Friday 27 September 2013

Jhamsikhel - early morning walk

Namaste

As I miss walking my dog every morning in Tavistock, I now take an early walk and combine it with a visit to some local shops to buy fresh produce.  Some of the things I see each morning still surprise me, so on this page I'll guide you along, explaining as we go.

It's 7.30am, the temperature is warm and comfortable, just right for walking. The lane outside the guest house is gravel and barely wide enough for a car, but provides a rat-run for motorbikes and scooters, who jostle for space with the bicycles, pedestrians, dogs and even the occasional car. A man wheeling his bike calls for bottles for recycling as he passes each house. Sometimes a man selling potatoes or apples from baskets on his bike joins in the chorus.



The area is mainly residential, with many houses squeezed into what were, I suspect, gardens. Some of the gardens have colourful shrubs (bourganvilla and jasmine to name two I recognise) or fruit and vegetables; marrows growing along a high fence, grapefruit the size of small footballs.


Marrows growing along a fence.
Grapefruit, big enough for football, overhanging the lane.





















On reaching the main road the scene changes abruptly. This road is being upgraded, and every morning a different stage has been reached. Piles of stones, deep holes full of water, paving stones, cables and pipes litter the pavements and roadway. However unlike the UK, here no diversions or even warning signs are evident. Walking along here is like an obstacle course, with vehicles, motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians all trying to manoeuvre in the small space left in the middle of the road. The passing traffic throws up dust clouds, so everything feels grimy.
The pavement!
Jhamsikhel Chowk, the cross roads.


In a small roadside cafe men, rarely women, sit passing the time of day and drinking their tea, made with boiled milk and lots of sugar.  

The couple who run the small greengrocers shop near our guest house now greet me with a smile and friendly "Namaste".  They are used to my mumbling, badly pronounced Nepali, asking for Keraa (banana), syaa (apple), golbheDaa (tomato) and pyaaj (onion). When I try to bargain, as we were told we must by our Nepali teacher, the shopkeeper tells me that the price is already cheap, which is true. Four bananas, six tomatoes and a small papaya cost me 150 rupees, around £1!


Returning along another lane to the guesthouse, my attention is drawn upwards by a flock of bright green parakeets, screeching across the sky, aggravated by a low flying kite (the bird) who soars nearby.  
Time for my breakfast now. 
Ta ta.

Monday 23 September 2013

Rangichangi Nepal


Namaste

One of the things in Kathmandu, that makes a real impression, is how colourful everything is. I have taken hundreds of photos and in many the colours really jump out at you.  The word Rangichangi, in the title, pronounced just as it is spelled, means colourful. I really like the word, it sounds lovely and it sums up my thoughts of Nepal.
On this page I share some of the best scenes, along with short explanations.


The women and girls are usually beautifully dressed in colourful
saris or kurthoa suruwaal (tunics and trousers).


A stall selling garlands made of marigold flowers.
When I arrived a garland was hung around my neck in
welcome. They are also used to decorate shrines.


Decorating a shrine with ribbons, flowers and
garlands ready for a festival.

Coloured umbrellas give much needed shade to
stall holders outside a temple.


Beautifully painted stone lions who guard the
entrance to the royal palace. 

Offerings, comprising of flower petals, fruit, seeds and rice put
together on a plate made of leaves, on sale beside one of the
temples.

Thursday 19 September 2013

Swayambhu - a Buddhist temple


World Heritage site number 2.  
Swayambhu Temple and Stupa

Namaste
After an interesting taxi ride, three of us in a very small Skoda, along lanes I would be anxious about driving my car in because of the deep ruts, we arrived at the main gate of this temple.  We now have VSO passes which grant us resident status, which means that we no longer have to pay the tourist rates for entry to special places, the locals rate being much lower.  

The lower part of the temple by the entrance.
Swayambhu is sited on top of a small hill, and our guide book informed us it was a really good place to visit early on in your stay in Kathmandu, as from the top there are excellent view out over the city.  Our first impression was of many large trees, millions of prayer flags and monkeys!! They roam wild over the site, and we were told, as we arrived, not to touch or feed them. Because of this they ignore the human visitors as they do not expect food from them.  (Someone should have dealt with the seagulls in St. Ives in the same way!!)



Having refused a guide, we remembered to walk clockwise around the site. (anti-clockwise is disrespectful!)  Monkeys everywhere, many family groups with very young clinging on around their mother's belly.

The path led us spiralling gradually upwards towards the top of the hill, viewing various devotional statues, bells and prayer wheels at regular intervals during our climb.

One of several bells we saw.
Each was inscribed with many symbols.

This statue in the middle of a small pool, very green, which seemed to be being used as a wishing well. People were throwing coins, trying to get them into the small pot below the foot of the golden statue. There was much excitement from the crowd when a coin actually went in!
 
A grid of small Stupas near the top of the hill.
















At the very top of the hill is a large white Stupa, surrounded by many strings of prayer flags. It is very old and inscriptions on it are said to date from the fifth century. Buddhists consider this a very holy place, in fact the chief 'powerpoint' in the Kathmandu Valley, and one chronicle states that an act of worship here carries thirteen billion times more merit than anywhere else. (Wow! I should have sent up some special prayers!)




The eyes painted on the golden cube at the top, on all four sides, represents the all seeing Buddha staring in all directions.  Set around the stupa are statues of 5 meditating Buddhas, representing earth, fire, air, water and the sky. 



After spending time looking around the Stupa, we then turned our attention to retail therapy!



Incongruous to us, in this very holy site, were the many traders situated at the top by the stupa, all anxious for us to see and buy their wares. They are mostly exiled Tibetans, and have many interesting Tibetan and Buddhist things for sale.  We had a demonstration of using a singing bowl for massage in one shop and left with prayer flags, embroidered bags and other small items.

The views of Kathmandu from the hillside were good, as suggested in the guide book, although it was hard to decide where the places we knew were, with this sea of house.



From this photograph, the hills which surround the Kathmandu basin can be clearly seen, and also how built up the flat plain is. Planes taking off from the airport here have to circle above the city to gain altitude before they can fly over the surrounding hills. Likewise planes coming in to land need time to lose altitude once over the hills.

Another interesting place in this fascinating city. 

Ta ta 


Saturday 14 September 2013

Durbar Square, Patan - Royal Palace and Mandirs


Namaste

With our training cancelled due to a local strike, we took the opportunity to walk to Durbar Square in Patan, one of the seven World Heritage sites in Kathmandu. The roads were so empty that a group of young boys was playing a football game on one of the busiest highways, where usually you dice with death to get across.  Oh, so quiet too, no car and bike horns, roaring traffic or people shouting.


On reaching the site we were accosted by the caretakers demanding money, 500 rupees (£3.50), as we were tourists. On telling them that we were volunteers, they kindly issued us with tickets lasting for our 2 years! 


Three of the five tiered Mandirs in the square

One of the courtyards of the Royal Palace


Stone lions guard a palace door

The palace is extensive with several courtyards and interconnecting wings.  The many carved wooden windows, doors and roof supports are all intricately decorated. Some of the courtyards have statues of Hindu gods and goddesses set into niches in the walls.


Beautifully carved decorative doorway at the  Royal Palace.

On one side of the square is a richly decorated Royal Palace, built originally during the seventeenth century, but much of it required rebuilding after the earthquake damage of 1934.  Five tiered Mandirs can be seen on the opposite side of the square, the oldest dating from 1565.











 
Near the temple are colourful stalls selling goods for offerings to the Gods; bananas, coconuts, tinsel, and beautiful little dishes made of leaves onto which are put marigold flowers, seeds and rice.


There is so much to learn about Nepal, its rich history and culture, I am sure to return to these beautiful old buildings in the square many times during my next couple of months living in Kathmandu.
Ta ta


Wednesday 11 September 2013

Teej - celebrations for women


Namaste

In Nepal September 9th is Teej - a special festival for women to celebrate and be purified. Many women dress up in gorgeous red and gold saris, put on their best gold jewellery and make themselves beautiful with hair ornaments and make up.



Some henna their hands with intricate patterns, which must take hours to complete. Many also fast, eating or drinking nothing during the day.



They then parade through the streets, often in family groups where you can see grandmother, mother, sisters and daughters, proud in their best red clothes.


The streets around the temple of Pashupatinath and Durbar Square, in the centre of Kathmandu, are thronged with crowds, all out to enjoy the colourful spectacle and take in the atmosphere.

           As we walked through the crowds, people smiled, waved and talked to us. Many women and children were keen to have their photos taken.  It felt very good to be part of their celebrations.

Tata


Monday 9 September 2013

Kathmandu - initial impressions

Namaste
I've now been in Nepal for four whole days, but my head is full of all the new experiences and suffering from sensory overload - sights, sounds, smells!
Initial impressions of life in the city are;
  • Chaotic roads, with cars, motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians all jostling for space. Driving seems to be a game of bluff as to who will give way first! Most roads seem to be under some kind of construction or repair, with piles of gravel or stones on the edges. 
  • Wonderful smiley people who want to help and please. Women dressed in beautiful colours.  

  • Much bigger buildings than I expected, brick-built, many with 3 or 4 storeys, but all crammed closely together. I've yet to discover how many people actually live in these buildings.
  • Warm/hot temperature at the moment, hot during the day and very comfortable at night when you don't need bed covers.
  • Noise - constant and loud. Car horns, dogs barking, salesmen and rubbish collectors shouting and music playing.  Planes taking off and landing, because Kathmandu is sited in a basin surrounded by hills, the planes have to circle over the city to gain and lose height.
  • Smells, not unpleasant but spicy, smells of food cooking.
  • People working hard in many different trades, to earn a livelihood.


tata - goodbye in Nepali