Strangers in a strange land. But, there were a lot of other tourists, so while we may have been strange, we were not exactly alone in our strangeness. Although one question that kept popping up was "What are those things on your kids' faces??"
Freckles. I've googled it six ways to Sunday, and I cannot find a Nepalese word for "freckle." There may well not be one, because, the Nepalese people do not have them. I recognize that the children are very freckled in about the same way I recognize that I am breathing. But I suppose to one who is not used to that sort of face patterning, it could be a little freaky.
Wandering about town, we encountered the local egg and flower shop.
And a film store. "Film?" What is this "film" of which they speak?
I used to buy ASA 400 film and think I was a swanky photographer 'cause I liked my film fast, fast, fast. Ah, the ridiculousness of youth.
The rest of the knick nacks hanging on this shop are all from China. I recognize them. They are basically the same crappy necklaces you can buy at tourists stops everywhere around the world, including in Vienna.
The sun felt great, but it was awfully hot and dusty, and crossing this bridge, well, my appreciation for how lovely and clean Vienna is reached new heights. The smell, oh, my word. Clearly there was raw sewage stewing in the heat. Yes, there is a wee pig in the photo, as well as people working the "water."
I didn't stop to ask them, but internet research would suggest that it is possible they were working toward clearing up the mess that is the Bagmati river.
Come Saturday and hundreds of people gather at the banks of Kathmandu’s Bagmati river, not for a waterside picnic or a leisurely boat ride but for an intensive clean-up drive, a landmark environmental initiative that has led to the collection of more than 300 tonnes of garbage in the last nine months.
Unmindful of the muck, Nepal’s civil society, including students, bureaucrats, politicians and security personnel, systematically pick up waste from the river that flows through the heart of Nepal’s capital and had been declared ‘dead’ by scientists. Studies show that the fish population had been virtually wiped out. Trucks stand by to pick up the waste in the area buzzing with activity and the zeal to better things. Third Pole.net
Here's a crop of the pig. I was surprised to see a pig in what is essentially the middle of the city, although, I am not exactly sure why it surprised me. It's not like I've never seen a pig in the middle of a city before. And this one was probably helping the clean up effort in his own way.
Whether these folks were really volunteers, or if they were scavanging for something, we will never know, but the stench crossing the bridge was terrible. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be in the water, let alone the bacteria and parasites that were floating around down there.
But we will end this stroll around town on a high note. Snickers, it's not just for breakfast.
Next: Everest Flight, by Tom, Freckle King
Comments