One of Lonely Planet's better ideas is to include some self-guided walking tours of various cities – they're awesome in providing a bit of structure as you explore the city, while giving you flexibility to adapt/change as you like.
Heading off from my hotel, it took me quickly off the tourist beaten path, and through a residential/temple district.
And quickly became aware that in Nepal, it's all about religion... with a twist. Nepal's unique in that the population follows varying blends of Hinduism and Buddhism, where they've picked and chosen the parts they liked the best to form their own unique religion.
The best part is that for the Nepalese, religion is not 'in your face' at all. There's no proselytizing or any of the more overt displays that you might see in other countries.
Nope – here, religion is just a quiet, matter of fact part of each person's daily routine. With temples on every corner, and even grungy alleys have their own statue for a quick blessing, you'll see people touching them for luck, ringing the bells for a blessing, or spinning the prayer wheels as they go about their business.
Here's their temple to the "Toothache God":
It's early days yet – but my first impression is that this gives them a certain centredness that is refreshing. There are very few raised voices, or arguments – instead, calmness and smiles rule the day – even when you turning down the Tiger Balm salesman for the fourth time.
The other special thing – the Nepalese generally believe that religious objects are made to be used and shared, and not locked away from the public. So, it's not at all rare to be wandering down a street and find a priceless 6th century statue just out in the elements, well-worn from the centuries of hands seeking a blessing (see below). 'course, that makes theft easy, and a growing concern, but I really liked it.
Right. Back to the tour. I wandered in and out of the main streets, and came across a temple devoted to a white-faced incarnation of one of the Hindu gods. Again, rather than a solemn place for reflection and general stuffiness, this was an integral part of the neighborhood, serving in this case as the center of a race course for local kids on their bikes!
Wandered through the ancient commercial center, and then took a quick detour – this may seem weird, but Nepal reminds me a lot of Venice.
Nope – no canals, or singing boatmen. Instead, it has the same organization that is a bit like an onion. So much of both cities are hidden behind an alley, a doorway, or semi-secret path, and once you duck down, it's as if you are discovering quiet oasis in the midst of urban chaos.
In this case – a quick duck through a low doorway, and I got to see an enclosed bahal, about 200-300 meters long with apartments all around. Centered around a small monastery, you could hear the kids at their lessons – doubtless encouraged by the plaques showing Shiva eating a misbehaving child (not exactly subtle!).
As I was wandering around, the kids were let out of school – and two insisted on mugging for the camera:
Alas, the rain came in with a vengeance, so I retreated back to Thamel for lunch where I ducked into a Tibetan/Mexican place (seriously) that served everything from quesadillas to curries.
...and mo-mos.
Man, did I fall in love with these guys – steamed or fried spicy dumplings, with water buffalo, chicken or vegetable fillings, for about $1.00. Awesome. I'd end up having these at least once a day for the rest of my trip.
Randomly, over lunch, I ended up talking to a philosophy author from Iowa of all places, who spends 5 months in Kathmandu every year, just writing and thinking while stretching his retirement dollar.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty chill – I ducked into Sherpa Society, a well-regarded trekking outfit and found out there was a trip to Everest Base Camp leaving in two days. Perfect!
The next day was mostly logistics – I rented a thick down bag for a song, plus picked up fleece pants and a down jacket for about $25.
There was a cool cafe that served for breakfast – staffed only by deaf people, they had a great system for communicating. As you pointed to, say, eggs with toast, they would point to a little card that had 'fried/boiled/etc' on it, so you could choose what you liked. Surprisingly effective and a unique Nepalese way of integrating these folks without the need for expensive technology or hearing operations.
To round things off, I ended up with a drink at sunset at Sam's Pub – one of the dozens of pubs in the area that seem to all play Bob Marley at least half the time – then it was off to bed, for an early flight and the start of the hike!
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