Kathmandu
christina
It has been a lifelong dream to visit Nepal since I was about 19 years old. There's something about it that has always drawn me in spirit – perhaps it’s the connection to Buddhism or the fact that the tallest mountains in the world reside here, whatever it is – my heart has always wanted to visit. Arriving in the capital Kathmandu though was a bit of a wake-up call as to the state of the city post the devastating April 2015 earthquake that leveled villages, killed thousands and took down World Heritage sites like Durbar Square and Bhaktapur among others. It was only 2 years ago that this happened but the destruction is still very much evident as you walk the streets seeing piles of rubble where buildings once stood. The historic sites themselves have mostly managed to rebuild but you can tell that there’s something missing and still the improvements continue slowly.
We were able to visit some of the wonderful sites of the Kathmandu Valley including Boudhanath & Swayambhunath – both Buddhist Stupas where we circumambulated while meditating along with other pilgrims that were doing so along the path. For those unaware, a stupa is a mound-like structure that sometimes holds relics but represents the Buddha meditating. The colorful fragments of cloth that come from the center are prayer flags, which in the Tibetan tradition are used to promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom. They are not "prayers to Gods," but are rather meant to be blown in the wind to carry these qualities to all of humanity. They are a beautiful and colorful sight to see and even more so if you understand the underlying meaning.
We also visited Pashupathinath the Hindu temple complex, Durbar Square, the old royal palace complex in the center of the city, and Bhaktapur, the ancient Newar city on the outskirts of the valley. Each place was stunning from a design perspective but it was devastating to see the destruction and hear the accounts of what it was like before the earthquake as compared to now. Time and again we heard from locals about this traumatic event that affected everyone in the region. I was especially taken with Bhaktapur as a preserved city and though there was a great amount of ruin, the feeling throughout was almost holy and very much still lively. It was incredible to walk through these wonderful streets and discover different parts of the city looking as if from a postcard but sustaining modern life with all kinds of people going about their daily business. I felt like I was on a movie set.
Another wonderful experience we had was connecting with people from the Tibetan refugee population that are living here in Kathmandu. While at the Boudhanath temple we visited surrounding businesses owned by Tibetans and learned a fair share about Thangka painting. A thangka “is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk applique, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene or mandala.” We were especially interested in learning about the tradition as its passed down from the owner at The Old Tibetan Thangka Painting School. As he mentions in this great article, he learned from his elders - his grandfather having painted in the monasteries of Tibet, and now the proceeds go toward building schools in rural Nepal. We found the Kalachakra Mandala to be extremely moving. As Wikipedia explains, “The Kalacakra tradition revolves around the concept of time (kala) and cycles (chakra): from the cycles of the planets, to the cycles of human breathing, it teaches the practice of working with the most subtle energies within one's body on the path to enlightenment.” It was such a highlight to begin this learning and amazing to see as a visual representation of the universe.
We stayed in the Thamel section of town which was pretty central and walkable to all points of interest except those on the outskirts of the valley where we used a taxi. The only downside was the dust and air quality and we had to wear masks – another first for me. Apparently because it’s winter, the brick factories are at work and this creates a level of air pollution from emissions that just sits in the valley since it’s surrounded by mountains. This was challenging at times but we managed. It takes becoming confronted with this reality to really see (and feel!) what we humans are doing to the Earth; literally making it difficult to breathe. Kathmandu continues to rank as one of the worst air qualities for cities on the planet – which is wild considering nearby is the top of the Himalaya mountain range.
We became fascinated by the art of Thangka painting. We befriended several artists and dealers and reveled in hearing the tales of their lineages and fascinating lives
This is the iconic Boudhanath Stupa which is a magnificent temple complex line by what looks like movie set encompassing it. A powerful, holy and peaceful place. The temple is surrounded by mani or prayer wheels and devotees circumambulate the temple counter clockwise.
This is the burning ghats at Pashupatinath Temple. These are the remnants of burning bodies. There are scavengers (unseen) scouring the water picking out the jewelry that the dead are burned with. The circle of life.
The streets of Thamel, Kathmandu
Sigal Stupa right in the center of Thamel, kathmandu
Bhaktapur
Enjoying a tea in the company of the Annapurna Range at Nagarkot on the outskirts of the city - the picture doesn't do it justice.
Nightime at Swayambhunath or monkey temple. One could easily say the monkeys were too close for comfort. Loud and crazy
Sigal
Sigal
Christina donning the Kathmandu essential dust mask
FOOD FACT: The most popular meal in Nepal is Dal Bhat (lentil, curry and boiled rice), together with pickle.