This is a multipost trip report from a trip Kim and I took to Nepal in October of 2008. You can find Day 2’s report here. All post from the trip can be found here.
It’s our first, and only, full day in Kathmandu! And it’s an early one, up at 3am. 3AM??!?! The going theory is most people are so discombobulated by the time they reach Nepal that 3am shouldn’t be a problem. It’s a problem for me, though. I’m doing quite well adjusting to the whole ‘dark out=sleep’ thing. And while my bed is not the most comfortable one in the world, I’m enjoying ample sleep. But alas I must follow the masses and we amble out of our room and head to Swayambhunath Temple, otherwise known as the Monkey Temple due to the large infestation of rhesus monkeys living there.
Will it be safe wandering the streets of such a large city at 4:45 in the morning, more than an hour before sunrise? Yeah, it’s not a problem at all and a great way to see a city. The streets are uncrowded and I very few cars are about. There is even some courtesy from the drivers who refrain from using their horn until more people are awake.
Our intent with such an early start is to witness the morning ceremony performed by the Buddhist monks at the temple. After climbing a LOT of steps and circling part of the temple we get our chance to witness the ritualistic chanting, playing of instruments and reading of prayers. A kind monk leaves his place at the ceremony when he notices some in our group sitting on the floor and proceeds to obtain and roll out a rug for us to be more comfortable. No thanks needed. That’s a common theme in this area and especially with the Sherpa people we will meet later, gratitude is not usually expressed. Until the past 50 years, there was no direct translation for Thank You in Nepali, at least not one used by folks in the street. Things that need to be done are simply done because, well, they need to be. It’s way different from American culture, obviously. There’s no need to thank someone for doing what obviously had to be done.
By the time we made our way down the backside of the Temple a market had sprung up at its entrance. Selling mainly bananas, fruits, vegetables and flowers, merchants simply lined up along side the road and in a small plaza laying out their wares on tarps or the ground.
We walk back to the hotel to a city fully alive. The dogs are sniffing through the garbage. Chicken, squawking in protest, are being delivered to the slaughter house by the pickup truckful. Two old men and a younger man laugh and smile as they pass by on their way deeper into the city. Namaste is heard from we foreigners and almost always answered with the same. The response tells a story of how each person’s day is starting with just one word. Some voices smile and some are wishing you’d just move on, please?
After breakfast high atop a 6 story roof in the Thamel district, complete with the normal whacky stories people swap as they get to know each other, I head
Lunch is at Fire and Ice, a pizza and pasta joint on the outskirts of Thamel. If you want to use the bathroom you have to ask the guard. He’s outside chatting with the guards from the bank who lazily swing their 12gauge shotguns in what appears to be boredom. Or indifference. Either way, I hope the guns aren’t loaded. I managed to retrieve 10,000 ruppies from the cash machine there as we head out to try to find a green Tara tanka for Kim. Many many shops later, no luck. But not for trying and not because we didn’t get any help…..everyone is very helpful and including one gentleman who takes us up to his personal studio looking for just the right one. He had some amazing works in progress and completed. It’s about now that Kim notices something isn’t sitting right with lunch. Luckily this is the only upset for her the entire trip and is linked to the pasta she had.
Another crazy cab ride back to the hotel after a very hearty dinner. We spend some time repacking our bags for tomorrow we board a plane for Lhukla…..but not before the pandemonium of getting on a flight.
Day 4 coming soon!
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