Rhythm of the City...
Today's mission, find the downtown, the real Nepalese way of modern life away from the touristy trinkets, bars and all the jazz the accompanies a tourist district. Due south then, but not before downing my standard breakfast of paratha and dhal, 2 cups of coffee and a quick scan of the Kathmandu post.
Thamel is really a maze of lanes and small alleyways with no real landmarks to register and definitely no road names - the tourist map is pretty useless right now! Once again running the gauntlet that is the streets of Kathmandu - bikes, cars, rickshaws, pickpockets, and dodgy looking men in hoodies. Bumping into mummas carrying their market produce is a frequent occurrence. Suddenly the lane widens into a square, which holds a depleted statue, a shabby monument of sorts and half a dozen mummas selling produce laid neatly on mats doing their utmost to keep the dust at bay - its a loosing battle!
Sticking with the same lane trying not to deviate - that will only complicate thigs later, I'm pretty sure of that! 30 minutes of hiking and the biggest junction/square I have come across so far and have somehow managed to become seriously disorientated, the map being of no use whatsoever. A tourist guide tells me I have arrived the junction of New road, the Nepal bank and a religious complex that will cost about ￡4 to look around. Well, I'm at the downtown area which actually looks a bit smarter than Thamel. I'll skip the religious architectural tour in favour of exploring a few shops.
New Road seems to be central to downtown and leading out to major routes, including the city park. A large and baron area, brown grass and dust, but there is a good view of planes leaving the airport!
A busy park, well used despite its dust bowl qualities. Several football games alongside a cricket match at one end and a big market at the other. Plenty of food carts for those Nepalese snacks, as as always with Asian markets plenty of colour. Plenty of hustle bustle too and that is the rhythm of Kathmandu - horns honking, bells chiming, motors humming, dogs barking and kids squealing. Next stop, the mountain town of Lukla.
Today's mission, find the downtown, the real Nepalese way of modern life away from the touristy trinkets, bars and all the jazz the accompanies a tourist district. Due south then, but not before downing my standard breakfast of paratha and dhal, 2 cups of coffee and a quick scan of the Kathmandu post.
Thamel is really a maze of lanes and small alleyways with no real landmarks to register and definitely no road names - the tourist map is pretty useless right now! Once again running the gauntlet that is the streets of Kathmandu - bikes, cars, rickshaws, pickpockets, and dodgy looking men in hoodies. Bumping into mummas carrying their market produce is a frequent occurrence. Suddenly the lane widens into a square, which holds a depleted statue, a shabby monument of sorts and half a dozen mummas selling produce laid neatly on mats doing their utmost to keep the dust at bay - its a loosing battle!
Sticking with the same lane trying not to deviate - that will only complicate thigs later, I'm pretty sure of that! 30 minutes of hiking and the biggest junction/square I have come across so far and have somehow managed to become seriously disorientated, the map being of no use whatsoever. A tourist guide tells me I have arrived the junction of New road, the Nepal bank and a religious complex that will cost about ￡4 to look around. Well, I'm at the downtown area which actually looks a bit smarter than Thamel. I'll skip the religious architectural tour in favour of exploring a few shops.
New Road seems to be central to downtown and leading out to major routes, including the city park. A large and baron area, brown grass and dust, but there is a good view of planes leaving the airport!
A busy park, well used despite its dust bowl qualities. Several football games alongside a cricket match at one end and a big market at the other. Plenty of food carts for those Nepalese snacks, as as always with Asian markets plenty of colour. Plenty of hustle bustle too and that is the rhythm of Kathmandu - horns honking, bells chiming, motors humming, dogs barking and kids squealing. Next stop, the mountain town of Lukla.
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