Nepal-Kathmandu (mid June)

Prior to the beginning of my trip, Nepal held my highest expectations.   Something about the country that is home to eight of the world’s 20 highest mountains (scores of which are twice as high as the Tetons) awoke my imagination. 

Annapurna Mountains viewed from Pokhara

I imagined streams pouring from snow covered mountains, lush vegetation in the valleys and friendly people.  I can happily report that Nepal exceeded my expectations, so much so that I have seriously considered skipping the end of my trip to return; not because it lived up to my idealized views, but because my actual experience was far more rich, varied, rugged and yet tender than I could have possibly envisioned. 

Nepal is a small country situated between India in the south and Tibet to the north.  Its geography consists of three distinct regions, the high Himalayas to the north, a central hilly region where the majority of the population lives (which includes the Kathmandu valley), and the flat fertile south (the Terai).  Describing the central area as hilly is absurd as it is mountainous like few other places on earth.  It is only because the hills are situated beneath the Himalayas, that they are even called hills.  As the author of my  guide book stated “[d]ramatic, extreme, verging on the outrageous, mountains shape Nepal’s reality, molding its culture, history, economy, and politics.  For 80 percent of the country, vertical is the main orientation, and up-and-down is the determining fact of life.“

Unfortunately for Nepal , the challenge of its topography has meant that it is one of the least developed countries in the world.  That became apparent upon my arrival in Kathmandu.  Roads are full of potholes, pollution clogs the rivers, streets and air of the valley and roads are narrow and congested.  Notwithstanding these conditions, the city pulled me in.  And Nepalis? ...they were, almost without exception, warm, interested, funny and endearing, simply the best people I have met in my travels.  Surprising to me, many also spoke some English.   In fact, more people spoke English in Nepal than in any other (non-English speaking) country that I have visited. 

One of my first stops in the valley was Boudhanath, home to one of Nepal’s most important Buddhist sites.  

The giant Stupa , with a diameter exceeding 100 meters is one of the largest in the world.  It is believed to have been built in the 5^th century.   This site is a focal point of the local Tibetan community.  To walk the site is to witness Tibetan Buddhism at its fullest, with prayer beads, prayer flags, mantra, prayer wheels (many of them enormous), prostrations and the perpetual  train of people walking (always clockwise) around the Stupa in ritual circumambulation, all on display.   

The base, dome, square harmika, spire and pinnacle represent the five elements of earth, water, air, fire, and ether and the 13 tiers stand for the stages to enlightenment.  Unique to Nepali stupas are the striking bow-shaped eyes which are painted onto the square sides (more visible in a later photo).  The eye symbols are found on everything from purses to posters.

Friendly kids who found someone to goof off with.  Note the prayer wheel behind us
spinning off the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" to the heavens.

Although many people associate Buddhism with Nepal, Hinduism is the predominant religion and it permeates all aspects of life in the city.  Small temples are found everywhere and the bell ringing at each begins early in the morning as Nepalis perform their morning observances.  One of the most important Hindu temples in Kathmandu is Pashupatinath. 

This Hindu shrine is supremely holy because of the sacred linga (a phallic symbol associated with Shiva (the transformer/destroyer), one of Hindu’s three primary gods; the other two are Brahma, the creator and Vishnu, the preserver) enshrined in its temple and because of its location on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River.  

 It is within walking distance of Boudhanath so off I went. 

On the way I ran into this Indian holy man (they seem a lot like hobos to me) who sat with me while I had a Coke.  Note my nifty Nepali cap which got a lot of smiles from people on the street.


Although the temple is open only to Hindus, the real spectacle takes place on the banks of the Bagmati River below the temple.  It is there where devout Hindus of all castes bring the bodies of their loved ones to be cremated on wooden piers,  the remains of which are then swept into the black, muddy river. 

This river joins the Ganges in India and it is believed that to be cremated in this manner, a person is assured release from the Hindu cycle of rebirth.  Only male relatives (and hundreds of tourists) are present for the cremations.  I watched  intently  as one fire was started, always at the mouth of the deceased (the gauze covered bodies are smeared in a type of butter which acts as a fuel) and afterwards watched the later part of a cremation which involved a temple worker making certain that body parts did not inadvertently fall out of the pyre prior to their immolation. 

The grisly sight was made more so by the heavy smoke from the fires which permeates the air and fills the nose and lungs with an unfamiliar scent, not repulsive, but not pleasant.  My knees eventually got weak and I had to move on.

In addition to the primary temple and cremation platforms, the site is also home to other minor temples, the most notable of which was the pagoda-roofed Parvati temple which contains vivid Kama-Sutra carvings.  I soon learned that detailed carvings of this nature are common and quite mundane (at least to everyone except foreigners).  The best explanation that I received for the detailed carvings was that because sex is good and pleasing to the gods, they wanted to leave directions (with a lot of variety) for the people.  The actual text of the Kama-Sutra is more accurately a guide to family, relationships and life.  A separate slide show of some of the carvings may be forthcoming for any interested persons (excluding all nieces and nephews, regardless of age and maturity level). 

With both male and female symbolism, this and similar lingas are used for ritual offerings
 (including milk), by women seeking the birth of a healthy child.

My experience in Pashupatinath was only marred by the sleazy guide (the bad dye job on his hair should have warned me, that and the fact that he was a member of the highest caste, the members of which seem to be prone to general jerkiness) who attached himself to me as I entered the site and then required a really steep “donation” after the tour.  This pattern was to repeat itself frequently in and around Kathmandu where “helpful” individuals later can’t be shaken by sticks or stones (only dollars seem to relax their hold).

Not my tour guide, but one of the many cute monkeys on the site.

The next day brought me to Patan and its royal square.  My Patan guide was an interesting man, specifically because of his open religious observances.  Each temple we passed necessitated a brief prayer to whatever deity was at home.  In Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism live side-by-side and the gods and customs of each are frequently intermingled.  If I'm not mistaken, Buddha is regarded by Hindus as one of the reincarnations of Vishnu.  Tika, a powder which leaves a bright colored mark on the forehead, was also frequently applied during our tour, thus one of the signs (in addition to bells) of a Hindu temple is the mirrors used for adjusting the tika.  I joined in on a few of the observances and ended the day with an abundance of luck and a mark on my own forehead. 

Patan was home to one of the former valley kingdoms and, despite its proximity to Kathmandu, remains peaceful.   The Durbar Square (or royal palace) is different than what one might expect from a royal complex in the West.  Here, the square is covered with an irregular mix of residences, fountain, temples, shrines and courtyards.  While there is tremendous symmetry in the buildings themselves, there is almost no symmetry (that I could recognize) in the actual layout.  

After Patan, my guide convinced me to ride on the back of his motorcycle for a trip to Swayambhunath (or the Monkey temple as the tongue twisted tourists prefer).  This temple sits on a hill in the valley and is visible throughout the city.   This site is the valley’s most sacred Buddhist shrine (similar to Pashuputinah for Hindus).  We swerved in and out of the rush hour Kathmandu traffic, then drove the alleys and side streets until we made it to the summit. 

Here the eyes of the stupa are clearly visible.

I love prayer flags, with each breeze also sending the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" endlessly into the air.

The motorcycle ride saved me from walking the 365 steps to the top that most visitors take.  The temple and the views were impressive.    Legend states that the Stupa is built atop a magical light which radiated from a lotus that blossomed from a lake that once covered the valley.

On my last day in Kathmandu I took a field trip to Bhaktapur, which was once the capital of the entire Kathmandu valley and home to one of the three former kingdoms.  It is a beautiful, well-preserved, peaceful alternative to Kathmandu.  

It is only 14 kilometers from Kathmandu, but seems a world apart.  On the day I visited the national student party was protesting the (brief) imprisonment of their leader so our bus was stopped on the road and forced to return to Kathmandu.  I walked the last few kilometers by foot.  Fortunately, a student on the bus who wanted to practice his English essentially took me by the hand and walked me into town. 

The Durbar Square in Bhaktapur, in addition to containing the palace, is loaded with temples, statues and fountains.  Many of the buildings were damaged during a 1934 earthquake but have since (thanks to the Germans) been rebuilt and strengthened.   As in Patan and Kathmandu, the local Durbar Square was a jumble of redbrick, wooden windows, terra cotta roofs and striking pagodas. 

My guide for Bhaktapur (I did get better at negotiating prices) was a nice student who spoke great English. 

Following Bhaktapur, I climbed to a hill outside of town for a view of the Himalayas (as usual during my stay, the mountains were not to be seen).  I was, however, rewarded with smiles from the locals and great valley views. 

 The students were STILL protesting when I was ready to return so, after filling my body with liquid happiness in the form of a genuine Mountain Dew, I made my way back to Kathmandu by a slightly different route.