Taken from Back to the East, India, Nepal, Kashmir
12th April
We were told that it was now Nepalese New Years Eve. We did not walk far, feeling a bit queasy, maybe due to altitude.
Looking for New Year
by
Alun Buffry
Kathmandu: morning mist, disappears, mountain view...
Clouds spreading, sun shines, sky turns seamless blue.
Magic palace on the hill, silver morning light,
As the haze clears away, giving city sights.
Street below slowly wakes, dogs with horns and bells
All the homeless people there, washing at the wells.
Today is Nepalese New Year, should be celebrations,
Where they are is not too clear, to our mild frustration.
Maybe dancing in the street, or are there parades?
No-one here seems able to tell, where New Year's Day is made.
Life goes on as usual, everywhere you glance,
New Year doesn't seem like here, the spirit to enhance.
Where would we go in England,
If New Year we were there?
Down a pub or round a house
Or down Trafalgar Square?
I guess that from outside, it'd look all much the same,
Like we don't celebrate New Year, they'd think it was a shame.
So maybe here in Nepal, because I cannot see,
There's
celebrations all around, invisible to me.
13th
April
New Years Day in Nepal.
The Sikh guy,
Navneet Singh, who we met at the hotel roof last night, let us use
his taxi for free, so we visited Daxinkali, about a 45 minute drive
away.
The drive there had some great views through the Chobar Gorge. Legend says that the valley was once a lake and once the god Manjushree, the god of wisdom, struck a rock with his sword and water came out, sweeping away all the snakes. But the snake king, Karkotak, who lived here was now in a nearby pond called Taudaha Balaju, in a small park with flowers and ponds with black fish and water spouts.
Inside was also the small image of a Sleeping Vishnu which the King of Nepal was allowed to see whenever he wants, and a small temple flanked by Hindu temples dedicated to Ganeesh and Buddha, with a Shiva lingam
Here was the temple to the goddess Kali and every Saturday, like today, there was a scene of the devotional slaughter of goats and chickens, with pools of blood; they are killed in the temple and washed in the dirty water outside, then taken for a feast. There was a long line of people queuing to kill.
There was a larger Sleeping Vishnu at Budhanilkantha, where he was laying on a bed of snakes. It was said he sleeps for four months each year, separating the monsoon season. Legend said that a farmer, whilst tilling his land, struck the stone below and blood came out. Every morning there was prayer and devotional rituals involving rice, vegetables and money and even a bottle of sauce. The King of Nepal himself was said to be an incarnation of Shiva and not allowed to see this place. Strangely it felt like Holy ground, more than any of the other temples.
By 1 PM we were back in Kathmandu eating egg and chips.
We found out that the palace on the hill was actually a Buddhist temple at Swayambhunath; it was also called the Monkey Temple.
14th April
We lazed in bed until midday, chatting and smoking. By the time we reached Eat at Joe’s for banana and honey pancakes with lassi drink and lemon tea, it was already very hot. It’s more humid here than Delhi. I am not happy with the quality of the hash we bought yesterday so I took it back. I managed to swap it but that was no good either. The guy said they only sell weak stuff because otherwise “hippies sit in the street and that is bad”. So I asked for my money back and he gave it to me.
Late afternoon, we walked round Durbar Square, down the streets and bazaars called Indrachowk and Kel Tole. On the way back we found Pig Alley or Pie Alley and a nice cafe with excellent lemon meringue pie and walnut custard pie. That evening I had Prawn with peas and cashew nuts at Ani Anis restaurant with beer. I must say there was a much greater variety of food here than in India where we have been. There are extensive India, Chinese, Italian and other menus as well as Nepalese food.
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