Kathmandu: A 3rd World City, Except For Cell Phones, Internet, and Wi-Fi

As we left Tribhuvan International Airport, the first thing I sensed was that the airport was going to be the most modern thing to visit / experience in Kathmandu. And for the most part, I was right.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Taxis are mix of new and old, manual transmission, compact cars. Unfortunately for us, the first taxi we found was likely twice my age, half my height, lacked air conditioning, and could barely hold my weight, let alone 4 of us with our 30 pound packs. I think we're lucky we didn't get a flat tire. It was as if they were made of some kind of super fortified rubber. And the road didn't help at all.

The roads leading to our hostel in the Thamel district of Kathmandu were narrow, uneven, bumpy, incomplete, dusty, and not completely paved. And it wasn't just the road itself you had to endure and navigate. It was a challenge of patience to deal with the traffic jam of pedestrians, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, and other impatient drivers. Sounds like Manhattan during rush hour...but not quite. The difference being, Kathmandu lacks simple traffic rules. Anything goes in Kathmandu. Want to make a U-Turn in the middle of a busy street? Go for it. Want to cross the street in traffic? Forget Frogger, just walk in a straight line; traffic will stop for you.

There was only one quasi-good thing we learned about the roads. One of our drivers mentioned to us that the government was in the process of widening the streets. But in order to do so, the land on which residences and businesses already stood had to be "reclaimed" by the government - a display eminent domain. Basically, people were losing their homes and jobs in the process.

Architecture

It's an old city. Many residences are attached. There are usually no more than 5 floors (there are no elevators). It seemed as if the building materials were limited, so structures were a mix of concrete, brick, mud, or wood. I found that door frames were significantly shorter, and steps were noticeably more shallow.

Electricity was conserved, and in some cases limited. There were frequent blackouts, especially at the bars and restaurants, which is why candles often decorated the tables. It was dual purposes - set the ambiance and aid in visibility when the power went out. And the nights were pitch black, save a passing car's headlights or a walk through the bar/restaurant areas. We were sure to carry a flashlight in the evenings.

Daily Life

It is likely for this reason (limited / unreliable electricity) that the days started at dawn for most people - to make use of every ounce of daylight. 

Just like these boys...wake up early, take a bath in the street, and get a haircut under a tree. 

Or go for a morning rickshaw ride, while the sun's rays are not beaming too strongly yet. 

And go to the butcher shops for some "fresh," street-side, non-refrigerated pork (or other meats and poultry) and various vegetables. 

And they make sure to do the laundry (by hand) early enough in the morning in order to get a full day's sun to dry all their clothes. 

Or... the not-so-inclined-to-do-anything usually just hang out...

Pollution

The toughest thing to accept and see is a polluted city, because you know that so many problems stem from a lack of environmental hygiene. Garbage is everywhere, in the streets, in the river, in front of peoples' homes and businesses. Some folks still burn their garbage in front of their property. It also seems like cars aren't equipped to regulate the toxins that they emit into the air. And the result is poor air quality, not just because of the dust, but because of the garbage and auto emissions. There's potential for respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, water contamination, etc. And there are serious risks for the environment, human health, and even animal health (whom many depend on for sustenance). 

At the end of the day, the city is years behind any modernized, Western city. But the people are still friendly, helpful, hard-working, and happy. No matter what their obstacles seem to be, I didn't encounter any one person who was unwilling to help (even though food service was pretty slow everywhere we went, consistently - but that's besides the point). Nepalese people go about their routines just like anyone else, except they have less to worry about in comparison to people of a first-world country. Don't forget... religion is twice as important to them. 

I'm sure they all laugh about our problems as they read about us on their cell phones that are connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi.

Theories of Highway Traffic: Philly to NYC

For many years now, on any given weekend, I've made the 1 hour and 30 minute trip from Big Apple to the city of Brotherly Love by car to visit friends, eat, drink, and be merry. I usually leave on Friday evening and return home on Sunday afternoon. The weekends are always something to look forward to since most of the time they are fun-filled and action-packed. My only dread is the drive back.

It was only on my most recent return trip from Philadelphia that I had the opportunity to think about traffic in some kind of detail.

I'm sure that the first thought would be, "why don't you just leave early on Sunday morning?" Believe me, there have been many weekends where I would make the drive home early on Sunday morning, but lately, I've immersed myself more into what the city has to offer. I've been enjoying brunch at Green Eggs or Silk City Diner or even dim sum at Imperial Inn in Chinatown. I digress.

Anyway, if you leave early on Sunday, there's a high chance that you will miss any kind of traffic. And it's probably because people have been up late Saturday night and have slept in Sunday morning. Fantastic! But you do miss out...

On the other hand, leaving early to mid afternoon will guarantee an extra 30-60 minutes commuting time home. And there are a few things I've learned, observed, and analyzed during this drive.

1. From the Delaware Memorial Bridge (which is the beginning of the NJ Turnpike) to Exit 8A, the lanes start at 2 and eventually broaden to 6. Obviously this accounts for the increase in volume of traffic. 
2. Traffic notoriously exists between Exits 6 and 8A on the NJ Turnpike / I-95 (northbound). 
3. Traffic painfully exists because people are stupid. 
4. Traffic annoyingly exists because the highway was poorly designed in this section, because people are stupid. This is where the highway expands from 3 lanes to 6 lanes to create the Eastern and Western Spurs (which is not actually helpful until Exits 14, 15 and 16, but splits car and truck traffic).
5. The fastest lane in traffic (based on my experiences) tends to be the... right. 
6. The slowest lane in traffic seems to be the... left. 
7. To some extent that may seem counter-intuitive, but here are some reasons why it is not: 
• Everyone thinks you can speed in the left lane. This is only true when there is enough space in the left lane. If everyone thinks they can speed in the left, then their initial notion is to be in the left. 
• While everyone is trying to make the shift to the left, there is a lack of exit room, hence causing some slowdowns and backups. 
• As this is occurring, the middle and right lanes open up. Granted, it opens up a bit slow, but the tortoise did beat the hare, correct? 
• The beauty of the right lane is that although there is incoming traffic from any on-ramps, those folks are quick to shift to the left, AND the off-ramps / exits are on the right. This makes for a much more wide open right lane. 
• The middle lane has it's uses too. Like its position, the middle is the median speed lane. I like riding this lane when I see on-ramps. 

I've tried to prove my theory of the right lane to myself a handful of times, and the one test I perform over and over again works like this. Begin your observation in the middle lane. Select a car in your vicinity. Shift to the right lane. Continue to observe the position of the vehicle you've previously identified. More often than not, you will pass this automobile by many car lengths in the long run. 

I was once told by my high school Calculus teacher that mathematicians around the world were looking for a formula to explain traffic. They need to keep postulating. Because, obviously, the idea of traffic is constantly evolving as everyones' driving habits are different and you encounter numerous circumstances along the way. But I think I've SOMEWHAT learned to beat highway traffic. Or maybe I've just found a way to amuse myself along the way...