Nepal has an impossible system to direct people from one place to another. Often the name of an area is based on a temple (or mandir) that is in that neighborhood. Or, directions are based on the names of neighborhoods, but once you get to the neighborhood you have no idea how to get where you are supposed to go. The whole problem of getting around is compounded by the fact that the name of every place sounds exactly the same to me, or I can not retain it for more than 5 seconds even as I try to repeat it over and over again.
However I became quite proud of myself the past few weeks, as I have figured out the key to making sure I'm on the right path home: smell. I know I am crossing the Bagmati River when I smell toilet air wafting around the micro. And, I know which of the six lanes to turn down in the market place because I follow the lane filled with fish.
Additionally, my ride-the-wrong-microbus shame was alleviated by the fact that twice in the past week - once with someone who has grown up in Kathmandu and once with someone who has been here a year - we got on a microbus together and got on the wrong one.
However I became quite proud of myself the past few weeks, as I have figured out the key to making sure I'm on the right path home: smell. I know I am crossing the Bagmati River when I smell toilet air wafting around the micro. And, I know which of the six lanes to turn down in the market place because I follow the lane filled with fish.
Additionally, my ride-the-wrong-microbus shame was alleviated by the fact that twice in the past week - once with someone who has grown up in Kathmandu and once with someone who has been here a year - we got on a microbus together and got on the wrong one.
