Kathmandu: Day 1 | RemoteMedic.Net

March 31, 2013
Kathmandu, Nepal

The flight from China to Nepal was pleasant. Transportation from the airport to my hotel took forever and ended up being somewhat scary.

Kathmandu has insufficient power so lighting is limited to begin with, but there are also almost zero streetlights. Combine this with a number of dirt backroads from the airport to the hotel, and a random stop by flashlight- and shotgun-wielding cops – I was glad to arrive at the very nice and comfortable Hotel Yak & Yeti, a converted palace that has been a favorite with Everest climbers for years. One minute you’re wondering if this uniformed guy who looks about 16 is going to shoot you in the back of a cab on a pitch-black dirt street and the next you are being saluted by a Gurka-looking doorman in the exquisitely pleasant garden courtyard at the hotel. At 1 a.m.

Welcome to the Third World.

After about 4 hours of sleep I had a delightful buffet breakfast. Indian food for breakfast – don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Took an overpriced personal tour to the nearby cultural capital of Bhaktapur which was pretty cool.

My guide, Shankur, was very knowledgeable and pleasant, but even in a small area like Bhaktapur, there is more culture than one can easily absorb that quickly. Multiple dynasties, Hinduism with its multiple deities, Buddhism, etc. I kind of got overwhelmed and lost track of a lot of what he was telling me.

First impression of Kathmandu is a big, crowded, noisy, city with horrible pollution. Some cool things to do and see, but the car exhaust makes your eyes burn and throat hurt. That and yaks walking the streets. Seriously, a capital city of close to 1 million people and there are yaks wandering the streets.

I am supposed to meet up with the medical group tonight for dinner. Tomorrow is another day in KTM, then we fly to Lukla and begin the trek the next day.

You thought I was joking about yaks in the street, didn’t you?