How I Came to Love the Kathmandu Bus System

Okay so, I know I used to hate it. Trust me, I've been taken to all the wrong places in the darkness of night thanks to these same busses. Kirtipur instead of Kantipur, I'll never get over that, (for those of you haven't looked that up, its the further than the distance from Novi the Southfield, for those of you who don't know Novi or Southfield, wow that really sucks that you aren't from the lovely state of Michigan, I guess you'll have to do some Googling). 

Anywho- Yesterday I took a bus to work, as soon as a seat freed up- get this- a man, who was closer, offered it to me. When I go to work I have to carry my camera, all of its pieces and spare pieces including other lenses, my laptop, hard drive, card reader, on top of waterproof bags for it all, a wallet, a raincoat, a water bottle... it weighs a lot okay? So getting a seat on a bus is prime, especially when a foreigner is trying to protect her zippers from pick pocketers and trying to hold onto the bar on the ceiling that is nearly too high to reach. I was so shocked at this chivalry that I'd yet to experience in Nepal. I sat there so happily my whole way to work.

Today I took a bus to work and slowly got pushed to the back as it became packed during rush hour. Struggling to stand two girls motioned to me to sit next to them, (I was the sixth person to squeeze into the back row, yes the sixth, backpack and all). They were so kind to me, and spoke english very well I might add. They were wonderful and talked to me for a while.

Then once they'd gotten off, the guy on the bus who takes the money and yells where the bus is going was trying to direct me on where to stand in Nepali, I didn't understand. Let me explain something quickly. They try to get you on and off as fast as they can so they yell the upcoming stop name so you can send your money up to him before you get off. I wasn't sure if that was why he was looking at me or not and rambling in Nepali so, when he was trying to tell me where to stand I said the name of the stop I wanted to get off at. Though this made me look like quite the stupid foreigner it ended up working out quite well for me. Now I never listen when they yell the names of stops because quite frankly I have no clue what they're saying, so I usually just hand them my money as I'm getting off. However, since today the entire bus knew I was getting off at Ten Cuni, when he yelled it in advance to get everyones' money, a guy tapped me on the shoulder and asked "Ten Cuni?" and I said "Yes." he then pointed to the guy asking for my money and I got off perfectly at my stop with ease!

Getting a bus home- waiting for a bus, a man tried to befriend me and was quite impressed to hear I was working with the paper, then he really tried to befriend me and hand me a massive packet about some university. I had already told him where I lived and so I kept trying to ask the golden busses to see if it was going where I needed to go while he was attempting to befriend me, then finally he saw a bus coming and looked at me and told me it was my bus- how? you ask- he can read Nepali! The magic of a kind Nepali, I asked anyway to make sure and jumped on! Shortly after a seat freed up and a women gestured specifically to me to sit next to her. Which was also kind. Then as the bus packkkked itself, and I a small, caucasian, female sat near the "aisle" Nepali men began to nearly fight to stand near me. This was highly inappropriately charged, and I'll spare you the details. However, my lovely friend next to me, a woman might I add, at first scooted herself as far out the window as she could to make more room for me and kept gesturing for me to scoot as far close to her as I could. You cannot possibly imagine how grateful I was to shove my body against hers as opposed to well, ya know, the alternative. Eventually she worked her way up to yelling at the men for me. I don't speak Nepali but I have a few guesses of what she said based on a few people's reactions. Then near the end of this particular ride, she even reached her arm across me and began to shove at a man whilst yelling at him in Nepali. At that point I really, really loved this woman. It is the shenanigans I deal with everyday here, but I usually don't have a female body guard. I was too close to look at her while I was sitting next to her, but as I put my back pack back on my back to stand up I turned and looked at her and thanked her from the bottom of my heart, or at least I tried to have my eyes say so. She said "welcome" and smiled; it was extremely genuine.

So with that, my faith has been restored in the humanity of Nepalis. At least somewhat.