Around the World with Marsha & Joel

What is it about narrow, snaking, mountain roads not in the US? From Corfu to Madeira to Nepal, the guardrail industry seems to be non-existent. I don’t think it’s the money since what is spent on roadside shrines (for those who went over) probably surpasses what would be spent on the steel. And, buses were not even considered when road width was determined.

Here we go again.

Sounds good. Could use some clean, mountain air at this point. Sit back and relax for a half hour drive with a stop for tea and a pleasant walk around a typical farming village.

But, it seems no one considered that it was New Years Day, and a beautiful day, and the perfect day for the entire population of Kathmandu to get out of the city for an outing! Five minutes up the narrow road and the traffic stopped dead. It seemed that whenever two over-sized vehicles came together at a curve it was virtually impossible to pass one another…and one couldn’t back up as solid traffic pushed right up behind. In the meantime motorbikes continually moved through every possible empty space. The local police were helpless, and only other drivers and passengers could cooperate to stop the bikes and make enough room for the buses/trucks to pass. A deep ditch was on the mountain side and a sheer drop opposite making things even more dicey.

Between the stops and the breakneck racing speed around the scream-inducing curves the usual half hour trip took almost two. Good thing we had a pit stop just before setting out.

Just before reaching the top we found this picturesque place to have some delicious Nepalese tea. Seriously, only a super dry Hendricks martini with a cucumber garnish would have been better at this point.

The rest of the trip was quiet and provided some good views of the difficult farming conditions most of the locals face. The terraces are beautiful, but imagine toting your tools, water and harvested crops. The Nepalese are indeed a hearty people.

Along our hike into the farm village we came across some innovative ways the farmers utilize what they have around them to make it all work. All the farming is by hand. The men do the plowing and the women do EVERYTHING else. Wheat was the current crop.

We were allowed into this yard and house to see how the families live. To say sparsely is a gross understatement. The yard and the first floor is shared equally by the family and the livestock. Here the lady of the house is boiling not too fresh-looking water for some unknown purpose. We had to duck to get into the house and through the inner doorways. There was an open fire/cooking area on the dirt floor…and no chimney. The smoke simply rises to the ceiling and eventually works it way out of the open windows. Too expensive to do the masonry work for a chimney it turns out.

Presumably all their cooking and eating utensils. No closets. Almost no furniture. Glassless windows.

Two bedroom and two beds for Grandmom, Mom and Dad, and we believe three kids. An old singer sewing machine and a tiny, vintage TV (wonder what channels are available).

As we continue our walk through the neighborhood we do see a few more people and even a very small “corner store” where they can get things they need that they can’t grow or make.

We see some local kids playing make-up games…

…and more kids in the yard.

I know it might seem a little depressing, but it isn’t really. The air is clean and crisp, a water line runs beside the road, the foliage looks healthy and the crops good. They survive by their own hands and wits, and have a belief system that allows them to accept what they have without the need to hope for more – or to envy what others might have.

We head back toward the city as the sun is setting, thinking the traffic has cleared for a straight shot down the mountain.

How wrong we were! One of the many jams took well over half an hour of moving vehicles like a slide-puzzle until the open space could be found.

Yes, they paid the same price to ride as everyone else. We have some fun with them and high fives as they pass by (withing less than an inch). Fortunately, just as most of our moods start to sour, several of our ebullient fellow travelers from Mexico start a round of songs that bring all spirits back up. We continue singing all the way down and sincerely wish Nepal a very Happy New Year!

After attending morning prayers on the Ganges, a quick shower and breakfast at the hotel we hustle to the Varanasi airport for a 45 minute international flight to Kathmandu in Nepal (and setting our watches another 15 minutes ahead – really). The security gets very serious now. Everything gets x-rayed, all our handbags are opened, we get frisked at two security points, and our bags get checked again just before boarding. The flight leaves just a bit late and gives us what could have been even more spectacular views of the Himalayas if it weren’t for a fairly thick cloud layer. We descend into the bowl, surrounded by Himalayan foothills that is the Kathmandu Valley.

After settling in at our luxurious hotel we venture out into the city, a few hundred yards beyond our isolated pod. The difference from India is quite stark. As you can see, the streets are a bit more modern and the buildings are multilevel and better maintained. Poverty is not as evident (but still really there). The pollution is evident though. There are many more people wearing masks and our eyes are already a bit irritated. We are assured it is a lot better than is was.

Our city map makes us think we can walk to Durbar Square (one of two squares of the same name we discover). But, non-existent street signs and misleading distance scales prevents it. But the nearby non-tourist scene is a scene in itself.

Beautiful local beans, potatoes, garlic, oyster mushrooms, squash, etc. It is a bustling place around rush hour…people getting ready for dinner.

Nepal has no real industry, tourism being its main source of income. It has a 22 million population, 2 million of whom live in the small geography of Kathmandu. Part of the tourism income is from mountain summit climbers; $15,000 -20,000 permit fees are charged to each climber. Plus, you have to buy equipment and supplies, hire guides, sherpas, etc. Not a sport for the faint of heart, or the light of pocketbook. One of our fellow travelers had been on a trek between base camps here previously. That’s not as expensive as going for the summits, but plenty thrilling based on his stories (next trip, right Marsha?).

There is a real shortage of water in Nepal, and, as you can see, garbage is almost as large an issue here as in India.

This is a small country with China to the north (Tibet is a mere 75 km away) and India to the east, south and west. Kathmandu is at 1,500 ft. and nearly 10 degrees cooler than most of India. Rice is a major crop.

It claims eight of the 14 highest mountain peaks in the world, including the highest, Mt. Everest.

Nepal is 75% Hindu and 25% Buddhist. The outlook/philosophy is similar to India’s; people are happy with what they have.

Asian/Chinese faces are common now as are other Asian and Buddhist influences.

The next morning we head off to another World Heritage Site, the Boudhanath (“Lord of Wisdom”), one of the most important places of pilgrimage for Buddhists. The stupa is said to be a “jewel point in the center of a natural mandala, a store of sacred energy”.

…and the eyes of Buddha are upon you. There are eyes on two corners and a third eye of wisdom. The shrine has relics of Buddha.

[This part of Nepal has always been a backpacker paradise, and a free, open marijuana area…not sure how it is now, but you still spot a lot of hippie throw-backs].

The movie, “Little Buddha” was filmed here. It is considered a stairway to heaven by Buddhists and we note many monks, especially in Marsha-purple robes.

And a mask to avoid the pollution (not the incense) on a beautifully warm, blue-skied day.

Some of the finest hand-work we’ve seen yet. Indeed a place to do that last minute gift shopping. There are also schools of various Buddhist-related arts.

The paintings are beautiful and intricate…but where can we hang one??? We really do feel both relaxed and energized after this visit, and ready to move on.

It’s actually the Nepalese  New Year today so the traffic is relatively light as we make our way past some government buildings. It’s a reminder that Nepal was very recently a constitutional monarchy which was dumped by the Maoists, who apparently are more reasonable here than in other places. Now there is a constitutional assembly while awaiting elections for real democracy. The current coalition government (with Maoists, Communists, etc.) will soon hold a democratic vote. The people are thrilled with the prospect. We shall see.

[You might remember that in 2001 the Crown Prince of Nepal went on a murderous rampage killing the King and nine of his family members before shooting himself (based on his disallowed love for an “outside” woman). The King’s brother took over the throne as a beloved ruler, but stepped down three years later, allowing for this democratic course. The ex-King lives now as a (very wealthy via real estate) citizen. He was spotted by our group last night at our hotel for a New Years celebration].

As we head for Bhaktapur City we come across this local cremation site along the local river, a tributary of the Ganges. It is very moving to see the mourners place the body, remove the decorative gold shroud, circle in respect, and individually say goodby with flowers and other offerings before the pyre is set ablaze. It is said that the fires here take much longer to burn than those at Varanasi, and must be covered to avoid rain putting them out.

Just below us (on the bank opposite the cremations) the gifts of life are celebrated by a Buddhist priest for one of his followers.

We arrive at this “living heritage” site displaying the Newari culture. It dates back to the early 7th century and is maintained beautifully. We also remember it’s New Years and the locals like to gather here, evidenced by the expanding crowds as we move closer to the center of Durbar Square.

A pagoda on the square looms above as the New Year crowds and celebrations thicken. Crammed in people and speeding motorbikes not a good mix.

So we take a lunch break at one of the scenic balcony restaurants surrounding the squares. Marsha (Moma as she’s known to the grand-kids) has to try the famous momos (spicy Nepalese dumplings, usually filled with chicken and/or vegetables). We also get some delicious vegetable fried rice and our first Everest beer – we tried the Gorke (Gurka) beer last night- both excellent lagers – today’s in welcome iced mugs as well.

The New Year crowd builds and builds and spills up the steps of the sky-scraping 5-level Siddhi Laxmi temple, an engineering marvel. We learn that the pagoda structure was invented in Nepal.

We head back for the bus for an afternoon drive several thousand feet up into the hills to visit an authentic farming village called Nadarcat. 90% of all Nepalese live in these kinds of villages. The ride and visit deserves its own post. Come along for a wild ride.

Before we start, let us offer you a video (click the link below) to see the folk dance and dancers we mentioned in the previous post.

http://youtu.be/jDtpNK_iJ2c

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We board an Air India domestic flight (35 minutes…saving a 14 hour bus ride) to Varanasi, the holiest city in India (equivalent to Jerusalem and Mecca) and the oldest continuous living city in the world. It is the city of Shiva, the Hindu God of Gods.

It is the aim of all Hindus to visit Varanasi at least once in their lifetime, and for many to die there. To die there is the ultimate shortcut to Nirvana (avoiding all those various reincarnations).

Our local guide, Krishna, gives us our prayer bead necklace made of seeds. It is fingered as the Ohm (“Ohm Nama Shiva”) is repeated. He tells us Varanasi is the city of “learning and of burning”. 100-150 bodies are cremated on open pyres daily – the only place in India where cremation is done 24 hours a day.

We take a bus toward the Mother Ganges until it cannot go further. Then to bicycle rickshaws as the crowds thicken and the walkways narrow.

Obviously our driver is ready for us. These drivers, both young and old look like sticks, but are pure energy with sinews of steel. How they are able to move these gear-less, heavy conveyances up hills and over deep potholes all day long in 100 degree heat is beyond anything I can imagine. I tip them large.

Here the incredible golguppas, puffed flour crisps filled with cumin spiced water and chickpeas.

And here’s a video of our continuing ride toward the Ganges:

http://youtu.be/Yg70DcG4LD0

When the rickshaws can go no further we pile out and walk the narrow alleys of Varanasi, lined with shops and hawkers and people cooking up things like glue, tea, soups, chapatis, and dontwanttothinkaboutits.

Look carefully in the center of the shop above. This place is famous for the cow that enters every morning, takes her place on the floor and doesn’t leave until closing.

…and the mood changes as we get very near the crematories.

We reach the Ganges just as the sun is going down. In time to meet our boat (21 people and a single oarsman) to row out to view and hear the formal evening prayers to the Mother River, more sacred here than at any other place.

The mourners watch. The fire’s work is done in about 2 1/2 hours. The ashes are scattered into the Ganges. This is the only place where the fires burn in the open (under sheds elsewhere) as it is the only place where even torrential rains won’t put out the fires. That’s what we are told.

As our boat gets in position for the spectacular evening prayer ceremony for the Ganges a 10 year old girl rows up alone in her own boat and makes a deal with our guide to sell us the flower/candle floats to place in the water as remembrances. She makes quick, expert work of it, collects her rupees and makes off to the next sale. In the meantime even younger boys, without boats or shoes, leap as nimbly as monkeys from the bow of one boat to the stern of another selling trinkets of all kinds. No one falls this evening.

Seven young priests go through a half hour ritual dedicated to the Mother Ganges, with music and lights, fire and smoke. It is as much entertainment as ritual.

A boat load of Pilgrims, many with their heads shaved, come from all over India and beyond to be part of the evening and morning services. A once in a lifetime event for most. There is hostel like lodging for them in Varanasi.

With the ceremony over we make our way through the crushing crowds, through the alleys to our rickshaws and bus and to the hotel for a few hours sleep. We are awakening at 4 am to be back for the morning prayers to the sun and the bathing (“purification”) in the Ganges.

Without realizing there was a night we’re back at the river before 5 am to witness the sunrise rituals.

Yes, they really do. The pilgrims and local people (who come everyday to bathe, pray, even brush their teeth in the holiest of waters…our guide insists that some even drink of Ganga). Although the water streams from the Himalayas, hundreds of miles away, it is not clean. Dead cows are thrown in. Children and Holy men are not cremated and instead are weighted and thrown in the Ganges. Dead lepers are thrown in as well. The uncontrolled garbage we’ve been talking about works its way down to the water too. But, locals insist there are “good” bacteria that eat the bad in the Ganges, keeping it “clean”.

Here’s a video to help you understand the bathing ritual:

http://youtu.be/vL1CUgLD2Vo

Every 12 years there is a bathing festival called Kumbas. Once 3 million people came to this spot for it. Just imagine.

On the boat this morning our guide pointed to a body floating in the water…we really believed the man was dead until he opened his eyes and started doing the backstroke. I saw a wry smile on his face.

A perfect day for the worship of nature and of the Hindu Trinity; Rama (the creator), Vishnu (the protector), and Shiva (the destroyer). The bathers dip in the water three times for the trinity and five times for the elements of nature.

The practical side of the Ganges allows a large number of laundry services to operate. I hope the “good” bacteria is at work here as well.

As we make our way back we come across a cauldron of soup boiling away and ready to be distributed to the poor. They do take care of those in need in many small ways. It looks hearty and heartening.

We’re ready now to leave India for neighboring (but not necessarily neighborly) Nepal and Katmandu.