The Nepal experience was very compact and condensed. Although we only spent a short transit week in this little country, feels I got to know it pretty well.
The local busride was a good introducion. Also there was the monsoon and floods as a result thereof, the daily (scheduled) power cuts, an earthquake, a plane crash that killed 18 tourists (met a guy who was supposed to be on the plane but overslept - he met/knew all the victims), a famous local politician who got shot and the preparations for the weeklong cultural festival where 108 buffaloes, 108 goat and 108 chicken would be offered to the Hindu gods .....quite something for such a short period. Interesting and sometimes sad to oberserve these events from the quiet oasis of Cafe Mitra. Every night the charming owner shared its views about his beloved country during long nice dinners with imported food (such as quail and prawns) and countless bottles of wine from New Zealand. The little country, squeezed in between China and India, is under high pressure of these two superpowers. Both provide much aid, but tend to ask favours in return which puts Nepal in a difficult position (amongst others in the conflict around Tibet and other border issues).
Passing the gate of the hotel, you step into a completely different world...although the street is narrow and full of (moslty trekking) shops (Nepal is all about trekking in fake North Face gear), you suddenly find yourself on a littered highway of people, bikes, tuktuks, motorbikes, buses, cars, cows, goat, sheep, chicken and dogs. There is constant honking and shouting, shopowners fight for your attention "namaste, namaste"... It is either raining very heavily or steaming hot during the few hours the sun is out. You have to bargain for everything. Pffffew, it is exhausting and intense. Luckily the smell is doable because of the monsoon.
"Get used to it, Kathmandu is a moderate version of India" smiles the owner. "India is torture", a German woman who travelled all over the world adds, "you only get to appreciate it once you have left". Honestly, it worries me a bit, how can a city be crowdier and filthier than this...
An excellent guide at Durbar Square explains all about Hinduism and Buddhism. "Hinduism is a religion, Buddhism is a way of live, you can be both...understand?" Slowly, all the pieces of the puzzle collected in Mongolia, China, Tibet and Nepal start coming together. A monk gets a hard time when he asks for money..."Monks do not ask! They have food and drink. What else do they want. This one is a fake, I am disappointed." Part of the tour is a glimpse of the living godess Kali....a sixyear old girl, said to be the living godess Kali as she is from a certain caste, was born in full moonlight, did not cry when being put in a dark temple while brahmas tried to square her with scary sounds and dead animals and last chose the cloth of here predecessor... She looks like a bored and spoiled kid...no wonder as she is locked up in a palace admired by the Hindus. Very sad actually.
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Location:Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
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