Monday, 13 June 2016

Nepal (15-21 May 2016)

After a somewhat slow process through immigration we entered the chaos that is Kathmandu.  By that I mean the traffic which is amazing or unbelievable (not sure which).  Not sure what the rules are or if they are at all adhered to but basically you just pull out and hope that everyone will stop, which seems to work.  There is copious amounts of dust to deal with (so much so that many people wear face masks for fear of getting ill) and lots and lots of tooting. 
We made it safely to the suburb of Thamel late in the afternoon which is the backpacker/tourist area and is in the central part of the old city.  Time to familiarise ourselves with our surroundings we headed out for a walk.  The first thing you notice (after the dust) is the cute and narrow rabbit warren streets that you could easily and happily get lost in.  The downside being that they are uneven and a lot of them are dirt roads (possibly due to the earthquake in 2015) but they are lined with shop upon shop as well as bars and restaurants and lots of friendly Nepalese.  The place has a really great feel to it and we are happy to be back finishing what we started in April last year.




The next day we began the Lonely Planet's walking tour which covers a fairly short distance but takes you places in the city you may not otherwise venture.  Lots of local and residential streets as well as the busy ones and of course countless numbers of shrines and temples.  Got our first sighting of a "seeing eyes" temple which was pretty special (and the first of a few!) and ended up at Durbar Square (Palace Square). This is where the city's Kings were once crowned and legitimised, and from where they ruled.  This square remains the traditional heart of the town and Kathmandu's most spectacular legacy of traditional architecture. 








We spent some time here before the walk took us a little further out of the touristy areas and we got to see some of the locals in action - kids coming home from school, Mum's and Dad's selling what little they have in the way of produce or other products and the evening meal being started. The key thing to call out here is the simplicity in the life people lead and the means to which they survive.  As we walked around we started to get a glimpse of the earthquake hangover with random buildings in pieces and tragically people's homes as well as some of their world heritage temples.  In Durbar Square at least three of the temples dating back to the late 1600's were levelled. The square is a shadow of its former self and although still worth a visit is a sad reminder that nothing is for ever.  We're told there are plans to rebuild however how long that may take is anyones guess.










Next morning we headed straight for Swayambhunath Buddhist Temple (Monkey Temple).  After walking up too many stairs and dodging the monkeys (making sure that all the water was safely stored away after seeing someones stolen out of his hand) we arrived at the Unesco World Heritage site with views across Kathmandu City.  Unfortunately the city is very hazy (or smoggy, not sure which) so the view is limited but you feel like you're on top of the world here, out of the madness for a short time.  The temple was beautiful and decorated with prayer flags, the earliest activity dating back to AD 460.  Prayer wheels lined the circumference and people worshipping bought candles and were blessed at the top.  We walked clockwise around the temple (the "right" way) and took in the sights and views before heading back down. 










Next destination Patan in the Kathmandu Valley and onto our next walking tour we got to visit some of Patan's history, and again their temples and local life.  One key highlight of this part of our walk was the Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal).  It is a unique monastery allegedly founded in the 12th century.

As Patan is the 2nd of the 3 old capitals it also has a Durbar Square so we ended up there in the afternoon and the street that runs through the centre of the square took our breath away.  Even with a number of temples missing/destroyed in 2015 (counted 5 just in the centre area) the site is something else and very easily transformed in your imagination to the past. 



The next morning we completed the walking tour and finish again at Durbar Square, where we had breakfast at a cafe overlooking the amazing history in front of us.  The temples are really something else (everywhere) with their majestic look and extremely detailed and ornate woodwork.  They are a treasure and it really is tragic that so much of this beautiful history was lost last year. Patan has a long Buddhist history which has even had an influence on the town's Hindu temples.  The square arguably had/has the finest collection of temples and palaces in the whole of Nepal. 

We headed off after breakfast to find the Nyatapola temple that was not on the walking tour before heading back into Patan Museum.  This museum is full of treasures from Nepal's history and well worth a look.  The Palace attached is a must see - again the detail in the building is amazing and quite stunning.  Really beautiful. 



No time to waste the afternoon first consisted of a taxi ride to destination three - Bhaktapur the 3rd of the old capitals. Bhaktapur is known as the cultural capital of Nepal and its history dates back to the early 8th century.  Our arrival gave us our first glimpse of Taumadhi Tole and Nyatapola Temple (1702)- the tallest temple in Nepal and one of only two five tier temples in Kathmandu Valley - wow, what an impressive site.  The upper story of the temple was rebuilt after the 1934 earthquake and still stands sturdy after last year's disruptions.  The stairway is flanked by stone figures of temple guardians, each figure is said to be 10 times stronger than the one on the level below. 



After some searching we found our hotel and then headed out for our final Lonely Planet walking tour.  Bhaktapur is quite simply something else being the best preserved medieval city in the Kathmandu Valley originally servicing the old trade route from India to Tibet and becoming "official" in the 12th century.  The walking tour was all about the sites and soaking up the atmosphere around us - the people going about their business, playing cards, spinning wool, and children playing or just simply watching the world go by.  The walking tour proved interesting as one of the "more picturesque alleys" (as described in the LP) we were to walk down looked like a war zone.  It's hard to describe how you feel when you see a whole street demolished by nature.  Bhaktapur more than anywhere else seems to have received more than its fair share of earthquake damage and we got to see the real "tent" and "shelter" cities that have been created out of people losing their homes.   















Amazing the resilience of those who continue to go about their business, go to work or school, without a real home to come back to and of course the heritage sites have not escaped either.  The place has an unusual and unique beauty, maybe because of what we sense it has lost.   

Next day we headed for the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur and again were amazed at the sites (there and not there) that stood before us.  Words really don't do these places justice - some things you just have to see.  As we headed back down past our hotel Lesley's bout of "really bad food" from the day before made an appearance and it was a mad rush to the river side (fortunately just a rubbish pile).  We managed to make it back up to Pottery Square on the way back which was a highlight as the potters spin their clay making hundreds of pots that dry in the sun and are hardened in a "Nepalese" kiln (effectively sand being heated by burning wood). 




Gary arranged a taxi back to Thamel, but not before visiting Changu Narayan Temple.  The ride to the temple was great as we headed out of town into the agricultural area where the wheat was being cut and harvested.  We also passed a brick works and huge piles of new bricks, all waiting for a new home to be placed in.   

The temple is perched atop a ridge and is a Unesco World Heritage Site as the status and the temple itself are works of art, some pieces dating back to the 5th century. 




Final full day in Nepal and still temples to see in Kathmandu City!  The first of the day being Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal's most important Hindu temple, which sits on the banks of the holy Bagmati River.  The actual site is huge, is surrounded by bustling markets and is really spectacular.  You get great views from the hill on the other side of the river and its home to a number of funeral ghats so is a sacred place.  The other amusing attraction is of course the monkeys - as frightening as the aggressive ones can be the others are just as cute.  An odd thing happened to us here where a boy of around 8-10 started asking questions of what Lesley thought was where were we going.  It’s not unusual for kids or others to do this but in fact what he was actually asking was when we’re we leaving.  When Lesley said tomorrow he asked if we could take him home with us.  Something that has never happened before and is truly heart-breaking.  Unfortunately of course the children don’t understand that it’s not as simple as that, even if we had been heading in that direction.  It just blatantly points out that they are looking for a better life. 









Temple two was Bodhnath Stupa - this is the largest Stupa in all of Asia and unfortunately post EQ it was in rebuild.  Part of the top of the stupa was badly damaged in the earthquake so the entire top part has been removed and is being rebuilt.  Great to see that the rebuild will happen, for those working on it however it is painstakingly slow.  Usually the stupa is full of life as pilgrims gather for rituals and to circumnavigate the dome under the watchful eyes of the Buddha.  It's also one of the few places in the world where the Tibetan Buddhist culture is accessible. 

The 3rd temple of the day was Gorkarna Mahadev Temple which was unique in that it sat quietly on its own alongside the Bagmati river.  On the opposite bank was a lot of greenery and a lot of monkeys but the area was quite serene (in the madness that is Kathmandu City).  There was also a temple tree on the grounds outside which obviously looked like a great spot for a shrine and the tree has obliged by growing around it.



Last stop for the day was Budhanilkantha.  This is a reclining statue of Vishna laying on a bed of snakes that is certainly unique here compared to what we have seen.  The 5m long image was created in the 7th or 8th century from a single piece of black stone and hauled from outside the valley by devotees.  Again, the quiet and pretty in amongst the busy, dusty and noisy.  Apart from their religion it's no wonder that Nepalese people flock to these places of worship. 


Our tick-e-touring done we headed back to Thamel and a couple of last minute shopping stops before one last attraction - the Garden of Dreams.  Very close to where we were staying but a million miles from here the gorgeous gardens were originally built in the 1920's.  After some neglect and restoration the site is smaller now than it was originally but it is green, colourful and beautiful and obviously the place to go on a date with lots of young couples making the most of the privacy.  We spent a little bit of time here just soaking it all up before looking for somewhere for dinner. 


Our time in Nepal has been wonderful.  We have been lucky and grateful to be able to complete our original trip and put some money back into an economy that can do with all the help it can get.  As tragic as the earthquake was, and the raw reality of the damage that still remains, it's enlightening to see the people happy (although maybe changed) and living life as only they know how.  Their religion is strong and they are confident that the new Nepal will be better than ever. 

Best moment – visiting Pashupatinath Temple on our last day
Worst moment – Lesley’s bout of “dodgy food”
Most special – finishing what we started and going back to Kathmandu
Most melancholy – the utter devastation that the earthquake of 2015 reined on the city and the realisation that people may never return to the homes they once knew 

Things we will remember of Kathmandu and the Kathmandu Valley:
Dust
Bumpy uneven roads
Stunning history
The simplicity of life
The country side
The children
The religion
The devastation
The rabbit warren streets
The traffic
The  monkeys


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