Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in Nepal on Monday, 8th-November-2016. Kathmandu. I Definitely had a case of culture shock today! But in reverse, I’ve been so used to not seeing any Westerners over the past month and being the only Westerner in a town. It came as a bit of a shock to suddenly be confronted by a load of Western tourists. Even though I know I’m one myself! I definitely preferred it when I was in more remote places!
I went to Durbar Square this morning to have a look around the Unesco World Heritage Site, which sadly was quite badly damaged in the earthquake of 2015. Although there is still a lot of standing. And a lot that shouldn’t be standing but it is!
Bloody Traders
I didn’t realise just how badly damaged it all was until I looked online and saw pictures of it before the earthquake. Most of the buildings are supported by wooden posts propping them up, but you can still see the intricate wood carvings on the buildings and apparently, they are going to rebuild it all again. Let’s hope so!
It was all very stressful, and I was constantly hassled by street traders either wanting to sell me something or be my guide! Don’t know whether it’s because I’ve not been to any real tourist areas recently. But I found it really bad, even worse than Istanbul or Marrakesh. And those places are bad enough for being hassled!
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Kathmandu! You’ve gotta write a poem about that.
He’s a poet and he don’t know it!