Katmandu

Who would have ever thought when I was doing grade 4 geography that I would ever get to the city that had the coolest name on the planet. I think I am going to like it here. The people here are so quiet and gentle. Very soft spoken and not at all in your face. Altho, Nepal is listed as the 10th poorest in the world, you would never say it. It certainly does not appear to be prosperous, but it does not have the same look of poverty that India has. It is heart breaking, tho, to see people going thru bags of garbage and making a lunch out of the scraps that they find. Dogs, cows and goats are going thru the same garbage but they seem to be at peace. They don't fight with one another over the good bits... very civilized. I realize that we have people going hungry in Canada, but at home we have social programs and food banks. Here there is nothing. You make your own way.

The pollution here is the one thing that has shocked me. The Himalayas are surrounding the city but you cannot see them for the thick, brown smog. About 1/4 of the people here are wearing paper mouth or nose masks. The main cause of death here is respiratory. Pollution only began here in 1991. Up until then the air and water were clean. It only took 18 years to create something that appears to be irreversible. Smarten up and pay attention fellow Newfoundlanders.

And, what do you think of the electrical?