as i'm sure all of you do, i wake up at 6:30 to the sound of hindu holyman swababab chanting next door at the children's temple school. he chants and the children respond and then there's a drummy/cymbally sounding instrument as accompaniment. our apartment is on the quieter side of the building...a couple friends in this complex have front row seats... i like it as long as he doesn't use the megaphone. it's a gentle way to wake up to a brand new day! next in order to fulfill a bet christy and i have, we work out at least 5 days a week so at the end of a consistent month, we can go to the sweet hyatt and get all day spa services as a reward. i'm stickin to this one!! we have breakfast and get ready before heading out into the madness. i hail a cab and haggle my price to 'kalanki mandir' where my school is. 250 rupees ($4) is my maximum...they'll always try to get more from blondie for the half hour commute... : ) i do the class thing for around 5 hours (lunch prepared for us) and then fight the rush hour traffic home. i intend to take video of the taxi ride...unbelievable. i usually study or listen to the bbc while riding...all with my very stylish face mask strapped to my head cause of the air pollution. people already stare, what's a little more reason gonna hurt?!! i get home, eat dinner and then fill my evening with a variety of things: homework, indian tv, meeting up with people, shopping, internet and reading. most of this depends on the revolving power shed schedule...there's a power shortage and every area of kathmandu goes without power for 2, 4 hour blocks a day with one day a week where you have full power all day. it completely reminds me of namibia, except that was out even more. i don't mind it as long as i'm prepared!
even the valley is rolling and hilly-
here's a view of the city complete with
prayer flags and a monkey!
3 comments:
Oh my gosh! A monkey! :) hehehe That's soooo cool! What an experience!
Air Pollution on top of the world!! whoda figured? How the people doing with the passing of Edmund Hillary (The only Hillary I like. Well maybe Hillary Duff too)
yeah, the air quality is not so good. lots of diesel fumes, no emissions monitoring and overcrowded streets all contribute. plus, there are lots of fires all over the place from people trying to stay warm and cook when the power's out. when edmund hillary passed, nepal had a national day of mourning and it was big news. afterall, he is largely responsible for onset of the tourism industry that carries nepal's economy. round about 60,000 people trek up to everest base camp every year now...at $900 a pop. and then there are thousands of other treks, as well. o ya, and i'm with ya on the hillarys, bro...btw! : )
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