So yesterday I went out with my one house mate who is leaving tomorrow so she could show me around a bit more and help be gain a better sense of where things are located in relation to others. First we took a taxi to where she has been working on her photo story for the past two months, a hospital. The hospital is one of the best in the country... I'm not even sure I have words to share with you the state of the place. To give you a little insight, the roof is rotted through so the hospital is completely open to the outside; and the small "cafeteria" that used to be inside? It got shut down by health inspectors. The restaurant inside the hospital wasn't healthy enough to stay running. Not only does that tell you how gross this place is and dusty and awful, it also tells you that health inspectors exist in Kathmandu, I marvel at that more than anything.
After we walked to the post office. OH MAN. Okay, let me help you visualize this place. First, take yourself back to the year 1920. Imagine small filing cabinets and rickety wooden desks. Imagine the stamps they use on packages and envelopes. Now abandon the place. Dust collects, homeless come in and pee everywhere. Nothing is touched. Much of the furniture is looted and carried away leaving only a few pieces of that now extremely banged up furniture. Abandon it until the year 2014. Walk inside. Add a few Nepali people sipping tea out of small glasses in the corners of each room. Add bags that say "United States Post Office" and those from various countries in the world, add lots of dust on top of that. ---There you have it! The post office! Not to mention the people there don't speak english so when my housemate was trying to mail sand to her boyfriend back home... not only were they sketched out, the only phrase they could mutter as they ran their fingers across the bag was "just sand?" over and over and over. I mean if you're going to interrogate us at least be creative about it. It ended with a woman screaming at us in Nepali, I haven't met or seen a single angry Nepali until yesterday, but man I won't forget it. Any who. Woah it was an experience.
We went to the mall after, I bought lychee juice (my current obsession). We then walked through New Road, which is the nicest part of town I can now attest. Then to Freak Street where we sat for a bit and I had a coke.
From there we were in the Durbar Square area and it was here, walking to the bus stop that my next story starts. Walking with one of my housemates and one of her good Nepali friends. I had my backpack on and my camera around my neck. I am white. And in this crowded area a local tried to pick pocket me. By tried I mean he did not succeed. By tried I mean I caught him in the act. By tried I mean: I felt some extra weight on my back and without turning around I simply reached my hands behind me and felt to my front zipper pocket. It was open. I continued to feel around in attempts to close it; in reaching for the zipper I came across a man's hand, of which was holding a plastic baggie I had which held my caption notebook, 3 empty CF cards, a camera battery, a shoot itinerary, and a flash drive that held images I need. Still without looking behind me, I pulled the plastic baggie out of his hand and pulled his hand out of my bag. I then zipped my bag back up and held the zippers with my hand until we got on the bus. I'm quite proud of this interaction. For not being a local, I like to think grabbing his hand without even looking behind me gave him quite a fright.
From there I had my first micro bus experience. A white delivery van, like a "creeper van" is the size of a micro bus. Sometimes 32 people squeeze into one bus. Its only 15 rupees which is 16 cents USD, making it quite worth it, especially since it comes with quite the cultural experience.
After, my one housemate and I went to get passport photos of myself printed since I need them for the Kathmandu Post, and also to make an ID card to get into Durbar Square and other major locations for cheaper. After that we headed to other small shop to add money onto her phone's sim card which she is giving to me for free since unfortunately she leaves tomorrow morning.
We went home after that and met our three new housemates and hung out for dinner.
Even though I didn't shoot much it was still a really productive day!
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