Sensory Overload ...

Well we arrived quite uneventfully in Kathmandu, and even looking out the plane windows as we were landing it was quite apparent that we were in another world. The buildings are old and poor and look different than anything we see in the U.S. The airport was quite modest with many propellar airplanes, open hangars, old helicopters ... it looked like something right out of a 50's movie. In fact I was surprised that they had a runway big enough to land our modern Qatar airways 727.

We were picked up by Suman and Shanta Sapkota, and Shanta adorned us with a traditional Nepali handkerchief around our necks. We came back to the shelter at the Peace Rehabilitation Center - about 20 to 30 minutes outside of downtown -and were shown to our room. It is a very nice room with a balcony overlooking some of the countryside of Kathmandu. Mountains surround us although in the haze you can barely discern them. No rain at this time of the year, so the air is fairly thick with smog and haze. We were happy to see we have a relatively western-style bathroom! Again perhaps something out of the 50's but it would most certainly work.

We were to meet a group from Scotland for dinner, so we chose to go into town to have lunch, exchange some money, and hit the market in search for the perfect Sari for Colette. We also wanted to buy a wedding gift for the young girl who was getting married tomorrow.

Driving in Kathmandu can only be described as crazy, and the city is much bigger and busier than we had expected when landing at the airport. In fact Kathmandu makes places like New York and Los Angeles seem tame. They say there are only approximately 1 million people in Kathmandu but I think they were all downtown ... motorcycles and small cars are rushing around the narrow 4 lane roads in what seems to be a game of chicken - it seems if you drive aggressively enough then people get out of your way - the only problem is that everyone is playing this same game. So there are horns honking and people weaving out of lanes which dont really exist - it is pretty much a "free for all" here. There are basically no traffic lights, and seemingly to real rules. Still we are surprised to hear that there are relatively few accidents here.

Shopping downtown in a similar experience - it sort of reminds me of being at the busiest concert, football game or sporting event you have ever been to ... fighting the crowds and vendors trying to get your attention. Only it is like this all the time here. Perpetual chaos. And the smells are good and bad, from sewage to food, your nose is overwhelmed almost as much as your eye. The colors are beautiful and people are bumping into each other everywhere.

Shanta ushers us through the crowd and we go into a jewelry store to buy earrings for the young woman who was rescued out of human trafficking less that 2 years ago, has been living at the shelter, and is now getting married. After we pick out the perfect pair of earrings, Shanta goes into "negotiations" with the shop. She suddenly becomes very serious, a woman on a mission. She seems to be happy with the outcome, we pay and leave. On our way out the sales girl states - "she is a very smart woman". I can't help but think that when Shant is negotiating the 'real' stuff - convincing police to charge a trafficker, etc. That she must be a force to be reckoned with. She has had to be tough over the past 21 years in this world of organized crime and the strong taking advantage of the weak. She is a voice for those who have no voice...