Pollution and Cigarettes

Before I left I joked around about smoking in order to get my lungs ready for the Kathmandu air. It actually was a really good idea, because all the toxins in those cigarettes are nothing compared to the air here. Seriously. Most people wear masks, definitely if you are on a motorbike or cycle because you ride right into the exhaust fumes. To give you a good idea of what I mean, when I blow my nose, it’s usually black, not to be graphic, but you get the picture now. It’s such a nice break to go to the villages and breathe the fresh air. I think of all my environmentalist friends and can just picture their reaction to seeing the black, dusty air, and the garbage all along the streets (which is only really bad when the collectors go on strike). It’s just very surreal to be in the middle of these beautiful mountains and look around and see the air cause of the exhaust. So I might take up cigarettes in order for a breathe of fresh air. Plus there like 30 cents here, so it’d be a cheap habit. Though there is the message on every box that smoking is "ingeirous" to my health, so we'll see.