Back to Kathmandu and to India

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Back in Kathmandu wrapping up the remainder of the trip. The original plan was to spend the last few days in India, however I came to find out we were not able to obtain a visa at the border and needed to go back to Kathmandu to the Indian Embassy. I went into a panic mode for a bit, because visas sometimes take a week to obtain, it was the weekend, the embassy was closed, and we needed to fly out on Monday to make our connection.
India has a transit visa, which is only valid for three days, and allows you to travel through India. Several people, including our local travel agent, said we did not need one if we did not leave the airport and flew directly to Delhi, but there seems to be so much misinformation about this, we are going to the embassy and asking them just in case.
We headed out to the main Hindu temple, Pashupatinath, and the surrounding ghats along the Basmati river. The Basmati river is considered the main Hindu holy river in Nepal, and they believe it eventually empties into the Ganges in India, the most holy of all Hindu rivers.
It is the Hindu belief that if you bathe in the river you will be cleansed of a lifetime of sins, and if you are cremated and your ashes spread into it, you will be released from the Hindu cycle of life and death. Ironically these “cleansing” rivers are the filthiest in the world, with a fecal count something like 500 times the acceptable level and filled with garbage. Every morning and evening locals come to bathe in the river, wading in the trash.
Upon our arrival there were already two cremations in progress, and one about to commence. The smoke in the air was nauseating, and had a sickly sweet smell of death to it. I felt somewhat awkward watching such a personal and sacred rite among the hordes of camera toting tourists and locals pointing and snapping pictures. It seems here that death is a spectator sport, and something that needs to be faced and contemplated head on, instead of our western attitude of denial. Throughout the complex there are small shrines that you can sit and meditate in while overlooking the river and the cremations.
We took some pictures, however, we tried to be as surreptitious as possible out of respect for any family that may be present. One such British tourist was not as thoughtful as she talked loudly and obviously snapped dozens of pictures. I wanted to correct her behavior, but she was being led by a local guide who evidently cared more for his tip than respecting his culture, so why should I.
The corpse is attended by an “outcast” whose occupation it is to wrap and cleanse the body, then build the pyre and attend to it while the body is incinerated. There are stacks of kindling, and bundles of grass to add to the fire. The deceased family is responsible for buying the firewood, sandalwood being the most expensive, but highly sought after.
We walked down the river along the ghats and past the crowds to watch about a dozen monkeys frolicking in the water. They took turns jumping from the high platforms, diving headfirst, while the rest of the monkeys looked on, seemingly encouraging one another. How anyone could not believe in evolution after watching monkeys in their natural environment is beyond me.
There was a temple that was used for human sacrifice that was decorated with erotic tantric carvings that defied human anatomy and gravity. The entire temple area was filled with local men, all smiling and looking at me, looking at the carvings. I got disgusted , and asked Dennis to take pictures.
All around the temple complex are Saddhus, or ascetics, who are Hindu holy men that have relinquished all worldly possessions and have taken up a life of wandering and begging. The Saddhus hang out in this area making themselves assessable for tourist photographs, for a fee of course. We tried to sneak a few pictures, but they were highly skilled at recognizing any such attempts, and put their hands in front of their face. We eventually paid them for their photos. Next time I travel I’m going to invest in an undercover camera hidden in a pen or sunglasses to capture all these photos I wanted but couldn’t take.



I went to the embassy early Monday morning and was told by them there we do need a visa, even if we do not go through customs or even leave the airport. At $60 a piece, we hired a visa agent to do a rush, and we had them in hand just in time to head to the airport, and get the last flight to Delhi for the day. I asked the ticket agent if the visa was necessary, and he said “no.” This infuriated me, but I knew if we didn’t get one we wouldn’t have surely been denied entry.







We arrived In Delhi, with about 8 hours until our flight. We walked out of the airport with our bags past customs, who told me we did need the visa even if we were staying in the airport, argh. We walked up to the departures, and planned to check in our bags so we could be freed and travel in the city. At every door was an armed soldier checking passports and tickets. We were denied entry and told we couldn’t enter the airport until 6 hours prior to our flight. We waited for a bit, and then I decided to try another guard who may not be as observant. Ha ha, sure enough he let us in, not looking at the ticket closely.







We tried to find the Air China counter, but there wasn’t one until 3 hours prior to departure. We decided to just take our bags and take a taxi into the city. As we began to walk through the exit doors we were stopped by a soldier telling us we couldn’t leave. I asked why and he simply said we just could not leave. I tried this again at least a dozen times more, each with a different guard, hoping to be able to escape. Even the information desk told me we couldn’t leave upon entry, but had no reason as to why. Furious, we both sat in the airport for the next 8 hours. At this rate I was so pissed off at India and their “rules” I didn’t want to see the country. I had been to Delhi previously, and could not remember anything worth possibly getting arrested or shot over by trying to escape the airport.







Speaking of which, throughout our travels we heard horror story after story about what has happened to travelers in India. No one was intentionally trying to scare us, but just giving us a heads upon to be careful. There was the food that was laced with drugs to render you unconscious, “helpful” guides that would beat you over the head and rob you, luggage pilfered through on the roof, and then the four days of torture some poor Swede suffered from after having all his bank accounts drained. Sure many travelers come and go with no problem, but admittedly we were somewhat relieved things worked out as they did. Our guard would have been up so high we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy ourselves there anyway.







Some things we will miss, others not so much: head bobbles while talking, being called Madame & Sir, haggling for everything, knowing we were being fleeced by practically everyone but just not sure by how much, nasty toilets, carrying toilet paper, baby wipes, & hand sanitizer everywhere, getting stared at, being offered drugs, local transportation, wondering how driving 20km can take 2 hours, public spitting and snot rockets, everyone perpetually coughing, complete disregard of the concept of waiting in line, personal space and deodorant to name a few.



It was a trip of a lifetime, and we will both be forever changed in many ways. We look forward to our next adventure, wherever that may be.

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Photos

Almost got his face eaten off after this picture, nasty monkey