An early start to the monsoon

An e-mail home from Sheila:

 

Subject: today was different!
Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 08:49:51 +0545

After spending much of yesterday wandering around the narrow bazaars and chowks of the old trade route to Tibet, exploring tiny shops and courtyards full of fabrics, with thoughts of  cushions and kurtas,  I planned today to make a short visit to Pilgrims book shop to send some post.

 

It was another sunny morning although not as bright as some recently and traffic back to normal after the past few weeks meant the usual exciting road crossings in my 15/20 minute walk. After a few minutes in the shop, I could hear rain teeming down, but having had some rain recently mostly in the late afternoon, I assumed that by the time I had browsed and finished my post it would have stopped. No such luck!  As I went to the back of the shop, I saw the cafe area had water above the rails of the wooden chairs and large flower pots almost submerged.  Outside in the street, water , rubbish etc was already above well the first step and still rising joined us to the shops opposite with  some brave rickshaw wallahs still attempting to get through. I stayed inside.  Was it like this all the way home? If  this was to be my first experience of Kathmandu monsoon, I had chosen some lousy potholed streets to negotiate my way home through. Luckily  it is a book shop, and only  the cafe area is level with the street so with a hot drink and something to read  I waited . The rain stopped and  some time  later someone came in assuring me that if I could negotiate my way past the next few shops to the corner  the roads were passable. The top step now clear, trying to keep on steps and holding on to walls, I paddled to the corner  and home.

 

 Moral  spend less time shopping? Avoid the Thamel  area in monsoon time and find another way to send post? Less shopping, more work?

 

Tomorrow I go to the department of education  and from Tuesday start work .

 

How many times in the next few months will I yearn for those knee high navy wellies?

 

Sheila