That was one thing I was dreading since I started planning to come back to Nepal this year- Public Transport in Kathmandu, specially in a micro bus. Its not that I hate public transport itself. But in Kathmandu, it's simply a nightmare.
For the first few days after coming to my home in Kathmandu, I tried my best to avoid going out at all because I was dreading the micro buses. That couldn't last for long as I had to go to places and couldn't afford to hide away from the chaotic Kathmandu transport. So, whenever I had to go out, I tried my best to make my schedule in a way that I could get a ride from others. That worked for few weeks but then since I started to go out everyday for my training last week, that strategy went out of the window. I even tried buses just in hope if they were any better. Yes, there's a lot more space in a bus than in a little tiny micro bus but a bus ride means- adding one extra hour to your trip, because they just do not move.. until they get full with passengers.. who cares about the time? So, finally, there was no choice ....I had to face the reality and choose micro bus for two dreaded rides , to and from home every day. ..
Today, was the worst of the whole week. After waiting for about forty minutes in the same place to get a micro bus with some space to fit me in (and trust me, I am not that much of a huge person)... I gave up my hopes and finally pushed myself into one micro bus where there was just about enough space to fit my two feet.. that meant I would have to stand just by the door, squeeze my body in and bend my head down so that my head could fit inside the micro bus. I found out that there is at lease one traffic rule when it comes to micro bus in Kathmandu, the door should be closed when it's moving... no matter how or how many people have been stuffed inside the little dumping box, the traffic police only cares for one thing-- the door should be closed. Well, that meant we almost 25 passengers had to be stuffed inside that tiny micro bus. The conductor will tell us where to put our feet, which way to face or where to breathe from ... and we were to do as we were told! else we could be out there by the road waiting for the bus for another 40 minutes probably.
The micro bus moved and I could barely stand upright because there were two people behind my back who were not just touching my back.. but literally leaning on me for support.So, there I was, carrying the load of two other people on top of me, standing on space where there was just about enough space to put my feet and a little space on a bar behind the driver's seat which I could grab with one hand (there wasn't enough space for two hands, so just one hand - the conductor told me). I could smell the most awful smell of sweat and it was boiling with heat inside that little bus of torture. Somehow, I managed for 45 minutes before I reached my destination.Finally, it was such a relief to get out of the bus and to take that long breath. I thought how very wrong it was , the trip I just made. Respect for someone's private space? - what's that? Good customer service for the money we pay- what's that? Good transport service by the government for the people that pay taxes? what's that? Nobody cares! It's just a mess, a big chaos which has been running for years some how.
As I am writing this, I am thinking how I am going to do the same again tomorrow morning.
As I am writing this, I am thinking how I am going to do the same again tomorrow morning.
Pheewww!! what an adventure!
