A Weekend In Nagarkot

Last weekend was spent in the mountain resort of Nagarkot. There were 9 of us and we took the van from the House of Children. We drove East out of Kathmandu across the rice fields and into the hills. The views were amazing. The sky changes constantly. One minute it may be clear and the next coudy and the next, pouring rain. It is beautiful.

Immediately upon leaving the city the agriculture begins. The fields go as far as the eye can see and eventually continue up the hillsides.
Small villages will punctuate the fields.

We had to stop for a minute while some workers repaired the washed-out dirt road so I snapped this photo. In the winter (the only clear weather), the Himalaya's would be visible.

HUGE, beautiful clouds.

The view from the resort.

The roof of this building was being repaired. Apparently these roofs will last 12 to 15 years and are constructed of wheat. What warranty does an American roof get? 10 years?

The resort is called the Farm House and is one of the original resorts in Nagarkot.

This is the main building. Admin, the dining room, and fireplace.

The guesthouses. 4 rooms upstairs and 4 rooms downstairs, all with incredible views.

I thought that this was a tree at first...

...it is actually a tree sized cactus!

There is an observation tower that sits at about 2100 meters with unparalled view of the valley and surrounding mountains. We are looking due West over the Kathmandu valley.

I just like the clouds the best!

I never see clouds like this in California.

A stop for tea near the lookout tower.

The kitchen.

These haulers are everywhere and boy do they make a racket. Usually they are loaded with bricks or cement or rocks. They do extremely well in the mud - the norm around here. This one is in Bhaktapur but they are all over the valley and in the city.

Nanobuddha in Patan. This temple is constructed entirely of stone, brick, and clay. It has 1,000 Buddha depictions on it. It took 36 years to construct and is roughy 450 years old.

Every aspect of this temple is adorned.

This was over one of the doorways into the center of the temple.

This sanctuary looks well protected...

This little guy got a free ride through Patan by clinging onto the back of the van.

I am still working on figuring out what this is. It may have something to do with the beginning of the planting season, some kind of offering. The wheels are almost 7 feet tall and the entire structure is well above the roofs of the 3 story buildings it is next too. Pretty cool.

How Am I Really Doing?

My most frequently asked question via email lately is, "How are you doing, really?" I offer the following response:

1- no sickness (yet! cross my fingers and knock on wood)

2- no jetlag

3- no culture shock

4- yes, it is super hot and humid but when it rains its all worth it

5- yes, i miss everyone back home, dearly

6- yes, the food is awesome

7- no, my tibetan is like nails on a chalkboard

8- no, my nepali is horrid

I'm doing super-duper fantastic, really. It is awesome; really, truly awesome. Watch out if you drink the water though....

So Close, Yet So Far Away...

Monday and Tuesday afforded Namgyal and I a chance to get away to a resort high in the hills. There had been discussion as to whether to go to Hattiban or Nagarkot - both resorts. After soliciting many opinions, Hattiban won out. Hattiban literally translates to "elephant forest." We were definately in the forest, but no elephants. Turns out the mountain we were on resembles an elephant. We have a connection so we were able to get a killer deal on a night otherwise we never could have afforded it. We took a cab to the center of the city (150 Nepalese rupees) and a rickety bus to the base of the mountain (24 Nepalese rupees). It took about 1.25 hours to get there on the windy, bumpy road. At the base of the mountain we climbed in a Land Rover and were whisked to the top on a dirt road that had stones nicely placed the width of tires. We went up and up and up and up! We climbed to about 1800 meters above sea level (Kathmandu is about 1300 meters). The top brought breathtaking, awe-inspiring views of the Kathmandu valley and ...

...the Himalaya's! This is the view of the Himalaya's we were supposed to have.
The Himalay's in monsoon season!

The resort is in the background and we are standing on an observation platform nearly 30 feet in the air. This deck provided nearly 270 degree views of the valley and surrounding mountains.

As the night drew closer the clouds broke and we could begin to see the tips of peaks in the distance. At first we were convinced that we were looking at Everest but we were infromed by the staff that we were looking at Ganesh Himal. Impressive nonetheless, yet Everest still eludes us.

The Kathmandu valley in the foreground and the Himalaya's in the background. Tibet is just on the other side of those peaks.

As the light changed, we got better views. Everest would be to the far, far right.

A cocktail, a beer, a deck of UNO cards, an outdoor patio... heavenly bliss.

Part of the range to the West.

The road back down the hill. Yes, of course we walked. It was super.

Finally - Monkeys!!!

Nepal is an wonderful place for so many reasons. I find Kathmandu so fascinating because of the mix of religions. There are many who live here who are Buddhist, there are many whom are Hindu, and still many others fall somewhere in the middle. Yup, Kathmandu has a mix of both; kinda like that chocolate and vanilla cake you see that is swirled together. For an afternoon, adventure we decided to visit Pashupati (or Pashupatinath).

I don't want to pretend that I wrote the following. I am taking it DIRECTLY from "Let's Go: A Let's Go Travel Guide: India and Nepal," St. Martin's Press, 2004, page 826.

"Dedicated to Shiva's incarnation as Pashupati, the gentle Lord of Animals and the guardian deity of Nepal, the temple complex of Pashupatinath, east of Kathmandu, is the holiest Hindu site in Nepal and the countrie's largest shrine complex. In addition to the bathers who dip in the Bagmati on auspicious full-moon nights and on the 11th day after them, thousands of sadhus and Hindu pilgrims descend upon Pashupatinath during the full moon of late February or early March for the Shivaratri festival, a celebration of Shiva's birthday. A full day of carnivalesque festivities - and one of the most boisterous festivals of its kind on the Indian subcontinent - the celebration embraces marijuana-smoking and nudity on the part of the sadhus."

"The Pashupati Temple, built in 1696, rests on the banks of the Bagmati. The brass backside of an enormous statue of Nandi can be seen from the entrance, but the rest of the temple is out-of-view and out-of-bounds for non-Hindus. Other viewpoints in the area afford over-the-wall glimpses of the gold-roofed pagoda. Away from the river and across from the main road is a cluster of five towering white cupolas know as Panch Dewal, whose compound has become a social welfare center. Biddha Ashram, operated by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, welcomes walk-in volunteers to help clients of the compound's hospice with basic domestic chores."

"Two footbridges span the river. Between them on the near (west) bank is the 6th century Bacchareswari Temple, reportedly once the site of human sacrifice during Shivaratri festivals. Eight ghats and precipitous stone walls line the river. Still frequently used for 15 or so daily cremations, the smouldering ghats are aligned in caste order. The northernmost ghat is reserved for royal cremations, and the next is for political and cultural figures. Be sensitive about photographing the ghats during cremations."

Remember kiddies, Aaron didn't write that. The words and text came from "Let's Go: A Let's Go Travel Guide: India and Nepal," St. Martin's Press, 2004, page 826.

What Aaron does know about Pashupati - it is a UNESCO world heritage site. Muy important!

Momma and tiny baby.
Monkeys hanging out.

The main temple area.

The smoke you see in the background is from one of the ghats (cremation areas).

I don't know how to write this so it doesn't sound morbid... Over to the left is a deceased person wrapped in a beautiful turmeric colored cloth. There are flowers around him, a candle, and incense burning. In a few minutes a pyre will be constructed upon which the body will be placed. There are people everywhere watching what is going on even though they have no connection to the deceased. A few feet away, kids are swimming in the river and people are mingling on the steps. None of it seems disrespectful or innapropriate. Without any negative connotation, people simply gather here just to watch what is going on. (I like this picture because the monkeys are sitting watching the people! Is this what you call people watching?)

Outside a row of Shiva Temples.

Inside the row of Shiva Temples.

Monkey chillin' on a Nandin.

The Bagmati river as it flows through Pashupati.

Two creeps in a Shiva Temple. :)

A view from up the hill.Cow on the footbridge. The man in orange is a sadhu.

The row of Shiva Temples.

A merchant outside the complex selling dye.

Nepal is so, so colorful - everywhere you look. I am still being stunned and amazed.

A Pilgrimage in Kathmandu

This is one of the main roads near the house. It connects to the Ring Road that circumnavigates the city.

The same road but facing the opposite direction.

=================================================================

Last Thursday we went on an all-day pilgrimage to holy sites around the city. It is auspicious if you can make it to all the sites in the same day. To do so means getting up very early and being prepared to be out and about until the evening. I stirred around 3:30 am to the smells of the days picnic lunch being prepared and later heard the sounds of prayers coming from the altar room. We were supposed to be on the road at 5:30 am but we were a little late in getting started. A 15 passenger van was hired for the day to transport all of us and I think I heard a joke as to when it may break down. Not the most instilling of confidence prior to a long day of driving! The van was driven by an extremely nice Nepali man and his son was along to assist. We loaded up the van with the picnic lunch and prayer flags and incense and everything we would need for the day. Our first stop was the Namo Buddha complex high in the mountains pretty much due East of Kathmandu. General driving here is not comparable to anything in the US so I find it hard to find an allegory or standard to describe the 2 hour drive to the top of the mountian. I'll try a few adjectives: dusty, deisel, bumpy, honking, braking, ambling. Not even close, though. We had to turn off the main highway (which would take us to Tibet if we continued on) onto a dirt road. A Humvee would find this route trecherous; we were doing it in a 2.0L deisel Toyota van... I'm not sure which became sore first, my arse or my head... We arrived on the top of the mountain to an area where Buddha gave a portion of his body to a starving lioness and her cubs. It is an extremely important Buddhist site.

Mila (Namgyal's nephew) at one of the stupas of Namo Buddha.
Smoldering incense as an offering.
Uma (Namgyal's neice).

Prayer and offereings at Namo Buddha.

Prayer flags blowing in the wind. Several more strands of flags were hung while we were there and some of us wrote our names on them.

A view back down the mountain. We are roughly at 1800 meters above sea level.

An important stupa just a bit down the road from where we just were.

It was like the stupa just appeared out of nowhere.

There are always prayer wheels surrounding the stupa. You walk with your right shoulder towards the stupa and walk in a clockwise fashion. You may spin the wheels with your right hand to send the mantras (prayers) out into the universe for the benefit of all sentient beings.

A flag lined path into the forest.

Namgyal, her dad, Tsultrim, Mila and Uma having a snack.

Family tree time. Namgyal's dad (Tsultrim), her mom (Dhongtso), her moms sister (Druki), her husband (Thom), his brother (Lopsang) and his brother praying at the stupa.

View out the window as we drove back down the mountian. It doesn't look like it, but it is HOT!

On the way back down towards the valley and our next stop.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful...

Monsoon season means the beginning of the rice season. The paddies are being prepared.

Our second stop, Bhaktapur, the old capital of Nepal before it moved to Kathmandu. There is another auspicious temple in the heart of the city we went to.

Everything is constructed from bricks - floors, walls, ceilings. The details are amazing.

The exterior of the temple.

A garden in the back of the temple.

Incredible.

The homes and the rice paddies inbetween Bhaktapur and Kathmandu.

More paddies and more rice - all done by hand. You think you had a hard day at work?

The picnic lunch at Pharping, our third stop.

I don't know how they did it but the food and tea was still piping hot at 2 in the afternoon!

A prayer flag lined trail to the top of the mountain. Seconds later I would be stung by some insect. Its scared the pants off me and it felt like I had just grabbed a handful of bare electrical wires. Ouch.

A view from the top of the mountain at Pharping. Kathmandu is off to the left of the photo. Did I mention that it was HOT?

Another stop was Swayambhunath. I have wanted to come to this stupa for years and it gave me goosebumps to see it in real life. It is also called the "Monkey Temple" because so many monkeys hang out at the stupa. It was about to start raining or the monkeys were tired because I only say 2. I was still impressed by the stupa, however. It was pretty late in the day and we had one more stop so we didn't get to stay very long. I WILL be back to spend more time here.

Swayambhu.

Swayambhu is on a hill on the Western part of Kathmandu. This is one of the views from the stupa looking East.

Swayambhu is very close to my heart and it was moving to be here.

Buddha is always watching...

We hopped back in the car for the last stop, Boudha. We did one last Kora there and came back to the house. Dinner that night was far from lively! If we could have brought our pillows to the dinner table, we would have. We must have driven nearly 200 km in the heat, the rain, and on rough roads. We saw 5 incredibly important sites and the family was able to make several offerings and do several prayers. It was an eye-opening day; a day to be humble and reverent. I would do it again, anytime...