Life in Kathmandu: Part 1

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting again...two months, seriously, where did the time go?!  I thought I better finish the Nepal posts at least for our own scrapbook if anything else.  Thanks to those of you who are still reading!  A lot has changed in the past two months, but more on that later...

Guillaume and I had an amazing time in Nepal.  I think it was probably our best stop along our world tour...for now (Italy's still coming up!).  After our big hike in the mountains, we spent nearly three weeks in Kathmandu.  We toured around the area, became well-acquainted with the city (well, at least the tourist area) and enjoying settling down for a while.  Here's a taste of our life in Kathmandu....

I think we ate at nearly every restaurant there was to eat in the tourist district of Kathmandu - Thamel (pronounced Taml).  We quickly found a favourite - La Dolce Vita.  I think we frequented it about five or six times (or as many times as it took for the staff to recognize us each time we came in).  I'm not sure it was a nice break from other food we had been eating that we enjoyed the most, or if it was because we were getting excited for our upcoming trip to Italy, but it sure was delicious!!

Another daal bhaat meal...so good!!!  We never did try to eat the whole meal with just our hand.  Hmm...maybe on our next trip to Nepal!  :)

On one of our "tourist" days, we visited a few of the local tourist sites -- all very interesting!  Our first stop - Bodhnath (Boudha).  Each year, thousands of people visit this important Buddhist site where they make a ritual circumnavigation around the dome.  Around the dome is a whole array of Buddhist shops and monasteries; it's one of the only places in the world where you can see Tibetan Buddhist life at it's best and brightest.  

Walking on the path between the shops and the dome.  Historically, the stupa was an important post along the trading route between Lhasa, Tibet and Kathmandu, Nepal.  Tibetan traders would stop here to pray for a safe journey up to the high passes of the Himalayan Mountains.  

This is probably the most beautiful stupa in all of Nepal.  It's perfectly proportioned and is very well maintained.  Each part of the stupa has a significant meaning: the lowest part of the stupa (the plinth) is square, and represents earth.  Each of the sides represents the four immeasurables - love, compassion, joy and equanimity.  The kumbha (which means 'pot'), above the plinth, is a dome representing an upturned pot of rice.  It also symbolizes water and is freshly painted white each year then splattered with yellow paint to represent lotus petals.  Above the dome is the harmika, the square tower, which symbolizes fire.  It's then painted with the eyes of the Buddha on each side.  When people make their pilgrimage around the stupa, the eyes of the Buddha are always on them.  Above that is the spire which represents air.  The 13 levels represent each stage of life that a human must pass through to achieve nirvana.  And finally, at the top, is the protective umbrella which symbolizes the void beyond space.  

So many prayer flags...everywhere!

Rudraksha beads for sale at a Hindu temple.

An array of colors to choose from for tikas.  A tika is a symbol of blessing from the Hindu gods, and is worn by both men and women.  Tikas are worn between the eyes as small dots, or smeared on the forehead with a mix of powder (sindur),  yogurt and rice.  It represents the all-seeing, all-knowing third eye, and is also an important energy point.

Our next stop - Pashupatinath, Nepal's most important Hindu temple on the banks of the holy Bagmati River.  

I know it doesn't look like much, but it was seriously one of the most interesting places I've ever visited.  

It's surrounded by many religious stalls selling marigolds, incense, beads, conch shells, and just about every type of Hindu religious paraphernalia you can imagine.  Along the steps of the temple, there are many religious ceremonies taking place, from blessings to cremation ceremonies.  To Hindus, this is the most important place one can be cremated in Nepal. 

We stood and watched this whole cremation ceremony.  Seriously fascinating.  They first prepare the pillar with wood for the body to lay on while it's being cremated.   

Just above the pillar lies the deceased person.  Once her body was draped in flowers and the preparations for her cremation pillar were completed, the woman was carried by (what seemed to be) her sons over to the cremation pillar.  The yellow cloth was pulled down, exposing her face and feet.  A procession of family members and friends began, many who kissed her feet and face as they passed by.  Offerings of milk, money, flowers, rice, etc. were offered to the gods and placed on her body.  Just before the wood was set ablaze, her sons (who became increasingly distraught), said their final goodbyes, then lifted her body and turned her around in a circle.  The sons then circled her body, setting the pillar on fire.  As she was being cremated, those who came to pay their respects slowly left, leaving just her immediate family.  It was very emotional, even for a tourist watching from afar.  From what we observed, she came from a more well-to-do family because she was draped in marigolds and there were many offerings made to the gods just before she was cremated.  Half way through this ceremony, another one started a bit further down the river.  The old, deceased woman was accompanied by only three other people, and was carried in one single cloth.  No offerings were made, and before we knew it, she was also being cremated.  There was quite a difference between the two ceremonies...

Just on the other side of the river, more religious practices taking place.  I could've stayed here for hours watching everything.  Hmm...maybe I should've been an anthropologist or a sociologist...  :)

Street kids throwing magnets into the water to search for coins people have tossed into the holy river.  As you can see, it's not a very clean river.  However, because it has such religious significance, people do everything and anything here - bathe, wash their clothes, bathe their deceased loved ones, dump their trash, etc.  

Stopping for lunch in Kathmandu's Durbar Square.  

Marigolds everywhere!  We were happily greeted with marigold garlands at the airport when we met our guide, Dambar.  So nice and welcoming...

I'm a horrible history major and tourist - I have no idea which temple this is.  In my defence, they all looked so similar and there were so many of them.  I guess I should've wrote it down...  :)

A group of women eating dhaal baat.  

This picture was taken halfway up the steps.  This was some serious sliding down the rails!   

A prayer wheel around a stupa. As you walk by, you're supposed to spin each wheel.  

A view of Kathmandu.  At this time of year, it's especially hazy because of all the dust; a sure tale of the rainy season to come.  

Weren't we just here?!  Nope, at another stupa.  Swayambhunath, also known as Monkey Temple, is a crazy mix of Buddhist and Hindu icons, a true example of religious life in Nepal.  

Many, many more prayer flags...

I confirmed my phobia of wild monkeys while visiting Monkey Temple.  Maybe I should have a dog with me next time I'm around wild monkeys...it seems to be the only thing they're afraid of!  The little baby monkey in the picture above was left on the other side when all the older monkeys ran past the dog.  The mother finally realized and ran back to get her baby.  The dog seems cautiously aware of these crazy creatures...

Another religious site near Monkey Temple.  However, I have also forgotten the name of this one....

Continued in the next blog....Life in Kathmandu: Part 2!