And now for something completely different

Flying in a northeasterly direction, our first view of what was to come was an incredible line of white, jagged peaks inching ever closer in the window, until they encompassed the entire vista. Looking as far back and as far forward as we could, they were there. Like some giant saw-tooth knife contrasted against the blue sky, the Himalayas just seem to rise from nothing and soar skyward. It was a magnificent view and was a thrill to know that we were, indeed, in for something different.
The ride from the airport was a further indication of just how far we had traveled, not just distance wise, but culturally. From Buddhist Thailand to predominantly Hindu Nepal everything was different. Coming in on the transfer from the airport in Bangkok we passed dozens of modern sky scrapers, architecturally astounding creations, each more than 30 stories tall. The road was a four lane modern toll road, flanked by another four lane freebie road.
Time warp to today’s transfer here in Katmandu. The road was a narrow road not built for cars but with two way traffic without lane markings, so traffic wove back and forth, with horns constantly barking out their warning signals. Caveat Emptor may mean buyer beware, but here it’s caveat pedestriano. In Thailand, if you crossed in the middle of the street, traffic came to a halt to allow you to pass, here it’s: “Don’t do that, I’ll run you down.” In the 7-10 miles from the airport to the hotel, which is right downtown, we think, there is not a single traffic light nor stop sign. Crossing the street therefore, given the above warning is a test of will and nerves.
As in Bangkok there are lots of motorcycles, but here again, there is a vast chasm of difference. In Thailand, the motorcys were modern, sleek, well taken care of machines. Here they are older, less well maintained, and reflecting the dirt streets in many areas, they are covered with a layer of dirt which just makes things look poorer. Lots of bicycles here. We saw maybe a handful of them in our ten days in Thailand, and thousands of them on the way into town here.
From the opulence of Bangkok to the squalor of Katmandu, the contrast has just been mind jarring. Everything looks and feels more like India. Everything has a coating of dust on it, and everything just looks dirty.
We’re staying at the Radisson hotel, and while there’s nothing wrong with it, it certainly doesn’t remind one of anything representing an up scale hotel. A modest three star at the best.
The smiling faces and pleasant greetings of the Thais on the street have been replaced by a disdainful look from the Nepali. People pass you by with nary a glance or acknowledgement of your existence. Kathleen, on of our traveling mates says that the people are very friendly, so we’re hopeful that what we’ve seen is just an aberration.
All of the above is not to be in any way disparaging to this country or its people. But just serves as a jarring reminder that when traveling, one needs to put the past aside and begin to see new things for what they are on their own terms and in their own light. But it does rattle the senses until you can get your mind and spirit around your new surroundings. First impressions are just that.
One thing that really surprised us as we were reading before we came was the fact that we thought of Nepal as a mountainous place, thinking of Katmandu as a place high in the mountains surrounded by even higher ones. In fact, the elevation here is just 4,200 feet, 1,300 meters or so. The “Hills” surrounding the valley into which the city sits do go to around 9,000 feet, but it isn’t until you get to the northern part that you reach the big boys, K2, Lhotse, and the king, Everest, at 29,000.
In fact, Katmandu is further south than New Delhi, India, and if you go further south to the lowlands, the elevation is only 200 feet above sea level. There you can take elephant safaris, see rhinos, tigers, and the like. Not exactly high mountain stuff.
We awoke this morning to a drizzling rain, but that dissipated as the day wore on. We went to a very holy Hindu temple where the scene was much the same as the pictures we’ve all seen of people washing in the Ganges River. The river here feeds into the Ganges and, hence it is considered an even holier pilgrimage to come here than to the Ganges. It is a very major cremation site, and in the time we were there we saw no fewer than five separate corpses being prepared for the funeral pyre. In one case, we watched (from a proper distance) as they prepared the body on the stack of wood in preparation for the cremation, watched them light the fire and stood there, both fascinated and astounded as the flames rose and engulfed the body. The pyre next to it had been burning for a few hours and was in the state of a late night camp fire by the beach. Mostly ashes, but with some obvious solid pieces which had not yet broken down to ashes. We got a whole lesson on the cremation process, the hows, whys and wherefores. It is actually quite sensible and spiritual when explained properly. I don’t have time here to do so, but it did make the whole scene more palatable to the senses.
Nepal is 85% Hindu and only 10% Buddhist, even though Buddha was born here in Nepal to a royal Hindu family. We saw many levels of Hindu thought right down to the sadus (sp.) who disdain their families and live an ascetic life, which is quite harsh.
Even Buddha went through a sadu phase before finding the way to inner peace and enlightenment through what we now know as Buddhism. I use the 85% figure for the Hindu population but as we were told, when the census takers make their rounds, they often say, well this family looks Hindu, so they often make very subjective judgements to save time.
There are actually something like 64 entirely different ethnic groups here in Nepal, and many are visible here in Katmandu. From a sleepy town, it has boomed into a place teeming with over 2,000,000 people with the political troubles wracking the country. The king has declared absolute power, disbanded democracy, and rules despotically. There are Maoist guerillas in the countryside forcing many people to flee to the “Safety” of the city, and Katmandu simply bulges at the seams.
Even the royal family is in turmoil, much of it stemming from the 2001 palace massacre where the crown prince supposedly got pissed because mom and dad wouldn’t let him marry who he wanted, so he murdered them, a brother and sister, an aunt and uncle and others before taking his own life. That’s the official story but there seems to be a large group the doesn’t believe it. So the king is now the remaining brother who escaped the carnage.
We also visited a wonderful Buddhist temple. In Thailand, the wats were brilliant temples with roofs of glittering golden color and ornate decoration inside. The stupa or temple today was truly Tibetan, a wonderful precursor for our foray into Tibet tomorrow. Prayer flags by the thousands blew from all direction, and you could see by the ethnic Tibetan dress that this was a place where Tibetans fled, and continue to flee their occupied homeland. The shops in the giant square, actually a circle, were full of Tibetan goods, and it was really nice to see what was available. We now know that we can get many of the things we want here upon our return if we don’t/can’t get them in Tibet. Space is the problem. We each have one “Kit” bag into which we have to put everything for the trip. We left a bag in Bangkok of the “Tropical” clothes, and again we are having to consolidate and leave a bag here. The tour leader laughs because he says if you bring everything that World Expeditions tells you to bring (we did) you can’t get it all into the bag (you can). So it looks like more of the Camino type laundry situation. Take a minimum and wash every night.
We were walking down the street when a distinctive plant caught our eye. A whole yard full of five foot high marijuana plants. It just grows wild here, and I mean everywhere. It is used medicinally and also in religious ceremonies. There is a festival in Feb. where apparently the whole city turns on. No wonder Katmandu became a hippy destination in the 70’s.
Our group looks like a really nice one indeed. We are just five, Carol and myself, obviously, and then there’s Dave an anesthesiologist from Melbourne, Tony who works corporate travel in London, and Kathleen who is a governmental consultant from Brisbane in Australia. They all look like they are in their 30’s, so grandma Carol and grandpa Jim are definitely the old farts. We all seem very compatible and spend the afternoon hanging out in the market place together.
There is also a group of 17 who are doing a shorter version without the trekking and so we will be together for a while with them then they will go their own way. We all fly together tomorrow to Lhasa.
The afternoon in the market was a wonderful time. It is one of the most vibrant areas I’ve ever seen. Narrow streets just chock full of stores on both sides selling everything trekkers or climbers or just souvenir hunters could ever want, and all at bargain prices. The streets are alive not with tourists interestingly enough, but with Nepalese going to or from somewhere. The streets are a wave of color, ebbing and flowing as women in brightly colored saris pass in front of view. The entire color wheel at any glance fills the view. The saris are so bright, some solid colors, others multi-colored, but all of them giving a vibrancy and vividness to the atmosphere.
And so our visit to Katmandu is very short indeed. We return on June 1st for two more nights where we’ll fill the remaining room in our suitcases with the things we saw today. As much as we look forward to tomorrow, we also look with anticipation for our return and a little more time here.
Until later, still enjoying life and living large, we are,
Carol and Jim