Looking Out Over the Kathmandu Valley

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This morning I awoke early to arguably the loudest thunder I've ever heard in my life. It was so loud, like the sky was ripping apart, and it was almost alarming. This was accompanied by very heavy rain, so I wondered whether this might be the start of the alleged monsoon, which apparently was supposed to come sometime this week. Fortunately, by the time i got out of bed it was much lighter, and rained on and off very lightly all day.

Today I was going to get back to work volunteering at the hospital after the Holy Day (Saturday). Once I woke up and got all ready to go, I went to ask the front desk to get me a taxi, and they told me that today the taxis in Kathmandu are on strike. This is a big deal in Nepal because taxis are the most popular form of transportation. This was very evident the moment you stepped out onto the street; there was almost no traffic, other than a few bikes and rickshaws. I heard that the taxis sometimes go on strike to prove a political point. This time, they had just announced a government election, so I guess there were angry about that. Needless to say, there was no way I would be able to get out of Thamel to get to the hospital. So I unexpectedly took the day off.

Kathmandu is really a different experience when the taxis are out of the picture. The normally bustling streets were quiet and many of the stores never opened. People weren't selling things in the street as much, and my friend Katie that was staying at the hospital told me that the hospital was very, very quiet with few patients and staff. None of these people were able to get to get around today. This was a very nice change from the normal crazy traffic. It made walking around the city much easier (there are no sidewalks anywhere) and I finally feel like I could walk at my usual quick pace (without fearing the cars). The students from Ottawa (Erik, Katie, MJ and Pauline) were taking the day to see the sites in the city before they start their volunteer projects tomorrow, so I met up with them to see some of the sites of the city. I'm torn with what to see now, because when Mike gets here this weekend, I'm going to want to see all these sites again with him. Anyways, as I was waiting for the group to finish up breakfast, I walked around Thamel and went to visit the Garden of Dreams, which is a nice peaceful paradise in the middle of the chaotic city. This is just a very beautiful garden that is modelled from some garden in England.

I headed back towards my hotel for a brief break once the rain temporarily got a bit harder. Around lunch I met up with the Ottawa crew and we walked along the streets of Kathmandu, over the river up part of a mountain to Swayambhunath. It was a very interesting walk through different areas of Kathmandu, and it took us probably 30-40 minutes to get there but it was really easy because of the lack of traffic. Swayambhunath is this Buddhist/Hindu complex with temples that sits high above the city atop a hill with a 360 degree panoramic view of the Kathmandu valley. For the first time being in Kathmandu, it gave me a sense of being surrounded by the very green treed mountains that make this the Kathmandu valley. Swayambhunath is also known as the monkey temple because it is overrun by very cute rhesus macaque monkeys. The trip walking up was really nice and I'm glad that we did that. We passed poorer areas of Kathmandu, over a river that was full of garbage (as we stood there people were releasing food into the river — I suspect as an offering to the Gods). We walked alongside very friendly locals, and the kids were always so happy to practice their English with us. The last little bit up the hill side to get to the temple was beautiful. We passed by beautifully coloured Buddha statues and had to climb up some very steep steps up to the top. Little monkeys were running back and forth along the steps as well, they were so cute. It was just a breathtaking experience making our way to the top.

It got even better when we reached the top — the views around the valley were breathtaking. At the top of the hill is this giant stupa (a Buddhist monument) with prayer wheels ringed beneath it. This is a symbolic monument and I can go into detail about it but you probably could just google that instead. One must make sure to walk around the stupa in a clockwise fashion and spin the prayer wheels clockwise if you wish to have good luck. I'm going to be going back to Swaymbhunath with Mike so I will describe things a bit better later on. We spent quite a bit of time walking around the stupa, taking in the beautiful scenery of the valley and photographing the monkeys. We even stopped for a drink at a rooftop cafe which was very nice.

Once we started heading down, I was stopped by family (all men) for a photograph. They all wanted pictures alone or almost alone with me. It seemed like it was a dad and his kids. I told them they had to tip me for the picture, and then I took one with my camera as well. After we spent so much time up on Swayambhunath, we headed back to Thamel for a late lunch/early dinner. We ate at this amazing place called Or2k which is a very trendy restaurant where you take off your shoes and sit on the floor on pillows. This is highly recommended if you're in the area. It's a very comfortable relaxed atmosphere. I can't wait to take Mike once he gets here!

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Photos

A Street Temple in Kathmandu
This was actually taken on the 15th of June.

Another of the Many Temples on the Streets of Kathmandu
You come across these things everywhere. This was actually taken on the 15th of June.

Katie and I in Front of a Temple
This was actually taken on the 15th of June.

Vegetable Sales
These vendors are all over the place with many different things for sale. This was actually taken on the 15th of June.

I bought some Lychee fruit
It was super cheap. About $1 for this bunch. This was actually taken on the 15th of June.

Me and Some of the Gang from U Ottawa
L-R: Pauline, Katie, Me, Erik

The Gate of The Monkey Temple
L-R: Katie, Pauline, MJ, Me, Erik