In this post: Buying essentials and knowing the 'water' situation.
Shree Gautam Buddha Ling - my place of work in Nepal.
Stocking up.
Find the ‘Thamel Tourist Supermarket’ – it’s in the
dead centre of Thamel, adjacent to Kathmandu Guest house and on the corner of a
T-junction. Ask anybody, they can show you the way. Right now Thamel is going
to feel like a big place. It isn’t, so don’t worry too much. Nepalese people
all speak varying degrees of English, so if you’ve been a standard tourist and
not learned any of the language beforehand, just speak clearly (in fairness,
Nepali is almost impossible to learn without being in Nepal).
The Thamel tourist supermarket is expensive by Nepali
standards, but very cheap by Western reckoning. Go to the top floor and grab a
towel for 400 rupees if you didn’t bring one – they’re big and fast-drying. If
you didn’t bring toiletries, they can all be found here, although they are
usually expensive Indian imports. Buy the local stuff as it’s a fraction of the
price and just as good. Grab some dried fruit or snacks to keep in your room in
case you end up missing meals during the day (I rate the Golden Roast Oats,
Cerelac, nuts, dried fruit, plastic bowl, and metal spoon – this can act as a
full meal if you’re broke/too sick to leave your room). Golden rule: Food
attracts roaches. If you have open food lying around, they will find it. Keep all food high up, in air-tight
containers that cannot possibly be breached by ants or cockroaches or rodents.
Said containers can be bought at the supermarket, but are expensive.
One thing you won't want to stock up on is bedbug cheese. It isn't a local delicacy - the guy who made it probably stored it on top of an unfortunate bedbug.
Finally, grab some face masks. They’re 40 rupees each
and will serve two purposes: they will lessen the extent of the effect of the
Kathmandu pollution on your lungs and will stop street vendors and people in
general from harassing you. Normally in Kathmandu, face masks are only worn by
people who have a contagious sickness such as a cold or influenza. This means
the normally assertive street vendors will leave you alone – you’ll come to
appreciate this after a few days in Thamel. The face masks usually have an
Adidas or Nike logo on the front – turn them inside out and they’re plain
black. If you’re in the city for a longer stretch, being able to walk from
place to place without being sold anything will be a blessing – although these
face masks only offer a small degree of protection from pollution, mostly the road
dust.
Water
Finally – the water. Nepali tap water is undrinkable.
Don’t even try – all the world’s best filter bottles cannot get rid of the
microbial mess inside the tap water. Even an iodine/chlorine pill combined with
a filter bottle isn’t realistic – two litres of iodized and filtered water a
day for anything over a couple of days is going to mess you up. Leave the water
sanitation to Bear Grylls and grab four litres of bottled water. It’ll be
between 15-30 rupees per litre. This is very affordable – don’t skimp on your
water consumption here. You can also refill a canister from most water coolers.
In terms of bottled stuff, for people like myself who are anal about drinking
water, I’ll break it down for you:
Thirst-Pi – about 25 rupees and tastes good.
Apparently it’s bottled-at-source mineral water.
Thirst-TA – Processed water, about 20 rupees. Tastes
fine.
Aquafresh – Processed water, 25 rupees. In no way related to toothpaste.
Bailley – This does not come with a plastic hygiene
seal as standard – no worries, they bottle it differently. 30 rupees, I believe
it’s processed, and it’s the best tasting for your money.
Himalaya Spring – Bottled Himalayan mineral water, 60
rupees. If you want a day off from funky tasting/processed water, grab this
guy. Equally, if you have a weak stomach, drink this for the first few days
before moving onto a different brand which may be processed.
It might seem a bit much to go into such detail about bottled water; but if you're staying in Kathmandu for a longer stretch of time, these things will become important to your eventual deluded and fragile mind. Clinging to old familiarities such as Evian will set you back 275 NRs - and small comforts go a long way when the dusty processed water fails to wash the lingering taste of life in Kathmandu from your mouth.
Most brands of bottled water will have a fiddly plastic
wrapper around the lid. It’s a hygiene seal. Give it a good squeeze first, and
don’t buy water if you’re not sure that it’s intact. Refrigerated water is not
always possible, especially from small vendors. I prefer it cold to mask the
musty processed taste.
In case you were wondering why Nepal has such poor levels of access to clean water: that's right. People treat their rivers as trash disposal conveyor belts/public toilets/pig pools. You don't know hell until you've crossed this river on a hot day.
Dilemma: the un-recyclable waste created by these
plastic bottles is monstrous – I’d suggest bringing a one litre refillable
bottle with you or buying one at the supermarket. Most hotel lobbies and
restaurants in Kathmandu will have a ten litre water cooler and won’t mind you
filling up from them if you’ve given them business. The water is processed like
the bottled stuff and safe to drink, and is usually cold. This is by far the
most environmentally friendly option for your stay in Nepal – but if in doubt,
the bottled stuff is always there.
In terms of tap water, some people will brush their
teeth with it to take on small doses of microbial contamination for what is
essentially a vaccination against the bacteria in the water. This may or may
not make you sick, but also helps some people become more resilient to the
local bacteria. Your shower water will run clear if you’re lucky – sometimes it
has a pleasant yellow-brown tint. It isn’t great, but it does serve as a
reminder that over 80% of Nepal’s population do not have access to clean water.
I think I've exhausted the topic of water - stocking up too, is down to the individual. On a final note, there is very little you'll need to bring from home, although I suggest bringing a hairdryer if you know you'll need one. Things such as contact lenses and solution are probably best brought from home, too. Avoid 'fairness' cosmetics unless you have used them before, and check all products for the word 'fairness' - unless you want a skin-bleaching effect that people of Indian and Nepalese culture have been made to believe is 'healthy.' Oh, and tampons are expensive. Really expensive.
In my next post I'll be covering the all-important: food and coffee.
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