News from Nepal with additional photos to follow later. We arrived in Nepal with the rain, and although Jennie (without a visa) was able to obtain her visa and get through customs within 20 minutes, Frances (with a visa) was caught up in a queue for about forty/forty-five minutes. We found the tour company rep and the driver who had to manoeuvre the suitcases around the baby’s pram already occupying most of the boot! Twenty minutes or so later (driving time around ten minutes) we arrived at the beautiful traditional building which was our hotel for the first two nights in Kathmandu as well as the last one and were served fresh juice while waiting for the room. We wandered around the local streets to find an oilskin for Jennie whose pretty pink wind-breaker would be no match for the monsoon rain(!) and wandered through the grounds of the hotel upon our return to the hotel. Dinner in the restaurant was a real treat; guided by a very knowledgeable maître d’hotel who had trained in Singapore and Dubai. Interesting Mojitos and Morning Glory and the food was absolutely delicious (without gluten or dairy for Frances but definitely not bland to look at nor to taste). The Guide collected us at 9am and we set off for Durbar Square – the name of the religious centre in each Nepali town. We were able to see the living goddess (a pre-pubescent girl who represents the goddess Kumari - attributed to have advised one of the Nepalese kings) as our visit to her ‘temple’ coincided with her morning appearance. The young girl is chosen out of a group of perfectly formed children at approximately age 3 to take over from the existing goddess as she comes to puberty, a whole ritual must be followed before the ‘lucky’ one is picked. This child must then move into the special house where she will have regular contact only with females, although male members of her family may visit at pre-arranged times; her feet must not touch the earth, so she has to live one level up and when going out, must be carried to avoid contamination – what a life for a child! Upon reaching puberty, the girl is pensioned off and one or two have written books about their experiences. The temples and statues are amazing and some date back to the 8th century. On walking through the square, we saw roof after roof covered by pigeons. The Royal Palace houses a museum to the former royal family which was massacred quite recently. Seems there is still dispute locally as to the exact perpetrator. We drove on to Patan, a town across the river from Kathmandu and had lunch of a local bean soup – Kuwati – and vegetarian Thali with fresh lime soda (the guide ate Chinese!!) before visiting the museum there (a very cultural trip to Nepal)! We walked through alleyways and courtyards before finding ourselves back in the car and discovered many temples on the way. Back at the hotel, we relaxed with a cup of tea before trying the restaurant again and a different selection of local dishes. Just as delicious! Wednesday morning saw us on our way again, this time to Pashupath Hindu temple and funeral complex along the river (feeding into the Ganges) crossing to the opposite bank to view the memorial monuments built by a high official for his 15 wives. Apart from a few cremations under way, there were many ‘holy’ men with painted faces and bodies looking for alms. We were again amazed at how many market stalls surround these monuments, the reason being that to improve their next life, Hindus believe they must be kind to living creatures, hence feeding the birds and animals and giving alms/food to those thought to be in need. Next to Bhaktapur to visit the tallest temple in Nepal and wander through the brick city’s streets, investigating Pottery Square before taking the car again to go to Nagarkot for the night. We should have had an exceptional view of the Langtang Himalayan Range but, unfortunately, the weather let us down and we saw a lot of clouds instead!! This location was a real trekkers destination, and the accommodation was quite comfortable, but more basic than we had become used to, especially as the electricity was only connected after dark until just before breakfast!! Extremely hot water on tap, thanks to the solar panels, and the local food prepared at the resort was good. After a freshly cooked breakfast on Thursday morning (with jam from the Farm’s own fruit trees), we set off for the ‘Monkey’ Temple at Swayambhunath, which became world renown during the Hippie days of the 60s, seeing many monkeys and also butterflies which were attracted to settle on Frances’s hat and Jennie’s finger!! On to Bouddhanath to have lunch at roof top level overlooking the Stupa. We then visited an art studio, where a master artist was supervising his students’ efforts; starting with preparation of the canvas, then continuing to paint with very fine brushes some intricate designs, amongst which the shape of the base of the Stupas – known as Mandelas. We made our way back to the hotel and took a welcome dip in the pool – which in comparison to the outside temperature was FREEZING!! Dinner was an extravaganza in the Nepalese regional restaurant at Dwarika’s Hotel. The staff were dressed in regional costumes and the meals were served with the local rice wine (very similar to schnapps!!). Up early on Friday to set off for India.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:40:22 +0000
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