We wanted to come to Shimla in a toy train. Toy trains are slower and expensive than a bus ride to the hilly town. But we wanted to experience the train service (and route) that’s listed as UNESCO world heritage site. I also wanted to compare it with that of Darjeeling. On this route, tunnels that go through hills and some bridges are impressive. 22 March 2013
At the Shimla train station we were surprised by the sight of a train motor- it was just a single train car. Total passengers traveling: 11 including us (me and Gokul), the ‘train’ driver and a kid. At the Barog station from where the longest tunnel of the Kalka-Shimla route ends (or starts, depending upon where you are coming from) we chatted with the driver. Hari Singh from Uttar Pradesh state of India has been driving trains on this route for the past 30 years. He said BBC has made a film over him which is available in YouTube. 24 March 2013
Just updated the entry on packrafting in Sunkoshi with photos and name of the river! More posts coming- from Ramechhap, Shimla, Delhi, Chitlang and more rivers (Likhu, Indrawati, Balephi and again Sunkoshi).
A few “interesting” things that I noticed while wandering around in London and York.
Victoria Station: from where overground trains begin
Passengers looking at schedules of overground trains leaving Victoria Terminus.
This staircase has 175 steps….
Thieves Beware, Plain Clothes Police Officers Are Operating In This Area
Thieves Beware: Forensic Trap Devices In Use
This dude, named Anand, runs his business of cheating just infront of the new Department of International Development building at Whitehall. He gave 10 pounds less for every 100 US dollars. Wouldn’t have given him the pleasure of ripping me off had I known his business practice beforehand. When I realized he was not giving me the normal rate it was late by about one minute. And he wouldn’t exchange the money back. Lesson: Don’t trust money changers even if you are in central London.
It was Amit’s idea. He knew someone who worked there. That someone, I later came to know, was Bhaskar Adhikari (PhD from University of Edinburgh). Bhaskar worked as a researcher at the “Flora of Nepal” section of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. He had agreed to give us a tour of the Gardens. Fantastic. Thank you Bhaskar ji. (धेरै…)
सानो (माइक्रो) बस चढेर ठूलो साझा बसको फेरी थालिएको सेवाको गाडी चढेर उद्घाटन गर्न पुगेका मुख्य सचिव लिलामणी पौडेलसँग हात मिलाउदै बसका अध्यक्ष कनकमणी दीक्षित । तस्बिर राजेश केसी ।
उनन्सत्तरीमा सबैभन्दा जनपयोगी काम काठमान्डूमा बर्षको अन्तिम दिनमा भए जस्तो लाग्यो । सहरमा सार्वजनिक बस सेवा साझा यातायात पुनर्जागृत भयो । अहिलेलाइ १६ वटा बसले दुईवटा रूटमा सेवा दिने भनिएको छ । तर आशा गर्न सकिन्छ सेवाको विस्तार हुन्छ- शहरभरी, देशैभरी र विदेशसम्म पनि । सञ्चालकहरूले पनि त्यो प्रतिज्ञा गरेका छन् । साझा यातायातको सेवा विस्तारबाट भन्दा ठूलो आशा मैले यो प्रयासले नेपालमा रही आएको नीजि यातायात सेवालाई ‘राम्रो हुन’ प्रेरणा र दबाब दिने छ भन्ने हो । एनसेलको आगमनले एनटीसीलाई कसरी प्रेरणा र सकारात्मक दबाब मिलेको छ भन्नेकुरा सहरमा हालै खुलेका एनटीसीका सेवा केन्द्रहरूले प्रष्ट्याउछन् ।
काठमान्डूमा सार्वजनिक यातायातको दुर्दशाको चित्रण/बर्णन गरी के साध्ये । निकै अगाडीको एउटा लेख र केही अगिको एउटा ब्लग इन्ट्रीमा मैले त्यो प्रयास गरिसकेकोले अहिले दोहोर्याउदिन । त्यो दुर्दशाबाट अलिकति भएपनि मुक्ति पाइएला भन्ने आशा भएकैले अहिले यति लेख्न जाँगर चलेको हो ।
हाम्रो देशमा अहिले सबैभन्दा ठूलो समस्या भनेको प्रबन्धनको हो । स्रोत, साधन, जनशक्ति र ज्ञान नभएको हैन । तर उचित प्रबन्धन क्षमता अलि कम भएको देखिएको छ । माइतीघर-तीनकुने सडक विस्तार हुनथालेको महिनौं भइसक्यो । पैसा नभएर काममा ढिलाइ भएको हो ? कि बेरोजगारीहरूले िभत्ता रंगाएको यो सहरमा त्यो सडकखण्डमा काम गर्ने मानिसको कमी भएर ? यसअघिका प्रमले प्राथमिकतामा राखेको सडक विस्तार कार्यको सबैभन्दा सुरूवाती प्रयास यति धीमा गतिमा चल्नुमा प्रबन्धन क्षमतामा कमजोरी देख्छु ।
अपेक्षा के हो भने साझाको व्यवस्थापन र प्रबन्धन कुशल र चुस्त छ अनि त्यसले साझा बसमात्र चलाउदैन नेपाली सार्वजनिक यातायातको सुधारमा प्रेरणा, दबाब र योगदान दिने छ । हिजोको कान्तिपुर को लेखमा साझा सहकारी यातायातका अध्यक्ष कनकमणी दीक्षितले पनि त्यस्तै गर्ने योजना रहेको उल्लेख गरेका छन् ।
दीक्षितको प्रसंग आइहाल्यो अबको भाग उनकै ’boutमा ।
यो लेख तल निरन्तर छ । तपाईँलाई इमेलमै पछिल्लो ब्लग, लेख र तस्बिर पठाउँदा म खुसी हुनेछु । बाकसमा आफ्नो इमेल ठेगाना हाल्नु होला । धन्यवाद 🙂
थुप्रै नेपाली र नेपाललाई नजिकबाट चिनेका विदेशीले समेत उनलाई पत्रकारकारूमा चिन्छन् । साझाप्रति मेरो यति धेरै उत्साह र अपेक्षाको मुख्य कारण त्यो प्रयासको नेतृत्वमा यी पत्रकार (पत्रकार) को सहभागिता नै हो । हुन पनि कुन बस सेवाका प्रमुख कोलम्बियाका ग्य्राजुएट छन् ? हो काठमान्डूमा बस चलाउन आइभी लिग डिग्रीले खासै अर्थ राख्दैन र दीक्षित काठमान्डूका सार्वजनिक बसहरूका यात्रु पनि होइनन् । हुन त गरिवी निवारण गर्न गरिबै हुनुपर्ने पनि हैन । त्यसैले म बसमात्रै चलाउदिन सहरको सार्वजनिक यातायात प्रणालीमा सुधार पनि ल्याउछु भन्ने लक्ष्य राख्नुले केही न केही अर्थ राख्छ ।
The man in the middle had brought a list that he said police had prepared and contained many ethnic groups/nationalities including Nepali of the world. He argued that those on the upper part (white Europeans) received favorable treatment from police than those that are at the lower part of the list. James (not seen) believed the man was wrong. About 10 minutes later I saw the man on left chatting with James and, at one point, he tried to include me into their conversation about international banking asking what I felt about it.
So the Speakers’ Corner hasn’t been deserted after all. After I posted an entry on the place portraying it as an empty place James (call him Sir James or James Chambuwan 😉 ) suggested me to go there on a Sunday afternoon. That’s what I did and, lo and behold, there was another James, slightly taller than the one who suggested me to go there, I must admit, talking animatedly about various crises in the world but mainly focusing his lecture to European affairs. A few middle-aged men surrounded him as he continuously spoke, leaving little chance for others to interrupt, moving both hands and his whole body furiously and occasionally jumping a few inches from the ground (or may be just raising is both ankles) to make a particularly important point. Some of his listeners were trying their best to interrupt him, correct him and to counter and add their own views to what he was saying.
James the Speaker of the Imperial College, London (a student of Chemistry who plans to go into finance and politics- finance more likely than politics, he admitted- in future and thinks it’s good to be grounded in pure science while making career in one of the aforementioned areas) was one of about seven speakers who were (धेरै…)
I don’t enjoy alcohol. I dislike the taste of beer. Smell of whiskey makes me vomit. Same with jaand, raksi, tongba, chhyang and aanila (which I unsuccessfully tried to drink in a Newari restaurant in Kirtipur just before Dasain in October). That being a detailed disclaimer and me being a bahun ko chhoro who shouldn’t be touching all these dirty things (!! 😉 ), let alone drink or try to drink, here I present a series of photos from various pubs of London where I drank a lot of ale and beer (again taste was horrible).
A friend had suggested to find the difference of taste between ale and lagar. I heeded the suggestion. Not sure if I could find any but it was all fun. Got almost drunk. That was all part of my ‘see and feel London’ efforts. Also, I wanted to post this entry. In the process, I learned a thing or two about the role of pubs in British life (like how they bring communities together etc). Talked to a few random people who were consuming a lot of alcohol. Some of them were dancing and others were singing (see the video). (धेरै…)
Back in the city where I lived for two years as a correspondent. Fortunately it’s not that hot today (29c). It’s not expected to be so for the rest of the week except for Wednesday (35c), according to the Weather Channel. The heat of Delhi terrifies me. That’s the reason why I have written a couple of articles on the Delhi heat (and cold). Expecting to be in a cooler place this weekend.
(This trip interrupts my UK entries though I will post one this evening (about revised impression of the Speakers’ Corner at Hyde Park) and the rest after I am back in Kathmandu next week.)
….त म त्यो साँझ घर फर्किरहेको थिएँ, गाडी बिछट्टै प्याक थियो। एउटा स्टपमा मानिसहरू ओर्लिंदै थिए, छतबाट पनि एक तन्नेरी झर्दैथियो। छतमै पनि भीड भएकाले ऊ भर्याङबाट होइन बीचैबाट ओर्लिंदै थियो। कसोकसो उसको खुट्टो झ्यालमै नअडिएर झ्यालसँगैको सिटमा बसेका एकजना अधबैंसेको मुखमा जोतिन पुग्यो। ‘थुइक्क,’ ती अधबैंसेले चुक अमिलो आएझैं अनुहार पार्दै मुखमा छिरेको हिलो निकाल्न खोजे। तिनले हतारमै सर्टको बाहुलाले ओठ र मैले देखें, जिब्रो पनि पुछ्न खोजे। बाहुलामा खैरो–कालो धब्बा बस्यो तर तिनको मुखबाट हिलो सबै गएन। तिनी ओ हेनरीको कुनै अतिव्यंग्यात्मक कथाको एउटा पीडित पात्रजस्तै थिए। विडम्बना उनको मुखमा जुत्ता पुर्याउने युवकलाई ती अधबैंसेको हबिगतको पत्तोसम्म थिएन। ऊ आफैं संघर्ष गर्दै जसोतसो छतबाट झरेर अँध्यारोमा घरतिर लम्किसकेको थियो। पाँच मिनेट पछि पनि ती अधबैंसे जिब्रो निकाल्दै, ओठ चलाउँदै, मुख पूरै बिगार्दै झयालबाहिर थुक्दै थिए। तिनको अनुहार म प्रस्ट पढ्न सक्थें– तिनी सिटमा बसेर गरेको यात्राप्रति खुबै पश्चाताप गरिरहेका छन्। (कान्तिपुर कोसेली 2008/08/23)
I wrote that article four years ago. The situation hasn’t changed a bit. Two days ago an impromptu afternoon strike in Kathmandu (and elsewhere in Nepal) forced people to commute in the same pathetic condition that I describe in the article. In all these years we have seen tall promises made (and never fulfilled), new men heading one government after another (and delivering nothing but disappointment). Things remain same. Buses continue to be crowded and dangerously unsafe to travel for women (and men). This city lacks infrastructures that make a city a city. In fact I don’t feel comfortable to call Kathmandu a city. It’s a mess as portrayed in the article above.
When you have lived in a mess for most of your life, the sight of anything that is functional and working makes you amazed. But one doesn’t have to be a citizen of a third world country and its capital city to notice the excellent infrastructure of the city that has hosted Olympics three times. So if I say here that London has everything and most of those things are in order that statement will be totally influenced by my experience with Kathmandu. With such statements, I’ll be unknowingly comparing Kathmandu with London which is not the point of this entry. (धेरै…)
What do you do when visit a new place? You take loads of pictures. That’s what I did in London and other parts of the UK. These are some of the most photographed places on earth. But why should that fact stop you from taking more pics? For a tourist, there could more than one reason to click a picture. I have tried to mention some of those reasons as caption of these images.
Most of these 83 photos are from central London. One ‘prominent’ photographic object that is missing in this album is the ubiquitous red telephone box. Tourists smile from inside these boxes for cameras when they are in London (or other parts of the UK). I went all the way up to the hills of Scotland to the ‘telephone box photography’. (धेरै…)
We wanted to come to Shimla in a toy train. Toy trains are slower and expensive than a bus ride to the hilly town. But we wanted to experience the train service (and route) that’s listed as UNESCO world heritage site. I also wanted to compare it with that of Darjeeling. On this route, tunnels that go through hills and some bridges are impressive. 22 March 2013
