Kathmandu and Beyond

16.05.2009 - 19.05.2009
View Journey to South East Asia on Bimbler's travel map.

The city is dusty and bright, tarmacked roads are few and far between and dirt backstreets are the norm. Thamel, 'the backpacker's district' is exactly that, filled to the brim with shops, restaurants, travel agents and guesthouses. After dark strings of fairy lights twinkle across restaurant balconies and deafeningly loud live bands compete for the night air but only until 11 o'clock when everything in this capitol city shuts down. In the backstreets local food houses sell spicy fried water buffalo and Dhal Bat, the traditional Nepalese dinner. Its on my third visit to one of these eateries that I spot the rat; happily scurrying to and fro along the fluorescent light fitting and up into its well maintained hole in the ceiling.

Shrines, stupors and temples can be found everywhere in Kathmandu, and on every scale. From small Hindu Buddhist shrines on the roadside to large hilltop stupors and temple complexes. At the centre of Kathmandu lies Durbar Square and the home of living goddess, Kumari. The windows of the red brick building are clad with ornately carved dark wood. At the centre of the first floor is a golden window from which Kumari makes her occasional appearances. She is 4 years old and when she has her first period she will no longer be a goddess.

Swayambunath Stupa (The Monkey Temple) is a Buddhist temple on a hill to the west of Kathmandu's centre. The 365 steps to the top are thankfully tree lined and shady, criss-crossed with prayer flags and flanked by shines and carvings. Sat on top a marshmellow-like white roundness, the golden top of the stupa gleamed in the sunlight as the monkeys raided offerings from the alters at its base. At a larger stupa we visited a Buddhist temple with bright, violent paintings on the wall and benevolent smiling Buddhas reigning from the head of the room.

At the Hindu temple we could not enter the sacred area, only stare at the haunches of an enormous gold cow before moving away from the door to walk down to the riverside on which the temple was built. As it is a holy river this is where the Nepalese in this area come to cremate their loved ones. There were 3 cremations ongoing as we arrived, the charred pyres smoking as monkeys played on the canopy above them. It was a deeply strange sight.

With my tour group I travelled (in a wonderfully comfy mini-bus) to the city of Pokara. The water of its lake was perfect for swimming and we hired a boat to row out into the middle. On our return journey we would try this again, but as a storm blew in, swirling above as it battered against the mountains that surround the lake & driving rain into the water. This first time though, the sun shone and then disappeared over the distant hills. It was lovely.