Kathmandu

The day started really early…for some reason I awoke at 1.30 am and could not get back to sleep, so I cracked open the iPad and did some business admin.  The time on the iPad read 8.30 am, so I got myself dressed and headed down for breakfast but was surprised to be one of the first n the restaurant….it was actually 6.15 am!    I ate and returned to my room and tried to have a rest but to little hope!   Ce la vi!

The group met this morning and we visited the centre of Kathmandu - Durban Square.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage site that contains some 50 temples as well as the palace and formal buildings.  Most buildings date t the 17th century, however our guide Amit explained that when one temple was damaged in an earthquake a few years back they found evidence dating back to the 4th Century BCE!  

While the temples are still used for worship by people, there is one that is actually inhabited aged- that is the temple that houses Kumari - the living Goddess!  It is her official residence and she is a young girl revered as the living goddess (a manifestation of Durga). Visitors can view the courtyard and she grants an audience. I did not know quite what to expect…and then this little 3 year old girl came to the window and looked down. Not an ounce of expression on her face! She staying looking at us for a few minutes before a minder carried her away - apparently her feet are not to touch the ground! She was selected after a series of trials - one of which apparently is to stay in a dark cave for significant time without crying!!!! She is completely cared for and is not be damaged in anyway - her feet never touch the ground and every need is taken care of UNTIL she reaches puberty then she is just normal again and will return home to her parents. I really don’t know what to think of it all…it seems cruel to me but Amit assured us of the holiness of it all. Photos of her are strictly forbidden and we were ‘barked at by minders’ to remind us before her presence at the middle window of the third floor.

 Everywhere you look there was a picture to be taken.  The original palace architecture  reminded me of the some of the buildings in the Forbidden City in Beijing.  Lots of carved teak, terracotta tiles but the decoration was Hindu god based rather than dragons.  

We then went to Bodhnath Stupa - one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world.  It sits in a square like structure surrounded by small shops.  It was quite beautiful watching the prayer flags flutter in the wind and we observed many buddhists and Buddhist monks waking around it clockwise recited prayers and mantras, spinning the prayer wheels at the same time or praying with what looked like rosary beads.  

We lunched on a rooftop terrace and observed the Stupa below while eating Momo and Roti.

Just a little along the square from our restaurant was a small handicraft/art shop.  It is another initiative that is supported by the Intrepid foundation - this one trains women in traditional artworks as it has predominantly been male dominated.  The idea is that women can sell their works to earn an income with some working from home and only coming in to the studio to hand over works.   There were three levels - junior, intermediate and master level works and when explained you could clearly distinguish by the level of detail involved.  I was rather taken with some Mandala works….and will think on them while we are on our trip around Nepal….if I decide to buy them I will collect before leaving for Sri Lanka.  A small 30x30 mandala by a master is valued around USD 300….do not a decision to make lightly :-)

Our last stop of the day was Pashupatinath - the most famous Hindu temple in Nepal.  It is a pilgrimage site for Hindus world wide.  There are buildings but it is also located around the Bagmati River - considered sacred and holy where Hindus can wash away sin.  It is one of the rivers that leads not the Ganges!   There were many people there  - some celebrating in the temple building (we were not allowed but could observe from a platform across the river) but also many mourners as there were at least three bodies arrive while we were there.  The ghat here is also the place to wash and prepare the dead for cremation.  We were encouraged to observe the rituals and ask questions and take photographs from a distance!  The cremation must be complete within 24 hours for death, so it is a quick process performed by families with the assistance of priests.  It takes a few hours for ashes which help finalise that part of the ceremony - the stand is then cleaned, ashes are then taken home for 13 days before returning for scattering in the river.  It was quite a moving ceremony - with heavy involvement for close family members washing and preparing the body and carrying it to its final resting place.  I was unsure beforehand about whether I wanted to observe but it was nothing like I thought.  It was extremely dignified and not at all gruesome.  While we say cremation on the Ganges Ghats - that was from a distance….these ones were much closer and we saw the intimate rituals that surround cremation - a very moving afternoon.  

Group Dinners - Delhi and meeting the crew in Kathmandu

We left Varanasi by plane flying to Delhi for our last night on the Indian leg of the tour.   

Dinner was in a restaurant that was housed in a building that was over 200 years old.  THey had restored and renovated it about 15 years ago and it was magnificent.  You can really see the Islamic influence on the architecture with arches and details and central courtyard which keeps the air flow and hence keeps things cool.  There were traditional dances and it was a set menu of  traditional Indian cuisine…I am still cautious and avoided the heavily spiced foods - just trying a mouthful!

 

We farewelled each other back at the hotel - Jack and Mai are off to Sri Lanka, Linda heading home to the US and Sam and Davey off to Chandigarh.

The next morning was a relatively early start with a 7.30 am pick up for a flight to Kathmandu on Indigo. Arriving at the hotel about 3, I had a quick bite and refresh before wandering the few blocks around the hotel to get in a little fresh air and exercise before meeting the next group at 6 pm.

It strikes me that the traffic is so much quieter than India…the driving behaviour is more considered and less frenetic.  There were traffic control police at major intersections controlling the traffic flow and while there was an occasion horn honking - nothing like the constant cacophony of India.  

Same electricians as India!

Kathmandu is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities and is a hilly city from what I could tell.  The hotel, the Yak and Yeti, is housed in an old palace but has all the modern conveniences - I am in the new wing which appears purpose built.  

The new group consists of 6 women - aged 24 to me!  Judy and Lucy (mum and daughter) are English; Anina is Swiss from Zurich; Nikki and Alina are Indian Fijian with Nicki recently moving back to Fiji while Amina lives in Australia.  Our tour leader is Amit.  

The group dinner was a traditional Nepalese banquet - it strikes me as much less spicy and Amit advised there is little meat - only a little chicken with the rest of the food vegetables and rice.   We also tasted a local rice wine which would blow your socks off!  

The river Ganges (Ganga) And Girl Power

Another early start today. It was meet in the lobby at 5.15 am to head to the River Ganges, or Ganga.Varanasi's name is derived from the confluence of two rivers that form its borders: the Varuna (still flowing in the north) and the Assi (a small stream in the south). As the land located between these two tributaries of the Ganges. The name Ganga is the original and sacred name of the Ganges as the river originates from the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas. Varanasi is one of the world’s oldest documented settlements. We arrived at the sun was just peaking over the horizon so a red and golden glow was in the sky. On the banks of the river there was a Hindu prayer daily ritual. It was a surreal experience.

We then boarded our little boat, donning life jackets to motor out to the middle of the river which gave us views of the sunrise to the east, and to the west the Ghats on the river banks where throngs of people were lining to board boards, or undressing to wash in the river.  The odd offering floated by.  We floated downstream as musicians on our boat played traditional music with the sitar and drums while singing.  It was very immersive and emotionally evocative.  I’m  not sure words will do any justice to this experience - definitely another bucket list tick!  

After returning to the hotel for a late breakfast we ventured out to the streets of Varanasi.  Intrepid, the company that my tour is organised through has a number of socially responsible activities.  Another in this tour was the patronage of the Sheroes Cafe for the victims of Acid attacks.  The one in Varanasi is called Holy City Tours.  The name derives from the fact that Varanasi is a pilgrimage town for Hindus -and the tours are conducted by e-rickshaws driven by female drivers.   These lovely ladies have been applied and been selected on various criteria - many the victims of domestic violence or finding themselves alone providing for themselves.  This is difficult in.the Indian culture as there is no social welfare system and therefore the Intrepid Foundation assists in training these women in business principles - how to deal with customers, how to drive etc in order to allow them flexible work arrangements to become self sufficient.  The tours was of various street food restaurants, with the women providing the transport between three different sites.  We enjoyed tomato and Palak paprika Chaat at one site, then potato samosas and a fruit sweet and then finally a lassi at the last stop.   The food was delicious, however what was really noticeable was the reactions from other drivers to the women drivers of our e-rickshaws.  One man who was a pillion passenger on a motorbike actually yelled into the drivers cabin and while Linda and I couldn’t understand his words, we certainly understood his sentiment.  These women are brave and courageous!  They are taking on cultural norms and learning to assert themselves gently.  

The end of the day seemed to appear so quickly…it had been jam packed with experience.  

We returned to the banks of the river Ganga where we observed maps Hindu prayers - chanting and call and response while there were a group of five men performing actions - I hesitate to call it a dance as it was more sombre - they moved in time and repeated their actions on all four sides - holding aloft various items - fire, a fan, bells and hand signals.  

We hopped on a boat - of which I was dubious from the outset.  It had broken boards and all the seats were wet - it was dark (there was no lighting on the river) and it appeared in rather poor condition.  When the driver started the motor - Sam and Davey became showered with water before the engine cut out.  we managed to motor out to the middle of the river and released some flower/candle offering to the river while making a wish.  I wished for peace and happiness for my family and I and the world at large.  I think others made similar wishes.   We watched our candles blow out or float away. 

Here is the headline - “AUSTRALIAN TOURISTS STRANDED ON THE GANGES RIVER!” Our motor would not restarted and we began drifting down river at a reasonable pace….there were no oars on board and we even spotted the propeller shaft which then did not inspire confidence.    After trying to steer to the bank, we eventually butted up again some docked boats and another boat was despatched to collect us - it was the boat we had had in the morning and while the  engine was noisy, it was much better maintained….we made a water transfer which bothered a coupl of our party as hey were a little less stable.  We made it to shore eventually, but it was not without a few heart pumping moments - I did NOT want to swim in the river despite being told the water was safe (!).  While the itinerary talked of ‘sunset cruise’  it would be a stretch to call it that…a motor out to the river centre and then a float!