Nepal 6; Cultural Explanations

While in Nepal I was exposed to several cultural practices and hardships that I didn't understand. Here are some explanations for a few things I observed. Please don't hold me to their accuracy :)

Glue huffing: While staying in Kathmandu I walked by a group of street kids (the highest concentration being boys that look 8-13 years old) that were either laying comatose on dirty blankets on the sidewalk or standing around sniffing glue. This drug (usually the carpet glue, dendrite) is cheap and easy to obtain, enabling these youngsters to develop an addiction. This hallucinogen allows them to escape the hard reality of their lives like not being able to afford regular food or the means to stay warm. The intoxication relieves the pains of hunger so they learn to use it to "cope" with all the pain that life throws at them, developing a terrible dependency.

Babies and young children wearing heavy eye makeup: I was initially shocked to see one year old girls wearing thick black eye makeup. Isn't it a tad early to be getting on the gothic train? I was relieved to find out they were young Korn followers but parents apply the kohl makeup because it is believed it will shield the child from the dangers of the evil eye.

Prayer flags: These brightly covered flags are everywhere...absolutely everywhere. The surface of the flags are inscribed with symbols, invocations, prayers, and mantras. Prayer flags are said to bring happiness, long life, wisdom, wealth and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the vicinity. The colors of Tibetan prayer flags are significant because they symbolize each of the five elements. Blue stands for wind , white symbolizes air, red stands for fire and the green and yellow flags symbolize water and earth. The five colors of Tibetan prayer flags also represent the five directions(North, south, east west, and center), the five meditation Buddhas, and the five wisdoms (compassion, harmony, wisdom of sight, kindness, and perfect wisdom).

Strings of orange flowers: it was very common yo see garlands of orwnge flowers tied to door frames throughout Nepal. One reason for the use of the flower as a gateway is that it has protective properties against insects so it keeps bugs from coming near images of worship. In Hinduism, the flower symbolizes good fortune. The orange color signifies renunciation and hence is offered to God as a symbol of surrender.

Red/yellow dot on the forehead: Traditionally, the area between the eyebrows is said to be the seat of "concealed wisdom" and the exit point for bad energy. The bindi (placed in this location) is believed to retain energy, strengthen concentration, protect against demons/bad luck, represents the third eye, and enhance beauty. Another use is to worship one's intellect in order to ensure that one's thoughts, speech, actions, habits and character becomes pure so that one can make noble decisions and be courageous when faced with challenges. In meditation, the spot between the eyebrows is where one focuses his/her sight, so that it helps concentration. In Nepal, it is called a "tika," and is commonly a mixture of a red powder, yoghurt and grains of rice.

Men wearing hats: The dhaka topi is the traditional hat of Nepali men. Men traditionally wear this cute heading topping along with the daura suruwal.

Gold jewelry: most women are blinked out with gold nose, ear and wrist jewelry. These are usually wedding gifts from their husband and a give the bride a sense of pride and stature.

Calling each other older/younger brother (dai and bhai) and older/younger sister (didi and bahini): most of the time people address each other by older/younger brother/sister whether they are close friends or meeting for the first time (even non-Nepali). This was one of my favorite customs because it made me feel as though we were all one big family. Another term of endearment was called each other sa-tee or friend from the get-go.

Men holding hands: No, they aren't all PDA-pro gay men. Physical interaction with the same sex (holding hands and linked arms) is acceptable but any interaction between the sexes is never physical in public, even for husband and wife.

Electricity shortages: One of the things you can count on in Nepal is that the power will go out AT LEAST once every day (routinely 10-16 hours/day). When this outage happens depends on a rotating roster and the area (which changes daily) so you cannot plan around it (like when I needed a copy of my passport for immigration and none of the photocopiers could work). Because outages are so consistent, Nepali have found ways to cope. Most kitchens are equipped with gas appliances (gas stoves and ovens), candles and lanterns are a quick fix of the loss of light, and businesses with enough money make use of diesel-run generators. Nepal is one of the most water-rich countries in the world so it generates the majority of its electricity through hydroelectric power. Since electricity is largely dependent on water levels, winter is the dry season and there is a high demand for lighting and heating, "load sheddings"are most severe. Of course, the story doesn't end there. The corrupt government (who have been accused of "leaking" energy to India), the lack of efficient infrastructures, the inability to store energy from monsoon season and seasonal variations also play a role in the outages. In addition, almost half of Nepali live in rural areas where there is never access to electricity.

Feet: Nepalese do not point the soles of their feet at another person. A Nepali does not step over people, food, books (anything written) and if he/she does then they apologize. Nepalese also take off their shoes before entering rooms/houses.

Roads: bus rides were similar to rickety roller coaster rides from the 90's. Few roads are paved and even then it was an adventure.

Nepal 5; Lumbini; Sweet Baby Buddha

Because Lumbini is the birth place of Lord Buddha (in 623 B.C.), the monastic zone (no shops, restaurants or hotels are allowed to be built in this area) is covered in temples from several Buddhist countries including China, Thailand and Cambodia. The river that runs through the city creates a mystic fog and enhanced the spiritual ambiance of the area. Unlike, Jerusalem (besides the church on the Mount of Olives) I felt a deep sense of peace, especially while sitting by the birth site of Buddha. The hypnotic chants of monks, meditating pilgrims, prayer flays flapping in the breeze, and the genuine hearts that surrounded me made it a very special place.

Within the sacred garden is then Ashokan Pillar that has inscriptions declaring it the birthplace of Buddha. Next to the pillar is the Mayadevi Temple which houses a nativity sculpture and a stone where the founder of Buddhism came into the world. On the other side of the pillar is the sacred pool where Buddha's mother (queen Mayadevi) took a bath before his birth. It is said that Buddha Guatama lived in Lumbini until he was 29 years old.

The Korean temple provides basic accommodation, 3 meals (a mix between Korean and Nepali food) and an interesting atmosphere for a modest price so I made it my home for the night.

I then took a local bus and rickshaw to the Indian border. I think Nepal was the calm before the storm.....

Nepal 4; Kathmandu; Christmas?

I'm going to be completely transparent in this entry so this is the forewarning. Christmas was hard. Really hard.

I didn't think I had many expectations for Christmas, but I was proved wrong. I. love. Christmas. I love the songs that evoke the feeling/knowledge of being blessed, the Christmas lights that could almost give you a tan, the giving, the expressions of love, the comfort food prepared from scratch, the interactions between strangers, the hugs, the surprises, the community, and the excuse to dress up like Santa; but most of all I love being reminded (and seeing others reminded) of the miracle of Jesus. It was very nice to not have any of the commercialized build up of Christmas, to only think about the community and the meaning of the season...but that made it all the more difficult to be away from home...for the second time. On Christmas Eve I had dal bhat and rice pudding prepared by my hostel then hung out on the rooftop with fellow travelers. I wasn't present on that rooftop. I didn't want to talk about my trek or my plans for India. I wanted to be with my mom at church holding a candle and singing O Holy Night. On Christmas Day, after my freezing cold shower, I started the day at the immigration office figuring out it wasn't worth it to extend my visa to go on another trek, followed by Christmas shopping. At night I had dinner at a cafe (a panini sandwich) with my friend and then came back to my dorm and nursed my stomachache until I fell asleep. On the days surrounding Christmas I got to Skype with both of my parents, my sisters (minus Kelsey, Anna and Jenn) and chat with several other close friends. On Christmas Eve, in an effort to revive the spirit of giving, I gave silk scarves to the 5 girls in my dorm room. Similarly, on Christmas I distributed peppermint mentos (a candy cane substitute), toilet paper (a practical gift) and a Merry Christmas filled hug to everyone at my hostel (and chocolate wrapped in makeshift ribbons to the wonderful staff). It felt good to give simple presents to friends and complete strangers simply because it was Christmas.

On Christmas night I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep. A few moments after I started listening to Bon Iver (which gsve me flashbacks of driving through the snow at home) I was overwhelmed by a heavy case of homesickness and couldn't hold back my tears. This is coming from a girl that has been described as a robot for not possessing normal human emotions; the last time I can remember my tear ducts being this active (or active at all, besides saying goodbye to my students) is when I first arrived in Japan, almost two years ago. Traveling isn't always glamorous, especially around the holidays. Although meeting new people every day is exciting, it has really worn on me. I'm tired of rattling off my basics every day and having to constantly say goodbye and then start over. I just want to skip all the surface crap and jump to something real (I've toyed with the idea of handing out my basics on a business card). I don't want to have to explain that my parents live in different states, my views on love or even that I only like taking baths; I want to be around someone that knows all that and still chooses to love me. I also want to be around people that I know. To be able to laugh at them for doing something that is "so them" and to be genuinely surprised and proud at them for facing a fear or shortcoming. Because...I understand. I want to cuddle with my sisters on the Eve of Christmas Eve, a decade old tradition, by the fireplace to give our smile and laugh muscles a break. Then, wake up and eat pancakes that are beautifully...imperfect (to put it nicely). I am lucky to miss people. I am lucky to have a family, both blood and not that I will always be connected to. I am lucky to love people so much.

In the end, Christmas was just another Tuesday where I felt lucky for the relationships I have and for Jesus showing me why love is important; I guess that is what Christmas is about.

Nepal 3; Pokhara; Sweet Tooth

If Nepal was a family, Kathmandu would be the younger brother with a drug addiction and hygiene problem (that you can't help but love), Annapurna region would be the hippy dad who meditates on mountains tops, Everest region would be the rich grandma who drinks champagne for breakfast and Pokhara would the older sister who obviously shares genes with the others but is disproportionally trendy in comparison.

Pokhara is the 2nd largest city in Nepal, located in the NW, about 7 hours (by bus) from Kathmandu. The Seti Gandaki River has created several gorges and canyons in and around the whole city which gives intriguingly long sections of terrace features to the city and surrounding areas. From Sarangkot Hill you can see the magnificent Annapurna range with the river and rice terraces before it, Phewa lake on the other side, and a metropolis of buildings sandwiched in between. Besides walking to the top of Sanagkot, I didn't venture far from my hostel in lakeside, an area lined with cafes, bakeries, fake outdoor gear, travel agencies and fabric stores (usually yak wool).

From talking to fellow travelers I have realized that my experience in Pokhara isn't typical. Nearly everywhere I went people just wanted to talk. This made me very uncomfortable at first because I was just waiting until the end where they would switch to their ulterior motive....but there wasn't one. When I picked up my laundry, the couple who owned the laundromat talked to me for 2 hours then invited me over to dinner. Similarity, when I was interested in buying something at a store the salesman sat me down to discuss the price. He then invited a hilarious Chinese guy to join us and we ended up talking for more than 4 hours. At the end we all forgot why we were there in the first place and parted ways. My hostel owner was a jolly Nepali man who lives to make people happy. He told me that he saw American baked goods on TV and begged me to show him how to create them. I enthusiastically accepted his request and we had a bake-a-thon using Nepali substitutes. We made cheesecake brownies, peanut butter cookies, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake! My friends at my guesthouse (an animated French Canadian and an Irish woman, both over 40 years old) gave them excellent reviews.

On my last day, I decided to make like a bird and go paragliding (why not?)! After I woke up, I went into a travel agency. Ten minutes later, I was in a truck heading to Sarangkot hill with a terrified 20 year old Nepali guy waving goodbye to his family. My pilot was a Hungarian man with a dry sense of humor and a sunglass tan; his calm demeanor calmed my heartbeat before it had a chance to race. Aside from feeling a little nauseous, it was a beautiful experience; not only because of the view but because of the freedom riding the wind.

Nepal 2; Annapurna Sanctuary Trek; Dal baht power 24 hours

From Pokhara, my two friends, Cali Jerky and Shaved Aussie, and my porter, Dal Bhat Power, began our journey to Machapuchare base camp (MBC) and Annapurna base camp (ABC). Because I am pretty sure the hammocks in Thailand still have my body prints, I opted to hire a porter so that I didn't slow down the crew. Although I quickly realized that I could have made it carrying my own bag, Dal Baht Power's company/humor was invaluable. There is a popular shirt in Nepal that reads: "Dal baht power: 24 hours" (dal baht is a Nepali staple consisting of lentil soup, rice, vegetable curry, pickles and is almost always unlimited). This became our running joke and encouragement throughout the 10 days. The only qualifier is that it must never be said, only yelled i.e. "Danika, how are you doing?" "Couldn't be better, DAL BAHT POWER 24 HOURS!" He also gave me a beginners course in Nepali. Unfortunately the only things I've retained are "delicious" (metu-kana), "I love you" (mo-timlie-maya-gursu), and "thank you" (daanyabaad), which conveniently allows me to confess my love to chefs.

Although I'd like to let on that I survived 10 rough days in the mountains, in actuality I was far from "roughing it." An assortment of food, snacks, and drinks were offered at every tea house and most guesthouses had hot showers available (sometimes even better than in town). The prices for food and accommodation predictably increased with the altitude (rooms ranged from free-$1 at the bottom and $1.50-$2 at the top). I ordered either dal baht, momos, chow mien or pizza (and mint tea) for dinner, porridge (with or without fruit) or muesli with hot milk (and masala tea) for breakfast and pre-bought snacks for lunch; not too shabby. Because few people are crazy enough to hike in the Himalayas in December, we usually had the trails and guesthouses to ourselves. However, life for the people who live in the mountain villages certainly isn't easy. I constantly saw small sweaty men and women carry heavy loads up and down steep stairs. Heavy gas tanks, cement, snacks and tourists bags were supported by meek Nepali frames.

There are guesthouses every hour or so we basically just walked until we didn't want to anymore
Our itinerary:
1)Pokhara ->Naya pul->Ghandruk 2) Jhinu 3)Deorali 4)MBC 5)ABC 6)ABC 7)Chhomrong 8) Tadapani 9)Ghorepani (poon hill for sunset and sunrise) 10)Naya pul ->Pokhara

Our second day we made the genius decision to make it a short day (only 3 hrs of hiking) in order to spend the majority of the day soaking in the natural hot springs at Jhinu. The hot springs is located a few meters from the Modi River and attracts a wide range of people, including the legendary H from "dirty Jers", a group of Boulderites and a Chilean couple. Cali Jerky and Shaved Aussie outsoaked me by an hour (a total of 5 hours) but we all left sufficiently pruned and satisfied.

The journey up to the base camps was gorgeous. Rice terraces, waterfalls, mountain villages and the cool blue Modi River filled the valley. The only traffic jams were caused by sheep, goats or cows and my ears were delighted about the absence of honking. The combination of inheriting my dad's brisk walking pace and my lack of a heavy load enabled me to walk ahead of the crew and then soak in my surroundings. Instead of a slow increase in elevation, we trekked up and down hills the entire journey. In order to prevent altitude sickness we decided to stay at MBC (3,729 m.) one night before heading to our final destination, ABC (4130 m.).

Machapuchare (6,993 m), meaning "fish tail" is considered sacred to the God Shiva, making climbing it prohibited. In fact, it has never been climbed to its summit. According to wikipedia, "The only attempt was in 1957 by a British team led by Jimmy Roberts. Climbers Wilfrid Noyce and A. D. M. Cox climbed to within 50 m of the summit via the north ridge, but did not complete the ascent; they had promised not to set foot on the actual summit. Since then, the mountain has been declared sacred, and it is now forbidden to climbers."

Annapurna 1 (8,091 m) means "goddess of the harvest" and is the world's 10th largest mountain. Annapurna is a section of the Himalayas that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over 7,000 m and 16 more over 6,000 m. The Annapurna peaks are some of the worlds most dangerous to climb. Since the first ascent in 1950, Annapurna has only been climbed by about 130 people, and approximately 53 have died trying (41%).

The morning we stayed at MBC I woke up bright and early like a kid on Christmas morning, but when I went outside I found the equivalent of coal. White clouds wrapped my much anticipated pink sunrise view and a meter of snow blanketed the ground. I made the best of the situation and instigated a snow ball fight with the guesthouse owners and a Chinese couple. Shortly after I was all snowballed out, it stopped snowing and the clouds parted, resulting in a stunning view of Annapurna S and Machapuchare; I think I heard angels sing. We quickly packed our bags and set off for ABC. Not long after we arrived, the clarity window closed and we were left in the middle of an endless cloud of white, preventing us from seeing the sunset. Full of hope of seeing the mountains that lay at my feet one more time I stayed at ABC one more day while Cali Jerky and Shaved Aussie decided to head back to get 2 more days in the hot springs. I had every intention of making a snowman but my procrastination and the freezing temperature were more powerful than my creative ambitions. I hit it off with a Swiss couple who are biking around the world and like me, stayed at ABC an extra day. At Annapurna base camp I learned an invaluable phrase: moon-dada-ju-sayo. This means "close the door" in Korean. Both days I stayed at ABC, Korean tour groups (and their chicken Kim chi) filled the kotatsu-esque dinner table and brought in the cold by forgetting to close the door behind them, making moon-dada-ju-sayo a frequent and necessary saying. There are several signs leading up to the base camps stating that meat is not allowed due to ancient beliefs, the holy temple and the natural sacred mountains "if so natural calamities and personal accident may occur." You can imagine my surprise to see tour guides bringing meat to the base camp for the Koreans...I guess money speaks louder than holiness. Apparently they weren't joking about the natural calamity part. My reward for spending two days indoors waiting for the snow to stop was a meteor shower; nature's consultation prize: accepted.

Dal Bhat power, the Swiss couple and I weren't done with the Annapurna range so we set off of Poon hill, known for it's spectacular mountain range views. Along the way to poon hill the Swiss bikers and I picked up a top notch crew. It consisted of a hilarious Chinese man that spoke strictly in onomatopoeia (in addition to drawing pictures/numbers in the sand with his walking stick) and a couple of Americans who worked on organic farms in Mass., one of which decided that watercolors and nun-chucks were more important to bring to the Himalayas than a camera. We saw a sunset at Tatopani that was so spectacular that if I didn't have pictures as proof that it was real I would have thought it was a dream. I also got the pleasure of staying at Dal Baht Power's village sisters guesthouse and talking to her by the fireplace. I marched up to Poon Hill for the sunset and then again for the sunrise; I was blessed to get pristine views of Dhaulagiri (world's 7th tallest mountain), Annapurna S, Annapurna 1, and Machapuchare.

When I reached Pokhara a slight depression came over me, I already missed the mountains. If only time and money allowed for another trek...

Nepal 1; Kathmandu; Why Not?

Why not? Not only is this an interesting question, but it is the theme of Nepal. When asking a salesperson if a jacket is real or if it is the right size, his or her automatic response is "why not?" I realize this is a clever sales tactic that isn't intended to spark philosophical introspection but so be it if it does. This concept comes up time and time again. Is there a legitimate reason why I shouldn't have a certain experience? Given, many times the answer is yes but more times than I'd like to admit I let misplaced fear and irrelevant excuses taint my response. I want this question to be my automatic response to the sales pitch that life throws at me.

Kathmandu is a fascinatingly hectic city. Within my first 10 minutes of wandering through the maze of streets, all of my senses were overstimulated. My first day, I left my hostel (in Thamel) with the goal of getting completely lost. With painfully little effort, I succeeded. Because very few of the street signs are in English, most directions were vague, yet surprisingly consistent: "go down this street then take a right, pass the kids sniffing glue and then take the 2nd left at the street lined with tour agencies, keep going straight until you see a sketchy ally, go down that ally, refuse buying scarves and Tiger Balm about 4 times and then you will see the best momo cart in town. It's right next to the chickens and candles...you can't miss it." Toes are at great risk while walking this city as the the very narrow streets are shared by motorbikes, a wide range of animals, cars, bicycle rickshaws and people walking. Temples, incense, scarves, faux brand name outdoor gear, spices, street food vendors, litter, crowds of people, cows, goats, chickens and pigeons composed the streets. I was constantly approached by undercover tour guides who would take me places with the intention of earning my trust. I used them for their knowledge (which I quickly forgot) and then politely excused myself before they could give me their pitch; it worked out quite nicely. The food was never disappointing (especially the classics: dal bhat, momos and masala tea) and my hostel was a collection of free-spirited late-to-middle aged hikers, eccentric volunteers and downtown earth travelers/vagabonds who were very supportive of Colorado and Washington's recent legalization of weed. The main attractions I visited were Basantapur Dunbar square, Boudhanath, Pashupatinsth, Swayambhu (Monkey Temple), and Bhaktapur.

Basantapur Durbar square contains the renovated palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled over the city and palaces dedicated to different Hindu gods and goddesses. The entire Palace Complex is named after a monkey god called Hanuman, who is said to protect Durbar square. The Kumari or living goddess also resides here. In Nepal a Kumari is a pre-pubescent virgin girl selected from the Shakya or Bajracharya clan of the Nepalese Newari community. She is believed to be the incarnation of the goddess Taleju, at least until she gets a visit from Mrs.Flow (menstruates). The Kumari is worshiped by some of Nepal's Hindus and Buddhists. There is a rigorous screening process to determine the new goddess and once selected she performs many rituals and must be carried everywhere outside her palace in a golden palanquin (her feet must never touch the ground). People believe that even a glimpse of her will bring them good fortune. She is pretty much everything that encompasses a big deal. Durbar square is also a good place to set up camp to eat momos and do some quality people watching from above.

Boudhanath (lord of wisdom) is a sacred Buddhist stupa that is one of the most significant Buddhist monuments in the world. It is a major destination of pilgrims from the Himalayas because of its energy. It is said to be a protective, purifying, and wish granting stupa and has a long history of Buddhist worship. Although I didn't witness it, there are dawn and dusk ceremonies where the stupa is worshiped by walking clockwise around it, turning the mani wheels, and reciting mantras; people also pray to the 3 jewels (it's most effective on the 10th, 15th and final day of the lunar calendar).

Pashupatinath temple, near the banks of the Bagmati River, is the most significant Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world. It is a square shaped pagoda temple built on single platform; there are gold doors on all the four sides of the temple and it stands in the middle of an open courtyard. Only Hindus are allowed to enter and they are restricted from bringing cameras, cell phones, binoculars, tape recorders, shoes/sandals and leather goods inside the premise. Similar to most holy sites in Nepal, monkeys have taken over (from what I saw when I peeked in over the wall).

At the nearby ghats (stairs where you can descend to the river), plateaus are made that are used for the daily open air cremations. Cremations are part of life and death and in Nepal (and India) and are far from a private event. As soon as I approached the Bagmati River (which will eventually feed into the Ganges) the air was filled with the smoke from a cremation. In Nepal, much like people's lives, the death of people are not equal. There are several cremation locations, one for the royal family, one for rich families with prestige and several others for the "normal" people. The cremation places for the "normal" people are located on the other side of the bridge, out of sight from the places that are used by royalty and the well-endowed. From the opposite side of the river visitors can observe all the activities. People prepared for the cremation by accumulating wood on the plateau. Then, the close relatives carried the stretcher with a body covered in white cloth to the temple for a last visit. Next, the close relatives discreetly undressed the covered body and threw the cloths into the holy river (where others were bathing in because they believe it releases them from the cycle of rebirth). Following that, the close relatives (only men) picked up the body from the stretcher and made 3 rounds around the pile of wood that was prepared for the cremation (in a clockwise direction). After they put the deceased on the pile of wood, the oldest son walked around the body 3 times with a lit piece of wood. Afterwards, he kindled the pile of wood near the mouth of the dead body (Hindus believe that the spirit of the deceased leaves the body via the mouth). A few hours later, the ashes were then swept into the holy river. Unlike many of the other tourists, I didn't feel comfortable snapping photos while families mourned the loss of their loved ones. It wasn't the dead bodies that shocked me most, it was the complete lack of sensitivity that people had. I can't comprehend what possesses someone to shove a telephoto lenses in the faces of mourners. Death is not a photo op.

Immediately after purchasing my ticket, a 26 year old tour guide clung to me like white on rice. No matter what I said or did he remained my Siamese twin for the day. I spent a solid 7 hours talking with him and his friend, the tourist police, on the steps opposite the cremation ritual. Throughout the day I listened to the prayers and chants of families while the smoky essence of their loved ones danced in the air before them. Maybe it was because most of my attention was spent learning about my two Nepali companion's lives, but I wasn't appalled in the least bit. It was a beautiful ritual that was unexpectedly serene.

Swayambhu (Monkey Temple) is a Buddhist temple where hundreds of holy monkeys (they are holy because they originate from Manjushri's head lice) scamper about. The legend behind this site is that Swayambhu told people about a miraculous lotus planted by Buddha in a previous life that gave off a brilliant light. Holy people like saints traveled to the lake where it blossomed (that once covered Kathmandu valley) so they could get power from the flower to grant enlightenment. At the same time Manjushri was meditating at a sacred mountain and had a vision of the light so he flew across the mountains of China and Tibet upon his blue lion to worship the lotus. With a sword, Manjushri cut a gorge in the mountains surrounding the lake to drain the lake for greater accessibility for pilgrims. The water, draining away, left the valley of present day Kathmandu. The lotus was then transformed into a hill and the light became the Swayabhunath Stupa. Today, the stupa is a Buddhist pilgrimage site. The big pair of eyes on all four sides are symbolic of God's all-seeing perspective. There is no nose between the eyes but rather a representation of the number one in the Nepali alphabet, signifying that the single way to enlightenment is through the Buddhist path. The third eye signifies the wisdom of looking within. No ears are shown because it is said the Buddha is not interested in hearing prayers in praise of him.

Bhaktapur (the city of devotees) is the third largest city in Kathmandu valley and was once the capital of Nepal. It is the home of traditional art and architecture, Buddhist and Hindu religious sites and beautiful ponds. In order to avoid the excessive entrance fee I snuck in on a side road. I then spent the entirety of the day wandering through the maze of alleys and sitting back to observe.

As much as I hate to admit it, I am a sucker. I fell victim to my first big scam: the milk scam. It all started when on the previous day when I ran into a "volunteer" that told me if someone asks me for money then I should not give it to them because they will use it for drugs,etc. ; instead I should buy them something like food. I didn't think much of it but cataloged it as good advice since that is what I do back home. The next day I was approached by a young woman and her baby who begged me to help her by buying milk for her baby. As my heart strings were being pulled, I ran into the "volunteer" (note I was about 40 minutes away from where I met him the day prior). This must have triggered his advice and I went into nearby store and bought her 2 big boxes of powdered milk, totaling about $25. The terrible thing is that I knew it didn't feel right as it was happening but I let my desperate need to do something blind me. After I fled the scene the woman inevitably sold the milk back to the store and pocketed the profit. Sure it could have been worse but it never feels great to be taken advantage of (or make her situation worse). Hindsight is always 20/20...

Negatives: thick pollution turning my snot black, being scammed, the never-ending "hello, looking free" and "taxi, taxi" I had to ignore, severe poverty (including limbless beggars laying on the streets) and the consistently inconsistent electricity.
Positives: the chaos, fascinating culture (cremating bodies in the river on the right, monkeys on the left), a lot of interesting folk, cheap and delicious food (most dinners were less than $2) and low prices made Kathmandu a city that was strangely enjoyable....I mean, why not?

After only 3 days of sightseeing and going on hunts for trekking gear, I set off for Pokhara to begin my 10 day journey into the mountains.