The Streets

I roamed the streets of Kathmandu, those whose pictures are probably not found on google.

I started at 1530 hours yesterday and finished at 2000 hours.

I started again at 0800 hours today and finished at 1600 hours.

I saw the Kathmandu vegetable market. I saw people haggling for each rupee.

I saw the commercial streets with bright red dresses hanging.
I saw the meat market with huge fish, pig heads (literally) and lots of skinned and unskinned chicken.
I saw 4WD KIA and Mitsubishi vehicles, swanky with their owners dressed in smart party wear.
I saw street urchins trying to pick up leftover food from waste bins.
I saw old women selling 10 strawberries for 5 Rs.
I heard people talking Nepali, Hindi, English, Maithili.
I saw Thamel, the tourist area with all its buzz.
I saw neglected buildings in Newari architecture.
I saw well kept Newari buildings with a 300 Rs entry fee.
I saw huge museums with no one inside them and heavy security outside them.
I saw the International Convention Center holding no convention.
I saw the SAARC Secretariat and could not see or feel much co-operation.
I saw dirty slums with garbage all around and I saw glass front buildings which were bank headquarters.

I saw like all of us, Nepal is trying to move on, to be better despite everything.

I did not take any photographs because I wanted it to stay off google.