July/August 1998 - Kathmandu, Patan, Baudhanath, Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath, Bhaktapur, flight over Everest on way to Tibet - see http://uk.geocities.com/beefnetuk for photos.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strange Happenings: Monkeys eating flower petals (see photos on my website). Man hangs bricks from penis at Pashupatinath.

Eating in a partially open air restaurant and notice an electrical socket with an adaptor with three plugs in. This is attached to another adaptor with a further two plugs. This is attached to another adaptor with a further two plugs. This is attached to another adaptor with a further two plugs. This is attached to another adaptor with a further two plugs. The next adaptor has a further chain of adaptors with plugs attached to the side. A few adaptors and a good few plugs later, the electric socket itself is reached. We reckon that most of the restaurant is powered through this single socket. There/s a thunderstorm overhead and we are glad the canopy above us doesn/t have a leak.

To emphasize the point, as we are leaving the restaurant in the heavy rain, the electrics of a building opposite short out in the weather. The poor bloke pedalling the rickshaw we are in just looks skyward.

We decide to buy a bottle of /Nepalese/ whisky, distilled in Scotland. Hmm.

Also find shop in Bhaktapur selling Middlesbrough F.C. merchandise.

Advice: A good and relatively safe all round destination, which I have a lot of time for. Please respect Hindu and Buddhist beliefs and if in doubt about entering a building or taking a photo, ask first.

Remember also, that Nepal is where the Gurkhas come from.

Altitude Sickness: If travelling to high altitude (above 8,000 feet or 2,500 metres), beware of altitude sickness (headaches, tiredness, dizziness, nausea). If symptoms occur, do not attempt to increase altitude further. Decrease altitude immediately and take it easy until symptoms disappear. Failure to heed this advice could have very serious consequences. If symptoms become severe, seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms should not persist for more than two to four days (unless continuing to rise in altitude). If they do, under these circumstances medical attention should also be sought.

Altitude sickness can be avoided, and acclimatization encouraged, by slow ascent. Symptoms are usually avoided by pausing for one day at 2,000 m (7,000 ft) and by ascending no more than 600 m (2,000 ft) per day above 2,000 m, though this may vary from person to person (summarised from Microsoft Encarta).

Places Visited:

Thamel: The Thamel district in Kathmandu is highly recommended for a good night out, without breaking the bank, despite the electricals in some restaurants (see /Strange Happenings/) and also a good place to shop. Apparently, accommodation in this area also very cheap (a couple of dollars a night), though highly variable in standard - good if you/re a back packer on a tight budget. There are also plenty of reasonably priced hotels of Western standard scattered around Kathmandu.

I visited Thamel three times, twice to eat, once to shop. There/s a very good book shop there, which I can/t remember the name of, if you want to get guide books, maps or any kind of reading literature. There are shops galore and you can get anything from Nepalese goods to Tibetan and even Bhutanese. These goods vary from trinkets through souvenirs to carpets and even the Karma Sutra. Items are cheaper here than in the Hotels, helped by the fact you can haggle (40 - 50% is reasonable, but I wouldn/t be surprised if lower prices are possible). Mind you, some of the items are fake (careful now), but if you like it, buy it.

Swayambhunath: The first place I visited, I thoroughly enjoyed Swayambhunath, which I understand is nicknamed the Monkey Temple. Probably something to do with all the monkeys that were wandering around there. There/s a long climb up the steps at this Newar Buddhist temple, to get to the stupa on top of the hill. This can be got round by going to the back entrance, where the climb is less severe. Still tiring though, but well worth it. You get a great view of the Kathmandu valley from here.

I decided to play football with one of the local children up here, forgetting he was running around barefoot. Let/s just say his toes were a little sore when I clumsily stood on them.

Durbar Square: On the same day I went to Swayambhunath, I visited Kathmandu/s Durbar Square, atmospheric and memorable for the Sadhus, the cows wandering around the square and the large number of pigeons using the area as a roost and picking up scraps off the many tourists. Living just off Durbar Square is the Kumari, a young girl worshipped as the embodiment of the Hindu goddess Durga. We were allowed into the compound of the house where she lived and we were lucky enough to get a glimpse of her. Apparently, her mood is supposed to have a bearing of the person seeing her at that time. When we were there, I have to admit she looked bored.

Patan: After Kathmandu/s Durbar Square, I found Patan and it/s Durbar square (get used to it, there are quite a few Durbar Squares in Nepal) much the better, simply because there were fewer tourists than in Kathmandu/s Durbar square and it made for a more relaxed atmosphere. A short distance away and a few minutes walk through the back streets from here brings you to a pleasant little Buddhist Monastery. We found the monks here to very friendly and I felt quite relaxed here and could have quite happily spent a little longer here than I did. It gave me a little taste of Tibet, where I went two days later, when I flew over the Himalayas to get there.

Bhaktapur: The day before I travelled to Tibet, I visited Bhaktapur. This town outside Kathmandu was the definite highlight of my time in Nepal. It is difficult to put into words how I felt here, but it is suffice to say that not even the heavy rain that day managed to spoil it for me. Yet another Durbar Square, but again pleasant and much more open than the Durbar Squares in Kathmandu and Patan. I/ll not go too much into detail here, but every turn brings you to another discovery, another temple or another souvenir shop, a bit different from the others (including one selling Middlesbrough F.C. merchandise - see my website at http://uk.geocities.com/beefnetuk - Nepal Photos - for photo).

There are a number of temples around the Tanchapal Tol area, about three quarters of a mile walk from Bhaktapur/s Durbar Square. We were lucky enough to visit at the time of a major festival, with women hoping for children visiting Dattatreya Temple crowding the square for a blessing.

My favourite spot was Taumadhi Tol. Here, I had lunch at a small café, inside what I presumed to be an old temple building. This overlooked a further Hindu temple known as the Nyatapola temple and people wandering around below going about their everyday lives. Nothing spectacular, just pleasant.

The Nyatapola temple is recognisable due to the stone guardians lining the steps (in order of two wrestling brothers with the strength of ten men at the bottom, followed by elephants, lions, griffons and some minor deities, all tens times stronger than the ones below them) and inside the temple itself is a statue of the Hindu goddess Durga, a temple which only the Nepalese King may enter.

The café was a welcome respite with the rain still falling. Tea and coke was a available and it had a very nice sideline in salads too.

Changu Narayan: I went from Bhaktapur to an isolated temple complex called Changu Narayan. Again, as so many times in and around the Kathmandu valley, a pleasant surprise. Mind you, it was a case of dodge the animal muck on the walk up to the temple, after about twenty minutes drive from Bhaktapur, as the area around the temple was a farming area (sheep, hens, cows, the lot - and it/s clear they/d ate a lot). But this was something well off the tourist beaten track, which made it all the more special and the temple itself was well worth all the animal muck on the way to it. While I was there, one elderly gentleman indicated he wanted money, for which I interpreted he would open a grating partially obscuring one of the shrines. Me big dope - duh! (my fault), because all he did was pose.

Tibet: The flight to Tibet had to be something special to match up to what I had experienced in Nepal up to that point. And it was, as the view of the peak of Mount Everest emerging through the cloud during the flight was nothing short of breathtaking. As for Tibet, well you/ll just have to read the Tibet page to find out.

Kodari to Kathmandu: Kodari is on the border between Nepal and Tibet and after a night in a rather strange hotel on the Tibetan side of the border (see /Strange Happenings/ on the Tibet page of my website at http://uk.geocities.com/beefnetuk), it was a relief to be back in Nepal. The journey by minibus through the beautiful Nepalese countryside would have been a thoroughly enjoyable one, but for the fact at this stage we were tired out. We drove through Dhulikhel and passed Bhaktapur on the way back along paved road - quite a surprise for a country with as little money as Nepal. Also a relief after the poor road conditions in Tibet.

Before climbing to Dhulikhel, the road passed along a river valley from Kodari and we were treated to little waterfalls pouring down the sides of the Himalayan foothills. We couldn/t see any mountain tops, as it was cloudy after a night of heavy rain, but as we reached the top of the climb travelling towards Dhulikhel, looking back gave us a wonderful view of the mountains and valleys behind us. At the top of this climb on a road which at this stage which was constant hairpin bends - yep, yet another temple, this time a Buddhist stupa.

Pashupatinath: The Hindu temple complex at Pashupatinath was every bit as good as Swayambhunath. The first thing you come across is a small hospital complex (if coming off the main road between the airport and Kathmandu), started off by Mother Teresa/s order of nuns, occupying one side of one of the temples. Most tourists then cross the river, as non-Hindus are not allowed in the main part of the complex. Things to look for on the west bank are the doorways up river, where Hindu Holy men (called /Sadhus/) live in isolation and the funeral platforms on the river bank itself (not a good idea to photograph if there is a funeral going on).

The east bank is a good place to get photos of the whole temple complex, if you climb up the hill. You can also buy some souvenirs here from hawkers along the side of the path and if you are lucky, you can find snake charmers and other novelties - when I was there, as I mentioned in /Strange Happenings/, there was the man hanging bricks from his penis. It must have hurt, but he was getting a fair bit in cash from the tourists. If he/s a creature of habit (did I just say that) and he/s still doing it now (groan), then you/ll find him at the end of a row of eleven white shrines up river from the bridge crossing the river.

Baudhanath: The Buddhist stupa and accompanying temple at Baudhanath would have been quite a site, but all around it was a ring of souvenir shops, which helped to spoil the atmosphere of the place. The stupa is huge and very striking, but after visiting Swayambhunath, I found it a bit of an anticlimax. I have to admit, that I/d just got back from Tibet the previous day and after visiting Pashupatinath the same day, I was to say the least, a bit tired.

Apparently, Baudhanath is a site of pilgrimage for Buddhists all over the Himalayas and is a focus for Tibetans living in Nepal and elsewhere outside Tibet. It is considered to be an extraordinarily powerful site, able to fulfill all wishes. I/ll let you know if mine comes true.

Other Places: Pokhara and wildlife viewing in Chitwan National Park are recommended. Nepal is also legendary for trekking in the Himalayas (for example, the Annapurna range or the trek to Everest base camp are popular), for which there is plenty on offer, both for the inexperienced and expert. Beginners should only attempt trekking as part of a group and only on some of the easier routes (request advice from experienced trekking companies).

Travel Companies: Many companies go there, mainly for trekking, with some using Kathmandu as a transit point for flying into Tibet. Have a look at the more rough and ready companies on my /Travel Links/ page, especially if you are into trekking.

Currency: Nepalese Rupee, though Dollar may be acceptable.

Language: Mainly Nepali (with a modified Indian sanskrit script) Some traces of Tibetan dialects up along the Tibetan border. English is understood by some in urban areas such as Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Religion: A wide mixture make Kathmandu especially a fascinating place to visit. Hinduism is the main religion, with many temples evident. Buddhism is also visible in Kathmandu in two forms, Newar Buddhism (a modified form practiced in the Kathmandu valley) and some Lamaism (a form of Mahayana Buddhism). Sunni Islam is also present.