Our farewell dinner in Udaipur was in an old haveli. The rooftop views were beautiful, and the men playing the sitar (Indian guitar) was a lovely touch. We toasted to a great summer, and had a final round of some of our favorite indian dishes- palakpaneer, naan, dhal, all in the company of 14 people- some workers from Seva mandir and some friends we met along the way. The next day, I somehow managed to cram all of my goodies from Sadhna into my rucksack, hoist it on my back (along with my daypack), andFizzy, Melanie, and I piled into a rickshaw with our bags and headed to the train station, where we only got our seats wrong once,moved, hoisted our bags (a second time) up into the upper berths, and settled in for the 12+ hour train ride to DEelhi from Udaipur. The train wasn't so bad, albeit sleeping with my rucksack wasn't too comfortable. We pulled into Delhi in the morning, and the urban slums along the train tracks that I have been missing were there, in all their emotional glory. It was raining as we pulled into the city. Men in lunghis (a shirt version of a sarong that many men here wear) carrying umbrellas were walking and squatting along the tracks, as the tracks served as toilets for the people living in the slums we passed. They would squat, and justgo to the bathroom right there, with the trains passing. Some men faced the train, others had theirback turned, and it was a bit tough whenI realized what the small yellow mounds I saw actually were.
We dropped our luggage at a friend's apartment,and then headed to Kathmandu. It is a fabulous city, at least now in the low tourist season. We have been eating Tibetan and Nepali food, much more mild than indian food for sure, and withTibetan food, one can see the similarities withsome form of Chinese cuisine. Our hotel, located in Thamel (the new city centre) is about $2.20/night, and ironically is the first place I have been in 6 weeks to have a proper shower with hot water and pressure. I haven't had to use a bucket all week! Anyhow, we saw sights here, including the dramatic Swayambunath (monkey temple) buddhist temple, up several steps and offering a dramatic view of the city. There are monkeys everywhere, jumping around the statutes of Buddha, up and down the stairs, and around the stupa (the center piece mound which ontains relics from Buddha). The stupa was incredibly impressive- a large white mound, spire with buddha;s eyespainted on, a gold dome, and tibetan prayer flags hanging everywhere. the stupa is surrounded by prayer wheels, whcih people spi as they walk around the stupa in a clockwise motion. It was incredible.
We alsowent to Durbar Square, the historic center of town. We went to the KumariGoddess's home (a prepubescent girl is selectedas a living goddess, and is considered such until her first period). We coldn't she her because she is on strike, as her caretakers aren't making enough money (supposedly). We walked through thehistoric town, seeing the seats of government, shrines, temples, vegetable sellers, people hanging outon the old buildings' stoops, and children playing in puddles. After dusk, we roamed all around the narrow alleys and backstreets of the area, dark alleyways punctured with tiny stores, butcheries, and tobacco stands. Every so often we happened upon a square, bustling like crazy in the rain, with people selling vegetables, marigolds and lotuses for people to palce on the many shrines around, bicycle rickshaw drivers vying fr your business, young girl selling salts, men sitting around a counter with carcasses awaiting their purchase, fish being sold for dinners...It was awesome.
The next day we headed for our trek. We took a microbus (think enlarged minivan) to the city of Pokhara, about 5+ hours away on a beauitful (yet nauseating) drive through the moutains. The drive was spectacular- the mountains are brilliant colors of explosive green, and much of the journey was along a river ranging through the valley floor. We got to Pokhara inthe evening, and enjoyed a nice meal at a Tibetan restaurant near our hotel. The next day we headed about1.5 hours away to the head of our trail. We did a 4 hour hike in about 7...we took our time emjoying the lush landscape, and took a swim in a water hole safe from the rapids of the river. It was so refreshing, to actually feel cold for the first time in weeks! The water was freezing because it was from glaciers. It was great and I think all of the trekkers that passed us were jealous that we decided to go in. We stayed that night at a guesthouse perched precariously on a mountain face. We arrived right as the monsoon began. Everything was lit by candlelight, and was really cool. WE climbed upa wooden ladder to our room, ate dinner at long wooden tables, and played cards by candlelight. Our guide, Ajeeb, also sang traditional Nepali songs for us.
We woke up late the next day and didn't hit the trailuntil about 8.15am. This was the most rigorous day of the trek, as it was all uphill. It was also themost beauitful. The mountains are so green right now because of the rains and everything is like an explosion of color. When you look up at the mountains, their faces are pierced with waterfalls. the rivers run over the mountains, and the rice paddies are such a bright neon green it is hard to believe it is real. Along the trail we met an old woman, who sat down with us on a rest and pulled out a picture of two girls, saying they were her granddaughters and that her daughter diedand she needed money to take care of them. It was clearly a sham, but the woman was this wizzened old thing, hiking up these mountains with the energy of a 25 year old. We came across thema again a bit later in the trail, and she was intensely yelling and arguing withthe younger man with her. Turns out she took the younger man's sister and promised her work in Pokhara, but sold her to a hotel proprietor as a cleaner, and when the girl is old enough, she will be sold for sex. She was about 6 or seven. No one knows who is right, but that put a somber cloud over us for a while.
IN the early evening we arrived at our inn for the night, soaked through from the monsoons that pured down all afternoon. It was a wonderful place, on the top of the Ghorepani mountain at an elevation of 2300m, with a supposed view of Annapurna South and Annapurna I (two snowcapped mountains in the himalayas, which include mountains in the range over 6000m)- clouds obscured it. After a much needed and relished warm shower, Melanie, Meg (another Seva Mandir-ite), and I went shoppping-we were desperate as we hadn't shopped in like two days and hadn't seen anything to even buy, save water and lays potato chips. There was exactly one shop that sold anything besides water and snacks, and we all bought lovely sheep's wool scarves, which are wonderfully warm, and smell like mountainy moistness. This guesthouse wasn't crowded, and we sat around a fire sipping hot chocolate until dinner arrived. WE played cards, and made friends witha couple hiking, and talked bycandlelight. WE crashed early that night, around 10 pm, in our second floor room at the top of a wooden ladder. Thin walls made out of wooden planks, no lights, but cozy and appropriate for out setting. Unfortunately we had to skip the part of our hike the next morning, as the clouds obscured the view of the mountains. But wedid glimspe the mighty Himalayas before we had to trek back down the mountains, hiking in 7 hours what it took us 2 days to achieve. by the time we finished we were totally wiped out, and my calves still ache from strenous hike downhill, in the rain. Parts of the trail had been washed away by the monsoons, and we had to fordge ourway over the landslides.
What was even more striking than the beautiful scenery was the fact that our trains was actually the only road in the area. It was a series of stone steps, varying in width and depth, large in some areas and smaller in others. itis difficult for humans to walk- impossible for vechiles to traverse. we saw some horses and donkeys along the road, but anything people wanted was carried in baskets hanging down people's backs from a straparound their foreheads. Many villages or homes we passed were over 30 miutes from any resembling another human,and there are no phones. If someone gest sick, i think four men get together and carry the person down the mountain. School children walk aboutan hourup and down the slopes every day, skipping along like it is nothing. This is the only route by which to reachthis area, and is an unrelenting for the trekker as it is for those who live along its stones. While the trails are overrun with treekers for probably 6+ months of the year, the rest of the time these mountain people live pretty isolated from the any semblance of urban areas. This isolation was so striking and immense, and is quite overwhleming in retrospect.
After a night in POkhara filled with tradiational Nepali music and dancing (we joined in to the best of ouraching bodies abilities), we headed back to Kathmandu, in a crazy and uncomfortable bus ride. At our lunchstop, ourguide said there was bad news- apparently there was as strike on the road to Kathmandu, conducted by a family whose son was killed by a bus a few months ago and was still awaiting reparations. While terrible, leave it to ourluck to be in a country going through intense potical shifts and encountering a totally unrelated strike. Luckily it stopped before we entered Kathmandu.
The next day we went to Bouddnath- a major site for Buddhist pilgrams and monks. Surrounding the area is a Tibetan neighborhood, which has really developed since many Tibetan refugees moved there after the 1959 revolt in China. It was awesome and impressive, with dozens of prayer wheels of many different sizes all around, monks walking around, people lighting butter candles, tibetan prayer flags everywhere...it was awesome. That afternoon, i went to Pashupatinath, the most important Hindu temple in Nepal. Only hindus can enter the temple, but there is a great deal to see outside the structure. It is located on teh Bagmati River, which feeds into the Ganges. It is a site for many pilgrams and because it is a holy spot, many people come here to die. There is a hospice located on the river, and a sliding stone outside of it to slide the body into the water to cleanse it before it is wrappedin whiteand orange and creamted. There were about about 6 or 7 funeral pyres along the ghats (steps that lead to the river for cremation purposes), all lit, while I was there, and I watched the cremations. The Brahmans conduct th e cremations, while the family sits behind the pyre and watches for the 3-4 hours, unti lthe body is burned and the ashes are pushed off the pyre into the water. People also swim in the water. It was pretty intense. Something about HInduism doesn't resonate so well with maybe because I also see the tranquility of Buddhist around, so I went back to Boudhnath for the evening circling of the stupa- monks and people get swept away in circling the structure and spinning prayer wheels. I made it about half way around untili got distracted by banging drums and dancing, and of course a bit of shopping, but finished the circle, and headed backto Thamel for a final night in kathmandu. Off to varanesi today, and Agra the day after. I get back to Delhi on the evening of the 18th, and leave about 24 hours later.
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