Two random thoughts

because 'Of water and tourists' doesn't have much of a ring to it

There are several things that have been kicking around my head this week that I considered writing about today, but they all seemed more like unconnected thoughts than a full-length post. Never mind. Here are two random thoughts about life in Nepal that I’ve had this week; if they’re connected by anything, it’s the picture above that I took last night: the moon breaking through the clouds over Gaa Hiti, one of the valley’s old communal water taps, a few steps from the pool bar.

Water

When looking for a place to rent in Kathmandu, inquiring about the water situation is probably top of everyone’s list. (Last year, when I was househunting, that question was joined by my other deal-breaker, “Are you okay with cats?”)

Thinking about it rationally though, it’s a silly question. “Oh, this area has big water problems!” said no landlord, ever. In fact I think the last house I lived in is the only place, during all my years here, that didn’t have water issues of one sort or another.

My current flat has been mostly fine; once all the floors filled up perhaps a little low in the dry season. And the bore well-water that supplements the intermittent city water is occasionally a bit…brown. But other than that, all good.

This week turned that on its head. There was water—sometimes, but it was the type of thing where you’re afraid to take a shower because the taps are running dry multiple times a day and you’d rather not have that happen when you’re all soaped up.

In a related aside, this week I learned that my building actually has four (4!) water pumps: One for city water (rarely used lol), one to pump the water from the bore well into the tanks that somehow remove its sulfur smell without actually always cleaning it, another to get it from that tank to the underground sump, and finally the fourth that pumps it to the large tanks on the roof, whence it flows into our taps.

The house owner was notified of the situation and came yesterday with a pump guy in tow, who managed to fix the issue—which was either a pump problem or blockage that caused the water flow between de-sulferated and underground tanks to go so slowly, even with that pump running most of the day it still wasn’t enough. Next week the expert will be back to hopefully flush the pipes and clean the tanks, which should fix the other lingering issues of occasional very low water pressure and, well, that brown water. This is where I add that one of the many good things about where I live is the landlord, who responds quickly to issues, among other good qualities such as respecting tenants’ privacy. I haven’t always been so lucky.

Tourists

I was in Thamel again yesterday, meeting up with a friend at a new bar we’ve discovered with a “secret” back room, complete with pool table. It’s either because of how new it is or the fact that you can’t see said room from the road, but so far it’s been relatively empty, meaning we can play pool to our heart’s content rather than waiting ages for a single game, as in some of the more popular places.

But first I took a little walk, checking out my current favourite bookstore and generally just watching the somehow surprising sight of Thamel coming back into its own. I know I mentioned this earlier, but something about its recent series of contrasts have been particularly striking to me. From a bustling tourist hub to a literal ghost town full of closed shops, to now being back with a vengeance.

The tourists seem to skew a little different too. There are still young backpackers of course, but I seem to notice a lot more older people, as well as more families with older children and and teenagers in tow. Last night I saw two men that were either doppelgangers or brothers, and later a group of four enthusiastically checking out a local barber shop who appeared to be a father and three sons, from the look of them. There seems to be an intensity to everyone now, too, a focus and determination to make the most of their trip somehow. I like to think that people, after the last few years mostly at home, are seizing the day, embracing a “life is short so let’s get out there” mentality. And that the families are appreciating each other and wanting to do things together. Or something like that.

The reasons could be much more banal—as my pool partner pointed out, the increase in older people could be simply because fares are higher and they can more easily afford them. Which is probably true, of course. But I still like to think that people are going out into the world with different eyes and a fresh perspective. Has anyone else noticed this in any other part of the world? Not just that people are traveling more, but traveling—for want of a better way to put it—with more intensity?