Kathmandu from above

Sitting on a rooftop restaurant overlooking Durbar Square in Kathmandu, I sip a cup of black tea and listen to the chaos unfolding below. It’s hard to describe the tastes, the colors, the smells. The city breathes life through every square centimeter, and I am part of it. I pack my notebook and go down to the square.

There is people everywhere. Cars. Cows. Vendors. Food stalls. Noise. A thousand scents. I breathe the saturated air of gasoline, garbage, and body odor, buy a plate of pakora from a street vendor, and finally melt into the crowd. My senses are sharper than ever. It’s not that I feel more; it’s that there’s simply more to perceive, and it all comes pouring in, unapologetic, all at once – like a high-speed train running you over.