pack up to 20 people with folks hanging out the windows.
• dogs are everywhere. mostly street dogs and it makes me really sad to see them because they look so sick. open sores, patchy fur, limping, skin & bones. they don't have all these problems at once but many have some combination and even rabies sometimes.
• from any elevation the city looks like a never-ending pond. it goes as far as the haze surrounding the city will let you see. between all the buildings being the same color and the same height, it looks really weird.

on Tuesday i head for my placement location, Panauti. i'll be staying at an orphanage and teaching 4-5 English classes per day. i'll even have to write lesson plans. oof.


the days are numbered on the beard. between the heat, sanitary issues and unfriendliness of it's appearance, it's going to have to go. i'll probably run with a mustache for a couple days just for fun first though.


the internet speed here is really slow so no pictures right now. i'll try to get some up before i leave for Panauti though.