Kathmandu

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July 17-31

I arrive in Kathmandu, a sprawling city of brick in the lush Kathmandu Valley. I settle into the main tourist area until I can get my bearings, and my initial impression of the city is not good. It’s dirty, noisy and congested, which is no problem - it’s a third world city after all. The main thing is that nobody seems very friendly; the only people willing to talk to me are the people that descend on me trying to sell you things. Westerners tend to run in big groups here, or are solid couples, and it’s hard to strike up a conversation with anyone. A big difference from Dharamsala, where it was easy to meet 10 new people in a day. After a while I realize that this is part of the problem - I’m comparing Kathmandu to Dharamsala and won’t just let Kathmandu be Kathmandu. After a few days walking around the main part of the city buying some supplies, checking out restaurants and coffeeshops, and seeing the old part of town (there are small temples everywhere) I move out of Kathmandu to the smaller quieter settlement of Boudha. Boudha is the site of one of the largest stupas in the world and my guesthouse is about 1/4-mile from this World Heritage site. Both Boudha in general and my guesthouse in particular are quiet and peaceful, a wonderful change from the chaos of Kathmandu.

One errand in Kathmandu was to sign up for a 10-day meditation retreat outside Kathmandu that will start on August 1. With nearly two weeks until the course starts I am torn between taking a short trip out of Kathmandu Valley or sitting here and taking short day trips and relaxing. I decide on the latter, mainly because this retreat is going to be hard and I don’t want to be wiped out or sick from trekking beforehand.

So I sit, walk around, read a lot (nearing the 50 book mark already) and get to know the area. The guesthouse is in a neighborhood north of the stupa and is set between two apartment buildings, so it’s nice to sit out on the balcony and watch the local residents go about their daily routines, listen to their music and shouts to one another and just plugging into the rhythm of this quiet neighborhood. There’s even a 3-acre nursery between the guesthouse and stupa, which is always nice to walk past. The local Tibetan community has made a lot of money selling carpets and textiles and they have used a lot of that money to finance the construction of close to 30 monasteries around the stupa. Throughout the day and into the night I can hear the raucous horns and drums from the closest monasteries. Dharamsala was dominated by the Gelug (the Dalai Lama’s monastic order) but here all four of the monastic orders are well represented and it’s a much more inclusive look into the Tibetan society.

So at the end of the two weeks I’ve made my peace with Kathmandu, I’ve actually managed to talk to a few people and now I’m ready to sit on my ass for 10 days.

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Comments

[Penny Strong]

I heard about you thru a friend who lives near me. I go to Kathmandu every year....I've made 39 trips so far. It was interesting to read your thoughts, which are different than mine. I find it to be a very friendly place. Yes, it is dirty in some ways, but I love the people dearly. Maybe our paths will cross some time and we can share stories. Enjoy your time in Asia