It has been a lifetime since I have last put words to the page. I have told myself that I am too busy, but the honest truth is I have not prioritized one of my principal reasons I decided to teach abroad... To experience new cultures, think holistically about the world, and reflect on how I can add value to it. For those of you who have enjoyed sharing my adventures and insights I'm sorry for taking so long to return to the root of all significant questions... Why?
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Having successfully arrived in Kathmandu and passed through security, Matt within five minutes, literally five minutes, had made a new Rastafarian friend named Bob who "hooks us up." He takes us to our residence for the week, Norling Guesthouse located in Thamel, the heart of tourist Kathmandu, where we shopped, drank beers, and ate excellent curry at the Curry Kitchen.
Streets of Kathmandu
A few notes about our first meal at Curry Kitchen:
1) I ate a ton of momos for the first time in my life, which are essentially a significantly better version of gyoza. It's difficult to explain why or how, but these Nepalese dumplings filled with spices and pork are outstanding, especially when paired with their signature spicy, smoky chili sauce.
2) The two most popular beers in Nepal are Everest, I believe the beers' name is obvious, and Gorkha. Gorkha steals its name from the legendary fighters hailing from the hill town district of Gorkha. These warriors have a well-known reputation for their fearless military prowess dating back hundreds of years. When the British came to Nepal (1814) they were so impressed with the Gurkhas fighting ability that they awarded them the honor of joining the British military after signing a Peace Treaty (1816), which still exists to this day. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw at the time stated that "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha."
3) I had my first cup of fresh milk tea and my first thought was "How can this possibly taste this good?" Creamy, sweet, refreshing, and light enough that it does not make you feel like you have had dessert.
The following morning we had a double breakfast. I downed a delicious spinach quiche and coconut chocolate doughnut at Hot Breads, which was a bakery below the place where we had dinner, before heading next door to the Tibetan & Nepali Kitchen. All I can say is that Nepalese food is (insert descriptive adjective here) because we had more wicked excellent food and milk tea.
Our post breakfast itinerary was to meet up with a friend of a friend, Bnu, who is Nepalese and became our surrogate tour guide for the day. She began by taking us to the Swayambhunath Stupa, an ancient 1,500 year old religious Buddhist complex atop a tall hill on the west side of Kathmandu overlooking the city. For the Buddhist Newars, the original people of this valley, this stupa is the most sacred among pilgrimage sites. In Nepal, Buddhism is practiced by only 9% of the population, but it has strong historical links throughout its existence. Conversely, Hinduism is practiced by 81% of Nepalese, the highest percentage of any country in the world.There is a large pair of eyes on each of the four sides of the main stupa, which represent Wisdom and Compassion. Above each pair of eyes is another eye, the third eye. It is said that when Buddha preaches, cosmic rays emanate from the third eye which act as messages to heavenly beings, so that those interested can come down to earth to listen to the Buddha. The hellish beings and beings below the human realm cannot come to earth to listen to the Buddha's teaching; however, the cosmic rays relieve their suffering when Buddha preaches.
There are carvings of the Panch Buddhas, five Buddhas, on each of the four sides of the stupa. There are also statues of the Buddhas at the base of the stupas. Panch Buddhas are Buddha in a metaphorical sense in Tantrayana. They are Vairochana who occupies the center and is the master of the temple, Akshobhya who faces the east and represents the cosmic element of consciousness, Ratna Sambhava who faces the south and represents the cosmic element of sensation, Amitabha who represents the cosmic element of Sanjna and always faces the west, and Amoghsiddhi who represents the cosmic element of conformation and faces the north."
The Buddha Eyes, or Wisdom Eyes, look out in the four directions to symbolize Buddha's all-seeing omnipotence. Where the nose would be is the Nepali character for the number one, which represents unity of all things as well as the one way to reach enlightenment, through Buddha's teachings. The third eye stands for the all seeing wisdom of Buddha. Fun fact, if I were to get a tattoo it would likely be of the Buddha Eyes. I love what they represent, wisdom and peace.
Kathmandu from the Swayambhunath Stupa
Kathmandu from the Swayambhunath Stupa
Our next stop was Kathmandu Durbar Square in front of the old royal palace of the old monarchy. It is one of three royal palace squares in the valley (Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur); all are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This square began construction with the palace around 1069 and has had additions from a variety of monarchs over the course of its history.
To the left is Kal Bhairava, a Hindu deity, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation. He is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists.
After the exploration of Kathmandu Durbar Square, we all went to a nearby Newari restaurant to have traditional Nepali food.
Kala Bhairava in Kathmandu Durbar Square
Taleju Bhawani Temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square
Cremations at Pashupatinath Temple
Initially, the handful of cows that you see resting at various points of the temple seems out of place. I later came to find out that there is a legend that Shiva, one of the main deities of Hinduism, had transformed himself into an antelope and had lost a horn at this site. It wasn't until centuries later that a cow kept showering the earth with milk that the sacred horn was dug up and rediscovered at this site.
Buddhist Prayer Flags Hanging Over the Bagmati River
Bnu, Matt, and I
Aaron, Matt, and I
Aaron with a pair of Sadhus
A sadhu is a Hindu religious holy person. The sadhu dedicates themselves solely to achieving liberation, the fourth and final stage of life in Hinduism, through meditation and contemplation. The lifestyle is difficult as sadhus leave all material possessions and family ties behind as they live in caves, forests, and temples throughout Nepal and India. Interestingly, "Sadhus are considered to be dead unto themselves, and legally dead to the country of India. As a ritual, they may be required to attend their own funeral before following a guru for many years, serving him by doing menial tasks until acquiring the necessary experience to leave his leadership" (Wikipedia).
Our next stop was the Patan Durbar Square, the second of three Durbar Square UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu. It took an eventful and claustrophobic trip on a public bus to get there, but the ride was absolutely worthwhile.You immediately sense the age of Kathmandu when you arrive; however walking into Patan Durbar Square makes the history of the city come to life. As I walked around this living museum, I couldn't help feeling small knowing that I am now a part of its century's long history. I hadn't felt this way since my travels to Rome, particularly the Vatican; the stark difference being my unfamiliarity with the culture. Growing up in an overwhelmingly Christian majority country made this experience remarkably foreign.
Most of the current architecture is from the 1600s, but other portions are significantly older. This area like many others in Kathmandu is a center of both Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism is practiced by 81.3% of Nepalis, the highest percentage of any country in the world. Buddhism is historically linked with Nepal and is practiced by 9% of its people.
Full View of Patan Durbar Square
Palace & Opposite Side of Patan Durbar Square
Market
Matt, Aaron, Bnu
The final eventful stop of the day was a late lunch and beers at Thakali Kitchen with Bnu. That night the boys and I went to a restaurant that our friend Nava recommended. Unfortunately, it was a tourist trap.
*************** Following day was spent at Bhaktapur, which is the next post ***************
After visiting Bhaktapur, my final day in Kathmandu was spent wandering around the city taking in as much culture, food, and insight as I could. The pictures below are comprised of many of the things I came across not only that day but throughout my wandering of the city. Enjoy!
Streets of Kathmandu
Major Intersection in Thamel
Large Market in Thamel
Yummy! Meat Market
Buddha
In Hinduism, Buddha is an incarnation of the god Vishnu although Buddha himself denied that he was a god or an incarnation of a god. Vishnu is one of the three supreme deities (Shiva, Shakti) of Hinduism.
Nepali Soldier
Buddha Small Buddhist Stupa
Buddhist Prayer Flags
Buddhist Prayer Wheel
Spinning the prayer wheel, clockwise, will have the same effect as if you were orally reciting the prayer carved on the exterior of the wheel. These wheels are used to accumulate wisdom, merit good karma, and to purify bad karma to bring the practitioner closer to realizing enlightenment.
On the beams of all of the temples throughout the city there is a tremendous amount of detail in the woodwork. Most of the depictions are a variety of sexual positions and typically polygamous.
Kathmandu is a city whose past greatly influences its present. It is littered with art, architecture, and history wherever your eyes may wander. The relatively untouched character of the city left me with an important reminder; many of the world's past accomplishments far outweigh its present. Which is why it is difficult to see a group of people with so much culture and history to offer the world have to fight major poverty issues that require many to leave the country and take miniscule jobs abroad. That being said, I would in a heartbeat revisit this city and venture out to Chitwan National Park or go on any number of week long treks,
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