Nepal: I Think I’m Going to Kathmandu!

Nepal. 🇳🇵 It’s always had a mystical hold on my travel soul for some reason. I vowed to go there one day…and that day has arrived.

And c’mon. How you can you NOT think of the famous Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s song from the 70s with the memorable refrain “I think I’m going to Kathmandu…” ?

Just the word Kathmandu, like Marrakech, Casablanca, Madagascar and other larger-than-life names of exotic destinations in parts unknown brings to my mind mystery, intrigue and the beauty of the exotic – and adventure!

The Himalayans. Treks to ABC (Annapurna Base Camp) and Mt. Everest. The epicenter for paragliding.  The place just about screams “adventure”. The Nepali money, rupees, even has wild animals on it – Rhinos. Elephants. Water buffalo.

I arrived in Kathmandu and was greeted, for the first time EVER, by a driver holding a sign with my name on it!  So exciting!  Jay, my soon-to-be-trekking guide, picked me up from the crazy airport and brought me directly to my hotel in the twisted streets of the Thamel district of Kathmandu –  the backpacker district.  Full of faux “North Face” merchandise, incense, trekking companies, a myriad of shops selling hiking boots, water bottles, sleeping bags, fleece jackets, iodine tablets, wool socks and any sort of trekking item you might need, iconic yak-fur Nepalese ski hats and gloves, hashish-offering locals, rickshaws, and above it all – fluttering prayer flags absolutely everywhere.  This city is an assault on the senses.  Dust. Street vendors.  Horns.  Scooters. Infamous mo-mos: small delicious pillows of dough filled with yumminess and cooked in gigantic steaming pots, were everywhere.  Colorful vegetable stands.

I spent a few days in this bustling, noisy city of 1 million walking around, checking out the stores and souvenirs, and visiting temples, most notably Swayambhunath.  This UNESCO Heritage Site, just outside the busy city, is also known as the Monkey Temple.  Luckily, not too many monkeys were there to greet me as I climbed the perhaps 200 steps to the gleaming white stupa.

Perfectly proportioned, the temple is topped off with a gleaming gold spire, under which the Buddha’s all-seeing eyes look out in all four directions – north, south, east and west.  The squiggle line below the eyes is not the Buddha’s nose – it is actually the Nepali symbol for the number “1” for unity, and above is the third eye signifying the all-seeing wisdom of Buddha.  Surrounding this gorgeous creation are countless and varied stupas, temples, statues, and monuments – more than you could ever hope to visit in one go.  Many represent Hindu deities, blending these beliefs and gods with the Buddhist teachings.

I learned to use the prayer wheels – going clockwise and spinning each one while chanting “om mani padme hum”.  Ever above, hundreds upon hundreds of prayer flags rippled and waved, sending wishes and prayers to heaven.

There are temples in nooks and crannies everywhere in this city – and in all shapes and sizes. This one below is a temple that I was told was where you made a quick prayer if you had dental problems.  You’d bring a nail and a coin and add to the mishmash…not sure if the local was pulling my leg on this or not!

Evidence of the horrific earthquake that hit Kathmandu on April 25, 2015, which measured 7.8 on the Richter Scale and killed over 9,000 people, can still be seen everywhere.  There are piles of rubble, bricks, dirt, damaged buildings and destroyed homes and shops everywhere.

I loved it.  The hustle, bustle and dust. The noise of the horns and the buses trumpeting. The children walking to school, the vendors hawking their goods, the smell of exotic spices.  This is the kind of travel I enjoy – being immersed in a culture totally unlike my own and sharing smiles with people thousands of miles from my home.  Kathmandu is definitely worth a visit!

Namaste!

If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine…it’s lethal.                                                    ~Paulo Coelho, author “The Alchemist”