After a layover in Muscat, Oman (not quite sure where that is on a map but I should find out), I boarded my flight to Kathmandu to visit an old college friend, Anuj, and I had the extreme luck to have been given a middle seat. I had planned on catching a few Z's on this part of the trip since I'd be arriving in the morning but that didn't seem like it would be happening. So, what I couldn't do on the previous flight due to audio issues, I watched Paper Towns before attempting to get some shuteye. Strangely, I felt like Paper Towns really spoke to me and my journey but maybe it's human nature to find meaning in everything. I think it's worth a watch either way.
After the movie, I still had a good hour and a half left so I attempted to get some rest which I can only assume would be quite entertaining for any observer with all the bobbling and jolting about I was doing. By the time the plane had landed, I was stepping into the realm of zombie so I got through passport control, got my bag, avoided all the people who tried to offer me a taxi ride and to my relief, saw someone holding a sign with "
Mon-Mon (Monika Au-Yeung)" written on it (since Anuj was just finishing a trek in Mustang and wouldn't get back to Kathmandu until the evening, he had his father and their driver pick me up).
Along the way, Mr. Mahat (Anuj's father) pointed out the long line of motor bikes that were parked along the side of the road because they're all waiting for fuel since India cut off supplies to Nepal about a month ago. I would see more lines of cars and bikes during my stay and apparently it is being rationed by a few liters to each vehicle. Truly devastating but Anuj says it is pushing Nepal to find a path for itself to be independent from India as a provider.
After getting to the Mahat home, I learned that the building is a homestay and the family runs a trekking business (
Thirdpole Treks) which is why Anuj was on the trek in Mustang. I was given my own room and after putting down my things, breakfast was quickly prepared and it was pretty American with toast, scrambled eggs, a pineapple pastry, fruit, juice, and tea. After devouring this abundance of food, I felt myself heading downhill quick so I settled in for a nap.
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| View from the Mahat homestay |
I awoke to a knock at my door and Mr. Mahat telling me lunch was ready so I headed downstairs to see dumplings set out for me. They looked like Shaolin dumplings but they tasted different; a little bit spicy and very delicious. After lunch, I still wasn't over my jet lag so back to bed I went and I didn't get up until my second alarm went off, telling me it was time to get changed and wait for Mr. Mahat. He was taking me to a pizza restaurant to meet with a group of Italians who had just finished a trek. I rode on the back of his motor bike! Without a helmet! I'm such a rebel! But not really because it looked like everyone else riding in the back of a bike was not wearing a helmet either and the ride was actually very smooth. The driving culture seemed like that of Cairo in that a honk doesn't usually come from a vicious place but is enough to let someone know that you're there.
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| Dumplings |
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| Mountains in the distance |
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| Dusk |
We got to Fire & Ice Restaurant which is apparently the only restaurant that ever has a line so something must be good about it. After a few, the group of Italians showed up and they just happened to have gone on the trek with Anuj but they beat him back to Kathmandu. I ordered what seemed fitting, the Fire & Ice pizza which had tomato sauce on one half and pesto sauce on the other with fried potatoes and rosemary as toppings.
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| On the back of the bike! |
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| Fire & Ice |
After some delicious pizza and learning how to say thank you (dhannebaad) and heading back to the homestay, I sat in the stairwell (the only place for good wifi) updating my blog before Anuj finally got back and I hugged my friend for the first time in almost four years.
After the Mahat puppy settled down a bit from excitement and Anuj cleaned himself up and had dinner, we stood on the top floor overlooking the city and had a good time chatting. I even caught the sight of a falling star! I also asked about the mountains that I saw in the distance and Anuj just smiled and said that those are considered hills; oh how it must be to live in a country with so many amazingly gigantic peaks.
The next day was an early start and I tagged along with Anuj and another very well seasoned guide, Jaya, as he completed his duties as a tour guide with the Italian group. We walked into the main city centre of Thamel and met up with the group from last night for breakfast. After breakfast and other formalities, I joined the group on their sightseeing tour to Bhaktapur, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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| Jaya leading the way |
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| On our way to Thamel |
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| Pretty American breakfast |
Before getting to the entrance, we could see the streets lined with tarps with piles and piles of rice because it was the harvest season. There were ladies shoveling the rice into separate piles and flattening the piles out and sifting through the rice and it all seemed so... Natural and I'm truly amazed at how so much can be done without the use of machines. After visiting westernized Europe, for lack of a better word at the moment, it's rather humbling to see the life of the people here.
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| Driving into Bhaktapur |
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| Tents set up for victims of the earthquake |
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| Sifting through rice |
Religion also plays a big role here as we passed by one small shrine and we saw a few women bring food and other offerings to it. We were told that the bell at the shrines and temples are rung to make sure that their prayers can be heard. That made more sense as to why there was a bell at the top of the Mahat homestay.
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| Protector of the shrine |
Along the way, there was much evidence of the most recent earthquake, with the tents donated by China that lined one area that killed and displaced over 250,000 people. Then, when we got to the entrance, we could see that many of the buildings had been torn apart and were being held up by beams. Many of the temples had held up fairly well though considering the severity of the quake.
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| Getting into Bhaktapur |
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| Mounds and mounds of rice |
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| Beams supporting the building |
At Durbar Square, right at the entrance of Bhaktapur, many temples with intricately-carved wooden beams and pillars could be seen. While the guide was very knowledgable, Anuj also gave me some side information along the way whenever I strayed from the group. It was astounding how much detail was contained in the wood carvings on the various temples and Anuj pointed out the mystical creatures on either side of entrances that are there to be protectors. He also taught me a bit of how many of the gods depicted contain many arms to show all the things that they do.
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| Officially entering Bhaktapur |
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| Bhairab(?) |
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| Standing guard |
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| Many-armed god |
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| Such intricate wood carvings - Ugrachandi |
The tour guide told us about several books, Tiger for Breakfast and The Way of the White Clouds, that were written because the authors had visited the area and were so inspired by it. I'm pretty much writing about them here so I know to go back to read them. I can see why these authors were inspired by such beautiful craftsmanship and the meaning that can be found in the temples. One temple we passed, which I believe is the Siddhi Laxmi Stone Temple, was built to look like the shape of the Himalayas. It was just amazing to walk by all the beautifully designed and carved temples. Among a few other places we went to, we passed by what used to be the bathing basin for royalty and a few other temples that only non-tourists could enter.
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| Bathing basin with a serpent wrapping around it |
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| Lots of gods guarding the temples |
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| In front of Dattatraya Temple |
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| Evidence of the earthquake |
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| Siddhi Laxmi Stone Temple |
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| Each level is supposed to symbolize a greater form |
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| All wood carvings |
After leaving the main area of Dattatraya Square, we made our way over to Taumadhi Square and this is where we started to encounter more vendors trying to get us tourists to buy their various souvenirs and rows upon rows of clay pottery being laid out to dry in Pottery Square. It was really cool to see the pots being made. I remember playing with clay in elementary school but I have never really taken any type of pottery class so to see the locals doing it so naturally was really interesting to watch.
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| A homeless man and his dog - Still with a smile on his face |
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| These signs were really interesting to me |
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| Taumadhi Square |
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| Walking into the rest of the site |
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| All types of clay pottery |
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| Drying out the pottery |
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| Working at his craft |
After hanging around to watch a few more pots being made, we headed back towards Taumadhi Square to have some coffee or tea or whatever light snacks everyone wanted. I sat by the ledge so that I could people watch from the second floor and then later, Anuj had me try the yoghurt called juju dhau which was delicious! It tasted like a blend between yogurt and pudding and it was only subtly sweet and it was gone before I knew it. As I was savoring the juju dhau, Anuj took the time to teach me some more Nepali and I learned that "chowk" means intersection and "galli" means narrow streets. I was also sad to learn that I'd just be missing the Tihar festival (celebration of lights - similar to Dewali) because it looked like there were preparations for that here and there with different decorations going up throughout the city. I did still get to experience the everyday life by following Anuj around so can't really complain.
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| Watching the school children walk through the square |
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| Standing with Anuj in the middle of Taumadhi Square |
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| Headed back to the vans |
So as we headed back into Thamel, the city center of Kathmandu practically, it was very evident the rows and rows of motorcycles and cars that were backed up. So many vehicles were just left in line and it would be hours or days before they would be refueled. It was devastating to see that while still riding in a van that I know must have cost a good arm and a leg to have fueled.
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| In line waiting for petrol |
When we got dropped off, a few people from the group wanted to get their souvenir shopping done so I walked around with the group as they picked up cashmere scarves and other things to bring back to Italy with them. After most of the shopping was done, we went to get some authentic Nepali food at a place called Thakali Bhanchha and I can't remember what meat I ordered (chicken?) but I do remember it being so damn delicious. Typically, the food is eaten with one's hands and I like to immerse myself as much as possible into whatever culture I find myself in so I literally dug in. I generally don't like to eat with more than two fingers if I'm snacking on something but it was actually pretty fun to eat with my hand and nothing else. One thing that I loved (maybe a little too much) was the refilling of the rice - as we were eating, if anyone's plate was running low on rice, a server would be around with a big bucket of rice and a scoop, ready to refill your plate. It was amazing the type of hospitality I experienced. And then after the meal, there were a few little bowls of herbs or sugar cubes to snack on I think. The dried herbs tasted somewhat bitter to me so I didn't venture to have anymore after a trial scoop.
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| Walking through Thamel |
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| Cashmere scarves |
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| About to grub |
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| We realized "no gas" meant it was cooked on a wood fire |
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| Love this philosophy |
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| About to dig in! |
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| A few snacks post-meal |
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| Paying with yet a different type of currency |
Finishing up with what could be called lunch, we took some more time walking around Thamel and I bought some country patches that I was missing. Sidebar - I was trying to get a patch from each city/country that I've visited but missed a few along the way. I guess that just means I'll have to go back. But anyway... I stuck around with Anuj and Jaya to see the Italian group off. Since they had spent over a week with the two of them, it was a very sentimental farewell and I did get to speak with one or two of them that day so I wasn't completely unaffected by their leaving. By the time we were taken to the airport to drop them off and got back to the Mahat homestay, it was time for dinner. Anuj's mother, who works at the embassy, had made us a scrumptious curry dinner and I would have to say that they were a little surprised when I joined them with eating with my hand. It had been a pretty long day for everyone and Anuj had to get up early for meditation so we called it a night shortly after dinner.
The next day had a very lazy start since I was waiting for Anuj to get back from his meditation session but I welcomed it as it gave me time to just take in my surroundings. When Anuj got back, we went for a short little hike with his dog and along the way, we passed by a few shrines where Anuj was able to tell me stories about the figures depicted. The hike was very low impact so it was nice to just take in my surroundings and, in a way, get in touch with my spiritual side. After the hike, we met up with Anuj's friend Sandeep and the three of us hung out for the rest of the afternoon just chatting about life and since Anuj and Sandeep hadn't seen each other in a while as well, they caught up.
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| Right outside the homestay |
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| The Mahat homestay |
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| What most of the neighborhood looks like |
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| Going on a hike |
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| The Mahat pup |
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| From the roof of the homestay |
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| Lunch |
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| View from the homestay |
In the late afternoon, we had arranged to meet up with another college buddy, Srish, so after buying a bag of peanuts right outside of where I was staying, the three of us headed into Thamel. Over a few beers, we were able to catch up on life since graduation and everything else that had been happening. It was really good to be able to see another familiar face in such a distant place but before it got too late, Srish had to go home to continue with his studies in preparation for the LSAT.
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| Selfie with Anuj, Srish, and Sandeep |
After Srish left, the place where we had met up, I think it was called the House of Music, didn't seem to have much going on so we made our way to Purple Haze which had a much more popping environment. There was a band that seemed to take forever to do their sound check but we waited it out and while we did that, I got the grumblys in my tumbly so I let Anuj and Sandeep pick two things and they picked the sukuti masala and aloo sadeko, both of which were very tasty and satisfying. We had ordered a shisha (hookah) for the three of us and we were almost done with it and ready to go to our next stop by the time the band had started playing. When they did, there was a lot of headbanging from the crowd and I wasn't feeling it too much so I guess I was glad to get going.
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| Saw this as we were leaving the House of Music |
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| Purple Haze |
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| Yummy! |
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| Sound check |
From there, we headed to a place called Cobweb which had a much more chill vibe and we hung out here for the rest of the night. All along the walls, there were different messages from various travelers. I didn't think to add anything of my own but it was very interesting to see what was written. I wrote down this quote in my notes and I think I got it from this wall - "
Limitations are what liberate you." Something about that quote spoke to me at the time and I guess that still applies. I was glad to have spent my last night in Nepal just hanging out at some local places and getting to take in some of the nightlife there.
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| View from our spot in Cobweb |
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| Sandwiched between Anuj and Sandeep |
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| Taken with no flash |
My last day would include hanging out at the Thirdpole Treks office and getting my last minute cravings out of the way. I came to find out that the dumplings I had the first day were called momos so we went to get some of those and then more juju dhau, which was surprisingly hard to find. After I satisfied the last bits of my food desires, it was safe to say I was all ready to get on my way. I know it was a relatively short visit but this was enough to act as a teaser. As I left, I told Anuj's father that I would be back for a trek because there is so much beauty to explore in Nepal. I was sad to leave so quickly but I was happy to have made that stopover to see some friends and the city they call home.
