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Boudhanath, Kathmandu, monastery, Nepal, Pashupatinath, temple, yogi
Thousands of Sadhu (Yogi) and Naga Sadhu (naked Yogi) come to the Maha Shivaratri festival in Pashupatinath. This Yogi blessed me with a red bindi (dot) which has multiple meanings, but in this instance – it bestows long life for me. A sweet deal all things considered.
Where to begin? Since arriving in Kathmandu, Nepal yesterday afternoon, all of my senses – especially sight, sound, and smell – have been continuously in overdrive. Yet I am quite relaxed, serene and peaceful. Ironically, the arrival at Kathmandu was a bit chaotic due to a confusing Visa application process, which took just about everyone – who did not already have a visa – at least an hour to complete. However, it didn’t bother me, nor did it seem to irritate anyone else.
Multiple lines for photo, currency exchange, ATM, Visa application approval were the order of the day at Kathmandu International Airport. Quite comic actually, as I initially got in the wrong line (for people already having a visa),; then later getting in the correct line, but not having the correct currency, i.e., they do not want Nepalese currency . . . but rather, American U.S. dollars or Euros, thank you very much. Consequently, I had to go back to the ATM machine and get a few more Nepalese rupees so I would be able to exchange them at the currency window for U.S. greenbacks ($25) to pay off the Nepal immigration official, but still have sufficient rupees to take a taxi to my hotel. Confused? You should have seen me and others at the airport. Ha. Regardless, as I said earlier I was serene and peaceful and kept saying the Serenity prayer while I waited patiently or chatted with fellow travelers. Tick tock, tick tock . . .
Sanjay, the very helpful Shambaling hotel manager.
Anjan, the night manager at the Shambaling hotel. Him and I chatted about Boudhanath. He also has a friend that is studying at Colorado University. A very nice young man. Actually, the entire staff at the hotel has been wonderful. Thank you all!
After immigration, the real thrills came – riding in a Nepalese taxi through the streets of Kathmandu. If I had hair, I would describe it as “hair raising.” Imagine the scariest Disney World ride you have ever been on, then multiply that experience by a factor of at least 10. Presto! You are in a Kathmandu taxi. Yikes! A white knuckle ride if ever there was one. The half hour ride to my hotel included: multiple instances of “playing chicken” with oncoming motorcycles and cars (only avoiding trucks – which are the “Kings of the road”); missing people, dogs and cattle by mere inches (yes, cows are in the downtown area; and, hitting potholes every second for the “shaken, not stirred” effect. Bangkok traffic is child’s play compared to what I experienced yesterday.
Relatively quiet Boudha neighborhood, where my hotel was located near.
Nevertheless, I arrived at my beautiful (and relatively inexpensive) Shambaling hotel safe and sound. No sooner had I arrived and checked in, but met this wonderful engaging German couple, Dr. Manfred Woebcke, and his wife, Birgit, who have together, authored many travel books, including an Amazon bestseller on Dubai (published in 2008). They offered to assist me in finding a local ATM machine, as well as showing me a little bit of the area. Since my room was still being prepared, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to wander around a bit and get the lay of the land.
Produce being sold at open air market in Boudha
Bags filled with various grains.
We walked approximately a kilometer and came upon Boudhanath Temple, a World Heritage Site. I was awestruck by what I saw. Boudhanath stupa is “. . . a jewel point in the center of a natural mandala, a store of energy.” This site is one of the most important places of pilgrimage for Buddhists. The Stupa is commonly known as Boudha or Boudhanath, meaning Lord of Wisdom. According to what I have read about the site, it is a “protective, purifactory and wish granting stupa.” Because of its antiquity, its origins are beyond the recall of folk memory. I promised myself that I would return the next day (today) to explore this site in more detail. I took these photos of the site and surrounding area:
Boudhanath Temple.
The mandala shaped temple is surrounded by shops, restaurants and other temples.
Bell at another temple located near the Bouddha shrine.The bell represents wisdom, emptiness, and nirvana.
Prayer wheels are devices inscribed with mani prayers and containing sutra scrolls at their axels. Each turn of the prayer wheel represents a recitation of the prayer inside and transports it to heaven. This one was quite large, almost the size of a man.
Buddhist worshipers praying.
Part of the temple at Boudhanath.
In the same “circular” court yard that contains Boudhanath temple, was this Monastery that I visited.
Carving inside the monastery.
Another carving I found interesting at the monastery I visited.
Buddha inside the monastery.
Photo of the Dalai Lama inside the monastery.
One of the many entrances into the mandala courtyard of the Boudhanath temple.
I have only included one photo of my visit to Pashupatinath Temple in this post, i.e., the one where I am with the Yogi. Tomorrow, I will complete Part II of this post, with the emphasis on my visit to Pashupatinath. I will probably include a few unrelated photos I didn’t include today, as well as photos l will have taken tomorrow (unless my cold – yes, I think I came down with one late today – gets worse). Finally, I want to thank Sanjay, the Shambaling hotel manager who was quite helpful in suggesting places to go and things to do. His knowledge of the area is excellent. Thank you Sanjay!
Until then, enjoy your day . . .
Great photos! Love the lead picture. You look like one of the yogis for sure. Great to have the eye candy of the markets where real food (not in plastic packages) is being traded. What a gorgeous, colorful, earthy place. Nice photo essay Steve. Looks as though you’re enjoying the trip.
It’s also nice to see the warm. We’re 4″ and snowing hard with the promise of at least a foot today.
The weather has been lovely here Di. The reduced temperature here (from the humidity and heat of Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok) is quite welcome. It even rained a bit late today. This weather reminds me so much of Colorado, albeit, they don’t get any snow in Kathmandu (last time was about 5 years ago). The elevation is 4600 feet, so I would have thought they’d get a bit more.
Kathmandu is an amazing place. Tomorrow, along with the thousands of yogis, swamis, and other religious figures coming to Kathmandu, there will be approximately 1.5 million hindu worshippers making a pilgrimage to the site I went to today and will post about tomorrow. I wanted to go back there again tomorrow, but everyone has told me that’s a bad idea because the pickpockets will be out in force, looking for tourists. With the large crowds, people will be bumping into each other constantly and that’s a perfect opportunity for thieves. Thank you for commenting Di and I hope the snow is manageable for you today.
Doesn’t it seem strange that a place totally dominated by religion, a peacefuI, thoughtful religion, and a city where so many people are kind and helpful, should have in its midst criminals who think nothing of spoiling someone’s holiday by robbing them – anyway, hope that cold doesn’t develop. Very
Yes, Nepal has many contradictions. I left this story out of my post (although I conveyed it to a friend on Facebook) about a women with a small baby, grabbed me on the street and said, “I need milk for my baby.” I reached for my wallet and was about to give her 200 rupees (enough to buy some milk). She said, “NO, NO, NO . . . I need milk for my baby and grabbed my arm and led me into this grocery store and pointed out some instant milk. While paying for it, she was crying and thanking me profusely. What do you say when something like this happens? I just kept saying don’t worry about it and asked the clerk how to get to the Pashupati area where the Temple was at that I planned on visiting earlier today. Both her and the beggar woman were both telling me how to get there; and I then asked how much a taxi would cost? Both the clerk and the woman ran out into the street, flagged me a taxi and essentially bargained the price down to what a local would pay.
I am still processing the aforementioned and about a half dozen other things that occurred today. Bottom line is that I am glad I came here.
Great headline photo, Blade.
National Geographic material. Who took it?…
Thank you Tom. My guide for the day, Richard, took the photo. Actually, I have some wonderful photos of my time at this place and will share them in Part II later today or tomorrow. Sort of under the weather with a cold and will probably kick back today and relax at the hotel.
Wow Steve what a wild and fantastic adventure so far ! cool.
Hi Janie. Yes, it has been an amazing adventure so far. So many things I have seen are new experiences for me. I am really enjoying this trip. I hope you are doing well!
Great post – I’m heading to Everest Base Camp in May and my biggest concern is not the flight to Lukla nor the trekking itself but the arrival in Kathmandu and how I will cope with sights, sounds and smells that I have never encountered before.
Hi Pam, I visited your blog site and you are an excellent writer. Insofar as your question about how you’ll do here – in my opinion, you’ll do fine. I determined that simply by reading a couple of posts at your site, e.g., you have traveled all over the world; are empathetic to people with less than you; and, understand that it’s the traveler’s responsibility to “fit in,” not the other way around. In one sentence, my philosophy is that everything is out of my control (people, places, and things), yet I have total control over my attitude and relationship with God. That is empowering. Good luck on your trek!
Thanks for the visit Steve, I appreciate your comments. I love your philosophy – we do have control over our attitudes and our response to whatever we may encounter, we just need to remember that soemtimes.
That being said, I sometimes forget to do that. Nevertheless, the “tools” are always there for me, if I only pick them up. I just spoke with a German lady in the lobby of my hotel that did a 9 day trek. I forgot to ask her at what altitude she ascended (base camp?), but you could see the joy written all over her face that she was glad to have experienced this once in a life time trip.
Looks wonderful, nepal is on my bucket list
Yes, it’s a wonderful place Bob. So much history here and I am really enjoying the people as well.
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