Catching up in Kathmandu

  Kathmandu, Nepal
Tuesday, March 17, 2009

So... we spent a couple of days in Bangkok after our dive trip, but unfortunately Tom wasn't well again and so we went back to the doctor, got some new medicine and then stayed in the whole time...  However, we then had to fly... first to Hong Kong and then on to Kathmandu, which was nice and straight forward... just how we like it!!

Our first room in Kathmandu

On arriving at the airport, we got to the visa queue - finally a country that does visas on arrival! - and found that we could only purchase our visa with cash and that there were no ATMs open... We had arranged an airport pickup and so met our driver, who took us into Kathmandu (without a visa folks...) to get some cash and then back to the airport... We went up to the counter, Nepalese Rupees in hand, and were told they only took foreign currencies and we'd have to get some dollars or Euros... So we went back downstairs to buy some dollars, which for some reason, the guy at the exchange desk really didn't want to sell to us...  But we got there in the end, and all with smiles on all the faces we came across :)

Tom with his new woolies :)

We got to our guesthouse and pretty much crashed out... There is limited electricity in Nepal at the moment and we arrived just at the end of one of the scheduled 'on' evenings...  Tom was really not feeling well at all, so after several days rest (apart from moving to a different guesthouse, since they were knocking down the one we were in!) and all his antibiotics, we went to yet another doctor in Kathmandu... this one ran some tests... they didn't find anything too scary, but said that the bug he has must be resistant to the antibiotics he had... so they gave his some stronger ones... and they seem to have done the trick - fingers crossed!!

Me and Tom - plan, plan, plan!

So.... apart from Tom's health, we've been spending a lot of time planning... we want to go on a trek in the Himalayas and after considerable research, budgeting and shopping for supplies, we have decided on the Annapurna Circuit... one of the best hikes in the world... This mostly entailed reading, making notes, checking the finances and making more notes... for which, I decided I always needed my planning socks :)  So we've been taking short trips out in Kathmandu getting all the permits and passes that you need to do that...

Pigeons and cows at Durbar Square

Today, we decided to see some of the sights of Kathmandu... first stop, Durbar Square which houses palaces of kings that have ruled over the city.  We were greeted by about a thousand pigeons... There are bright brick buildings all around, with cows and pigeons in the middle and lots and lots of people selling Nepalese artwork and puppets.

Flags at Boudhanath

From there we headed out of the main city to Boudhanath, the biggest Stupa in Nepal - it really is beautiful - a huge stupa rising out of the city with colourful flags hanging all around - these have been tied there by visitors for good luck.  We walked around for a while taking photos and taking it all in.

Boudhanath

Then we took a 20 minute walk down a narrow track to get to our next port of call - Pashupatinath.  This is a collection of temples along the Bagmati river.  We were not allowed into the temple as it is for Hindus only, but we were allowed to watch a funeral taking place on the banks of the river... We felt really, really odd watching this very personal moment, but the guy explaining things to us was adamant that nobody minded... I'm not so sure, and we tried to keep a distance, but it was an amazing thing to see... In Hindu culture, when someone dies they are cremated the same day, so newly bereft families were arriving at the riverside with their loved ones wrapped in white and orange cloth, draped in flowers and bright pink dye.  They then carry the body around the funeral pyre three times before laying it down to pay their last respects and lighting the fire underneath.  For obvious reasons I didn't take any photos... it was heartbreaking but also fascinating to watch...

A Sadhu - Hindu Holy Man - at Pashupatinath

And that was enough excitement for one day!!  We headed back to Thamel, the area of Kathmandu we have been staying in and got ourselves a yummy dal bhat for lunch - thats a pot of lentil dal with rice and pickles and curry on the side... the beauty of this meal is that they keep topping up the dish for you until you're full - great for Tom who finally has his appetite back :)

And that's it!!  Next up, we are heading to Pokhara to start our Himalayan adventure... so it might be a while before you hear from me again!