nothing in the past or future ever will feel like today

Today was a heavy pollution day. It started out smoggy and overcast and was then aided and abetted by the rain which churned the roadsides into a muddy pulp. The main roads here are paved, but none of the side streets are, or the roadsides, and only the ring road (the main road the encompasses the center of Kathmandu) is really very well paved. The mud puddles only contributed to the trash that already litters the roadsides.

Once the rain subsided to a light drizzle we headed for Durbar Square (palace square) which is home to many of the old temples, as well as Freak Street, so named for the hippies who congregated there in the 60's. It's a beautiful square, and the temples are amazing, but as one of the other volunteers put it, being white there is the equivalent of being a walking dollar sign. You get bombarded by street vendors and street kids who want money. It's the same problem as in Tanzania though, where money given to street kids only goes to their purchase of glue to use as inhalants.

After wandering around the square and inquiring about the trekking options available, we attempted to head back to our flat, but somehow ended up on a timpo going the wrong direction which meant we got home, but it took about 3 times as long, and circled a large part of the city we didn't need to. When we got back to our district, all the roads were shut down for a street festival, which was nice, because there was no traffic to compete with. Normally the streets here are a hazard, and the only thing truly safe on them are the cows, which are allowed to wander freely, and which carry a minimum two year prison sentence if you hit them. Crosswalks are a joke though, lane markings merely advisory, and street lights mostly suggestions. Crossing the street is the equivalent of playing Frogger.

Anyway. Time to go brave the streets again and hunt for hiking boots so we can actually go trekking, since we didn't have the foresight to bring them.