Kathmandu --> India

My week in Kathmandu passed really fast and I enjoyed everyday so much. It's amazing how much company can do to lighten up things. Basically Ayesha and I just enjoyed ourselves and relaxed. We slept in, watched movies, went around the city, bought a saree (the tradition indian clothes women wear) and talked a lot.
One of the reasons why I enjoyed being there was the fact that Kathmandu is very different from Delhi. It is less crowded and the poverty is in fact, quite surprisingly, less visible there. No slums at all, and not many people begging. The atmosphere was more charming, comfortable and there was more for me to see. One of the things I was very surprised with was how well two major religions co-exists in Nepal. There are Hindu temples many places, but just as many buddhists and the traditional clothing of buddist monks in red and orange colours were seen everywhere. In fact, often the temples were shared between the two religions. One room for hinduism and one for buddism. It stroke me that this was the first time I had actually seen two religions that had understood the message of religions as I see it: Toleration and acceptance of other religions and living in peaceful respect side by side. I wish more parts of the world would understand how to live that out in pracice as I saw in Kathmandu.
We travelled around by taxi aften, small white cars that charge around 100 nepali rupees for half an hour ride. That is equivalent to 10 Dkr or 2 US$. Otherwise we would take a mikro, which was a small bus where people sqeezed in. The mikro would have a young boy who would shout the destination of the mikro everytime the car stopped so that waiting people could hear where it was going.
There were lots of markets. Narrow streets with fruit and vegetable sellers on both sides, fish just lying on tables and huge lumps of meat without any further hyginics. I guess thats the kind of meat I would get really sick from eating. Lots of black market sellers sitting on the streets, selling clothes, mobile covers and belts in a pile infront of them on the ground. When you pass them, they shout at you to attract attention to their particular goods.
We lived with Ayeshas grandmother and grandfather. Two small children, a boy and a girl, around age 10 lived and worked in the house. They would do most of the cooking, cleaning and washing there needed to be done and they served Ayesha and I food in her room. First, I had difficulties getting use to it, but I realized that Nepal (and India for that matter) is such a different world from my own, that these two children were probably much better off, living and working in that house than living somewhere else. They didnt go to school, but they were about to later in life.
Generally, the cast system is still very much applied in both Nepal and India. I waited for my train to Delhi in a 'high cast waiting room' in India before going to Nepal and in Kathmandu, Ayesha explained to me that you could even see on the streets and the material which cast was suppose to live there. You could also see it on peoples names and sometimes even faces. Arranged marriages and marriages only within your own cast are also common procedure here.
It stroke me what a mixed world peope live in here. There are still bound by the old conservative traditions of their past, but still the influence from the Western world is massive. Everywhere, even in the poorest towns, you will find Coca Cola and Pepsi, and all the advitersment is portrayted with white people. You can see that the Western way of dressing is also very penetrating in the culture and especially young people seem to be living in a strange double world of their roots and the Western influences.

I am now back in Delhi and Sanna, my co-year from Finland has arrived. We are staying at Jahnvis sister's hostel and the girls there are very sweet and funny and help us with the small things we need. We will probably stay untill Sunday when Airiin finally arrives and then continue to Rajasthan and the school Fabindia. I am excited about reaching the place, also because I need to settle in one place after all the travelling around.
Keep writing me! :)