Kathmandu is a big and crowded city. The streets, lined with shops, are narrow and full with pedestrians, cars, motorcycles, and the ever present little white taxis. The shops sell anything from pastries to car parts. What isn’t sold from the shops, you can find on the streets. In between shrines honouring Shiva or Ganesh and street lights, or on whatever pavement is available you will find people selling herbs and spices, vegetables and fruit, or mending trousers with the aid of antiquated sewing machines. They sit on the floor with their equipment, packaging material, maybe some scales and weights, or they try and push their heavy loaded cart or bike through the busy streets in search of new customers for their fresh mangoes and bananas.
All adds to the colour and fragrances in the crowded streets, but it can make going from A to B a daunting task even for the most experienced traveller.