The other side of Kathmandu..

The other side of Kathmandu....besides the dust,traffic,noise and smell...a place which may be even remotely modern. While I was walking along this place called Durba Marg, I chanced upon a shop called Hallmark..THE actual Hallmark..who knew we had one in little old Nepal..I didnt take a pic as I was in a hurry ,so I vowed that I would the next time I'm there! sooo....anyway..I did take pics of rows of cars..now thats modern here..and the tarred roads...

How to car/bus pool in Kathmandu...

Not everything here in good ole Kathmandu is all bad...and dreary....some of the things or places are a sight to behold...here are some of those sights...

This was taken on my journey( and I call it journey as here in Kathmandu, a 20 min ride can end up being 1 1/2 hour nightmare) ....but then you learn all about being patient.

One thing I've noticed is that they take car/bus pooling very seriously here! No such thing as too little space..they probably are the experts at using all and I mean ALL available space in or on the vehicle! One can only imagine how they can even grip the sides of the bus and hold on!! It's truly amazing!

How to survive in Nepal

This I might add is just some musings over my time here in Kathmandu, Nepal. Merely observations from a somewhat amazed and at times dazed Malaysian trying her level best to survive in a jostling city where people & animals alike co-exist...

So here now, are some things I have learnt so far...(the list may expand as time goes by..so bear with me)

1. Learn the language FAST...(There is nothing worse than looking like a Nepali and not
speaking it)

2. Learn to drink Tea-even if you don't like it! (It's a staple anywhere, anytime)

3. When going to a party, find out two things: (this applies to the ladies...)

a) Will there be seroius booze involved

b) Will there be girls

Trust me, you dont want to be the only female in a party of Drunken Masters....

4. No matter what kind of restaurant you're in, everyone scans the menu and ALWAYS ends up
ordering the famous"MOMOS"

5. When visiting a new born baby, ALWAYS have Rs101.00 to offer to the babe...

6. When visiting anyone, always finish your food..(it's shows you appreciate the cooking)

7. When shopping, ALWAYS bring a Nepali friend with you...(they will help with the bargaining)

8. Strikes ,Bandhs or fuel shortage...are a VALID form of excuse for not coming to work!!

The World according to Me..: Ms Prim...

The World according to Me..: Ms Prim...

The largest Application Form

I'm just gonna leave a small message saying that this is the 1st time I've ever seen an application form this big before. It covers nearly half the page...I thought it was kinda cool...

The sights and smells of Kathmandu

Ahh...it's really very fascinating how the things actually work here...just the other day I was readin the papers about the accumulation of garbage here. If one goes onto the streets, one can see and smell the "wonderful scent" of garbage wafting in the air. Its a sight to behold, not to say that Malaysia is not better.I'm sure there are places that have something similar to this..but here it is a constant problem....it's just an eye sore...cows and dogs munchin on leftovers..street vendors by the road selling thier wares next to the the rubbish like it was part of everyday life. And sometimes I feel it IS thier way of life. It's so sad sometimes to see such a state of affairs but that's the life here and accept it I will.

Of Wild parties and Wilder people!!!!

Boy!! What a night I had y'day!! The 1st and probably last time I will ever attend an F&B get together (NEPALI style)....I thought I'd seen it all , wild parties but this was verging on OVER the TOP!! The party started at 6pm and I heard went on till 2am, half the crowd were pissed drunk to walk a straight line! and that was only at 8.30pm when I arrived. Now ,the team predominantly male, were waiting in anticipation ( so I heard) for my arrival.....I could not understand why...they were calling their boss asking if I was coming..blah..blah..blah...

When I arrived I was whisked away by a drunk /high (who cares) employee I know and forced to get a drink. I politely declined...and practically had to pry myself from his clutches!!! Foul breath, not to mention creep feeling....I found myself suddenly thrust into another crowd of "high" testosterone males who all insisted I dance with them...damn!! I was feeling a little frazzled by all this...I made an excuse that I would get a drink 1st before I danced, so I headed to the bar....got myself a coke..(Thank God for that!!)

Sat myself next to my sober colleague and pretended to talk to him...until the Drunken Masters(I shall call them that-DM for short) blared my name through the mike.calling me on stage!! well it was not really a stage..more like 2 steps up to the DJ console...(whatever!!)....they had a small cake all set out for one of the few ladies who were present..was her B'day...so we all sang the song...and she cut her cake...and out of the blue one of the DM tried to shove a piece in my face...the more I avoided..the more he tried to shove it!!!

I grabbed the cake from him and went to sit again....another one of the DM sat next to me and started babbling on about how I looked..etc..etc....at that point I felt really uneasy...luckily for me..one of my colleagues saved me....Bless his heart.

I tried to escape and did a few times..but most of it was spent in the company of men who were just off their rockers...They just acted like fools and I felt sorry for them....coz even though THEY would not remember what happened , I WOULD!!!! Pity I didn;t have my camera or take pics...that would have been a hoot!!

Hmmm...oh well....something I learnt only in Nepal....

My obsession...

This is an obsession....bottles...bottles..and more bottles...I collect them...all kinds of bottles..I told myself that I wouldnt when I'm here..but that didnt stop me, now I have a collection in my room..2 of which I had and the rest is from the bar from the hotel. I wonder how I'm gonna transport them back home. I cant help it, it's interesting to look at the them, different shapes and sizes...well..at least I;m not obsessed with the contents of the bottles..which could be worst!!

Darn it, I feel a pimple growing!!! Shit!! There's already 2 on my face.. huge one...I havent had one in so long, hormonal changes..getting old...hmmm....those where the days of toned bodies now i feel all rubbery! Well, I'm not giving up, I'm working out and I WILL get into shape by Sept!! A hot bod like Jeniffer Garner..maybe if I write this down it will happen!!!

Hot Bod ..hot bod!! Slowly but surely I will get there.

Yawn...

Yawnn........I'm tired actually....had a pretty long day. I'm watching a documentary on Marlon Brando..quite informative. Lots of old actors talking....Yawnn....again...sometimes I feel so alone, other times I feel like I can take over the world. I don;t know why this is so, I always pray really hard for God to give me strength. I'm gonna go for a party tomorrow evening....with the F&B team..not sure why they invited me....but I'll go anyway.