Fact: I have probably walked 5000 Km around Kathmandu-
exploring.
I grew up in a house where walking has been regarded as the
best form of exercise. Be it post lunch, dinner or a midday nap on a sunny
Saturday, we have always managed to scrape out time from our busy schedules for
a walk. This is how I learned to love Kathmandu amidst the walks with my father-
which is hard to keep up with-, a stroll with my grandfather- who walks as slow
as a turtle- or a one by myself.
I prefer walking to using any form of transports. With
earphones plugged in deep, playing music and keeping me company as my footsteps
match the beat of the song. When my shoes barely last a month, my mother often
asks me, ‘Why walk so much?’ The answer to this is very simple- with walking,
it is the journey that is the destination- and for someone who is best defined
as a wanderer, nothing can be compared to the walk.
Have you ever walked around Kathmandu and almost bumped onto
a cow because you were too busy admiring the artefacts and the people all
around you? I have, several times. I have almost been run down by speeding
vehicles that explode past the zebra crossing like Olympic runners! Walking
forcefully slows you down and lets you admire the beauty that a place holds- as
of now, Kathmandu. It lets you notice the puppy chasing every bird in sight,
the old cobbler sitting across the street with glasses shoved up high on his
head, the flock of birds flying above you, the marvellous and detailed street
art and other people walking down the street- close to a theatrical drama.
Had I driven through the city, where walking would take you
from point A to B much more conveniently than being stuck in a traffic, I would
have missed 90 % of what I found: the swarming life of the city’s backstreets,
its parks and playgrounds, its outdoor and indoor eateries — all this would
have remained invisible to me.
A quick question- how well do you know Kathmandu? If your
only experience of crossing the city is a hectic commute, you're missing out.
Put on your fancy shoes and go out for a walk!
