Power and Water
Kathmandu had outgrown its power grid. There were periods of time when they would cut the power to one part of the city to share it to another. The city had apparently also outgrown the water facilities. I know this because it seemed that I somehow always chose to take my shower whenever this time occurred. It’s not that it was a particular scheduled time that everyone was aware of. The time was obviously a random event determined by a bureaucratic official that was watching to see when I decided it was time to take a shower. At least it seemed this way.
The first time it happened I had found the small booth in the garden behind the guesthouse with the cold water shower. It was primitive but efficient. The days were quite warm so a cold shower was welcome. I disrobed, hanging my clothes on the provided nail next to the door, turned on the water, and wet myself down. I took the bar of soap and lathered myself up washing every nook and cranny. It was at this exact moment that the water stopped flowing and became a drizzle, then a drip and was then bone dry.
Soapy Man
I thought that perhaps it was a momentary event and the water would be back on soon. It wasn’t. I waited many long minutes and eventually toweled the soap off as best I could. Flustered, I went back up to our room cursing the water department under my breath. There wasn’t much I could do about it. Jeff was there and said, “Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you that they randomly cut off the water as well as the power to transfer some to the other parts of the city.” All I could do was wait for the opportunity to rinse off, which I eventually managed the next morning.
The next time I was considerably more prepared. Looking around the shower area I found the bucket Donna had noticed the day before. This time I filled the bucket up with water before taking the shower. As expected, just like the prior time, I soaped up and the water shut off. I laughed loudly at the Universe, “Ha, you didn’t get me this time!” I doused myself with the bucket rinsing myself off completely. And knowing that it failed to catch me, within minutes, the water came sputtering back on. I never took a shower again in Kathmandu without first filling the bucket. After that, the shower never turned off on me again!
Fractals
We met an artist, a psychedelic young man from San Francisco named Robert who wore coveralls featuring self designed fractals. He was in Kathmandu to have his fractals made into large embroideries. There are ‘shops’ in Kathmandu with people that are brilliant artists with a sewing machine. While some artists may paint with a brush or pencils, these workers can freehand embroider anything, and quite quickly! Robert started off easy with them and brought out more intricate designs over time. The fractals were a major challenge for them but they persevered and nailed it! Donna and I loved the work he and they were producing. Robert offered that we could purchase one at cost so Donna had one made onto a black silk vest. It was lovely.
Medicine
We took some long walks with Robert discussing various philosophical aspects of life as we explored the city. At one point Donna wasn’t feeling well. Robert spotted a pharmacy and suggested she get something to help her stomach. As we entered, the man behind the counter asked what we needed. Robert said the name of some medication. The man behind the counter said, “I don’t know. Come have a look and buy what you want.” So, Robert went behind the counter and started looking through the collection of pills. As he thumbed through the file of envelopes containing pills he pulled out the needed medicine for Donna’s stomach problems but continued ‘shopping’.
“Oh! This is good for when someone overdoses on acid to help bring them down. I’ll have some of that. This is good for a gentle buzz. This is good for…,” he continued, smiling as he began collecting an assortment of pills. He knew exactly what he wanted. I think it was like Heaven for him to freely pick and choose. Eventually he finished and paid the ‘druggist’ for the medications he collected. Donna got a cup of clean water from the druggist and took her pills to settle her stomach.
Out For A Stroll
Continuing slowly back to our room, we wandered down the dusty streets marveling at the exquisitely carved ornamentation embellishing dilapidated architecture. The wealth of one era juxtaposed upon the abject poverty of the present day. A dark, skinny man wearing a bare minimum pushed a cart piled high with scrap metal that rocked back and forth as it slowly clattered its way down the cobblestone street. A shop owner calls out for us to visit his shop, “I have many nice things for you! Come and take a look. Special price for you.” We continued on as Robert decided to break off and find his own dwelling.
We passed by something shocking. Nestled in-between the dusty old buildings on the dusty cobblestone road was a crisp, spotlessly clean, shiny glass and metal building. In the window were the latest, colorful, modern fashion. It was a Benetton store. The united colors of Benetton. It stood out like a bright and shining diamond in a mud puddle. We stared at it in disbelief. Nobody we had seen in our time here was dressed like this. Maybe it was here for the tourists.
Cricket
As we continued walking, we passed by a weedy field with several men playing some sport. I recognized one of the men brandishing a cricket bat and realized this must be the game. Not part of American culture, we had never seen a cricket match before. We watched for a while trying to figure out what was going on. The game seemed to involve a lot of running, waiting, a lot of waiting, and, occasionally, a free aerobics session if one was bold enough to leap onto the field. By the time we left, I couldn’t tell you who was winning or losing. It was all very confusing.
Back at our room we were tired, hot and sweaty. We both thought this might be a good time to cool down with a shower. Donna went first, filling the bucket to insure a rinse off at the end. It was un-needed as she rinsed off with a full flow of water from the shower. As she was finishing drying, I stepped into the stall disrobing and hanging my clothes on the nail. Turning on the shower, it sputtered. “Really?” I said frustrated. The shower continued with a good flow. I soaped up keeping an eye on the spray of water. I rinsed and as I dried off was thankful that perhaps the Universe was finished messing with my showers.
Next: The Living Goddess