Chapter 7: Bhaktapur and Kathmandu Revisited

In the days that remained of my time in Nepal, I toured more of Kathmandu. This time, it was with the added experience of using the country's public transport system and having the monk and nuns to explain things better than a tourist guide book would. It was perhaps during those few days, that I saw a more realistic side of Nepal, away from the "touristic facade" that was created in more recent times.

Children grow very closely with religion and culture here, following their parents' footsteps

The Mahabuddha Temple

The Golden Temple 

More souvenirs on sale

On one day, I was invited by one of the nuns to a local nun's temple to participate in a katina ceremony done as per local customs. It was interesting to see the contrast between customs here and in a Theravada temple back home. Even the chants sounded different. There were no tourists in this place, but it was certainly crowded. Suddenly, I felt somewhat out of place and even a little intimidated at first as I felt a lot of eyes on me. During lunch time when all the nuns were taking their food (and this is timed differently for nuns and lay people, where the nuns go first), I had to make myself scarce. I explored the multi-story city temple and enjoyed the sights of the Kathmandu city from the highest balcony. At one point, I was approached by a man, who tried to engage in a conversation with me about astrology and tried to convince me to get my astrological report done from him. I felt he was rather persistent on trying to force a sale as he saw me as a lone female tourist. I managed to lose him in the crowds and found a cozy library and sat there until it was time for lunch. That experience dented my mood for the day. During lunch, I joined the long lines of devotees for free lunch, as this was a common practice in temples on days with big ceremonies. They served a mountain of food and I did my best to eat as much as I could (in my right hand!) to be polite. Soon after, I was reunited with the nun and was rather pleased to leave that place.

The entrance to the Royal Palace

She peeked out of one of those top windows!

On the next day, I was able to visit Kumari Ghar, where the famed Royal Kumari lives. As part of a unique tradition, the Kumari is believed to have a manifestation of a goddess in her and for this reason she is worshiped by Hindus and some Nepali Buddhists. Again, an interesting merger of religious and cultural elements. Once she is chosen, Kumari lives a very sheltered life away from her family. It is said that she is so carefully looked after so that not a drop of blood is allowed to be shed by any cuts or wounds on her body and if it happens, she loses the title and another will be chosen. No surprises, when the Kumari comes of age, she has to step down from her royal duties. Usually, only locals and Indian nationals are allowed inside the royal chamber to see her, so I had to wait outside until the nun went upstairs. Before she left me however, she asked me to keep a watch out on a particular window. As I observed the architecture of the inner courtyard, I noticed a small child, adorned in red clothing and heavy make up peep out of one of the windows on the top floor. That was her! Later the nun told me that she knew one of the caretakers of Kumari and that she was able to speak to them and ask her to peep out. Being a little child of 4 or 5 years, I'm sure she had no objections! 

The visit to Bhaktapur, a little far off from Kathmandu with the monk was also an interesting experience. The architecture of this place was uniquely different to those seen at Patan of Kathmandu. They had especially beautiful wood carvings.

Paddy drying on the roadsides

Amazing architecture of Bhaktapur

With a day or two left and more knowledge in the way public transport worked, I ventured out on my own to Thamel twice. After doing a final count on my gifts and souvenirs, I realised that I still had more people to buy presents for and not only that, I had not bought much for myself! And then there were also those little regrets of things I didn't buy when I had the chance when I was shopping with my friends. So this was the opportunity to set all that right. The monk and nuns seemed rather distressed to let me go off alone, no doubt they felt responsible for my safety and answerable to my parents. But I managed to convince them after I promised to carry my phone with me at all times and to call them if I got lost.

Taking public transport alone was quite challenging. I could not converse in their language but what they spoke sounded quite similar to Hindi and I was able to make out a handful of Hindi words which helped me to make good guesses. I had to rely on key English words like “Kathmandu”, “Gurjudhara” and sign language using my fingers to say “one ticket”, which they seemed to understand. Not only that, getting off at the right stop was crucial or else it would be easy to end up lost in an unfamiliar town. During these trips, I was on high alert, watching the roads and sign boards, trying to commit landmarks and town names to my memory.

On the first day at Thamel, I was so pleased with myself for purchasing some lovely shawls, comfortable linen pants and a pretty purple sporty back pack for myself. It was love at first sight with the purple bag. With that, my shopping needs seemed complete. On my way back in the bus, I spotted my bus stop a little too late and had to jump out in a hurry, forgetting my shopping bags. I was so devastated the moment I realised it. I even kept walking for several kilometers along the road, hoping to be able to catch a cab that will help me catch the bus. But there were no cabs and eventually I had to accept what happened and return. Oh, that pretty purple bag. On the second day, still feeling a little hopeful, I went back in search of that shop. In Thamel's confusing streets, I never found that same shop or that same bag.

A calming European-style garden, hidden in the bustling town of Thamel

On the second day, after visiting the Garden of Dreams, I was excited to visit the Java Cafe again for some chilled mocca! This was my third visit to this lovely cafe. I had a nice panini sandwich with grilled cheese and tomato with potato crisps on the side. Hopes of a relaxed experience there didn't turn out well. Soon after eating, I had a minor attack of food poisoning and spent most of my time in their toilet. To make matters worse, the flushing system didn't work properly. ARGH, the embarrassment. I fled from the cafe as soon as I felt well enough to make the long journey back to the monastery. I am not yet ready to go there again, out of fear they still remember me or worse, have a nickname!