Sounds of Kathmandu (and your questions answered)
on Mel and Steve in Nepal (Nepal), 03/Apr/2008 10:25, 34 days ago
Thank you to people who have commented on this blog-site. Here are some of your questions and our attempts at some answers:- What is growing on the stepped terraces (in one of our previous photos)? Is there a shortage of water in Kathmandu? (From Irene Gould)Our co-volunteer, Hanuman Tredi, who was a farmer in India, identified the crops as Wheat. The reason for the terracing is to prevent soil erosion in the heavy rains.There isn’t really a water shortage in general, because of rivers and the rainfall in the wet part of the year. There is, however, a shortage of CLEAN water. The rivers and groundwater are polluted with sewage and other chemicals. The water pipes that go to some houses are cracked and in poor repair. Manyhouses do not have their own water taps but people use communal taps that are usually nearby.- How do you say‘hello’ in Nepali? (From Jonny Gutteridge).This one is an easy one! We would hope to be able to answer this after 2 weeks of solid language training. With some confidence we can say that the way to greet a Nepali is to put both hands together and say“Namaste” (in India as well). The literal translation of ‘Namaste’ is “I bow to the god within you”- What is the food like? (From Gemma Mebhratu)The short answer is‘tasty’. The national food is similar to North India and is called ‘Daal Bhaat’ (lentil rice) and there are many varieties and levels of spiciness. In Kathmandu, there are a huge variety of restaurants, catering for all the tourists, so it is easy to eat pizza, sandwiches and other ‘Expensive Western’ foods. When we go to our placement, such varieties of food are not expected . It is very easy to be a vegetarian here as many Nepalis don’t eat meat.- Here’s a final comment from our newest nephew Cy:And now, the first in a series of 5:The Sounds of KathmanduHere are some of the sounds, both pleasant and not-quite-so-pleasant, that are an ever present feature of Kathmandu life:The first and all pervading sound is that of the traffic. In particular, the constant honking of horns. Drivers seem to honk not to express anger but to warn you and other drivers of their imminent presence. Since there are very few pavements, you can bet that we get honked at quite a bit as we risk life and limb crossing (or even just walking down) streets that are dominated by lorries, cars, and, especially, motorbikes. One of the more pleasant modes of transport, along with bicycles, and those with the most unique horns, are the rickshaws, which ferry people around the more touristy areas. Their sound signals range from personalised whistles to bells and horns made from plastic bottles and gaffer tape. Here is one:The next sound that we noticed, from the first night, is the sound of dogs barking, howling and otherwise making a racket. There are dogs everywhere, most of them stray, and they seem to lead a nocturnal existence. Having mostly slept all day, they will start up a howling and woofing contest at regular intervals throughout the night, especially outside our window! Here is one such miscreant:Another sound which is very common here at the moment are the sounds of megaphones from the many marches and political rallies that happen several times a day. Sometimes the megaphone is mounted on the back of a truck and driven at speed around the city, with flags flying. Sometimes the megaphone leads a march and is followed by anywhere from 5 to 500 exuberant activists, all shouting and chanting slogans. The square outside our hotel appears to be a favourite place for such marches to start. We expect that this activity will reduce in a few weeks after the elections of April 10th. We couldn't get a good shot of a march as the political situation is a bit sensitive and we didn't want to upset anyone.A more pleasant sound, that can be heard all over Kathmandu, is that of bells. Bells are always present outside even the smallest of temples and are rung to obtain the attention of the gods, especially after an offering has been left:Another pleasant sound is the beautiful dawn-chorus that greets us every morning and the bird song from most of the trees. There are bird photos in some of our albums.Lastly, and certainly not least, we have the interesting sound of the Nepali language itself. Spoken everywhere in Kathmanfu, we are finding ourselves slowly more able to understand. This is mostly due to the intense efforts of our lovely Nepali teachers who we listen to and have a giggle with in our daily classes. Pictured is Krishnaji whose favourite words include:Malai ukusmukus bhayo (I'm so full I'm about to suffocate).Jiskeko (Just joking)Barph re barph / Aamai (said with incredulity means 'wow, that's amazing)