Kathmandu

We arrive in Kathmandu at Noon and the moment we walk out of the airport all the madness and chaos of Nepal hit you like a brick wall. Today it's raining and cold so the powerful smell of incense and vegetation are not as strong as usual. Our friends pick us up as we wave off dozens of taxi drivers and head to their car. The drive to Thamel is slow and we see the continuing changes happening in this country. Over 2.5 million people pack the valley now that the civil war is over. More then a million came in from the countryside during the war and have not gone back as their prospects of finding work are better in the valley. Unemployment is staggeringly high and most people live on less than a dollar a day. The bigger trouble now is the lack of energy. The last decade have taken their toll on the infrastructure of nepal and there is simply not enough power in the hydro-electric system to accommodate 2.5 million people. So during the winter months there is no power for up to 10 hours a day. After dropping our bags at the hotel we head into the throng of thamel, meeting old friends and making new ones. Buying and trading with Tibetan, newari, nepali and indian traders.