Go Tell It On the Mountain 5

April 13, 2017

Excerpt from The Lunatic by Nepali author Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Surely, my friend, insane am I 

Such is my plight. 

I visualize sound. 

I hear the visible. 

And fragrance I taste. 

And the ethereal is palpable to me. 

Those things I touch- 

Whose existence the world denies, 

Of whose shape the world is unaware. 

I see a flower in the stone- 

when wavelet-softened pebbles on the water's edge, 

In the moonlight, 

While the enchantress of heaven is smiling unto me.

The delayed flight from Lhasa to Kathmandu was a turbulent one, but we got little peeks at the mountains between the heavy clouds.  Landing in Kathmandu, the difference from Lhasa was startling.  The air was thick with smog, and the neat orderliness of a city tucked into a peaceful valley was replaced with a busy metropolis, teeming with people, cars and a jumble of buildings.  

We walked into security checks, then to a busy hall with several self-serve visa-on-arrival kiosks.  These machines were not terribly user-friendly, which caused a backup of people, and strangers were helping each other navigate through the various screens.  Once the process was complete, a receipt emerged which needed to be carried over to the cashier lines, where we each dutifully paid our twenty-five US dollars.  The guy set our respective passports in front of us and directed us to the immigration line. My immigration
officer was trying to sound out "Wagner," and asked me how to pronounce it - fellow word nerd!  He took my receipts and passed me through.  The woman checking Tim's passport noticed a problem, though.  The name on Tim's receipts didn't match his passport.  Turns out he had my receipts and I had his, but my guy had passed me through, no problem!

Tribhuvan Airport, Kathmandu

Passing through more security, we headed down the escalator to baggage claim, where we encountered a beehive of people buzzing around the luggage belts.  Luggage was stacked everywhere, and no one seemed to be in charge.  A suspicious-looking westerner was coming in behind us, but turned and went the other way when he saw a security check, and the security guy did nothing.

Our flight wasn't on the display board yet, and we shuffled through the crowd, hoping we were heading toward the right place.  Finally, the German family saw us, and told us which belt was for our flight's luggage.  It was a smelly crush of people, so Tim kindly let me wait off to the side while he grabbed our bags.  He has a lot of experience with this type of madness from his many trips to India.

While I was waiting, the suspicious-looking guy pushed past me going the wrong way, and again, security did nothing.  I was a little worried about what this guy was up to, but Tim soon emerged from the throng, and we passed  the final security checks, emerging out into the hazy afternoon.  

Our guide, Hari, was waiting for us, holding a sign with tiny writing on it.  He warmly welcomed us with marigold garlands.  (Marigolds are a significant flower in Nepalese worship and ritual.)  Hari said they had been waiting a long time, since our flight was delayed.  But it gave him a chance to get some lunch, so no worries.  We found our way to the car, which was blocked into its spot by several other cars.  No problem, our driver just backed the little Ford Focus-sized car up over the curb, across the berm, and off we went.

Our first impression of Nepal was that it was very much like India, including the sacred cows in the road.  A golf course caught Tim's attention just outside the airport, and there was construction going on everywhere.  We saw many motorbikes and roadside markets, and every size of bus you can imagine. Some reminded me of the dala dalas, the little minivans used for public transit in Tanzania.  A surprising number of full-size cars traversed the roads, a sign of an improving economy, perhaps.  

We arrived a short time later at our hotel, the Yak and Yeti, which struck us as a bit time-worn.  I think we were spoiled by our stay at the St. Regis.  Hari helped us get checked in, then took us over to the lounge where we met Shikhar (pronounced SHEE-ker), the man I'd been communicating with to arrange our tour.  He was accompanied by Ram (pronounced Rahm), the owner of the tour company, Marron Trek.  We had an awkward few minutes chat, drank some tea together, signed away all our rights of liability, and reviewed the itinerary.  Shikhar asked us for a copy of our travel insurance, which we didn't have.  Another awkward pause, after which he gladly collected our balance due anyway.

We stopped up to our equally time-worn room, complete with jackhammer soundtrack from outside, then we ventured out with Hari for a few hours of touring.

view out our hotel room window

 Our first stop was a curious and fascinating place called Kumari Temple.  Kumari Temple was surprising and extraordinary, not for the architecture so much as for the resident. The building is a dark and crumbling edifice.  But a young girl lives in this place, isolated from the rest of the world, making only occasional appearances on the balcony.  She is Kumari.  A Kumari is chosen at the age of three or four, having fulfilled a long list of criteria, including fearlessness, purity, and eyelashes like a cow.  She is brought to this sacred temple, where she is revered as a living goddess, bestowing blessings or curses on worshippers at her whim.  If she is crying or angry when she appears, it a bad omen; but having her smile down at you or give you a blessing is a tremendous honor.  A political leader who lacked the support of the people received a blessing from her, and immediately he received the people's loyalty.  This temple was damaged in the 2015 quake, and the Kumari emerged onto the street for the first time in her life.  A new Kumari is generally chosen when the reigning Kumari reaches the age of puberty, who must then struggle to adjust to a new life as a mortal.  Made me feel very sad for these young girls, but I'm sure many see it as a huge honor.  She is highy revered by the Hindis and Nepali Buddhists.  Here is a link to an NPR story about the Kumaris.

Architectural details of Kumari Temple

Windows where one might catch a glimpse of Kumari - notice wooden poles shoring up the facade

We had lunch at a rooftop cafe – so many flights of stairs! - which afforded us a lovely view of the old city.  Again, I had the vegetarian momos (always a safe option), and a lemon soda.  Hari has studied many different areas of Nepali history and culture, and shared lots of interesting facts with us.  He told us of a famous Nepalese poet,  Laxmi Prasad Devkota, and his well-known poem, the Lunatic.

View from the rooftop cafe

After lunch, we visited Durbar Square, and walked through the old royal palace.  Damage from the 2015 quake is evident everywhere, with piles of rubble, and walls being held up with two-by-fours.  The whole thing seems quite tenuous, but the Nepali people are working to pick up the physical and psychological pieces of their lives, and their spirit seems strong and hopeful.  The palace was a prime example of traditional Nepalese architecture, with intricate wood-lattice windows and airy courtyards.  One wall displayed the portraits of the kings from the Sah Dynasty, including the king who was massacred along with his family in 2001.  His oldest son was declared king while in a coma from the attack, and only survived three days.  Strangely, this oldest son was later held responsible for the massacre.  The king's only surviving brother then took the throne until stepping down in 2006 to make way for the new republic with a prime minister and a president.  Many Nepalis suspected the surviving brother of a connection to the massacre.  He is now allowed to live in one of the many palaces as a private citizen.

Street vendors

Shiva and his wife looking down on the action

Hanuman is the monkey god adorned in orange

Inside the palace courtyard

sign in the palace courtyard

Outside the palace, a political parade was passing by, with protesters promoting a unified government as opposed to multiple state control.  We also saw Sadhus, the brightly colored holy men who would pose for a picture for a fee.  They are devoted to Shiva, have renounced worldly life and often live like homeless people.  They paint themselves to mirror the deity to which they are devoted.

The political parade

Holy man addressing devotees

Hari and me

We also walked around an ancient tantric temple, with phallic symbols adorning the eaves.  Tantra is closely associated with Shiva.  We passed by the BFC – Bird Feeding Center ( our guide's take on KFC), and saw a frightening image of Bhairava, the black Shiva, the destroyer, meant to scare the bad out of people.  Some bring their naughty children here as punishment, asking this fearsome god to help change their children's evil ways.

The tantric temple

Bhairava, the destroyer

We drove up a hill west of the city to Swayambhunath Temple, commonly referred to as Monkey Temple,  It is a Buddhist religious site, but is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus.  It offers panoramic views of Kathmandu below.  Legend says it was transformed from a lotus flower in the lake that once covered Kathmandu valley.  At over 1500 years old, it is one of the oldest religious sites in Nepal.

Just inside sits a large pool with a bronze vessel in the center.  A line of people were trying to toss a Nepalese rupee into the vessel for good luck.  Vendors around the pool were selling the coins for tossing.  The money from the pool is collected regularly to finance the care of the pool, keeping it clean for the sacred monkeys that roam the grounds.

Sacred monkeys drink from this pool

Trying to throw a coin into the vessel

We didn't climb the 365 steps that the pilgrims use, but we did climb a fair number of stairs to see the gleaming stupa that is visible from the city.  We passed many shrines and shops along the way.  At the top, the massive white and gold stupa dominates the hill.  The face of Buddha adorns each side, the two wise eyes looking onto the faithful, with the third eye which looks inward.  The symbol between the eyes that looks like a question mark is the Nepali number one, representing the unity of all things.  Hari said the question mark is Buddha asking, "Who are you?"  It is to encourage all to look inward to find their true selves.  The gold rings above the Buddha's face represent the steps to enlightenment.  According to Hari, the first steps may be learned from books or teachings, but one must just know intrinsically how to attain the last three levels.

 Swayambhunath, a UNESCO world heritage site, sustained extensive damage in the 2015 quake.  A monastery that once stood adjacent to the big stupa was destroyed, but the stupa survived.  Many sacred and ancient relics had to be retrieved from the ruble.  Rebuilding efforts will be difficult on this high hill.  The prayer wheels seem to have escaped damage...

After a startling and heady afternoon, we returned to our hotel, where the staff was preparing to celebrate the Nepali New Year.  We didn't realize we were arriving on such an auspicious day, and enjoyed the “Happy New Year 2074” banner - Nepalis have us beat by fifty-seven years!  In Hari's village, they raise a huge tree trunk in the town square on New Year's Eve, then bring it down twenty-four hours later to signify the start of the new year.

Our hotel was not far from a busy main street, and we walked out to find dinner.  We settled on Pizza Hut (don't judge us), where we had the first strong wifi connection since arriving.  The Yak and Yeti is definitely lacking in that area.  I enjoyed chair dancing to the good soundtrack while waiting for our pizza, and people were ready to party out on the street as we walked back.  The guards at the gates of the hotel welcomed us back with, “Namaste, Happy New Year!”