Heaven outside Kathmandu...

---

After 2 weeks of the smog and noise in Kathmandu, I decided it was time to venture out of all the chaos. There is really only so much you can take of the dirt, crowds, beggers, horns and traffic.

My first adventure was to The Kopan Monastery. I trekked along a hill side mountain bike path for about 2 hours. I was pleasantly surprised to find such lush pine forests and an abbundance of rice fields just a short distance outside Kathmandu. Along the way I passed many local Nepalese people. They were doing their daily activites, such as harvesting and beating rice, washing clothes and dishes in large metal bowls outside at the faucet, and showering outside at the communal "shower". It's amazing how many children stay at home and help around the house doing chores. For the most part, Nepal seems to take education very seriously and families try to send their children to school whenever possible. But some families simply can't afford it and the children are forced to remain home and pursue their destiny as farmers.

Upon arriving at the monastery, there is this large brightly painted gate that welcomes you. As you enter, you are overwhelmed by another large brightly painted structure which is the monastery itself. It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and school. The center is popular for short courses on Tibetan medicine, thangka (Tibetan) painting and other subjects. The grounds are very well kept and there are various areas with statues devoted to different gods for prayer purposes. There is even a small, man-made waterfall to meditate at. I was really glad to see the manicured grounds and how bright and clean everything was. It was a nice change from all the other temples and stupas I have visited. I understand that it takes a lot of money to restore and maintain these structures. But I just feel if you are as devoted to your religion, as Nepalese people seem to be, you should do more to make your place of prayer as nice as it could be.

After touring the grounds, I decided to have lunch at the monastery cafe. As I was sitting there enjoying my muesli and taking in some more views of the Himilayas, a monk decided to join me. He was an elderly monk who teaches English and Buddism at the school. He asked me to stay and take one of the courses at the monastery. I told him I was not able to stay so he took it upon himself to give me a taste of Tibetan Buddhism, which of course I greatly appreciated. He told me that there is no god as a creator in Buddhism, man is a self-creator. The mind is very powerful and can be your best tool in life. It dictates the kind of life you wish to have and what kind of person you want to be. He also explained to me how all babies and children need to be cared for in the beginning of life. And then we need to be cared for, once again, as we age. So why not return that kindness in between. That is the whole basis of Tibetan Buddhism. He said some people use religion as tools for war, but this is not the correct way to use religion...people get confused and it is very sad. It was only a short lesson, but I really have a new interest for Buddhism and hope to learn more in detail someday.

My next adventure outside Kathmandu was to Nagarkot. This is 32 km from Kathmandu and is said to have the best mountain views in all of Kathmandu Valley. After an hour of a bumpy, slow, and dangerously close the the edge bus ride, I arrived at Nagarkot. I decided to stay in this lodge named Peaceful Cottage, and peaceful it was. I was taking back by the breathtaking views of the mountains that surrounded the cottage. I sat at the rooftop terrace and decided to have some wine. This was followed by an amazing sunset, a delicious dinner, and an evening of sitting around with the lodge crew singing and dancing to traditional folk songs. At 5:00 am, I made my way to the viewing tower on top of the lodge. Unfortunately, clouds and mist made it difficult to see an amazing sunrise. But we were able to catch a few glimpses of the Langtang mountain range. They were the type of snow covered mountains that I've only seen in movies. They were so far away and surrounded by clouds that they seemed like a mirage. So I didn't get the amazing view I had hoped for, but I have no regrets. Nagarkot was the perfect, relaxing getaway that I needed. I next made my way back down the valley and visited Changu Narayan, a historical temple that stands on a hilltop near Bhaktapur. It dates from 1702, when it was rebuilt after a fire, however its origins go back to the 4th century. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, a Hindu god in the form of a man-bird. There is a small village with cobble stone roads you can roam and shop for wood carvings and paintings. Again, very peaceful.

My next trip outside Kathmandu was to a resort near the Tibetan border. It is known for the second highest bungee jump, next to New Zealand. I wish I had the nerve to do it, but I didn't. I really didn't have the desire either. Jumping off a bridge, 160 meters high, to trust a rubber band with my life is not my idea of fun. Although, hats off to anyone who can do it. Instead, I decided to try Canyoning. This is abseiling over 7 waterfalls, the largest one being 45 meters high. I was terrified at first but really started to enjoy myself after I felt comfortable with leaning back with my body at a 90 degree angle from the rocks. After a few mouthfuls of water from the nearby, gushing falls and several leeches later I conquered my first abseiling experience.

The resort was also very peaceful. It is tucked away within the mountains. There was a very nice lodge, made entirely of stone, where you could relax and take in some amazing views. We sat for a few hours, reading and drinking tea. After a delicious dinner of curry, one of the guides joined us at our table. He started discussing the Maoist situation in Nepal. The US Department of State lables the Maoist as terrorists. Although they are a communist party, I feel they are far from terroists.

Here is a little introduction to the Nepal's government. Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy running under the executive control of the king. Faced with a people's movement against the absolute monarchy, King Birendra, in 1990, agreed to large-scale political reforms by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of the government. The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Governments in Nepal have tended to be highly unstable; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991, either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch on the recommendation of prime minister according to the constitution. The movement in April 2006 brought about a change in the nation. The autocratic King was forced to give up power. The dissolved House of Representatives was restored. The House of Representatives formed a government which had successful peace talks with the Maoist Rebels. An interim constitution was created and an interim House of Representatives was formed with Maoist members. The number of seats were also increased to 330. The peace process in Nepal made a giant leap in April 2007, when the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) joined the interim government of Nepal. The peace process seems to be in jeopardy after Maoists decided to leave coalition government on September 18, 2007, demanding the declaration of a republic before the scheduled constituent assembly. The November election has been postponed until further notice, after an agreement of power can be decided.

The Maoists feel they are creating a movement for the poeple of Nepal, although only 10% of the country actually supports them. Although they riot, cause road blocks and occasionally bomb areas, for the most part they are considered a peaceful movement. They usually only target the military, avoiding locals and tourist when possible. Since they withdrew from the government in September, demanding more power, there has been an increase in road blocks and demonstrations. There have been several travel warnings to be careful when travelling in Nepal, but there has been no advisory to completely avoid travel. The guide was explaining to us that there is really no danger to tourists and we should not feel afraid. He explained that most people will say they support the Maoists, even though they don't really know what good will come to the country if they came into power. But they are too afraid to state that they are against the movement, in fear of what some of the members may do to them and their family. It makes me realize that even though there is a lot of corruption in the US governent, at least I have the freedom to say what I want and vote how I want without fear for my life.

Okay, back to my peaceful retreat outside of Kathmandu. The next day, I did a 3 hour rafting trip down the Bhote Kosi River. This is the best river in Nepal for rafting. By far, this has been my favorite experience. Although the river was only a class 3, there were some areas it was a class 4 that made it more exciting.

After rafting, I was forced to return to Kathmandu. Although a shower, nice dinner and some wine with some of the other volunteers made it not so bad.

---

Comments

[becky]

damn girl- sounds like you are truly having the trip of a lifetime! I am enjoying reading about your experiences, and am quite impressed with the knowledge you have gained and your ability to send us the information as if written in a text book! Well Done! Stay safe and continue to enjoy!!! Any pictures yet???? Bec

[zsteve]

Bungee
Hi Taryn I did that bungee jump you wrote about - I was dead scared. But rafting on the Bhote Khosi was nearly as exciting! Enjoy the rest of your trip through Far Asia and keep the excellent blogs coming! Blogger steffen