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Published: July 13th 2008
Nepal Bound When Joel asked me if I would like to meet him in Nepal during the April school holidays, I jumped at the chance! Joel had taken a semester break from his studies and had just begun five months ot travel by visiting Thailand, Burma and India and the plan was to meet up in Kathmandu. An added bonus was the opportunity to have two stop overs in Singapore and catch up with Michael who was studying there. I had three days with Michael and spent most of them recovering from a bad headache! At least Michael was able to study for two imminent exams! Thanks Michael for looking after me so well!
I arrived in Kathmandu a few hours before Joel so sorted our accomodation and then went back to the airport to meet him. We only had 10 days in Nepal so spent the first evening making plans and deciding what to do. We decided to spend the first two days in KTM followed by a bus trip to Pokhara where we would set off on a five day trek in the Annapurna Region. We would then travel back to KTM for the last two days and
The Living Goddess
It is forbidden to take pictures of the Kumari
so I took this photo of a postcard that you can buy!include an early morning flight along the Himalayas to see Mount Everest. So, plans made we set off to explore Kathmandu!
Durbar Square We stayed in the Thamel area which is a good base for exploring KTM. Our hotel was a budget choice out of Lonely Planet but quite adequate for our needs. We set off for Durbar Square where the city's kings were once crowned and from where they ruled. 'Durbar' means 'palace'. Most of the buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries and in 1979 the entire square was designated a Unesco World Heritage Monument. We accepted the help of a guide and set off to explore. One of the most interesting places we visited was the Kumari Bahal (House of the Living Goddess). This red-brick three storey building has incredibly intricately carved windows. Our guide took us into the courtyard and started to call out until a man appeared at a window above us. There was an exchange and after an appropriate time we were rewarded by a private view of the living goddess! A young girl about 10 years old approached the window and looked down at us. We had been told that photographs
were forbidden so just smiled up at her! We were the only ones in the courtyard at the time.
The Kumari Devi is usually chosen when she is three or four years old and has to meet 32 strict physical requirements ranging from the colour of her eyes and shape of her teeth to the sound of her voice. She then has to sit through a terrifying performance in a darkened room by men wearing horrific masks and where 108 gruesome buffalo heads are on display. The young girl who can sit through this performance and remain calm is chosen. Her final test is to chose items of clothing and decoration worn by her predecessor, similar to the test for the selection process of a new Dalai Lama. Her reign as living goddess ends when the Kumari has her first period at puberty and she reverts to the staus of a mere mortal!
Joel and I enjoyed sitting on the steps of one of the temples 'people watching'. We were amazed at the variety and weight of some of the loads that people carried on their backs. We even saw one man carrying a fridge!
Motor-biking in Kathmandu
On our second day in KTM we decided to hire a bike! If you have ever experienced traffic like that in Nepal you will know why I was a trifle anxious! We ended up with a scooter which seemed a safer alternative but we still had to face the traffic. Our first destination was the Pakistani Embassy for which we had been given vague directions! Joel took to the heavily-congested traffic like a duck to water with me clutching on behind and saying, 'Maybe you should slow down a bit!" We wove our way in and out of buses, cars, taxis, rickshaws, pedestrians and myrids of other bikes. People take little notice of lanes and as soon as a gap appears anywhere it is quickly filled. Bike riders have the added advantage of weaving in and out of oncoming traffic!! We got lost and had to stop and ask for directions, once from a policeman who was directing traffic. I jumped off the bike and ran over to him to ask for directions. He was only too happy to oblige with more vague directions and I was just happy that he didn't ask to see a license as Joel
doesn't even have a bike license and I had left mine in Australia! We finally made it to the embassy only to discover that Joel needed a letter of introduction from the Australian Embassy!!! We set off in search of the Australian Embassy which was easier to spot with an Austarlian flag flying high! After waiting an hour we set off again with the letter of introduction and went back to the Pakistani Embassy only to be told that Joel had to come back another day for an interview! At least we were making progress and having fun on the way!! We then decided to head off to the Monkey Temple but took a wrong turn and ended up miles out of our way, which meant we got caught up in peak hour traffic on the way back. Our fuel guage was very low and there was no petrol available! It was with some relief that about 60kms later we arrived back at the bike shop on the sniff of an oily rag!! On our return to KTM after hiking we hired a bike again, this time a 250cc mororbike and took in more of the sights. I felt like
A cornucopia of spices!
We enjoyed talking to these men as we inhaled the wonderful aroma of hundreds of spices! a pro the second time! We certainly received some appreciative stares and we didn't see any other tourists out on the roads on motor-bikes!
Pashupatinath One of the places we visited on the bike was this very famous Hindu Temple which stands on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. It is also one of the most important Shiva temples and draws sadhus (wandering Hindu holy men) from all over India. Non-Hindus are not allowed in the main temple but we did see the huge golden backside of Nandi, Shiva's bull as we walked past the entrance to the temple. The huge golden bull is about 300 years old.
We wandered over to the river which is the site of many funeral ghats as this is a popular place to be cremated. Ten members of the royal family were cremated here after the massacre in 2001. There was a funeral going at the time and we found ourselves directly above the proceedings! The body had been wrapped in white cloths with only the man's face visible. He was transferred from a bamboo stretcher onto a pile of logs on the ghat. The priest blessed the body and then pieces
of wood and kindling were placed below and on the body by the assembled family members. Fire lighters were placed under the logs and the whole funeral pyre was set on fire. It was very sobering watching this happening and seeing workers on the other ghats sweeping the ashes and left over pieces of wood straight into the heavily polluted river.
We wandered further up the banks stopping to talk to family groups and were called over by a group of sadhus. They were interested to hear where we were from and quickly the conversation turned to cricket. I had wanted to take some closeup photos of the sadhus but didn't like to be intrusive. These men were only too happy to have their photos taken after we had chatted with them for a while. One of the men was wearing a metal chastity belt! You should be able to see it in the photo.
Bodhnath We also visited Bodhnath, site of one of the world's largest stupas. It is the religious centre for Nepal's considerable population of Tibetan exiles. LP says, 'This is one of the few places in the world where Tibetan culture is accessible, vibrant and
uncluttered.' Stupas were originally built to house holy relics. There is some conjecture that there is a piece of bone that once belonged to The Buddah interred in the stupa. A brick wall around the stupa has 147 niches, each with four or five prayer wheels bearing the mantra
om mani padme hum. This is translated as
hail to the jewel in the lotus We watched Tibetan women wearing their brightly-coloured aprons and monks in their dark maroon robes circumambulate the shrine chanting and murmuring prayers. One must always walk in a clock-wise direction around the stupa. Many people, including moutaineers and sherpas, come here to pray before they make a journey to the Himalayas. The friendly guys in the ticket booth kindly looked after our helmets as we wandered around and our bike was surprisingly quite safe left locked out on the street!
It was here in one of the terrace coffee shops that we met Tara-Stella, a German lady who works with lepers and street children in Varanasi, India. We were amazed at the stories she told us about her work. Joel had just been to Varanasi and described it as possibly the dirtiest city in the world.
If you are interested in visiting her website log on to www.back-to-life.com The website is in German but it is interesting seeing the photographs even if you don't understand German.
Swayambhunath We reached this temple on our second attempt with the motorbike. Situated on a hill to the west of Kathmandu, it is often referred to as the Monkey Temple. A large troupe of monkeys live in the area and amuse visitors with their antics. We saw a few but they looked a bit mangey and we didn't get too close! Geologists believe that eons ago the Kathmandu Valley was a lake and the hill of Swayambhunath was an island rising out of the surrounding water like a lotus flower. Gradually the lake dried up to leave the fertile valley floor. There are references to the site 2,000 years ago and King Manadeva ordered work done in AD460. By the 13th century it was an important Buddhist centre.
There are hundreds of steps to be climbed to reach the top by the eastern staircase. The views over Kathmandu are certainly worth the steep climb! On the top of the stupa one can see the ever-present watchful eyes of
the Buddah, which gaze out across the valley in each direction. The question mark-like nose is actually the Nepali number
ek (one) and a symbol of the unity of all life. Between and above the two eyes is a third eye which symbolises the Buddah's insight. Around the bottom of the stupa are the prayer wheels which pilgrims spin as they walk around the stupa.
Alongside the stupa on top of the hill are Hindu temples. We were surprised to see Hindu shrines and Buddhist stupas at the same locations. This is not unusual in Nepal where Hinduism and Buddhism have mingled into a complex, syncretistic blend. There is little religious tension in Nepal and religion plays almost no part in politics. There are also many curio shops at the temple and Joel, after lots of bargaining, bought a stone board game called "Lazy tigers and clever goats.'
After leaving the temple we set off to find a Tibetan family in the area who were friends of a friend of Joel's! We thought it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack but after only a relatively short time we found them! We were warmly invited
in and given tea and biscuits. The old grandfather had been part of the group of men who had helped the Dalai Lama escape from Tibet many years ago. They were very aware of the protests from the rest of the world about China's horrific treatment of Tibetans and their hosting the Olympic Games later this year. On our departure I was given a lovely Tibetan scarf that is traditionally given as a blessing when saying farewell. It now adorns the neck of our tall wooden giraffe in our entrance hall at home. Joel was invited back for a meal, which he enjoyed after I had left KTM.
Garden of Dreams On the outskirts of Thamel we discovered The Garden of Dreams and whiled away a couple of relaxing hours there. It is an idyllic place and it is hard to believe that you are separated from the noisy, dusty polluted streets of KTM by only a wall! Inside there are beautifully manicured gardens, peaceful ponds and fountains and expensive coffee shops. Needless to say we decided to stick to our bottled water!. The gardens were built after Field Marshal Kaiser Shamser had visited several Edwardian estates in England.
Rum Doodle Restaurant and Bar On the recommendation of a lady we had met Joel and I ate at this famous restaurant twice!
The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman provided the inspiration for this bar and restaurant. The novel is set on the world's highest fictitious mountain, the 40,000 and a half ft Mt Rum Doodle. Time magazine in 1983 described it as 'one of the world's best bars'. It is a favourite meeting place for mountaineering expeditions and people like Sir Edmund Hilary and Reinholt Messner have left their mark on the walls. The whole place is decorated with cut out giant yeti footprints that have been signed by numerous trekking and moutaineering groups. The food was delicious too! If you have a Summiter's Card (issued to those who have climbed Mt Everest) you can eat here free for life!
Impressions of Kathmandu KTM is am amazing mixture of cultures and religions. I felt at times transported back to the 'hippie' era with all the bright clothing, pot, dreadlocks and alternative dress. I was amazed at the number of times that Joel said he was quietly offered 'hashish' as we walked along the streets and
I never heard a thing!!! Interestingly, on the one time that I set off shopping on my own I was offered it too!! On one of our last mornings as we walked along the street from our hotel I said to Joel, "I really like Kathmandu." We both looked down and there at our feet were the remains of a squashed rat!! We had a good laugh!
The early morning ritual of hacking and coughing was hard to take at times. I remember ordering breakfast on our balcony the first morning and hearing all the early morning hacking and spitting rituals going on. We even had a good view and especially clear sound effects of a man across the street actually sticking his fingers down his throat so he could have a good retch at the same time!!! It must be a sign that we are seasoned travellers as we happily tucked into our breakfasts!!
We found the people to be really friendly and helpful and always felt safe wherever we went. The women in Nepal work incredibly hard. Female mortality rates are higher than men's and their literacy rates are lower. The rural custom of exiling women
to cowsheds for four days during their period was only made illegal in 2005. One afternoon as Joel and I were enjoying a coffee we saw a couple of young women working on a building site across the road. One was shovelling gravel into a basket that was slung across the forehead of the other woman and when it was full she delivered it to the building site!! We saw many women working as labourers on building sites in the city.
My next bog will be on our amazing five days trekking in the Annapurna area of the Himalayas.
I have put up extra photos so don't forget to click onto the second page when you reach the bottom of the page!
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anonymous
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Klassy KTM Blog!
Great to see you back in print and photos! Enjoyed the background info on various places you visited. Bring on the mountain trek story!