Kathmandu
The International Guest house was a peaceful haven, just outside the chaos of the main Thamel tourist area, where we were to base ourselves for a couple of days. We had a day and a half in Nepal’s capital before Pam arrived. Wanting to save the sightseeing until she arrived, we spent this time relaxing in the immaculate gardens of our hotel and getting frustrated by the frequent power cuts with which we have since become well accustomed.
We managed to persuade the hotel staff to allow us to accompany their driver to the airport for Pam’s complimentary pick up. Her flight was delayed by half an hour or so but we soon spotted her walking through the arrivals gate looking a little bewildered but pleased to see us. We witnessed her experiencing the inevitable culture shock on the forty-five minute drive back to our hotel, staring in amazement at things which we had gradually become accustomed to over the previous few months.
The next couple of days were spent visiting some of Kathmandu’s sights and organising the next two weeks. After finally deciding that we would travel to Pokhara in the Annapurna region, we visited the KEEP office where we picked up some useful advice and brought a map in preparation for our trip.
We spent the best part of a day visiting the impressive Durbar square housing the old royal palace, Kumari Chowk (home of Kathmandu’s living goddess) and a number of other temples and monuments. Although visually appealing, spending any time in the square was exhausting with constant harassment from beggars, vendors and would-be guides.
The other highlights of our brief sightseeing tour of Kathmandu were Swayambhu (“Monkey temple”) and Pashupatinath, Nepal’s holiest pilgrimage site. We visited Pashupatinath a day after the Shivaratri festival. There were still a number of Indian sadhus wandering around smoking marijuana. Whilst there, we witnessed a very moving public cremation. The body of the deceased was that of a young man who appeared to have been in the army. A group of soldiers, lined up the opposite side of the river, saluted him as the pyre was lit. As well as the cremation ghats, the complex also housed a number of interesting Hindu temples.
Matthew had feared that the Nepali food would be a disappointment after our two months in India. Indeed, Kathmandu in particular, appears to specialise in bizarre pseudo-western dishes which are not particularly appetizing and not particularly cheap. We did, however, enjoy two decent meals at the Everest Steak House and New Orleans restaurant thanks to a recommendation from Glenn and Erika.