Monday, 19 November 2007

Kathmandu - mad metropolis




I suppose, if you try very hard, you can just about imagine Kathmandu as a small, quiet, faintly medieval, quite religious, mountain trading centre. It isn't any more.

Playing as much to tourists as locals, the narrow streets seethe with small (and some large western) shops, traders, motorbikes, trucks and cars, horns much to the fore as elsewhere in Asia, the effect of the exhaust fumes emphasised by the thinner air (albeit we're only at about 5,000 feet here). I had thought Indian driving was an experience, but really they're amateurs compared with the brinkmanship here. Not one for the cycling trip I think.
At first I thought it was all a bit forgettable but after 3 days I'm warming to the place. One to come back to?

No comments: