Kathmandu

My journey from Chicago included a short stop in London where I spent a few hours wandering the streets with my gracious host looking for Apple stores. Yes, I was in search of the elusive leopard. After examining my computer, which was new to me, my friend tried to download Skype for me and proclaimed that I couldn’t use it because my operating system was too old! It turns out the Apple stores no longer carry leopard, which is a pre-requisite to snow leopard, which all comes before lion, and I don’t have enough of something or other to download anyway. All I wanted was to be able to Skype and upload photos. The second hand electronic shops also have made the leopard extinct. So, we canceled the search, and instead began hunting for the Tate Modern, Big Ben, and some Turkish food. I am happy to say that we found all three thanks to Yann’s expert tracking ability.

After London, I spent three days taking in the sites in and around Kathmandu, Nepal, mostly visiting temples. A Hindu festival, Makar or Maghe Sankranti, was going on where devotees had to eat a root vegetable sort of like a potato, which was supposed to be good for the cold winter, giving health and warming the blood. After praying, it is customary for the Hindus to give to the poor, so beggars were lining the streets with their silver bowls. A woman donated two large bags of clothing and as soon as she relinquished them, the swarm around her began fighting for the items. A security woman in a uniform and carrying a large stick blew a whistle and began to beat the beggars on their thin backs as they scrambled for the clothing. I was a bit disturbed, the blows leaving an impact on me as well, just as a mere observer.

Kathmandu has seen a lot of tourists for trekking and chilling out. The people who work with tourism are smooth operators and hard hagglers. The guides at the temples are aggressive and tend not to take no for an answer. I made the mistake of not setting a price up front with on guide at the fascinating Pashupatinath Temple and he became angry and demanding because I didn’t give what he thought he deserved. I had actually borrowed money from my driver because I didn’t have enough cash and there were no ATMs in the vicinity. I happened to have $4 in American currency with me so I gave him that, even though it was way above the going rate. I know it was only four dollars more, so no huge loss. I just didn’t like his method of practice and would rather have given it to the excellent and humble guide at Bhaktapur, which I will get to in a moment.

Three towns in the Kathmandu Valley competed with each other by building elaborate temples. The “my temple is bigger than your temple mentality.” Many sites combined Hindu and Buddhist elements so a guide can open your eyes and help decipher what is in front of you, also pointing out the erotic sculptures on the temples should you miss them. Just choose carefully and set a price. I highly recommend Bhaktapur, for an escape from chaotic Kathmandu and a glimpse into past and present village life.

 

Bhaktapur