A world away from that village is the large shopping complex near where I work in Bhatbhateni [allegedly built up from a small family shop]. It has a massive supermarket on the ground floor, big by any standards, stocked with all many of domestic and international goodies. Above are floors dedicated to clothes and electrical goods. It is full of shiny things – row upon row of LG washing machines and fridges [‘Life is Good’ – apparently] – couldn’t see any Panasonic though. Bhatbhateni, and neighbouring Baluwater, are by appearances relatively wealthy districts of Kathmandu, so far from the norm. It is populated by neo-Greco, Roman-esque three and four story houses, with the roads punctuated occasionally with a Japanese or South Korean 4×4.
Buddha’s Breakfast
freshly squeezed images. caffeinated meditations.
