First day in Nepal: A Rollercoaster of Emotions

           Namaste everyone! I finally arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal last morning and had spent a full day taking in this exotic and vibrant country. Let me just start off with saying the Nepal is like nothing I have ever experienced before; it's like a completely different world from what I was used to. To me, it was like stepping back in time. After I waited in a long line to obtain my Nepali visa at the airport, I exchanged my money to Nepali rupees and headed out the door of the airport to officially start my adventure. Now I was warned before that  there would be tons of people waiting outside the airport to offer various hotel and taxi deals and that they will be screaming them to you. That was certainly true. As I walked outside, I was greeted by a abundance of lively people offering me hotel and cab deals. Fortunately, there was somebody waiting with a car and he rushed me into the car, grabbed my luggage and I was told to pay the person who carried my luggage. Overwhelmed by the unfathomable environment, I quickly paid and made my way into the car. As I rode in the backseat of the car, I was overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds that were racing by me. It was almost impossible to comprehend everything that was going on. Also, the traffic was horrendous and there are virtually little to no driving rules here so everything is basically a free for all. I have never seen so many motorcycles in my life. These were the mini-Honda ones that everyone in Nepal seems to own. There were so many instances while riding in that car that I thought we were going to crash. But we didn't, and nobody else did too. It's strange to say but the Nepalese people are very much accustomed to this sort of anarchic sense of driving. Also, I don't think I've ever heard so many horns in my life. But the thing is, I saw no disgruntled pissed-off road rage faces. Even when we were stuck in a mass mob of cars and bikes going in all different directions, nobody got overtly angry. I'm pretty sure if this was in the states, we would have seen some violent battles between the drivers. The Nepalese people seem to emote a sense of patience and understanding for this. It's pretty amazing I think. I also think it would be appropriate to point out the quality of the roads and the general infrastructure of the surrounding area. It was a huge shock to witness such underdeveloped facilities in person. Constant pot holes flooded the streets, litter scattered everywhere, deteriorating buildings and unpaved roads were just some of the prevelant problems I noticed right away. Nonetheless, I wasn't going to let these misdemeanors shatter my impression of Nepal as a whole. While these factors are certainly heartbreaking, there was an equal sense of beauty despite infrastructiral issues. As we battled the sporadic traffic, I had my eyes focused on the exotic and wonderful things passing the car. From monkeys to cows to Rick shaw drivers to women adorned in beautiful Hindi garments, there was a sense of vivaciousness and uninterrupted beauty. The colors are just fantastic. Pink houses, bright green cars, people squeezed into small psychedelic  buses, etc. all blended harminously with the surrounding area. I don't think I ever experienced such vibrancy in my life before. The poverty in Nepal is an issue, yes, but the people seem to have managed to find ways to live with it. Finally after a long but intriguing drive, we arrived at the volunteer house I'll be spending the next few months in. I met my fellow volunteerees and they seem like really great people already. After locating my room and resting for a few hours, I was invited to have a guided tour of perhaps nepals most significant temple, Swayambhunath. To get there, we took one of the local buses. What we took was considered a large bus but it was smaller than an average size minivan. It was pretty,though, as it had Buddhist trinkets on the dashboard and colorful walls. That's what I love already about Nepal, everything is so colorful.  Anyway, we were lucky enough to find seats for each of us (there were four of us) and took off. Because of the dirt roads and potholes everywhere the drive was really bumpy and all over the place but it was so much fun because it reminded me of an amusement park ride or something and it was something you would just never see in the states. As I was riding along, I noticed this small child looking around the age of 12 or so and he was hanging out the bus screaming things to people on the side of the road. I asked me guide what it is he was doing and, according to her, he was actually working there to advertise the bus and collect money. Somebody asked if he was with his family working but she said no. So apparently he was working at the age of 12. Oh and by the way I also saw him puffing a cigarette too. It made me double take many times since its not everyday you see a little boy smoking. So yeah it's pretty common to see little children working jobs one might not ordinarily see as appropriate for their age. Anyway, we finally arrived to the Swayabhunath which is  informally known as "The Monkey Temple" due to the fact that there are hundreds of monkeys surrounding it. The place was unlike anything I have viewed before. The prayer flags were probably the coolest thing ever. There were just thousands of prayer flags that draped all around the temples. I immediately said to myself I have to buy some of these famous flags and I did. There were also prayer wheels all around the area that we spun as we walked. Apparently this place is like the Mecca of Buddhism. There's also another temple in the city that's one of the most important sites for a hindu person. That's what I love about it here. Two religions coexisting relatively harminously. We had a short lesson about Buddhism in Nepal from someone who does Buddhist paintings and it seems like Buddhism is more of a way of life than a religion. He was saying that, in buddhism, within all of us exists buddha. buddha is more of a symbol than a diety. There is some 
controversy of those who claim it as religion philosophy. Whatever you see it as, there is no denying its influence here is concretely seen everywhere, Ok so I'm going to stop talking for now and get back to you guys sometime soon with a post that isn't so all over the place. There's just so much to take in that I already could write much more than this to describe it in full detail to you all. One of the other volunteerees and I were discussing how surreal being here is and we can't fathom where we at all. I've been talking to the other people here and they've gone on so many amazing trips that I am so excited to go on myself. Ok guys I'm gonna stop now. I literally could go on for hours. Anyway for now enjoy some of the pics I took. 

The main, and most important, part of the stupa.

This picture just screamed optimal photo opportunity. I love the contrasting blue color. 

Prayer wheels. You basically walk down and spin them. 

Arial view of the stupa. You can really get a sense of the plethora of prayer flags from this vantage point. 

View of the surrounding city

With the stupa 

Monkey feeding on some leftovers 

Me and my guide on the crowded return bus

The prayer flags I bought. I'm just in love with them. Not to mention the fact that they were only $2.00 and that was even considered expensive as I soon found out later. I cannot wait to hang these in my room at home!