Day 86: Nepal/Kathmandu!! (And Bhaktapur too!)

 


When I was a kid, I always wanted to climb Mt. Everest (who doesn’t?), but I never really expected to see it in real life. So, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit Nepal and see the mountain. This post will be split into multiple parts. The first two will cover Nepal, Kathmandu, and all the amazing sights we saw. The last one will examine the 29,032-foot peak.

On Day 85, we left the boat in Cochin. That involved multiple bureaucratic layers of Indian Immigration paperwork and border officers, even though we’d had our e-visa in place for months! We then went on a nice Air India A321 to Delhi and stayed at a local Radisson Blu hotel by the airport. Our wake-up call was 4 am to get to the airport for a 7 am flight to Kathmandu. Once again, we underwent multiple passport, visa, and bag inspections to get on the plane. Our Nepalese visas were ready for us when we landed, making that part of the trip painless. We then encountered a huge customs and security line. Line is a fuzzy concept in Asia, so we had to box out several folks who just decided to try and jump in front of us (and others). It kept me amused whilst waiting.


I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in Kathmandu. Some research last year opened my eyes to the fact that it’s only 4500 ft in elevation, and April temperatures hit the low 80s. So much for Artic parkas. After landing, we immediately jumped on a bus and headed to our first destination. This was when I learned that Sunday is a workday in Nepal. They work from 10 am to 5 pm six days a week and then have Saturday off. That’s balanced because they have so many public holidays and festivals that it is like an extra day a week of vacation.




So, many centuries ago, the King of Nepal had three sons who didn’t get along well and constantly fought. He split the kingdom into three parts and assigned each a city. The oldest received Bhaktapur, which was our first stop. The middle child got Patan, and the youngest Kathmandu. Each built palaces and temples, trying to outdo their brothers. Bhaktapur is known as the cultural center of Nepal and dates back to the 8th century. It was the capital city for hundreds of years and then became a mini-sovereign state (like the Vatican) for a while. Notable highlights were Durbar Square (the main square), Taumadhi Square (multi-roofed and layered temples), Pottery Square (figure that one out), and Dattatraya Square (oldest part of the city.) 


My highlights were Betal Dyochhen - the 55-window palace. One window for each wife or concubine.




    


    Getting a Nepalese Honey Latte from the top level of a pagoda. I also discovered that the Nepalese invented the multi-layer pagoda-style temple, which the Chinese and Japanese later ripped off.

There was a lot of scaffolding around. The large magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused a lot of structural damage, which is slowly being repaired using a blend of solid modern materials and even more solid older materials. The wood they used feels harder than steel.




We then took a quick trip to the hotel – Dwarikas. Absolutely old-world gorgeous. Beautiful gardens, hundreds of flower pots, impressive facilities, and huge rooms. Then off for lunch (French – kinda weird) and onto the Boudhanath Stupa. A stupa is not a temple, as you cannot enter it. It just represents a place where ancient Buddha remains are supposedly kept. People congregate there, use prayer wheels, walk clockwise around the building, and feed the birds (Mary Poppins style). It's a great market, too. Bought a lovely purple elephant scarf. We then had the opportunity to meet the Abott of the 1000 Buddha’s Monastery. He said a prayer in quite beautiful English and blessed each of us.

Our final stop was the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. It’s located on the
banks of a tributary of the Holy Ganges River. It’s constantly used for funerals and cremations—in front of everyone. There were a few thousand people sitting in the bleachers across the river from the ceremonies.

Rule #6 on the ticket states Please maintain distance when taking pictures of burning corpse.

That was the day. We went back to the hotel for a quick nap and shower, and we finished with a full six-course Nepalese meal. Most thought it was too hot and complained. I loved it – but in fairness, my spice/curry profile is far broader than most people’s.

Tomorrow – Mt. Everest flight, living goddesses, Patan, and singing Himalayan bowls. 












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