October 10, 2003
I just loved the rope pulled barrier of the airport. The warm seasidelike air and the always smiling faces around me when at last I got out from the AA plane full of very worn faces, including a very tired `szornyella de Frasz` in a French living person.
These guys are like children! They cannot stop grinning for a second. They never say `no`just to be polite and it is very confusing when they shake their head sideways to mean they are content. There are of course the main shopping road sellers who are a bit more pushy, like in India, but generally my first impression of the people of Nepal is very positive.
Including the first entering task that you are required to undertake on your arrival. The aim is to find your hotel through the seemingly sensless trafic and ever sounding horns and then comes the trickier part: when you think that you found the shabbiest house in town, all you need to do is to climb through the notsopromising small door and then knock on the dark door to wake the `reception`, who is actually sleeping right behind the door, so that he can give you a key and let you find your way to the 3rd floor in complete darknaess. And yes! You guessed right: the stairs are so uneven that years of practise -out of laziness - in Hungary cannot make up for the experience. I must say it took me a while. Though, I had a good laugh about it.
Originally, I was not going to go trekking and I was not going to buy too much presents. :)) (I have to watch the size of my backpack.) My main aim was to have a look at the local people, temples and culture. But since I just missed the biggest festival of the year, when the most powerful god of the Nepalis is driven around the main squere in a huge chariot enermous wooden sledges pulled by about a 100 men, I changed my plane ticket so that I can stay for the next festival. :)
By the way, this girl is a living godess: a real small child! Today (on the last day of the festival) she was giving out Tikas (red dots on the forehead that protect you) in Kumari Temple. Since only Hindus can go inside I did not recieve one. This godess is found in a similar way to how the Dalai and Panchen Lama is found, except that she stopps being a godess when she starts to bleed, which supposedly makes her loose her power.
I also saw children on rooftops doing their traditional kite flying where the aim is to cut other people`s kite ropes. I also met a local, Rabindra, whom I met before in Budapest while he was living there. He is a tipical Newari in a way that he smiles a lot and very kind. I am going to see his family during the next festival when Hindus celebrate the Gods in themselves by having a kind of self-celebration. We had `Momo` (Tibetan food) and he reminded me that here people are allowed to eat only with their right hand becouse the oher one is dirty for `some` reason.
I also saw boys holding hans - you see here everything is the other way round. People smile even more if they are nervous and it is considered ok to touch and show friendly affections between males but the opposite sexes should never do it in public. There are a great number of things that you should know when spending time in Nepal, like eg which way you should go round the stupas, etc... (I might write a short list on it later.)
At the first night I could not sleep well becouse of some night birds and my bleeding nose, (you see I cought a nice cold just one day before leaving cold Hungary) so I was up until 2 a.m. sitting in the local Irish bar where I had an unusually long and starange dejavou while an old Ozy pensioner was telling me, and my German friend whom I met on the plane and has been here many times before, about his life as a seamen .
In just one day I saw such big contrasts within one city: from the poor who go to public baths and beg n the street to the elegantly dressed bank manegers, wearing the traditional Nepali hat, with their wives dressed in rich saris. I also saw a Tibetan temple that is being built now, so parts of it was painted and others were not. Some very old Tibetan women very sitting outside the gate chatting peacefully. Here the word `rush` or `stress` does not seem to exist. So far, these moments were my favourite. Away from other tourists, throught the less popular local markets.
The smells around the city are amazing! (and here yes, i do mean the bad ones as well:) It seems that you can buy anything here: chinese silk by the meter or ready-mede dresses, cashmere and pashmena shawls, Indian Saris and goodies, Tibetan semi-precios necklaces, singing bowls and traditional Newari instruments and coats. Oh yes, and lots of VERY cheap trekking stuff.
I got convinced, so I`m going to try. If I survive, I take lots of pictures of the different Tibetan tribes to show you. :)
Take care and love - also yourselves and others!
