A (sadly) typical street scene in Kathmandu: traffic jam plus garbage heap. While we were there, one of the major landfills for Kathmandu was being blockaded by the people who live near it, so no garbage had been collected for about a week. Here the garbage has blocked half the street, greatly exacerbating the traffic problem (to say nothing of the smell).
This conveyance is very popular in Nepal. We've even seen them on the streets of Kathmandu. We'd bet that if you could make a kit for one of these -- call it the Himalayan Chopper Pickup -- you could make a mint selling them to rednecks in the States.
While we were walking through people's front yards, we came across this family making a phone call. They lived in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, so we were really surprised to see a battery-powered, cordless handset here! We couldn't really find out how they got the phone, how much it cost to make a call, or how exactly the whole thing worked -- after all, we were intruding on their personal family business -- but it was neat to see.
This woman is using a traditional Nepali method of carrying heavy loads. She has everything she wants carry in the basked at her back. A strap is running from the basket to her forehead; she uses her body weight -- and strong neck muscles! -- to keep the load balanced. Sherpas carrying loads up Mount Everest sometimes use the same technique, perfected over centuries.
This was a Red Cross clinic in a village in Pokhara. We spent a while visiting with these two guys, who volunteer at the clinic, doing health screening and giving advice. They were very proud of their work and happy to talk about it, even if you can't tell from the picture (though, to be fair, no one smiles for cameras as much as Americans do).
Believe it or not, this is our hotel room in Pokhara town. It was set up like a traditional Nepali cottage, complete with fireplace. Patrick used his firemaking skills (thanks, Dad) to warm up the place a bit before bedtime -- the bed was in a loft just above the sofa.
During our time in Nepal, a very important Hindu festival, Shivaratri, was celebrated. One of the most significant Shiva temples in the world is in Kathmandu, so thousands upon thousands of people gathered there to celebrate. They even celebrated in Pokhara ... right down to the dogs. If you look carefully, you can see a red mark between this puppy's eyes. It's what remains of his tika, a ritual mark used to anoit the Hindu faithful on holy days.
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