5 Mar 2018 Outdoor Himalayan
There is a monsoon right now in Kathmandu. Kathmandu in monsoon gives a unique insight into this beautiful capital. Yes, the monsoon is the season of incessant rain. The city on average gets around 225/288 mm of rain each day per month. And it continues for twelve to fourteen weeks. That’s more than three months of blissful rain. It quenches the thirst of every last follicle of every leaf attached to the stems of every living plant. Monsoon has a lot of advantages:
- It cleans up the streets.
- Provides a greener color to the city.
- It helps to minimize the scorching summer heat.
Now, before I tell you anything about Kathmandu, I should give you a fact about the city. Now, you can see Kathmandu as a city of motorcycles. There are fewer two-wheeler volumes in Kathmandu than in Bangkok, New Delhi, or Ho Chi Minh City. But, five years down the lane, you cannot say the same. On any given day, thousands of motorbikes jam the city’s narrow streets. For the bystander, it is a sensory overload but for the rider, it is a pleasing experience.
Come to think of it, ‘motorbike’ and ‘monsoon’ are two separate words that rarely go together. To ride your bike in calm weather is one thing. But riding a bike in the heavy monsoon rain is an entirely different thing. However, here in Kathmandu, everyone seems habitual of riding in the rain.
Just this morning during rush hour, it was only me who had stepped aside from the road to while away the sudden downpour. Others were merrily riding away – some with raincoats, some not. Kathmandu in monsoon is full of hustling-bustling to reach their destinations on time.
It was over forty-five minutes before I start my bike again. I wheeled away for the office, as I was already late to upload this post. After all, whether or not there is rain, to ride your two-wheeler is never a no!
Now let’s get started.