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Published: March 7th 2006
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Pashnupatinath
This is Pashnupatinath, the first temple to which we were denied entrance. Kathmandu is definitely a kind of sensory overload. I imagine the experience will be repeated in most of the overcrowded, underorganized cities of South Asia, but this is where I will have to become accustomed to it. Chayna (pronounced like the country that produced Mao Zedong), the title of this entry, is the Nepali word for "no" and has myriad applications. For the past two days, Eddie and I have toured the city with Michelle, Eddie's girlfriend who has been here for two weeks, and a local guide assigned to help us out by Michelle's Nepali friend. Although the guides are sometimes helpful to haggle or translate, overall, I think I prefer to muddle through on my own, as I don't like to feel as if I require assistance. Plus, I know how to say "no".
Yesterday, we visited two of the most important religious sites in Kathmandu. We got up at 7:30, took cold showers (the hotel insists we just have to let the water run for longer), then went to the house of the family where Michelle is staying. They are very affluent, and have a beautiful house. They served us a great breakfast. Then we went to
Boddhinath
Boddhinath Stupa. I loved this place, with the graceful fluttering prayer flags. see Pashupatinath, the holiest temple to Shiva in Nepal, and among the most revered in the world. The inner portion was, disappointingly, not open to non-hindus, but it looked quite spectacular from the door. For the westernized price of 250 rupees, though, we were admitted to the extensive grounds. There, we saw a funeral, where a procession bathed the feet of the body of the (very murky) waters of the holy river Baghmati running though the temple complex, then burned it on a funeral plinth next to the river. Before burnin the body, they remove its clothes underneath a sheet and toss them in the river, to join all the other holy debris proceeding languidly downstream. Monkeys roamed freely about the site, smoke pervaded the atmosphere, and Sadhus, holy ascetics, were everywhere. One put a spot of red dye on my forehead (then demanded money, of course). I got some cute pictures of me looking a bit Hindu.
We then went to juxtapose this site against one of the other holiest sites in Nepal, Boddhinath , a most spectacular Buddhist Stupa. It was a remarkable contrast: the area around the Stupa was very clean, quiet and peaceful, and the
Patan Durbar Square
This is the spectacular central square that you are presented with when you arrive in Patan. structure, with its graceful form and delicate fluttering prayer flags (which always tickle me with their resemblance to the colored flags that festoon US car dealerships) lent the site an air of pervasive calm. After a late lunch of vegetable momos (just like chinese steamed vegetable dumplings with a curry sauce on the side) we headed to the hotel for a break. Had dinner at a faux-Italian place, the met Michelle's friend to go to a local club. It was weird - all the girls there were hired by the club to flirt with the guys, get them to buy drinks, and possibly offer more services. It was about this time that I got hit by the jet lag that I thought I had escaped, so we headed back shortly after that.
This morning, I was very happy to observe that we did, in fact, have hot water. This, of course meant that Eddie spent 90 minutes in the bathroom, but at least I got to sleep through that part. We got some money from the atm, had more vegetable momos for breakfast (we have basically decided to be vegetarian for this trip, as meat carries a lot more
Sun Temple
Buddhist Sun Temple, Patan. (ahem) digestive risks than vegetables. Today, we went to the two historic neighboring towns in the nearby Kathmandu Valley. To the uneducated eye, it just looks like a continuous unplanned sprawl of humanity, but there is a section where the road is so rough it is hard to keep your ass on the seat of the taxi, or your lunch in your stomach; I presume this was the spot between the towns. I was disappointed that I could not see more than a hazy outline of the mountains lining the valley due to smog. At any rate, they towns have largely grown together, but at one time, Patan and Bhaktapur were separate cities with rival powers. Each has a town ("Durbar") square with an endless procession of temples, each decorated with fine, intricately carved wood and stone work. Most of what we saw were Hindu temples - particularly interesting were the temples to Vishnu, which bear wood carvings of erotic poses that you may have glimpsed while "casually" perusing your friend's copy of the Kama Sutra. We also saw the "Golden Temple" in Patan, another one of the more important Buddhist sites in the area. Small, very old, and quite
Sumthin...
I will have to ask the name of this again. It is a (realatively) small, but exquisite tower buried behind a wall of unassumin buildings. powerful.
Another sight that we observed that I have certainly never seen before was real, genuine animal sacrifice. Wow. Fresh blood is so vividly red, it is almost painful to look at. Though, I guess if it were a flower, I would say the color was beautiful. But it was a cow, so I don't think that's the right word.
Tomorrow, we leave for Pokhara for a trek around Annapurna, from Jomson to Mukinath, among other places.
I hope all of you are well, and say goodbye, until my next internet access, which may come along the trail, or when I get back in 10 days.
Namaste! (all purpose salutation in Nepali)
Dan
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Joel H
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Awesome pictures, amigo. Enjoy the Jomosom trek! I've never been back that way, but I hear it's spectacular. (I think the exquisite tower above is the Mahabuddha or tower of a thousand buddhas, but check your handy Lonely Planet to be sure)