Thamel Nepal, Bodhanath Stupa, Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath Monkey Temple

Nepal.

This March Tabi-Chan and I traveled to Thamel, Nepal.  The trip had plenty of ups and downs (including my mood.. sorry guys) and I’m fairly certain I ate my weight in momos and curry. We began our trip from Osaka to Nepal with a SERIOUSLY long layover in China. I recommend if you ever have the chance to enjoy a 15 hour layover in China, AVOID IT!!! Like the plague!!! China was terrible.

Out of the four flights we had to take, three were late by at least an hour or more and the people we had the, I’ll use the word pleasure, to encounter were less than favorable. Then we had the pleasure of sleeping on the floor in the airport for a time (this is where I was MORE than grumpy) and finally we decided to shell out the dough and sleep in a lounge in the airport. Our nice little chairs gave some comfort and eventually I stopped being an ass and fell asleep. If you are in the situation to reserve a flight with China Eastern to save a few bucks, DON’T! Just spend the money to take a different airline and save yourself the headache. Or don’t and suffer the wrath of crazy travelers taking photos out the plane windows (the entire ride….oh look a cloud!), more than rude flight attendants, a grumpy attitude when you have to hang out in an airport for 15 hours (yes…twice), and being ushered through the airport security like you may have some sort of disease and getting yelled at when you don’t understand the Mandarin being spoken around you. Needless to say, I was less than impressed with my experience in China.

Now on the Nepal and the over consumption of curry!

http://www.trekkershome.com/

If you are looking to stay in Nepal for a short time and see some of the local sight, I would highly suggest bunking down in Thamel at Trekkers’ Home Hostel. Run by a helpful group, Trekkers home is a fair priced hostel in the center of Thamel. Surrounded by shops and restaurants, Trekkers Home was a perfect location for a hopping around the city by day and stuffing your face with Nepalese food in the evenings. The owner is extremely helpful and very prompt with communication before and during your stay. He helped us several times with travel arrangements and even spoke a little Japanese! I was very impressed! If you choose to stay there, they provide airport pickup and drop off for a reasonable fee (I think around 5 UDS) but be careful at the airport. We had men take our bags and all they did was put them in the trunk (we could have done this) and they DEMANDED money. They refused to let the car leave without us giving them money, it was rather uncomfortable if you ask me.

After settling in to Trekkers Home and making some arrangements with the owner, we grabbed some curry (of which I could never eat enough) and went to sleep to prepare for the Holi Festival the next day.

 

We were slightly hesitant that morning as we wondered whether or not the festival would start that day. So we dressed accordingly and to our enjoyment, in no time were COVERED in colors and the warm HAPPY HOLI ! of the locals. Holi is a great time of year for the Nepalese and is something they enjoy sharing with everyone. Granted not all Nepalese locals love this holiday, the majority are kind and willing to involve you in the debauchery. WARNING. As a foreigner, you WILL be a target! If you are not ready and willing to be singled out by dirty water, hand fulls of color to the face, and dyed water balloons, I would not recommend joining in this holiday.  We spent the whole of the day walking the streets enjoys the cries of Happy HOLI and being chased by kids with bags full of water. At one point we wandered into one of the squares to find a HUGE dancing mob! Filled with anticipation I was more than willing to dive on in! Unfortunately, people are at time rude and I was quick to leave the mob after being rudely molested by a creepy local guy. It was so offensive and scary that I about hit the man for it.

We continued our day stopping around 1 or so to refuel my curry needs and take a break from being spattered with color. Looking around that day everyone seemed to be adorning some sort of powdery layer, even our poor waiter got attacked by some tourists and ended up half red for the rest of his shift.

The next day, after being assured we would be mobbed by color, we set out to find Swayambhunath, The Monkey Temple, of which I was more than anxious to see. If you are staying in Thamel and don’t mind the walk, it is about 30-40 minutes away on foot and easily found with a little guidance and a map. Most often than not if we just asked people were very kind and pointed us in the right direction. A little lost on our way we eventually made it to a point where we could see the temple atop the mountain and figured if we could see it, we could find it. Walking along the streets I began to feel extremely lucky for all I have at home in the US and in Japan. The rugged buildings (often missing walls) of schools and homes coupled with the never ending mountains of trash in every direction made me realize I could have it a lot worse in life. It’s a great way to think about the simple things that make your life easy and be grateful for all you have.

As we arrived at the temple steps and I spotted my first monkey on a wire, I was a little taken back by the amount of people lining the stairs to the temple peddling goods. This was not subsided as we approached the top and instead of a beautiful temple area with monks and monkeys, I found SHOPS! Lining every nook and taking much of the calm feelings I was looking forward to away. After a turn around the top and a short time trying to decipher what I could ( and it was a fair amount) from the Japanese tour I happened upon, I settled down in a small area off the left of the entrance to watch the ever elusive monkeys bop around in the trees lining the walls. 

After a short time a young girl wandered up toward where I was and with a welcoming smile from me she climbed up to sit with me and chat. Her English was conversational and she told me about her family and her Christian school down the street. When she found out how old I was and that I wasn’t married or had children, she began to lecture me about how people are supposed to get married and have babies. That’s apparently what I’m lacking in life according to an 8 year old. I finished up our chat and left to find my group. The monkey temple IS a beautiful place and I don’t mean to make it seem as though its not worth the trip, however once you get past the monks with iPhones and the merchants practically begging you to purchase goods, it’s a lot less monkey and a lot more pigeon.

MONKEY TEMPLE
A lot less monkey than I would have expected...... 

This monkey STOLE this food from someone giving an offering. They looked offend but he was pretty darn happy 

Hiding with his stolen goods 

Tabi-Chan sees the world. One temple, shrine , and stupa at a time! 

They look happy but it was really hot! 

ah... motherhood 

This isnt at the temple. Its at viewing sight somewhere else that I cant recall the name of.

Durbar Square a Man and His Goat

One of the most mentioned attractions for the Kathmandu City area in most travel guides is something called Durbar Square. To our understanding it was supposed to be a special area that had many shops and sights to see and this was the case, except for the fact the Durbar Square is basically what they call every square area and surrounding shopping. We did however have the chance to see a few interesting local happenings as we walked through the streets and took in the locals and their morning routines.

Some interesting happenings in Durbar Square that morning with a protest against petrol prices, women lining the streets with offerings and a man reading the paper with a goat at his side. It was rather entertaining when he realized the goat was there as well. Shocked is a good way to describe it.

Trying to learn the different ways to use my camera came out kid of cool. 

The ADORABLE dog decided to follow me around and play with me.

LOOOOOKIT him! I would have kept you puppy! 

Inside the stupa area.

Best advertising ever 

 Bodnath

On our final outing of the trip we headed to Bodnath Temple in Kathmandu. One of the most important temples for many Buddhist Nepalese, it is also a place of refuge for Tibetans as they progress toward a life outside of the war torn area of Tibet. A circular temple meant to walked slowly while chanting a mantra or mediating inside the stupa area while soaking in some sun. Much like every other tourist area in Nepal, you can barter some wears from the shops lining the temple and taste some local cuisine at one of the many surrounding cafes.

As far as travel to Nepal, I would recommend that you spend the majority of your time trekking if possible and get out of the city. Unless you are dead set on getting a few good deals on cheap merchandise, than Thamel is where it’s at for you. Nepal is definitely an interesting place to visit. Be your trip centered on shopping, trekking, sights or just some leisure yoga in the birth place of the Buddha. Nepal is worth a visit for any and all types of travelers.

Pashupati.
Just below is where they perform cremations for funerals. I didn't feel right taking a photo of it but I wanted to show the stupa. 

This monkey scared me! I thought he was going to charge at us! He gave us a serious look over before springing down and away. 

Our guest house provided us with a car to drive us around for a few hours for a small fee. It was really helpful.