Biddy's Boots #2
Kathmandu, Nepal
2 May 2022
I'm in Kathmandu-oooo!
Ever since I decided to go to Nepal and Kathmandu gets mentioned, the song, Scatman's World runs through my head. Except, the words Scatman's World have been replaced with Kathman's Du ----- Babobeh-bopbopahdop-babababa. If you haven't taken note of the lyrics, you should.
I arrived late on Friday evening and as we landed, the heavens opened up! I smiled, knowing the sweet blessing that it is, looked up to the heavens, and whispered my thanks. After an easy hustle through the airport, I jumped into a taxi to get to Sanu House. In ways, it felt similar to Phuket - the humidity, the rain, the dilapidated buildings, the above-the-ground electrical cables, the scooters, the traffic.
I took a day to settle in - slept (a lot!) and caught up with some studies. I have been staying in a little home, suggested by my friend Courtenay. (I think this may just be my favourite part about staying in Kathmandu.) This home is run by a warm and wonderful Nepalese woman - Sarita - together with her parents. In Nepal, generations all live together in one household. If a woman marries, then she moves into her in-laws’ home with her husband. Sarita is unmarried although mother to many a passing traveler. She is slight in build, her long dark, grey-streaked hair plaited down her back, wearing the same gold-speckled green dress day in and day out, a smile often upon her lips and a tangible kindness emanating from her soul. She makes the most delicious, authentic meals and we sit on the kitchen floor either sipping on freshly brewed tea or tucking into the day's dahl but always chatting, laughing, learning.
My room is humble and spacious. Fun fact, the beds are hard. Very hard. I share a communal bathroom and finally figured out how to get the hot water to work.
I always have the sense that there is a team of angels looking out for me. And on this trip, although in its infancy, their force is strongly felt. They’re not just having my back, they’re providing for me in so many ways.
Sunday was spent walking through the nearby streets. I made my acquaintance with Sarita's brother, a monk for 10 years and who had just arrived, visiting from Bangkok. He has a two-man film crew with him who is in Nepal collecting content for their documentary about the local temples, particularly with regard to their restoration and architecture. People, I will be making my television debut in Thailand on one of their government channels! I was given the opportunity to spend their (and my) first day together. We explored Lalitpur (Or Patan as it used to be called) and interviewed many people from architects to monks to ordinary Buddhists in devotion. I had free access to places and many an interesting fact was shared. Although they spoke mostly Nepali and Thai, Sarita's brother and Pom (the sweet Thai crew member) would happily translate for me. We did lots of temple visits. At times that day, I felt as though I was on the set of The Last Samurai or the Last Airbender - the details of the architecture, the temples, the doors, the passageways, the courtyards - it was fascinating. We even met the Living Goddess - or Kumari – which is the Nepalese tradition of worshipping young prepubescent girls as manifestations or reincarnations of the divine female energy of the goddess Durga. When her first menstruation begins, it is believed that the deity vacates her body. She quite literally sits in a chair all day blessing people and receiving offerings. It is the greatest honour to be selected, yet I couldn't help but detect a sense of sadness in her, a detachment of sorts. Perhaps a projection here, but always remaining open to the practice of cultural relativism.
A local was with us - Nande - and he was a little angel. He helped me get my moon bag fixed (there are quite literally men sitting on the side of the road with sewing machines), purchase a SIM card, and shared lots of tips and info with me. Fun fact #2, you need a passport photo to obtain a SIM here incase they need to track you for terrorism.
At times an unwelcome stench sweeps through the streets and more often than not, the pleasant aroma of incense as it’s placed in the cracks of walls and roads. I almost wanted to describe the 'bad' smells as ungodly, but then I thought if God is the creator of all; if all things come from God, how can anything be ungodly? I wonder. This city is hella dirty, at times I felt as though I could be in the middle of Mtata. But, as someone once pointed out to me, it’s not sad or disappointing…it’s just the way it is. It’s life and living.
It's also one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. Depending on what lens you use will depend on how you see the city. It is dirty, overcrowded, busy, loud and the air thick with dust and pollution. But if you really look, you see so much more than that. You see the intricate detail of the old city's mazelike alleys, you see old women dressed in colourful saris tending to their daily tasks, you see faded walls and doors and tinted windows, you see luring passageways and fresh fruit lining the market streets, you see grandparents caring for the next generation and young boys playing in the streets after school, you see communities coming together and people hustling to make ends meet, you see the local hairdresser touching the nearest temple to show reverence as she makes her way to work, you see life and you see it being lived.
I ended my day, pooped, sitting on the rooftop of Sanu House, munching on some watermelon and overlooking the colourful metropolis.
Lovely story telling, thank you for the ride … I was right there the whole time :)