‘Look at that man cuddling the little chicken, all together now, aww…’. Cluck cluck, whoosh. Everywhere we looked in Kathmandu, animals were - quite literally - losing their heads. ‘Ahem’, I overlooked the mishap and calmly continued, ‘look at the fluffy sheep’. Baa baa, swoosh. ‘Hmmm, look at the goat’. Bleat, bleat. Slash. ‘Ohmigod, there’s a water buffalo in the square! Don’t look at the buffalo! Don’t look at the…’, thud. ‘Too late’. We’d arrived in Kathmandu amidst the biggest Nepali festival of the year, Dashain was flooding the streets with colour - a thick, lively red colour. Continue reading ‘The Kites of Kathmandu’
Archive for October, 2007
For these four, mind-blowing days it felt as if I were living within a high school English project. My former English teacher, Mr Zaidi would slowly sweep back his black, spiraling locks, knowingly adding to the tense finale of his class. He’d draw breath to fuel a husky, magnetic voice before swiftly declaring through a clearing in his goatee, ‘homework. I dunno, just invent a story about an overland journey between Tibet and Nepal’. I’d look at the lads, smirking painfully. ‘Oh’ he continued demon-like, ‘pop into Mount Everest on the way’. My head would slump to the table and my gaze would dribble over Palmer’s artistic acres of ‘I heart C.o’R‘, my consciousness cruelly restored by the rusty point of a compass, jabbed deep into my leg. The drill of the school bell would carry me to the bus, making sure to avoid the dreaded Gauntlet Runs on the fringes of the yard. So here’s my homework, Billy (that’s what we called him, ‘coz we woz kool’). Sorry it’s so late, my goldfish ate the first one. Continue reading ‘Himalayan Homework’
I couldn’t do anything but stand there. Kids of every age took turns to scramble up and over me as if I were a long lost climbing frame, those that couldn’t quite conquer the summit of my shoulders grabbed my hands and insisted I span, and span, and span. Surrounding walls were decorated by endless reams of colourful streamers, a cool expanse of water nearly tempted me in to paddle and a pet zoo turned up to keep everyone entertained. It was the spirit of a kids birthday party, and I was so excited to be invited. The only problem, I’d failed to bring any presents, though (most of) the kids knew exactly what they wanted; ‘munee, munee!’ they yelped in their sweetest voices, hands upturned and eyes switched to a well-rehearsed cute mode. Continue reading ‘Tibetan Toy Soldiers’
One thousand. Two thousand. Three thousand. Four thousand. FIVE thousand. I shrieked ‘weeeeeeeeeeee…’ with delight, as we descended leisurely toward ‘the Forbidden City’ of Lhasa from the oxygen-sapping Tanggula Pass- fellow passengers celebrated with a ‘5000m Party’, flicking exaggerated whoops and cheers around the cabin on torn strips of toilet roll. As we tumbled off the train at Lhasa station, my flip-flops skimmed across it’s spotless surface - a sign we were truly out of China proper - and my gaze floated skyward to the deep azure, locking brilliant white clouds into place. I barely noticed my respiratory system throwing a tantrum- I’d assumed the gasps and gulps were simply a natural reaction to the infamous city’s idyllic welcome. Continue reading ‘Kora blimey! Bless you, Lhasa’
