My time in Southeast Asia has come to an end. Originally, I had ambitious plans to visit many countries in the region. By the time I departed on March 9, though, I had only made it to two of them (Thailand and Myanmar). At first, I was bummed about this. After all, who knows when I will have another opportunity to visit Laos or Malaysia or Indonesia? However, that's exactly why I refused to create an itinerary for this trip. I wanted the freedom to be able to stay in certain cities longer and skip over others. Indeed, I wish I had visited Laos--or Indonesia or Malaysia for that matter--but I do not regret a single travel decision I have made thus far. I got a much deeper feel for Thailand than I did when I visited Bangkok during Semester at Sea. Furthermore, I managed to get into Burma, which overwhelmed me with hospitality and intrigue. I would love to spend months and months in any and every country across the globe, but that's just not a possibility. So, I need to count my lucky stars that I'm able to embark on a journey like this at all.
Even if I did leave Southeast Asia without a couple of desired stamps in my passport, nothing could make me happier than returning to one of my favorite cities on Earth: Kathmandu, Nepal. I first visited here in the summer of 2008, and I became hooked immediately. As an anthropology major, I decided that I would conduct my field research here. It's difficult to describe exactly why I love this city so much. It's secluded, nestled in a valley of the Himalayas. It's cultural blends offer a great mix of local Nepali, Tibetan, Chinese, and Indian lifestyles, cuisines, dress, and languages. I'm not one for religion, but one would be hard-pressed to find a more spiritual place than Nepal (see below). The Hindu majority and the Tibetan Buddhist minority really make the city's spirituality feel alive. Walking through the smoggy streets, you're never too far from a music shop blaring a recording of monks singing "Om Mani Padme Hum," a mantra of compassion that roughly translates to "Hail to the Jewel of the Lotus Flower."
Mike and I arrived in Kathmandu on the 9th. We booked a room at the Red Planet Guesthouse in Thamel, the tourist district of the city. That's where we have been spending most of our time so far. It's a crazy neighborhood, a labyrinth of streets flooded with hawkers, internet cafes, ethnic restaurants, book stores, and travel agencies. Although Kathmandu is hardly on the well worn tourist track, all the travelers here basically pass through Thamel, and they are all going in a million different directions. Some are on their way to the jungles. Others are going trekking through the mountains. A few are gearing up to climb the iconic mountains like Everest or Annapurna. Others are simply waiting for their visas to come through so that they can move on into politically difficult places like Tibet or Pakistan. Many are on side-trips from northern India. Whatever brings all of these people to Thamel, Kathmandu, the neighborhood is a great place to meet fellow travelers.
Our second night here, Mike and I met a group of volunteers who host a trivia night every Thursday at a small pub in Thamel. We decided to give it a try (we got 2nd place). Even though we didn't win, we met a truly great group of people. The gathering offered everything I enjoy about meeting random travelers in random bars in random cities. There were about 8 Irish, 1 Scottish, 1 French, 2 Canadians, and several Nepalis--and, of course, Mike and I representing America. We drank and ate food and answered trivia questions. We jested about each other's nationalities. We swapped travel stories. It was really a great night. Again, that's one of the greatest things about traveling. I cannot say for sure that I will ever see any of them again--although we will probably be heading back for more trivia. Regardless, though, we had a great, fun night together. It's a strange type of bond you have with other foreigners in places like Kathmandu. Everybody has a story, and it's usually a pretty cool story. You meet and drink with people knowing full well that the friendship will almost certainly not last, yet the bond feels close and joyous nonetheless.
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| Night in the narrow, crowded streets of Thamel, Kathmandu. |
After a couple of days kicking around Thamel, Mike and I decided to visit some of the monuments and sights around the city. I had seen these on my first trip here, and they were no less breathtaking the second time around. First, we visited Kathmandu's Durbar Square, a complex of palaces and temples. It's right next to Freak Street, where the hippies of the 60s/70s would end their overland journeys along the Silk Road. We also visited Bodhnath Stupa, one of the largest Buddhist structures in the world. It's enormous and whitewashed, and Tibetan monks and refugees circumnavigate the structure, turning prayer wheels and mumbling mantras to themselves. It's quite a sight to see. Nepal has a huge number of Tibetan refugees, so there are pockets of Kathmandu that are full of devout Buddhists and great Tibetan restaurants. Finally, we spent the evening hours at Swayambhunath, or the "Monkey Temple." It's a big monastery and temple that sits atop a hill that overlooks the whole Kathmandu Valley. If you couldn't tell from the alternate name, there are also a lot of wild macaque monkeys around. Again, the temple is pretty amazing. There are hundreds of multicolored Tibetan prayer flags strung above the visitor's heads, the idea being that with each flap in the wind it sends up a prayer for peace and compassion. It's quite a nice thought, regardless of one's religious disposition. It feels very peaceful and quiet, especially when juxtaposed against the chaotic traffic and smog of the city. Here are some photos that I took:
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| Mother and child. I took this on our long-detoured walk to Durbar Square. |
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| Durbar Square. |
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| Hindu shrine at Durbar Square. |
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| Bodhnath Stupa |
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| Me in front of the stupa. |
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| Multicolored prayer flags strung across the huge stupa. |
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| Prayer flags at the monastery at Swayambhunath. Tons of them. |
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| The stupa at Swayambunath. It's much smaller than Bodhnath, but the same design. |
Today, Mike and I finally made it out to see Bina, my friend and the founder of the school I volunteered at when I visited Kathmandu in 2008. On sort of a whim, Mike and I found cheap tickets to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. So, we decided to jump on them. We will be there for the next week, so we wanted to leave our big bags with Bina, where I knew they would be safe. Friendly as ever, Bina showed us the vast improvements she has made to her school. She told me that they have hired more teachers and have received generous support from several volunteers and donors. The school looks wonderful, and I instantly remembered why I love Kathmandu so much. Bina is friendly and generous. In exchange for playing with the kids and tutoring them (not a terribly challenging job), she gives us a free place to stay and meals. There are already two volunteers staying there, but she assured us that her door was always open to us. Bina is just one more example of true kindness and hospitality. I also caught up with her son, who, oddly enough, will be attending Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana starting in August. He only needs to procure a student visa from the U.S. Embassy, so Mike and I will help him do that in any way that we can. He's a cool guy, and I look forward to hanging out with him a bit more when we return from Dubai and start staying with Bina (instead of in the far-more-hectic Thamel).
I feel comfortable in Kathmandu. It's a great place, and I can't exactly say why. The streets are dusty, infrastructure is shoddy (at best), the air is smoggy, and you can't drink the water. In spite of all of that, though, there is a certain magic and electricity in the air. Something about Nepal gives you the feeling like you're at the end of the world, in one of the most remote regions imaginable. There are many travelers, but it doesn't feel annoying. It feels like everyone "gets it" in Nepal. Kathmandu is a hidden gem of a city. It's not as chaotic as India, and not as touristy as Bangkok. In the folds of the foothills of the Himalayas, it feels like you are disconnected from everything else on Earth. It's a land of brilliant colors and wonderful souvenirs. It has been touched by globalization and modernization, but it adopts these things in a distinctly Nepalese way. It's hard to say why I feel so attracted to Kathmandu. I thought it might be a peculiarity about me. So far, though, Mike loves it, too. Perhaps it's not something in my character that draws me back to Kathmandu. Perhaps it really is something in the fabric of the city.
"Be well, do good work, and keep in touch."
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