Kathmandu, Nepal - April 2009
Top of the World
by Carleton Cole
by Carleton Cole
While many parts of Asia have a global feel these days, Kathmandu, Nepal, remains a living museum for its centuries-old culture, breathtaking Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas, and the Himalayas and its foothills, which have done a great job at protecting the region from colonisation and invasion.
After the coolness of winter dissipates, the medieval cities of the Kathmandu Valley come alive with new purpose every spring, which starts in late March. Complementing this rise in temperatures is an annual increase in the number of travellers and trekkers here to visit the capital’s historic squares and lanes bustling with multi-tier Hindu temples, and to face the challenge of climbing the world’s highest mountain.
North of Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, many narrow lanes teem with animal-drawn carts, rickshaws and a mishmash of mechanised traffic, Nepalis expertly weave in and out if the traffic, which also include bicycles, pedestrians, cars and, of course, sacred, wandering bovine. In nearby Kumari Bahal is the temple-home of a living goddess, a carefully chosen young girl who lives and receives worshippers.
Courtesans dressed in golden regalia drop rose petals beneath her bare feet as she ritually walks around the temple courtyard. The largely Hindu state is also infused with a unique brand of Tantric-influenced Buddhism, strengthened in recent decades by an influx of Tibetan refugees who support local Buddhist monasteries such as Swayarnbhunath and Boudhanath on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
Leather-faced pilgrims slowly walk along the road leading to Boudhanath, spinning hand-held prayer wheels, which sends their prayers to heaven. The same principle applies to the threadbare Tibetan prayer flags at the stupa; their writings whipped by winds and sent skyward, thread by thread. The sharp light and temperature changes of dusk are accentuated when walking around the enormous stupa.
While one side bakes in sun, the blinding light bouncing brightly off the whitewashed walls, the other side is cold and windy, portending the impending nightfall. Tibetans come here in the late afternoon to circumambulate the largest stupa in Nepal, spinning large prayer wheels built into its walls and making offerings to Buddha.
Popular places to stay in and near the Nepali capital include Le Meridien Kathmandu Gokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa, which will put you in a place of spectacular natural beauty that’s also close to the city, as well as Gangjong Hotel, a budget travellers choice just a short walk to the town centre.|
In Bhaktapur, the cultural highlight of valley, the city offers the capital’s intricate web of temples and squares but minus the noise, pollution, throng of crowds (which are fun but not all the time) and scarily persistent Tiger Balm peddlers and self-appointed sadhu (holy men) who are fast to dab a tika (blessing mark made of paint) on unsuspecting tourists foreheads, for which they have the gall to ask for a tip!
Seasonal winds race across the town’s sweeping Bhaktapur Durbar Square. Echoes of temples devastated by a massive earthquake in 1934 are present in the exotic shadows cast from the remaining Hindu statues, temples high on Mayan-style pyramids and tall poles topped with mythical garuda, looking distinctly more human than their Thai cousins.
The unique blend of nature’s destructionand Nepalese artistry creates, perhaps, a much more endearing panorama. On the streets nestled between the squares, merchants offer meticulously detailed Tibetan thanka paintings, Nepalese shawls, and religious artefacts galore for both travellers and local pilgrims. Though the well-visited town can seem like a feudal fantasy world, Bhaktapur captures the very essence of Nepalese culture.
Although traditional paraphernalia, attire, and religious rites might seem out of place in contemporary Asia, here they are ubiquitous and embraced with pride. In stark contrast to the cultural whirl of Kathmandu Valley is the wild West-style town of Pokhara, a popular base for treks among the splendid hills, valleys and mighty peaks of the Annapurna range of the Himalayas.
The twisting ride out to Pokhara, eight hours west of the capital, is spectacular, with bridges spanning steep gorges and breathtaking views over cliffs peppered with rice fields ingeniously terraced into their crags and inclines. Around almost every bend there are telling glimpses of rural life, with hearty Nepalese locals transporting unbelievably high stacks of firewood or harvest on their backs.
Charming cows set the leisurely pace of traffic in Pokhara, making their way between pedestrians and vehicles. Largely devoid of the historical or religious sites of Kathmandu valley, nature itself is the focus of Pokhara, which is fringed by the smooth waters of Phewa Lake. Pokhara’s Fishtail Lodge Hotel is 10 minutes away by car from the airport. Tourists keeping track of their rupees can opt for a room with a view in the lakefront Kantipur Hotel.
In the distance rise the majestic peaks of Annapurna, with the perfect white triangle of Machhapuchhare (which means ‘fishtail’ as it resembles one from another angle) commanding particular attention, compelling visitors to venture closer for a better look at its beauty. Fog envelops the peaks by noon, so walks are best started in early morning.
An ideal half-day trek is up to the crumbling hilltop fort of Sarangkot. Along the trail trekkers must navigate rambling cows and goats and follow rushing streams ever higher as they lead to a path traversing the spine of a small mountain. Grannies offer trekkers fresh herbs from their gardens.
Homes nestle right up to the side of the mountain, where children play and farmers tend to small fields.
High up here the season puts on its best show. To the south lies the pristine view across Lake Phewa. To the north, the breathtaking panorama culminates at the peaks of Annapurna, which seem to pierce the sky and enter into heaven itself.
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