Central Zoo, Kathmandu, Nepal
Central Zoo, Kathmandu
After a break of a few weeks I am going to return to writing about my time in Nepal. If you want to read earlier posts about my time in Nepal, click on the appropriate link in the contents section on the sidebar, or choose one of the categories.
One of the things I really wanted to do while in Kathmandu was to visit their zoo. My family and I are keen visitors to zoos and wildlife parks here in Australia. I am a life member of the Adelaide Zoo in South Australia, so it was only natural that I wanted to visit a foreign zoo. I also thought it would be a good opportunity to observe some of the native animals I had missed while exploring different parts of Nepal.
Central Zoo, Kathmandu
Central Zoo in Kathmandu in the only zoo in Nepal. It is within easy reach of most parts of the city. It was very cheap to enter; two Australian dollars if my memory is correct plus another dollar if I wanted to take photos. The day I visited was a sunny, clear day and so there were many visitors, including several large groups of school children.
Overall, my impression of this zoo is one of great disappointment. It was generally clean and well maintained but the animals on show were merely token efforts at representing some of the fauna of this beautiful country. The enclosures were obviously constructed in the late 1800s and have never been upgraded since. Heavy mesh wire cages and bars were everywhere, with no attempts at making the enclosures pleasant for the animals nor aesthetic for the human visitors.
It is a sad reminder of how zoos once were constructed. One cannot blame the zoo authorities for this sad state. Nepal has endured massive political and financial pressures in recent decades; there would have been no sense of urgency or even a perceived need to improve the overall appearance of the displays, nor to care more humanely for the animals on display.
In coming days I will feature some of the animals I photographed.
On a clear day in Kathmandu
Himalayas from a street in Kathmandu
One of the downsides of visiting Kathmandu is coping with the pollution. Because the Kathmandu Valley is like a natural amphitheatre, pollution from the city tends to sit over the city for long periods of time. I found the atmosphere to be somewhat distressing at times, and a dry throat is one’s constant companion.
Sometimes a breeze comes along and clears the air. It is then that one can fully appreciate the stunningly amazing setting of this city. With a backdrop of the snow-capped Himalayas in the distance, this has to be one of the more beautiful settings for a capital city anywhere. It’s just a pity that the view is restricted to a smoky haze for most of the year.
Tri-Chandra College in Kathmandu
Trichandra College in central Kathmandu
There are many run down and dilapidated buildings in Kathmandu. Many would be condemned and considered unusable and unsafe here in Australia. Developing countries like Nepal have different building codes and standards; sometimes I thought that there were no codes or standards at all.
On the other hand, there are some truly magnificent buildings in the capital of Nepal. The Tri-Chandra College is one such building, and every time I walked or drove past it I was impressed by its beauty and dominance of the skyline in that part of the city. This college is one campus of the Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu.
Bicycles in Kathmandu
One of the most obvious things you notice upon arriving in Kathmandu is the traffic. Cars and taxis and buses and trucks are in abundance everywhere. Then you notice all the motor cycles. It is not uncommon to see fifty or more motor cycles lined up waiting for the traffic lights to turn green. Down every laneway you take your life into your hands if you ignore the ubiquitous motor cycle.
Bicycle shop in Kathmandu
Just as common is the ordinary bicycle. They also seem to be everywhere. Naturally, where there are plenty of bicycles and motor bikes there have to be shops selling and repairing them. In fact, such establishments seemed to outnumber the car sales and repair garages thirty or forty to one. At least, this seemed the ratio in the central parts of the city.
Street Food Vendors in Kathmandu
Food vendor in the streets of Kathmandu
One of the things that amazed me about both Bangkok and Kathmandu was the huge numbers of street vendors selling food. In fact, one of the guides on a bus trip I took in Thailand said that he and his wife rarely cooked their food – they most often bought their meals from the street vendors. His apartment was too small to have a kitchen anyway. While I didn’t ask anyone in Kathmandu about this aspect of life, I daresay it would be true of many parts of the capital city of Nepal too.
In fact, it may well be true of many larger cities of the world, especially in the inner and more populated parts of cities. I just haven’t travelled enough to make judgments on this sort of thing. In rural Australia where I live to eat out is the exception, not the rule. Most people here cook their own food and eat at home. To go out for a meal is a special treat, though that concept is changing in our larger cities.
The food vendor in the photo above was unusual in what he was selling. He had pop corn for sale. His bicycle was converted to make it a mobile kitchen complete with a gas bottle and gas ring.