We landed in Kathmandu after our flights from Istanbul and Abu Dhabi with few preconceived ideas about Nepal. We were prepared for mountains that went on forever and incredible scenery but we didn't know what awaited us in Kathmandu. We found a city that was totally unique. Traffic went in every direction and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it. Cars, trucks, pedicabs, bicycles, tractors, buses of all shapes and sizes, carts, cows, dogs... you name it, it was moving up and down the streets. People were everywhere and were selling their wares on the edge of the street and often right on the street. The dominant colour seemed to be brown and the air was heavy with smog. Kathmandu has exploded in size recently and all of this growth has been of the helter skelter variety. Lucky for us we had made contact with some wonderful people, Kiran and Nirmala Karki, who took care of us and showed us how to survive in Kathmandu (at least for the few days we stayed there). They showed us around their Kathmandu which included their church and the orphanage where many lost children are given hope again. The smiles on all those young faces were infectious.
We also toured various sights in Kathmandu such as the Swayambhunath Buddhist Temple overlooking the city as well as the Pashupatinath Hindu Temple, the oldest temple in all of Nepal. It was thought-provoking and a little disconcerting for us to visit these places. Matthew definitely had lots of questions at the end of our days in Kathmandu (and we had a hard time with many of the answers). We didn't want to see this place with just our Western eyes but it was hard to ignore all the garbage, the smells, and the pervasive poverty. When we met some of the local people, however, we gained a real appreciation for the resilience and hope many of them have for not only their city but for their country.
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