the Tourist sees what he had come to see. I read somewhere in the bookstore today! Interesting :))
This quote reminded me of a rather interesting email my mom sent today. She's not on facebook but she reads my blog (miaplaya.blogspot.com... most of you I think read my blog notes on fb because it is all connected, although FB doesn't really updates them, so I suggest reading my blog on the blogger site)... my blog is also then linked to my flickr account where she can view the pictures I upload (unlike again most of you who see them on FB).
Anyway... as you can imagine, uploading photos to FB and to flickr simultaneously can be rather challenging over the modem and in a country where electricity is considered luxury! For every 20min I successfully upload something to the Internet I go through 45min of loss / failure. But, such is life here in Nepal. Among other things, one learns how to practice patience :))
So, I emailed my parents a picture of the room I'm staying in among a couple of other pics, just so they can visualize the place. And my mom writes back: My dearest, thanks for the pics! They look lovely! So glad to see your room is sunny and spacious and colorful. I was afraid you were staying in a small dungeon or something... I'm also glad to see you have a nice garden where you can enjoy reading books and relaxing. Thanks for emailing us and letting us know you are well. We are peaceful now..... love, mom"
Well, yes the picture looked GOOD (as you can see). And, yes, I'm very happy with the room and board, believe me, I'm very practical and simple when it comes to those things. It's awesome if I have a decent bed to sleep in - that's truly all I care about. A huge window is a big plus, and being on a second floor is a luxury (love the views from the top!).
Now, the things that she didn't see were these - and, I'm writing this just to paint the reality of the situation not to rant or complain...
There was no electricity in the Guest House some 16 hours per day every day. During that time the power back-up would be hauling and drumming right below my window loudly as hell! hahaha (I would usually then get up and dance to my iPod to tire myself out to sleep... haha (no electricity to read books).
There was no hot water in the room! yes, I learned quickly how to shower in cold water (all I had to do is try really hard to imagine I was in the Caribbean feeling the HOT Sun;)) one's mind is a powerful thing :)) and also, this is where growing up in Serbia and living through wars comes in handy! ha!
The faucet was so old that I decided to keep the light off in the bathroom whenever I could. And the toilet was a floor-hole-special style ;)) remember those?!! you pray not to fall in the hole... hahaha (oh, i'm laughing as I'm typing!)
The shower was right next to the toilet without a drain on the ground. Instead, there was a bucket on the floor so you were suppose to put the bucket next to you as you were taking a shower to "get rid of the water." I don't think I need to add that the water pressure was "misaona imenica" sto bi mi Srbi rekli... non-existent!
My pillow was so hard that I decided to sleep without one. And my mattress was a tiny bit more padded than the one you have on one of those fold out beds! :))
The chairs in the room were great, and so was the mirror! Hallelujah! ;))
This IS what I call back to the basics!!! Life is not about luxury as you can imagine here in Nepal. Life is purely about SURVIVAL.
... I had a huge rat fall right in front of me from the first floor of one of the buildings while I was walking on the street this morning... I had young men offer me drugs on the street last night... I had men asking me to go to bed with them as I was walking on the street... I had bikers almost run over me on the street... I had tourists asking to take pictures of them in front of famous temples... I experienced a boy giving me a flower while walking on the street... I met a girl asking me to take a picture of her while on the street... I saw some of the most beautiful children while on the street... I saw fashionably dressed nepalese girls, smiling, on the street... I saw little kids laughing on the street... I saw people falling asleep, people begging, hungry, people working, people sweating, people LIVING THE LIFE as they saw it on the street...
That is the REALITY of life experienced by a traveler... that is the REAL picture of Kathmandu by Mia as she sees it...
No comments:
Post a Comment