The Streets of Kathmandu

In Kathmandu there are no street signs, the flow of traffic depends on which way you feel like driving and motorcycles weave in waves of fifty through streams of cars that seems to stick in the grit. Kathmandu has made different impressions on Mom and I. To me it seems like a frontier town struggling to develop but decidedly wild and functional in its informality. The bulidings rise in clusters of brick and mortar and only the façades are painted. Wild plants grow between every vacant lot and street corner and creep along the roofs of temples that are overhung with thick monsoon clouds. People hustle from one winding barely paved path to another buying vegetables and kitchenware from stalls along the street.

Beads at the Kathmandu bead market,
for married women only. 

In all these places people were worshipping their gods while we looked on. Perhaps the strangest of these rituals was the house of Kumari, the living goddess. To Mom, the most striking feature of the streets were the ubiquitous riot police with shields and canes and four foot guns. Kathmandu was hot and rainy and ringed with riot police. The Chinese trade delegation had come to town and was staying at our hotel. Inquiring about the police presence we were told that it was normal.  In this cursory explanation, our guide omitted the fact that the prime minister had resigned three days earlier, the day of our arrival. The country is currently under an interim government that has failed to pass a constitution and is under control of its fourth prime minister in three years.

Kite reels for sale in a market stall

 Despite the political uncertainty, the people were smiling and the city was bustling. We feasted our eyes on five world heritage sites, pagodas with vines sprouting from ancient roof tiles, bronze figures of the monkey god Hanuman with his jewel spitting mongoose and stupas covered in lime and saffron with prayer flags fluttering above.

The legend of Kumari is that the goddess used to play in the woods and there a king discovered her and would watch her among the trees. One day the King looked at her with sexual desire and greatly offended, the goddess told him that henceforth he would no longer see her in the woods. If he wished to see her he would now have to seek her out among the people because she would appear in the form of a little girl.

Women making disposable plates out of banyan leaves

This began the tradition of the search for Kumari. To this day, the Nepali people will go out into the villages and towns and look for a three year old girl who is both beautiful and brave. They will bring wild animals in front of her and take her from her family and she must not cry or be afraid.
If she passes these tests, she will be selected as the new Kumari and will be taken from her family to live in a temple in the old city of Patan. There she will be worshipped as a living goddess until she gets her first period. Those who go to the temple, like us, wait in the courtyard staring up at a palace window to catch a glimpse of the little girl.

Monkey at the "Monkey Temple" with a great view!

Mom spins prayer wheels at a Buddhist temple.

The Jewel Spitting Mongoose as painted in Little Tibet

A Tibetan woman spinning wool for carpets

Me and Mom in Patan

Mom very very skeptical of taking a shot of home brewed Nepali liquor

Prayer flags catching the afternoon breeze

Buddhist Stupa in LittleTibet part of Kathmandu

The all seeing eye of Buddha on the stupa

A highlight of our sightseeing was watching the monkey swimming pool where a family of macaks catapulted themselves off a tree. (Short video below). We also enjoyed lunch at Rum Doodle a café visited by everyone who climbs Everest. (They each sign a cardboard footprint which are hung in the hall). We also made a stop at a Tibetan refugee camp. Most of the women there came with the original flood of refugees in 1955 and they and their families still live in the camp spinning wool and weaving rugs. We are bringing several rugs home!