NAYA BARSAKO SUVAKAMANA (HAPPY NEW YEAR, NEPALESE STYLE!)

Wednesday, April 15th at 8:21

Kevin

Another early arising and a short taxi ride to the “Tourist Bus Park” would find us boarding perhaps the single most newest and modern “tourist” bus in all of Nepal. A five hour bus ride alongside of three major Nepali rivers, including the famous Trisuli River, and we would arrive in the capital city of Kathmandu. Another short taxi ride, shared with a gentleman from the Philippines and a gentleman from France, and we would be in Thamel, the tourist center of the capital city. With little fuss, we would be dropped off next to our accommodation, at the Hotel Visit Nepal, recommended by our personal trip adviser, Nic from Australia (Thanks Nic!).

In yet another case of right place, right time, we would unsuspectingly be entering the capital city of Nepal on the eve of the eve of their new year. The Nepalese use a different calendar, as do the local Newari people and even the local Tibetans. In the case of the Nepali calendar, the old year was 2065 and the new year that we would be celebrating would be 2066.

Having enjoyed Pokhara, and the surrounding areas, so much, we found it hard to leave and kept reducing the amount of time that we would spend in Kathmandu. What we would eventually end up with would be four and one half days, just enough to get a good taste of this most enjoyable city. When a lot of people talk about Kathmandu, the following words seem to always accompany their descriptions, “crowded”, “polluted”, “traffic”, “chaos”. However, I think that having had a baptism of fire in India, Idalis and I have become much more accepting of all things foreign and unfamiliar. We actually really enjoy Kathmandu. It is a cultural hub and in addition to containing some sort of shrine, temple or monument around every corner, also houses some of the most diverse and generally happy people that we have met anywhere. Nepal is, by all accounts, an impoverished country. However, its people seem to either not know, not care, or have found a way to transcend it and find happiness. It is, by far, the friendliest big city that we have visited yet.

Kathmandu, at least the Thamel are, like Pokhara, is full of shops, cafes and restaurants. You can eat any kind of cultural food imaginable and spirits flow freely, including the Tibetan version of beer, know as tongba, which is an alcoholic drink derived from pouring hot water into fermented millet, which we rather enjoyed. Upon arriving, we made our first dinner date at the highly recommended Italian restaurant, La Dolce Vita. We were not disappointed. This is perhaps the best Italian meal we have had yet, commenting to each other that we believe it to be better than any meals we had while actually in Italy. The following morning we would begin our walking tour of the city, compliments of the Lonely Planet travel guide. It would take us through some of the more famous shrines, temples and stupas of the city as well as a course through some of the local neighborhoods where daily life sailed by as children played in the streets, mothers did laundry and men tended to the business of their shops or their conversations. We would be treated with a visit to the heart of the city, the famous Durbar (meaning “palace”) Square, which used to house the king, who has since moved to north to Narayanhiti. We would also visit such highlights as the Bangemudha (meaning “twisted wood”), which is a piece of wood covered with coins, which is said to cure toothaches, the Kathesimbhu Stupa, our personal favorite, a courtyard containing a large white washed stupa and tons of other smaller stupas and shrines, and also, the Ugratara Temple, where a prayer at the shrine is said to work wonders for the eyes.







That evening, we would be treated to the festivities and goings-on of the Nepali New Year. Not much unlike ours back home, it included throngs of people in the streets, live music pouring out from every bar and club, a final countdown, in Nepalese, and a shouting of “naya barsako suvakamana”, or happy new year. After spending a late evening admiring the festivities from the sidelines, we would wake up late the next morning and make our way up to the great Buddhist temple of Swayambhunath. Sitting on a hill west of the capital city and containing a stupa that is the most recognizable symbol of Nepal, is Swayambhunath, or the “monkey temple”. Legend says that the hill where the temple is located self arose (or swayambhu) from the lake that is now the Kathmandu valley. After a steep ascent up the uneven and polished marble steps, we were not only treated to views of the entire city, but also to the impressive assembly of temples, gompas, stupas, shrines and monuments that comprise the temple complex. Amongst throngs of other pilgrims, we gave thanks for our incredible fortune, family and friends and were, once again, lucky enough to be part of a an impromptu and unplanned celebration of the Nepalese New Year.

As is the case when one is truly enjoying themselves, our month in Nepal seems to have vanished into thin air. On the morning of April 17th, we will fly out of Kathmandu en route for Bangkok, Thailand. Our tour of Southeast Asia will commence and our tour of the sub-continent, and attached areas, will end. Nepal, though very small, houses the biggest peaks, smiles, adventures and opportunities that we have encountered yet. Our time here has been greatly appreciated. Having only considered a visit to Nepal because of its close proximity to India, we now understand that this little country has so much to offer. Its scenery is breathtaking, its diversity unrivaled, its culture profound and its people amazing. We would highly recommend a visit to Nepal for anyone who wishes to be spiritually moved, physically challenged and emotionally blessed.