The DL is on the DL (the Dalai Lama is on the Down Low!!!)

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August 8

Left our ‘no electric, no showers, no water’ hostel at 4:30am. No water means they wash the linens once a year - lovely. It was only when we reached the border that we realized that our Dalai Lama souvenirs were in jeopardy as well as the safety of our Tibetan guide if we were found with the contraband. Although we unpacked our bags on the side of the road and couldn’t find it, we sweated profusely in anticipation. Our tour guide also had a panic attack and screamed at us abundantly…awkward … Maybe it was the “Nihao” smile and greeting or the strategic placement of our dirty laundry on top, or perhaps just good karma, but the guards didn’t find the DL post cards. They did look through the camera of one guys (it is strictly illegal to photograph any military and their actions…), and look through the pages of each of our books to try.

The road was perilous from the Nepali border to Katmandu - torturous turns for hours but the scenery along the way was absolutely incredible; while one wheel was barely on the road, looking out I could see canyons of luscious jungle and terraced fields and mountain peaks.

We dropped our bags in our room (and showered for the first time in days!) and were off exploring Katmandu! Muddy motorcycle filled streets, rickshaws and never-ending shop window distractions: time to shop! After salivating with our limitless possibilities, we headed off to Bodhnath Stupa in a nearby village. You have to walk the Kora 3 times, not only for religious reasons but simply in order to absorb it all. In the center is the Stupa with its all-seeing eyes marking four corners and below is a mini Kora facing a Hindu shrine; this place where Buddhism and Hinduism literally face each other and share the same place epitomizes the harmony of Nepal. All around are little shops and small temples. Buddhist monks chanting and pilgrims prostrating themselves and giving offerings. It is a wonderful place to just sit and soak up the spirit of Nepal.

It wasn’t until I was walking through the temples at Bodhnath that I was hit with what was so different from Tibet. In the temples it didn’t feel as if I was walking through something that had been recently demonized and resurrected as an act of appeasement but rather a natural outgrowth of the environment. I never realized how constricted I had felt in Tibet with the starch strict and seemingly abstract laws that limited our every move (and we’re not even Tibetan) until I was in Nepal and was reminded of the every day freedoms I had forgotten about (ie being able to take the public bus, not having to have a guide if we wanted to enter a temple, not having to worry about what we discussed with whom…)

August 9

We got lost around Durbar square, the old wooden temples/buildings/squares. We ran into a rally, protesting against drunk drivers, which though vocal was in fact peaceful and we weren’t afraid to go up close to find out more. Temples and markets fluidly blended without boundary or distinctions.
One of our personal mantras throughout the trip was “wait for shopping in Katmandu” and now our shopping list seemed to be dragging us to the markets. We had worried the whole trip about being prepared for the climate at Everest, not wanting to tote warm, heavy clothes through India (which in fact we didn’t need) but now we were approaching trekking in Thailand and the monsoon felt threatening. Luckily for us, the new trend seems to be selling NorthFace rip-offs. So we bought a quick-dry wardrobe! Pants that morph into shorts with a zip, button down shirts, and full sized ponchos! And then the rain came and that was the end of our shopping. We were invited into the closest store and sat inside for shelter. With nothing to do and the rain not abating, we decided to try out the card trick we learned at the road block the other day. I soon corralled a crowd of the shop owner’s family and it was hours before the rain stopped and by that time we had shared Chai Tea, and learned new card games. We were also served corn which is eaten kernel by kernel which I instinctually knew how to eat so we were spared potential embarrassment. Although we were learning the rhythms of the road, we felt like we were thrown a curve trying to readjust to the idea of not rushing and just enjoying and “seeing/being” in our surroundings now that we were liberated from the group dynamic. This is our first day with out the group!

(We now pretty much know our way around Thamel, Katmandu, we spent that night walking each street at least 4 times accidentally trying to find our way around…LAME!!! (to our defense, every street looked the same!...) We felt like we were stuck in a pinball machine, bouncing from one helpful set of directions to another. Everyone was very friendly. They still offer marijuana but how can you not love a city that has a place named “freak street”?! )

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