Two weeks away it feels like the whole world should've changed
But I'm home now and things still look the same
I think I'll leave it til tomorrow to unpack
Try to forget for one more night
That I'm back in my flat
on the road Where the cars never stop going through the night
To a life where I can't watch the sun set
I don't have time
I don't have time
Sunday, October 30, 2011
back home
Slowly unpacking, up in the middle of the night due to jet lag. Whenever I get back from a vacation I think of the opening lyrics from the song 'Sand in My Shoes' by Dido. I think it sums up the feeling pretty well:
Thursday, October 27, 2011
some first reflections
I'm in the lounge in the Hong Kong airport, now. The flight from Kathmandu to Hong Kong was overnight, but fortunately I actually slept through most of it.
If I think about the greatest impressions of the trip, it would be the scenery and villages of the trek, of course, but also the Nepali people. Not just in the villages, but everywhere, even in the most run-down looking part of Kathmandu, people are very friendly and helpful. I also found them to be quite honest, and I always felt safe. I love that wide-eyed happy, open expression of the kids as the come up to say 'hello'.
Visually, however, Kathmandu takes some getting used to. The paving of roads does not include sidewalks or anything, and garbage collects in the dirt on the side of the road, sometimes in big heaps.
Mukund, the trek leader, explained that the Maoists recruited heavily in villages in certain parts of the country during their uprising. Once displaced from their villages, peopled tended to drift into Kathmandu. So, the population of Kathmandu has increased dramatically. However, it doesn't look like there's been any money spent to improve infrastucture like waste management, power, public transit, paving, or traffic control. And with the instability of government, the money may not come for a while. Right now I think the main thing holding things together is the good nature of the Nepali people. However, if the trend continues, Kathmandu could be headed for a real crisis.
If I think about the greatest impressions of the trip, it would be the scenery and villages of the trek, of course, but also the Nepali people. Not just in the villages, but everywhere, even in the most run-down looking part of Kathmandu, people are very friendly and helpful. I also found them to be quite honest, and I always felt safe. I love that wide-eyed happy, open expression of the kids as the come up to say 'hello'.
Visually, however, Kathmandu takes some getting used to. The paving of roads does not include sidewalks or anything, and garbage collects in the dirt on the side of the road, sometimes in big heaps.
Mukund, the trek leader, explained that the Maoists recruited heavily in villages in certain parts of the country during their uprising. Once displaced from their villages, peopled tended to drift into Kathmandu. So, the population of Kathmandu has increased dramatically. However, it doesn't look like there's been any money spent to improve infrastucture like waste management, power, public transit, paving, or traffic control. And with the instability of government, the money may not come for a while. Right now I think the main thing holding things together is the good nature of the Nepali people. However, if the trend continues, Kathmandu could be headed for a real crisis.
Last day
My last day in Nepal turned out to be quite a busy one. My flight was not until late in the evening, so I had time during the day to do something, but had no plans. A Thai group had arrived at Sanu House, and at breakfast Sarita said she was taking them on a tour, and anyone else could come if they wanted.
Again, we had the adventure of travel by bus.
First, we went to Swayambhunath, a large complex of Buddhist temples and stuppas, also know as the Monkey temple because of the large number of monkeys there.
Next we packed into a small bus and drove the Kathmandu's Durbar square. I'd been there before, but this was interesting because it was so packed for festival time, and there was a kind of car and motorcycle rally going around waving flags and shouting, and groups of people in traditional costume.
Next we took a bus to the village of Kirtipur, on a hill on the outskirts of Kathmandu. There is an old stuppa there, dating to the 1500's. There is also a couple of temples, with a fantastic view over the city.
Things were really festive in Kirtipur. Just about every block had a mandala done in colours on the road.
Everyone was outside, and tons of people were driving around, shouting, banging cymbals, etc.
It is also a time for the men to get together and gamble.
We took the bus back to the house, and got there by about 4:00 pm. Sarita said to be in the kitchen early for dinner, as there was going to be a ceremony for festival that we would all participate in. When I entered the kitchen, I found every sitting place decorated with a design on the ground in front of it, with and arrangement of fruit, flowers, nuts, and candles. Quite a sight. We had to sit in order by age, men on one side, women on the other. Then Sarita's sister came around to each person, put the red dot on the forehead. We were then given a handfull of flowers and grain to hold in our hand. For each person, she lifted all the fruit on the ground in front of them. The person put handfull of flowers and grain over it, and then took the fruit in their hands and lifted it to their head saying 'namaste'. Then each person got an egg to eat, and spoonful of rice and yogurt to eat from their hand. Finally, the plates were passed around and there was a dinner of rice and couple of different types of masalas. What an amazing thing to experience!
On this trip I've seen so much, and this was a really special end to it. I felt very priviledged and grateful to have experienced everything. However, the trip was over. About half an hour after dinner, I got my bags, said the good-byes, and got a cab for the airport.
Again, we had the adventure of travel by bus.
First, we went to Swayambhunath, a large complex of Buddhist temples and stuppas, also know as the Monkey temple because of the large number of monkeys there.
Next we packed into a small bus and drove the Kathmandu's Durbar square. I'd been there before, but this was interesting because it was so packed for festival time, and there was a kind of car and motorcycle rally going around waving flags and shouting, and groups of people in traditional costume.
Next we took a bus to the village of Kirtipur, on a hill on the outskirts of Kathmandu. There is an old stuppa there, dating to the 1500's. There is also a couple of temples, with a fantastic view over the city.
Things were really festive in Kirtipur. Just about every block had a mandala done in colours on the road.
Everyone was outside, and tons of people were driving around, shouting, banging cymbals, etc.
It is also a time for the men to get together and gamble.
We took the bus back to the house, and got there by about 4:00 pm. Sarita said to be in the kitchen early for dinner, as there was going to be a ceremony for festival that we would all participate in. When I entered the kitchen, I found every sitting place decorated with a design on the ground in front of it, with and arrangement of fruit, flowers, nuts, and candles. Quite a sight. We had to sit in order by age, men on one side, women on the other. Then Sarita's sister came around to each person, put the red dot on the forehead. We were then given a handfull of flowers and grain to hold in our hand. For each person, she lifted all the fruit on the ground in front of them. The person put handfull of flowers and grain over it, and then took the fruit in their hands and lifted it to their head saying 'namaste'. Then each person got an egg to eat, and spoonful of rice and yogurt to eat from their hand. Finally, the plates were passed around and there was a dinner of rice and couple of different types of masalas. What an amazing thing to experience!
On this trip I've seen so much, and this was a really special end to it. I felt very priviledged and grateful to have experienced everything. However, the trip was over. About half an hour after dinner, I got my bags, said the good-byes, and got a cab for the airport.
Tihar
When I first arrived in Nepal, it was the beginning of the Dasain festival. Now, back in the Kathmandu area towards the end of October, it is the Tihar festival (Diwali in India). I think it's a New Years celebration in the Nepali Lunar calender, and there are days of paying respect to certain animals, yourself, your brothers, your sisters, etc. This seems to be the highlight of the year, and with buildings all lit up, people preparing for meals in anticipation, fireworks, etc, it has a real 'Christmas and New Year' feel to it.
The next day in Patan, we woke up before 4:30 am, and Sarita took several of us from the house on a tour of the old town to see the early morning festivities. People prepare elaborate designs in colour on the ground outside their doors, lit with oil lamps.
She also took us inside the Golden Temple, where there was a full ceremony going on. There was a group of older men in the center singing, and a steady stream of people came in to make the rounds worshiping at the altars. The climax seemed to be when a boy serving as the novice for the month appeared, and performed a ritual at the main altar. Everyone gathered round and there was a lot of excitement. Everyone, including us, got the red mark on the forehead, or tikka.
What was interesting was that this was a Buddhist temple, and certainly the symbols were mainly from the Tibetan Buddhist style. But the cermonies seemed to have a distinctly Hindu flavour. Another example of the blending of the religions here.
Afterward, Sarita took us on a tour of little side-streets, showing us courtyards of Buddhist houses that contained a little stuppa, for example. We never would have found that on our own.
On the streets, vendors were selling all kinds of treats that were special for the festival.
We also went to a temple that has the Kumari for Patan. This is the girl who lives there and is thought to be the embodiment of a goddess. I mentioned it before because there is one for Kathmandu, as well, in Kathmandu's Durbar square. In Kathmandu, the girl only appears in a window once in a while, and photos are forbidden. In Patan however, she came into a room with us and pictures were allowed. As another example of blending of religions, the Kumari is chosen from a Buddhist family, but is then treated as a living Hindu goddess. Go figure. You have to wonder about the life of a little girl kept hidden away like that, but I guess it's impossible to judge.
After everything was done, it was about 10 am, and we went back to the house to rest. I slept for a few hours, and then just hung around for a while. At night, several of us walked into town again to take in the festivities. Things were really lively. All the lights were on, and groups of little kids would go from shop to shop, singing and dancing to get a treat.
Durbar square was turned into major party zone, with a stage and DJ and tons of young people dancing. What was interesting was that there was no alcohol, and there was actually a soldier presence around the perimeter. It looked like everyone had fun, but there was no way it was going to get out of hand.
The next day in Patan, we woke up before 4:30 am, and Sarita took several of us from the house on a tour of the old town to see the early morning festivities. People prepare elaborate designs in colour on the ground outside their doors, lit with oil lamps.
She also took us inside the Golden Temple, where there was a full ceremony going on. There was a group of older men in the center singing, and a steady stream of people came in to make the rounds worshiping at the altars. The climax seemed to be when a boy serving as the novice for the month appeared, and performed a ritual at the main altar. Everyone gathered round and there was a lot of excitement. Everyone, including us, got the red mark on the forehead, or tikka.
What was interesting was that this was a Buddhist temple, and certainly the symbols were mainly from the Tibetan Buddhist style. But the cermonies seemed to have a distinctly Hindu flavour. Another example of the blending of the religions here.
Afterward, Sarita took us on a tour of little side-streets, showing us courtyards of Buddhist houses that contained a little stuppa, for example. We never would have found that on our own.
On the streets, vendors were selling all kinds of treats that were special for the festival.
We also went to a temple that has the Kumari for Patan. This is the girl who lives there and is thought to be the embodiment of a goddess. I mentioned it before because there is one for Kathmandu, as well, in Kathmandu's Durbar square. In Kathmandu, the girl only appears in a window once in a while, and photos are forbidden. In Patan however, she came into a room with us and pictures were allowed. As another example of blending of religions, the Kumari is chosen from a Buddhist family, but is then treated as a living Hindu goddess. Go figure. You have to wonder about the life of a little girl kept hidden away like that, but I guess it's impossible to judge.
After everything was done, it was about 10 am, and we went back to the house to rest. I slept for a few hours, and then just hung around for a while. At night, several of us walked into town again to take in the festivities. Things were really lively. All the lights were on, and groups of little kids would go from shop to shop, singing and dancing to get a treat.
Durbar square was turned into major party zone, with a stage and DJ and tons of young people dancing. What was interesting was that there was no alcohol, and there was actually a soldier presence around the perimeter. It looked like everyone had fun, but there was no way it was going to get out of hand.
Patan
My second day in Patan I walked to the old center, Patan's Durbar square. It's a collection of temples, and a royal palace, similar in style to the Durbar squares in Kathmamdu and Bhaktapur.
It also has one of those deep square wells that people walk down into to get water, bath, and wash clothes. It's a really communal aspect of life.
From Durbar square I basically did the Lonely Planet walking tour. The Kumbeshwar temple had a nice large space inside, and many people came to worship at the shrines. There were also some ceremonies going on, I assume for the upcoming festival.
I also went by the Golden temple, some courtyards with stuppas, and the Pim Bahal Pokhari pond.
That was about it for the day. I went back to the house to rest. That cold I thought I'd shaken off during the trek has come back with a vengence, and I can't really talk without coughing. The dust and pollution in the Kathmandu area doesn't help, I'm sure.
It also has one of those deep square wells that people walk down into to get water, bath, and wash clothes. It's a really communal aspect of life.
From Durbar square I basically did the Lonely Planet walking tour. The Kumbeshwar temple had a nice large space inside, and many people came to worship at the shrines. There were also some ceremonies going on, I assume for the upcoming festival.
I also went by the Golden temple, some courtyards with stuppas, and the Pim Bahal Pokhari pond.
That was about it for the day. I went back to the house to rest. That cold I thought I'd shaken off during the trek has come back with a vengence, and I can't really talk without coughing. The dust and pollution in the Kathmandu area doesn't help, I'm sure.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Jazzmandu
I was lucky in that the annual jazz festival, Jazzmandu, was taking place the same time as I was back in the Kathmandu area. Not ony that, but there was a concert in Patan the evening of my first day here. It took place in the courtyard of the Patan Museum, a spectacular setting.
The band was Condenza, and it experimented with fusing Eastern music with Western jazz.
A funny thing was that when they were setting up the stage, and all the lights were up, the power went out. Boom! Total darkness. It came back on, but it started you wondering about how the concert was going to go. Actually, it was fine. After the first set, just as they finished saying they were going to take a break - boom! Darkness again. Talk about timing.
The music was a really cool mix of east and west. There were Indian style musicians seated in front - sitar, drums etc - and jazz musicians on either side. There was a famous Nepali singer who sang in the classic Indian style, but would sometimes modulate is voice differently so it had a slightly more western style rythm that matched the saxophones. Very cool. By the end, it was like a big jam session with the musicians all trying different things.
The band was Condenza, and it experimented with fusing Eastern music with Western jazz.
A funny thing was that when they were setting up the stage, and all the lights were up, the power went out. Boom! Total darkness. It came back on, but it started you wondering about how the concert was going to go. Actually, it was fine. After the first set, just as they finished saying they were going to take a break - boom! Darkness again. Talk about timing.
The music was a really cool mix of east and west. There were Indian style musicians seated in front - sitar, drums etc - and jazz musicians on either side. There was a famous Nepali singer who sang in the classic Indian style, but would sometimes modulate is voice differently so it had a slightly more western style rythm that matched the saxophones. Very cool. By the end, it was like a big jam session with the musicians all trying different things.
Bhaktapur
From Lumbini, I flew back to Kathmandu. I had arranged to stay at a place called Sanu House, a homestay and hostel that Steve Herbert recommended from when he and Sharon were here last year. It is located in Patan, a city just across the river south of Kathmandu, and part of the greater Kathmandu area. Patan has it's own old center and a lot of temples.
My flight was an evening flight, and once I arrived in Kathmandu I first had to go to the hotel I stayed at before and pick up some luggage I left in storage. This was the same night that the Indian Prime Minister was visiting Kathmandu, so the traffic was completely grid-locked. It was quite late when I finally arrived at Sanu House, and I was tired from the long day. However, Sarita, the woman who runs the place, came out to meet me, and her warm, good nature put everything at ease. The first people I met at the house were a girl from Japan and one from England, both are staying here for months. One is a student doing research and the other is volunteering as a councellor.
The next day, the student was going to a village outside a city called Bhaktapur to do some research. Sarita was going to help to get there by bus, and to act as translator. They said they would visit Bhaktapur afterward, and invited me along.
Travel by bus is interesting. I'd have no idea where to catch a bus, as there are no signs. When a bus comes, there is a young guy who stands on the door and shouts the bus's destination, and then bangs on the bus when it's ready to go.
The countryside around Bhaktapur is very beautiful with farms on the hillsides.
Bhaktapur is a smaller city about 12 km from Kathmandu. The old part has been beautifully preserved. The buildings are very old and are famous for the intricate wood carvings on the windows. The streets are all of brick and it is very clean. Many tourists. We walk all through the old part of town, seeing many old temples and the royal palace. This dates from the time when Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur all had different kings. They are all of the original Newari culture, though, of which the wood carving is distinctive, for example.
Here is a picture of Sarita and I in front of the largest temple.
It is harvest time, and everywhere there is grain spread out to dry.
It is also festival time, so there are a lot of vendors selling fruit that is used for festival, and little clay lamps that are used to make lights outside peoples houses.
My flight was an evening flight, and once I arrived in Kathmandu I first had to go to the hotel I stayed at before and pick up some luggage I left in storage. This was the same night that the Indian Prime Minister was visiting Kathmandu, so the traffic was completely grid-locked. It was quite late when I finally arrived at Sanu House, and I was tired from the long day. However, Sarita, the woman who runs the place, came out to meet me, and her warm, good nature put everything at ease. The first people I met at the house were a girl from Japan and one from England, both are staying here for months. One is a student doing research and the other is volunteering as a councellor.
The next day, the student was going to a village outside a city called Bhaktapur to do some research. Sarita was going to help to get there by bus, and to act as translator. They said they would visit Bhaktapur afterward, and invited me along.
Travel by bus is interesting. I'd have no idea where to catch a bus, as there are no signs. When a bus comes, there is a young guy who stands on the door and shouts the bus's destination, and then bangs on the bus when it's ready to go.
The countryside around Bhaktapur is very beautiful with farms on the hillsides.
Bhaktapur is a smaller city about 12 km from Kathmandu. The old part has been beautifully preserved. The buildings are very old and are famous for the intricate wood carvings on the windows. The streets are all of brick and it is very clean. Many tourists. We walk all through the old part of town, seeing many old temples and the royal palace. This dates from the time when Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur all had different kings. They are all of the original Newari culture, though, of which the wood carving is distinctive, for example.
Here is a picture of Sarita and I in front of the largest temple.
It is harvest time, and everywhere there is grain spread out to dry.
It is also festival time, so there are a lot of vendors selling fruit that is used for festival, and little clay lamps that are used to make lights outside peoples houses.
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