Dawn lazily turns the labyrinth of pastel-coloured houses nestled on the valley floor to a faded orange while Kathmandu wakes up. Dust, traffic jam, butchers selling sheep hooves on the street, children holding children, Chinese tourists, trekkers and nostalgic of the hippie trail. More traffic jam, women dressed in their red saris who appear through the dust and Buddhist monks with shaved heads. Located 1,400 metres above sea level in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley, once home of the Newar people, the city is home to about 1,5 million people. Considered the gateway to the Nepalese Himalayas, lost in its labyrinth of dusty streets you can bump into stunning temples like Hindu temple of Pashupatinath on the banks of the Bagmati River and the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath. Prayer wheels sounds and the “om mani padme hum” mantra will make you wander in another dimension.The ancient trade route between India and Tibet that passed there enabled a fusion of artistic and architectural traditions from different cultures. Stores the size of a closet selling souvenirs and street vendors selling Chiya, scooters slipping through traffic with entire families on board and tourists taking selfies. Buses climbing epic mountains equipped mainly with optimism. But above all: Smiles. So many smiles. “Hello Brother, welcome brother!” You can smell brotherhood all around. Also incense. Chinese owned hotels, too many souvenirs shops, restaurants managed by 20 yo who speak with their eyes, eyes that carry the light of their villages. Kathmandu it's surrounded by those mountains that are also the roof of the world. You get the feeling you are touching them by listening to their stories.

LOST IN KATHMANDU
a film by Alberto Martin

Cinematography & Editing / Alberto Martin
Drone Images / Manish Maharjan
Original Soundtrack / Edoardo Pacchiotti
Vocals / Simona Storobelea
singing “Hum Dono Do Premi” From "Ajanabee"
by Lata Mangeshkar & Kishore Kumar
Voice Over Artist / Simone Patrick Poletti
reading “Lunatic" by Laxmi Prasad Devkota
Sound Design / Edoardo Pacchiotti
Thanks to Kunga Tenpa, Helina Rai, BJ Tamang & Jenny Adhikari

Alberto Martin ©2021 All Rights Reserved