The flight into Kathmandu was short and fairly inexpensive – I was a bit bummed that we couldn’t do the more eco-friendly version by training/busing it from Varanasi, but we unfortunately cut Varanasi out of our trip and just bit the cost (and environmental impact) and caught a really short Air India flight between Delhi and Kathmandu.  Entering Kathmandu is seemingly easy – it’s visa-on-arrival for US citizens.  The one catch though: the airport ATM is never working.  Now, I learned my lesson previously in Laos and always carrying cash stashed away in different spots in my packs- I had US$60 on me but the 3-month visa was $100 US and that presented an interesting issue since the ATM was broken.  Now picture Helen and me scrambling back and forth through security and customs to bum money off of anyone in the vicinity who would part with a few US dollars…we managed it but it was not the way I envisioned myself rolling into the country.

Once I had my pricey and stressful Nepali visa pasted into my passport we handed our bags over to  our driver, relaxed into the taxi’s seats (because Asian/Indian style traffic doesn’t really phase us anymore) and winded our way through the streets of Kathmandu to the touristy side of town, Thamel.  Because we were in an all inclusive volunteer program the hotel and accommodations for four weeks were covered and we even received four days of Nepali language classes that were designed to give us a crash course in the most basic verbs and commands that we would need when working at our monasteries.

Our first three days were jam packed and organized around our 2-hour Nepali lessons and sightseeing around the town.  One of the first things Helen and I loved about Nepal is the pace – this country is comparatively similar to the difference between Laos and Camobodia – basically Nepal has a lot of the Indian culture but with out all of the intensity; everyone here is much calmer and more willing to offer you a smile if you try to speak their language.  Perhaps one of the best bonuses, our whiteness is not even remotely and issue here.  Even outside of the touristy sections of town the locals are open and friendly but they don’t have the leering/creepy/staring/blatant fascination that is prominent throughout India when goras (white people) are present – I love that!

Our Nepali language teachers and tour guides were a sister pair, Pramila and Urmila, who structured our days so that we got the chance to see the best of Kathmandu while also taking four complete Nepali language lessons before we were sent to our placement. I seem UNESCO World Heritage sites at this point so the trip to Hanuman Dhoka, also called Durbar Square, was a welcomed experience.  The dates are pretty broad for when this area was built – somewhere between the 12^th and 18^th centuries.  Durbar Square functioned as the seat of royalty for thousands of years and is made up of a series of temples, palaces, and buildings, and now, museums (with the monkey god Hanuman present throughout).

My favorite part of Durbar Square was the Kumari Ghar – the elaborately carved wooden and stone structure that houses Nepal’s Living Goddess.  I am equal parts fascinated and horrified by the story of the Kumari. The Kumari is, literally, a living Goddess who lives in the temple.  The catch to the whole story is the age – the Kumari is chosen at the age of three to five from a group of girls who all share very similar characteristics.  To become the next embodiment of the Goddess the girls have to meet a slew of restrictions that range from the date, hour, and minute of their birth to physical features like eye shape, skin color, voice, etc.

When a new Kumari is need the handful of young girls that meet the tight restrictions are then put through one further test to decide which one is the actual incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Durga.  They are locked in a dark room and scary noises are played as flickering lights show gruesome animal heads and scary scenes. The theory is that the little girl that shows no fear (or the least amount of fear) must be the Goddess…quite strange from a Western perspective.

That little girl is then taken to live in the temple of Kumari with her family and she is only allowed to leave the temple 13 times a year for religious festivals. Her reign as the Kumari ends the second she hits puberty and the next little girl is chosen.  I really try to use perspective in circumstances like this – although part of me is appalled at what the little girls are subjected to in the name of religion, this is such an accepted part of the Nepali culture that it has hard to keep the offense present through the patient explanation for their belief .

In addition to the Kumari, we stopped at Swayambhunath – also known as Monkey Temple because of the hundreds of monkeys that live in the surrounding trees (and aggressively steal any food you may have in your hand!). This is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Swayambhunath is considered one of the holiest sites in Nepal. The beautiful Stupa is set high up on a hill (pilgrims and visitors alike ascend 365 steps to get to the top) and overlooks the Kathmandu valley. Once you stumble up the last of the 365 steps you’re greeted by the huge gleaming white dome with a spire structure blooming from the center; all four sides of the spire are painted with the wise and all-seeing eyes of Lord Buddha (the middle symbol is the third eye).

Boudhnath is another UNESCO site and is likely the largest Stupa in existence and the center for Buddhist religion – the Stupa is enormous with the all seeing eyes of Buddha peering out over the Kathmandu Valley.  All of these sites are right in the Kathmandu Valley and are believed to relate not only to the formation and development of the Valley, but also to places that Buddha actually visited in his life.

The mix of religions here is really unique and quite harmonious.  One of the temple sites we visited had a Stupa, an Indian Shikara and…well a Hindu structure I can’t remember the name of – three types of architecture and multiple religious beliefs all sharing the same place and all of the worshippers commingling without conflict – it was pretty amazing to see.

Oh, and I love the Tibetan prayer flags – I love beauty of them cascading down from the temples and strung through the trees on every hillside and I love the theory behind the prayer flags.  Each colored flag on the string of flags contains a full mantra – when the wind blows through the prayer flags it carries the mantra throughout the world bringing peace and harmony – I think that the concept is simple and the faith behind these prayer flags makes it all the more beautiful.  The  Tibetan prayer wheels also have a similar concept – they contain mantras and prayers on them and when you spin all of the wheels in succession you are putting one complete prayer out into the Universe/Heaven on your behalf. I like the universality of their beliefs – the religion aims at gently spreading peace throughout the world as well as using their religion as a tool in their own personal lives.

Let’s just say I’m jiving with the belief system and tranquility of religion here!

A short video of the Kathmandu Valley from Swayambhunath: