Dubar Square

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On the same day as my visit to the monkey temple I also visited Dubar Square.

To get there we had to walk past the meat district. This is a street where all the vendors sell their meat. The smell hits you even before you see the displays. The first table is the fish, and the water from them leeks off into the street. Next come the chicken stalls, then goat. There are also live goats tied up waiting to be chosen. All the meat if left out without even shade, let alone some sort of refrigeration, to keep it cool. This sight really solidified my decision to be vegitarian while I am traveling. Not that it is any sort of sacrifice. The food here is spectacular.

I haven't actually tried any Nepalese food yet, if you can believe it. But as it is all I will have for the next twenty days on my trek I will have more then enough of it. I have had very good Tibetan momo's and Thai Green Curry, but my favorite place has to be OR2K which serves Israeli food. The atmosphere at this place is very cool. There is a huge open room with cusions all around the outer walls and small tables at floor height. At night the walls and windows are all covered with sari type fabric and black lights hang from the ceiling: very trippy. Their mint lemonade is so refreshing after a day in the sun. As well as Israeli specialties they also have amazing pizza and chocolate banana crepes.

On the way to Dubar Sqare, we also pasted by the former house of the new Kumari Devi. Depending on how closely you follow the news, you may know that a new Kumari (living Godess) was just recently chosen. The three year old girl was chosen because she possed the perfect attributes. The color of her eyes, the shape of her teeth and the sound of her voice are only three of the 32 criteria. She also must pass a test, similar to that of the Dali Lama where she picks out a piece of clothing etc. worn by her predecessor. This young girl has now been moved to her new home in Dubar Square, where she will preform rituals and be worshiped on religious occasions until her first menstruation when she will return to mortal status. When we were in Dubar Square there was a line up out side her house. Our guide told us that people had been there all day to recieve her blessings during the festival of Daisan. It is quite a feat for such a young girl to keep her concentration in order to preform such blessings all day long.

Our guide also showed us the many temples and shrines, many of which focused on family. Marriage and fertility were common themes. Although, there was also a god of Alchohol, which I guess in some cases does play a part in creating pregnancy. In a religion that sees alchohol as being "wrong" it is interesting that at festivals (which are ultimately about God) the people celebrate by drinking, a lot.

*I am actually posting this from a small mountain town called Chame, on a very unreliable and expensive internet connection. I didn't get a chance to post it before I left. Now, I am a few days into my trek around the Annapurna region. The scenery is beautiful and my group is great. There is even a girl from Victoria! Small world. Her friend in Robinson's even sold me my converter. Oddly enough he told her not to buy one because she could just use mine! I will give lots of details and pictures in a few weeks when I am finished my trek and am in a city with cheaper internet!*

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Photos

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Busy Kathmandu streets

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A little piece of Britain in Dubar Sq

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Line up of people waiting for a blessing from the Kumari Devi

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Festival time in Dubar Sq