As the flight was about to land in Kathmandu, the view from the top looked amazing. The homes built on mountains, the greenery and the breathtaking natural beauty was enough to put someone in a good mood. As the passengers deplaned at Kathmandu airport the cool breeze embraced them putting them in a state of momentary bliss. This is what perhaps heaven would resemble, at least from the initial impression. The wooden passage that guided the passengers to the baggage claim reminded me of structures from old films. The airport was very small, extremely basic and had no frills attached.
Being an Indian citizen, I was not asked anything by the immigration officials and walked out of the airport without any time lapse. This was the first time I felt privileged at an International airport. We were transferred to our hotel, a decent five star property that my friend had booked us in. He was getting married there and the evening passed in getting ready for his reception. The reception turned out to be quite interesting as I got to interact with some locals and observe their culture. Though my focal point was the food since I hadn’t eaten much all day, I tried to be sociable. The guests were dressed mostly in Indian attire but a few young girls wore black cocktail dresses with miniature hats (the Royal wedding sort, only smaller in size). The hats certainly got my attention but I was unable to find one for myself to bring back home as a souvenir. I did however find a lot of other things that were more precious.
The next morning we drove to the famous Pashupatinath temple. There were more monkeys than there were people (okay I may be exaggerating a bit, but the monkey population was high). Behind the temple was beautiful open space overlooking the steep staircase and open passage ways built at diverse elevations. The main temple door was shut halfway and there was a mandatory line for the devotees. The temple security along with the unsolicited wannabe security was pulling the devotees out harshly and yelling at them. Was this a power issue for them or a bad habit, only the divine knows? Where was the sense in worshiping deities and disrespecting humans, I didn’t quite understand? If they would just leave the temple doors open to everyone without creating so much fuss, the experience would be much smoother. This love of drama and hype that a lot of people have is excruciatingly annoying. We just shrugged the bad behaviour and moved on.
Our next stop was the Buddhist monastery. The structure was huge, round and tomb shaped. The architecture was very different from what I had seen so far. Small shops of jewellery and artefacts were located around it. Mesmerised by the structure, tourists went trigger happy even in the scorching heat.
After half a day of heavy spiritual sightseeing doze, I was ready to do my favourite thing – SHOP. As the quest for spirituality ended the quest for materialism began and we headed to the City Centre. The mall was quite modern with trendy stores and filled with youthful energy. My first buy was a beautiful dress followed with a lot of other stuffJ. We then drove over to Durbar Marg, a remarkable street where nice boutiques were located. I walked into a gem store and the owners turned out to be from Jaipur. Though they quoted exorbitant prices on the jewellery, they were kind enough to guide us to a market called Bhat Bhateni. This was more of a supermarket and looked quite basic from outside but when we went in it was loaded with some high end stuff. We shopped like crazy and hopped in a cab to go back to Durbar Marg where our driver would meet us later. Taking cabs in the city meant negotiating a fair price. One of the nice gestures the locals made for all pedestrians crossing the street was to stop their vehicles and let them go first. Pleased by their generosity and the goodies we found, we checked out some local stores followed by a drive into Thamel. The narrow lanes and tiny shops spoke volumes about the history of their city. Cycle rickshaws carried tourists around and gave them a glimpse of the New Road (which ironically had an old world appearance). A drive by the Royal Palace completed the day's tour.
That night we were invited to my friends’ wife’s home for dinner. Quite curious to experience a Nepalese home, we wrapped up a beautiful gift, got dressed and went over to her place. We must have climbed five flights and passed three pet dogs before we reached the terrace of the row house. Amidst the dim-lit rustic decor floated red wine and beer. The men sat around a big table, while the women sat in a row in the back. The seating arrangement did not go down too well with guests who were not used to such segregation. The hosts were gracious and after snacking on their local cuisine some of us decided to head back to the hotel for dinner. The rooftop restaurant had ghazal singers and it was a magical evening. Just when we thought that this was a perfect end to a wonderful day, we realized that we still hadn’t checked out the Casino located just behind the hotel. As we entered the Casino, we saw a woman dancing to tunes from Hindi films on a stage setup in a section of the casino while the male audience cheered and handed money to her. This took me by surprise. After her performance was over a dance troupe came to entertain casino guests. The dancers were well choreographed and their outfits colour coordinated. Though the male dancers performed well they were royally ignored by the audience and did not earn anything – neither appreciation nor green bills L Sigh! Some people were there for the Casino, while others for entertainment and there were a select few for the free buffet. Needless to say, it was quite a sight! I quickly made an exit and walked back to the hotel wondering how ironic the ways of the world are.
The next morning we headed to Civil Mall. An international organization had put up a Hunger Drive there. Young locals in crisp white t-shirts campaigned for the cause. They were educated, vibrant and depicted a promising future for their country. They sang, played guitar, danced, entertained and raised money for the organization. The entire mall, all five floors were hooked on to their performance and the enthusiasm was contagious. After another long day, we headed to Patan.
Once we returned to the hotel, a friend invited a Nepalese astrologer. The excitement lasted only till the time he got there. He spoke only the local language and the translator could not translate a thing. In an attempt to predict my future, he ruined my present and wasted my time. I finally gave him some cash, thanked him (and my stars) and let him go.
The casino fever was still on and we went to another casino one last time hoping to become richer. I lost almost all the Nepalese money I had on me and was left with only 100 NRS. When I ordered milk at the hotel, I was informed by the room service staff that it would cost me 175 bucks including taxes. Since I didn't have the money the staff brought over complimentary milk. Touched by his generosity, I tipped him the last 100 bucks I had. That was an expensive glass of milk, I thought!
On Sunday, I woke up early, packed and said goodbye to all my friends. When I went down to the lobby a lot of couples from various countries were seen hanging out with local Nepalese children. They must have come there to adopt these children (or at least one would assume so). The men were quite aged while the women were much younger. When a friend tried making small talk with a woman from Florence, she became quite apprehensive and evaded the conversation altogether. I was a bit confused about that entire scene and wondered if it was authentic?
Another surprise element were the monks. I must have seen more monks in the malls and restaurants than I did at the monastery. They sure knew how to have a good time. The locals however became very uncomfortable discussing that or anything related to their politics, religion or adoption. Kathmandu was a mixed bag - there were some high points, some mysteries deeply hidden inside and some not so pleasing sights. Overall, it was an experience I will not be able to forget easily.
Few cities in the world leave a long lasting impression on the mind of a traveller. Such are always cherished, remembered and re-visited. Kathmandu cannot be described completely in words. It has to be experienced but it requires courage to delve into.
