Day 4 - Kathmandu

We were up early this morning and left our hotel at 4:30 a.m. for the airport. We had a short 90-minute flight to Nepal. While we waited we had a delicious omelette breakfast at the airport. 

We arrived in Nepal and struggled to get through immigration. John Kraukauer’s description of the “Byzantine, medieval bureaucracy” of this country was, unfortunately, spot on. There was a 4-step process to obtain entrance, but there was no explanation of the process. It was a free-for-all. After we obtained our visa we went to the baggage claim area and found utter chaos. The area was jammed with people, almost all of them seemed to be pushing large unwieldy baggage carts. I couldn’t figure out 1 - where this horde of people originated and 2 - why they all thought they needed baggage carts. I fought my way through the melee to the baggage carousel that should have had our bags. I quick survey revealed they were not there. We took so long getting through immigration that I knew there was no way they should still be coming. I fought my way to a nearby pile of bags and sure enough, both bags were there. I picked them up and carried them out of the baggage area. At this point, Alison was questioning our decision to come to Nepal. However, things would get better throughout the day. 

Outside the airport, we were met by a representative of our tour company, Ashish. He directed us to our waiting car and gave us a traditional Nepali welcome by wrapping a silk scarf around each of our necks. From the airport, we headed to our accommodations at the Annapurna Hotel. Our guide, Vijay, was waiting for us at the hotel. We were able to check in early so we freshened up for a few minutes before heading out on our tour. 

Our first destination of the day was Swayambhunath. It is a large green hill located west of Katmandu. On top of the hill is the great stupa of Swayambhunath. Because that name can be difficult for tourists to pronounce and remember this site is also known as the Monkey Temple. The name was given because of the ~500  Rhesus macaque monkeys that live around the temple. We started our tour at the back of the stupa. We watched the monkeys play and observed a family trying to throw coins into a pot located inside a pond dedicated to peace. If they could have thrown a coin into the pot it would have brought them good luck. There was a small stupa in this area as well. 

There were so many monkeys in this area. 

This family was throwing coins trying to land them in the jar 

We headed up to the main stupa. It was impressive, as were the panoramic views of Katmandu. This Buddhist temple is very beautiful we loved the hilltop surrounding it and the many prayer flags hanging all around the temple. 

We spent some time exploring the temple and learning more about Buddhism from Vijay.

When we finished at the stupa we headed back to Katmandu. Our next stop was Katmandu Durbar Square. This is the center of the city and contains many temples and a palace.  Before we wandered around the square we grabbed lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the square. Alison and I both had some traditional Nepalese food. It was an assortment of different curries with veggies and meat served over rice. It also came with a type of cracker to dip in the curry. For dessert, we ate a sweet yogurt dish. 

We spent the afternoon wandering among the temples and palace of Katmandu Durbar Square. It was striking how much destruction and construction there is today from the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal. The earthquakes were a devastating event here. They killed more than 9,000 people and flattened many buildings. They are still trying to rebuild and recover. The palace here was particularly hard hit and is only being held up by temporary wooden supports. 

One of the many temples in this area is home to the living goddess. At this temple, a girl is chosen around the age of 4 or 5 and she becomes a living goddess. She lives at the temple and follows prescribed rules such as not touching the ground level. She comes out during festivals and greets the people. Hindu people can also have an audience with her where they can receive a blessing. When she reaches a certain age she retires and is no longer the living goddess. 

We saw many other temples and representations of deities in this area. When we finished exploring we walked back to our hotel through a local market. It was much like other markets we have visited in India and other parts of the world. Shops were selling every imaginable good - shoes, hats, bags, spices, food, trinkets, and more. It was a bustling place full of people, bikes, and motorcycles.  

We arrived back at our hotel and it was the end of our tour today. We relaxed at the hotel for a few minutes before heading back out to explore. We walked around the area of our hotel, finally ending up at a restaurant that was recommended by Vijay. It also served Nepalese food. We shared a variety plate Momo, which is a type of dumpling. They are delicious. We also got some chicken curry and naan to share and a little bit of chocolate ice cream for dessert. 

The day had its challenges, but it ended up being a really fun and informative day in Nepal.