First Day in Kathmandu

My flight to Nepal was great. I had some great India food (great and I was on an airplane) and saw a beautiful sunset. I stopped in Delhi for a couple hours and then was headed to Kathmandu. My first day in Nepal was amazing. I already love the country, the people, and the food.

My flight was less than two hours and I got all this!

I arrived at about 11:00 pm. I knew that I had to obtain my visa, get cash, find an honest taxi driver and make it to my Airbnb accommodation. Up until now, all my travel has either been in South East Asia or Europe and I was a bit nervous about showing up in Kathmandu so late. I was half expecting a mini India and with the Fuel crisis that is currently going on I didn’t know what to expect. I do not quite understand everything surrounding the fuel situation and all my facts might not be straight, but apparently India is refusing Nepal fuel for political reasons. This all happened when Nepal got their own constitution a couple months back. Part of Nepal’s new constitution states that citizens must live in Nepal for at least two years before they can vote in elections. From what I have learned, India was not happy about this. Many Indians live in Nepal and the Indian government wants them to be able to vote. China, for the first time in history, is delivering fuel but it is not a lot and all of this is having a big impact on Nepal and its people. The people of Nepal are already trying to rebuild their lives and economy after the devastating earthquake and now they have this fuel situation to deal with. Tourism stopped after the earthquake and when people were finally starting to come back, the fuel crisis happened and tourism stopped again.

I was scared I would get charged a ridiculous amount of money for my taxi ride. However, just like other times on my trip, I stayed positive, said a prayer on the airplane and everything worked out.

Obtaining my visa went smooth but was expensive. I am staying in Nepal for almost 2 months so I had to purchase a 90-day visa which cost me $100 USD. Going through customs was unlike any customs experience I have ever gone through. The woman was so friendly and told me it was a shame I was not here before the earthquake when Nepal was much more beautiful. She laughed about other things, talked about how she was tired and stamped my passport. There were no intimidating men with guns, cameras in my face or signs telling me where to stand. I did not even realize it was customs.

Costco visa photo from a while back

I was happy that I was able to pre-arrange a taxi at the airport. This was good because there was a set price that I knew I would be paying and I also knew the taxi driver was a professional driver. The taxi cost $13.00 USD and was about a 15-minute drive. This is expensive it terms of prices in Nepal but considering the fuel shortage, I thought it was fine. I had the driver call my host and he met me outside. He then led me down a series of dark alleys until we reached his home. As I was walking down the alleys, I was making a mental list of all the warm clothing that I would be purchasing in Kathmandu. It was pretty cold out! When we got to the house, my host informed me that there was no hot water because of the fuel shortage. Usually I do not mind and I have rarely had hot water on my this trip, but Nepal is cold! My room was nice and cozy, and I slept great. (I always sleep well when it is cold outside but warm under my blankets.)

Host kids

I am staying is Paknajol, a couple minutes walking distance from Thamel which is a busy tourist area with lots of shops and restaurants. On my way to Thamel, I stopped and had my first of many coffees. I needed to just sit and get my bearings. I sat, drank my coffee and watched life in Kathmandu happen. The streets and shops are so different from any of the other countries that I have visited. Buildings and streets seem so old and I wondered how much Nepal has really changed in the past 100 years. Streets and buildings are dusty, cracked and oddly shaped. But everything is so beautiful and I felt really happy.

Kathmandu

Walking down the street, I noticed a big group of people hanging out. I was curious what they were doing and then I saw a gas truck and the long line of gas cans. People were waiting in line to fill up their gas tanks.

Waiting for Gasoline

Waiting for gasoline

There were piles of rubble, houses that were half knocked down and stores that you could tell were heavily damaged during the earthquake. I didn’t even realize at first until I saw a huge pile of rubble and asked some teenagers if it was from the earthquake. They said, “Yes, every street was damaged.” Everyone that I met was so kind and almost everyone wanted to talk about the earthquake. The only time I brought it up was to ask if the rubble was from it, everyone else brought it up to me

Earthquake damage

Earthquake damage

One of the things that I needed to do in Kathmandu was to get my sandal fixed. I knew that there would be shoe repairmen, so I set off to find one. On my quest to fix my sandal, I saw a man selling oil and asked him if I could take his photo. He spoke great English and he invited me to sit down. He offered me a cup of tea, which I accepted. He then left me at his shop and purchased us both a cup of tea from his friend down the street. I tried to pay for the tea, but he would not accept any money. This man has so little in terms of material possessions and money yet he was purchasing me, a complete stranger a cup of tea. We sat, drank our tea and talked for about 30 minutes. He talked about the earthquake and demonstrated how his body was thrown due to the shaking. He also pointed out a crack in his wall and explained how the earthquake had caused it. He told me that two of his friends were killed right up the street and he pointed to show me where it had happened.

My new friend

After our tea and conversation, my new friend pointed me in the direction of a shoe repairman and I was on my way. My shoe cost 40 rupees to fix which is the equivalent of 40 cents. I walked around enjoying my newly fixed sandal and then decided to stop and have some lunch at this tiny little shop. My lunch was delicious and cost me about 60 cents.

Shoe repairman fixing my sandal

First of many delicious meals

I spent the rest of the day wandering around the city and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells. On my way back to where I was staying, I found a restaurant that had wifi. I decided to stop and have a cup of tea and use the wifi. This shop became my favorite restaurant and I went to it daily, sometimes twice during my five days in Kathmandu. On this first visit, I met a bunch of local regulars that became my friends. I met so many great people, ate great food and had many cups of tea and this was only my first day in Nepal. I am so excited to be here.

New Friends