Kathie checks in from Kathmandu
 

Namaste! We arrived yesterday afternoon. We had a good flight, and got a great view of the Himalayas from the plane. Cheryl took some photos from the plane, but of course they are never as breath-taking as the experience of actually seeing them.

The Hyatt is lovely. Set within gardens, the air here is cleaner than anything I remember breathing on my last trip. Of course, once you get out to the steets, it's the same diesel-scented, gritty air I remember so well.

We walked to Boudnath. It's supposed to be about 10 minutes walk from the Hyatt. We were caught up in the color, and Cheryl was caught up in taking photos, and after a half an hour, I said I know we've passed it. Sure enough, we turned around and walked back 20 minutes and there it was. We were only able to miss it the first time because we'd crossed the street to get out of the sun.

We circumambulated the stupa several times. The feeling of being caught up in the flow is so timeless.

I will check in from time to time but will (of course) write a detailed report when we return. The internet connection here is slooooow.

Thanks for checking in. HOpe you and Cheryl have a wonderful time at the top of the world. Please give us your usual super detail.


Never for a moment did the panel think there was the slightest chance of a penalty.

Yay Kathie! You've made it!
Now, are you going the short cut to Boudnath? When you're at the computer, facing Boudnath - get up now, take a look out the window... the secret path to Boudnath goes off to your LEFT. Go look. You'll see a nice guard and a big gate. He'll open it. Then he'll let you in when you come back. To get there, go down in lift, out thru biggo restaurant, then go look.

I think you went the long way out the front entrance?

Don't give any monks called Dorje and money. He already has one mobile phone.

great start...can't wait to read more and of course to see the pics..

Ya, can't wait to read more..only 3 more weeks til we are there!!

Have a wonderful trip.

I stayed at the Hyatt in Kathmandu for 5 days in July and really enjoyed it. I've been away from this forum for so long, I never did post a trip report...my bad!

I loved walking over to Boudnath, and wandering through the side streets around there. It's a magical place.

Hello again everyone.

Dogster, you're right, we went the long way. A guy at breakfast this morning told us about the short cut, which we'll take next time.

We went into Kathmandu this morning and spent several hours at the Durbar Square. It struck me in Kathmandu how much better the air is now than 14 years ago. Then, the streets were filled with tuk-tuks that spewed black smoke. The air was so full of particulates! Don't get me wrong, the air is still polluted, but nothing like it was. Cheryl got lots of good photos and took some flip videos she'll post as well.

Dogster, as you can understand, this was a great disappointment to me but they have recently named a new Kumari. So I guess the coalition government relented. She's three and a half and clearly had better qualifications than I do.

I just wanted to wish you a wonderful trip-you've been very helpful with my Asia trip planning and I am stumbling through China as I type. Enjoy Kathmandu! We were there over 20yrs ago and I have very fond memories of the place. Are there still a lot of hippies there?

Just go to Boudnath every day late afternoon Kathie - verrry good for the soul.

Yup, i knew you'd gone the long way. BTW - on the long way, about opposite the end of the Hyatt property fence, on the far side of that road, you might see a lonely shop selling Bhutanese [laugh] stuff. Go in. This guy is very fine and straight. Buy. There are oddities here you won't see anywhere else. I go there every time.

Dorje - your crafty monk - IS worth meeting Kathie. Think of the main entrance as 12 o'clock. As you go clockwise round the circle, Dorje's temple is at about 6 o'clock - OR if you come the back way - it'll be on the corner of the street you emerge into the circle from.

It's the one with the balcony. Go upstairs to first floor - voila - lovely temple, many monks and Dorje. He'll find you.

Go inside temple if prayers. Sit. Dorje will be the guy running everything. He's on one of the long trumpets. Ask about his mother in Lhasa - lol.

If you need hashish you'd better go into Thamel. Lol. I just know you're hanging out for a block...

Have you tried the canapes yet? The six o'clock swill in the Club Lounge? Give them regards from the Australian who eats 200 hors d'oevres each night.

Oh, BTW - when you go to Boudnath the back way - you don't have to pay. Well, I didn't.

It sounds like a very promising start to the trip! Enjoy, and thanks for sharing information and impressions as you go. It is lots of fun to follow along.

Do they still have elephants walking down the main streets? I remember exploring the dusty shack-lined streets wondering if, for all I know, I was in the their equivalent of southcentral LA (ghetto and dangerous). What an amazing place.

Hi Kathie, Glad you like the Hyatt as much as we did. Bodnath between 5-5:30 is unforgettable with thousands of people circumnavigating the stupa. If you like Italian food, try the Italian restaurant at the Hyatt. It was very good, although a little pricey. As for the short cut from the hotel to the stupa, they discouraged us from using it, so if you want to use it, be persistent. Just make sure there will be someone at the locked gate to let you in if you return that way. Have a great trip.

Glad you two are having such a wonderful time already. Someday David and I will get there! Until then, I'll live vicariously through your reports.

Tell Cheryl to get those pictures up on the site--dying to see what you're seeing! :)

Have fun! Happy Travels!

We had been planning to go to Bhaktapur today. It's not clear whether that will happen as there are rumors there will be general strike.

Dogster, thanks for the tips. We plan to return regularly to Boudnath. We've read about a walk between the stupa and Pashupatinath and plan to try that as well.

I haven't seen any elephants in the streets. I can't remember seeing elephants last time either. Perhaps you were here at the time of a particular festival, ncounty.

Shelly, the Hyatt is very nice - and the spa is great. One of the nice perks of the Regency Club is that we get free access to the steam, sauna and jacuzzi.

More later...

Kathie, so sorry you missed out on the job but then it would have been so restricting. So far your trip sounds great - keep enjoying.

It was a very long time ago, Kathie....1989. Didn't seem like a festival. Just seemed like a casual nobody paying much attention to the elephant walking down the street kind of thing. It was pretty cool.

So glad you and Cheryl are already in the swing of your adventure. Your descriptions are wonderful and evoke special memories of my time in Nepal in 2000. Thanks for taking us all with you

Thanks for sharing. Sounds beautiful. Look forward to reading more.

Good news! They called off the strike today, so we were able to get a car and driver. We went to Changgu Naraya which took us out into the lovely countryside, then on to Bhaktapur. Both places have changed dramatically since my trip in 1994. I'll write about the changes I've observed in my detailed report.

Mary, I agree, being a Kumari is pretty restictive!

For those of you worried about the photos, fear not! Cheryl took over 600 photos today. Fortunately, she will edit them down to a reasonable number.

One of the changes in the Kathmandu Valley is how much traffic there is now. Indeed, the traffic in Kathmandu is less organized than that in Hanoi. For those of you who have been to Hanoi, I expect this paints a vivid picture.

What is the political situation there now. We were there in Feb., a few months before the election. There were cars waiting in very long lines waiting for gasoline, and many street demonstrations. What was the general strike you alluded to called for?

Hi Kathie: Pashupatinath tips:

Walk there. It's doable easy from the hotel. Head back to Boudnath and go from there. Just keep heading down ish. You'll get there. Worth it. Walk down, catch a cab back [from main entrance - not the one you'll find walking there.]

when there: you'll do all the obvious. Look for, and go inside the Old People's Home.

there's a balcony directly overlooking the left hand side cremation ghats. Go there.

Late arvo is great for the light [smoke, fumes] - at lunchtime if you work it right you can be there for sadhu lunch. They all gather on that above balcony for free tucker and cash. Worth looking for. You can donate and that'll make you a million sadhu friends.

And always, late arvo, back to Boudnath for your nightly swirl around the stupa. Ahh, Kathie, it's magic.

Hello again Fodorites!

We're back from a moring at Boudnath and Pashupatinath.

I love Boudnath in the morning. Lots of monks and locals making their morning prayers. There were few if any other tourists. We had a lovely time there and Cheryl took some flip videos that I think will really capture the morning at Boudnath.

We then walked to Pashupatinath. Dogster, your directions are better than Lonely Planet's. We did our usual muddling through by following the general directions and asking people as necessary. Everyone was glad to be helpful. A remarkable number spoke some English, though our routine - "Namastase, Pashupatinath?" pointing in the direction we though was correct - required none. Coming in through the back way was confusing to me and we wandered around a bit climbing lots of unnecessary stairs before I got oriented.

Shelly, the political situation seems pretty stable. The strike that was threatened was because the governemnt was clearing vendors off the sidewalks in some areas. They apparently relented because the strike was called off.

Talking politics with the locals is pretty interesting. All seem quite proud of the fact that they are the world's "newest republic." Though one man said to us "we are communist now" and made a disapproving face. Almost everyone volunteers info about the royal family being massacred, and how they loved the old king but despised his brother who took over. By the way, a recent news story indicated that the deposed king has been ordered to pay his electric bill apparently from the time he was in the palace - a total of a million dollars. That's some electric bill!

This afternoon we've made spa appointments and are looking forward to relaxing.

Your trip will be a very amazing story here. Did you find any special difference on air of Hymalayas?

Hello again all!

We spent the morning in Thamel - amd lived to tell the tale. Everyone who goes to Kathmandu should experience Thamel, but one morning there is more than enough for me! We found a wonderful oasis on the edge of Thamel - the Garden of Dreams. It was really a world away from Thamel. We also found a nice oasis to have lunch, a restaurant in an old home called 1905. We had a table on the bridge over the pond.

I got sideswiped by a truck in Thamel, and Cheryl tried to break a leg, but we both survived with only minor scrapes. After those hours of walking through Thamel, that's a triumph!

LOL Kathie. When we were there 10 years ago we stayed in Thamel and I remember it as being very chaotic, but I loved it. We stayed at the famous Kathmandu Guest House which itself is an oasis of calm in the craziness of Thamel.
Are you in Kathmandu the whole time or are you going anywhere else in Nepal?

can't wait for the full report....sounds like an interesting trip....watch out for trucks...!!

Kathie,
I am enjoying your report as we will go to Nepal in April.
Is there such a thing as an ATM in Nepal?
I did a search but nothing came up.
Thanks,
Paul

Your trip sounds like alot of fun so far..i can almost feel the chaos of Thamel already!!!

Kristina, I think you'd be flabbergasted by how much more chaotic and crowded is it now than 10 years ago! I know I was.

We're spending out whole time in the Kathmandu Valley. There is plenty to do and see here. Kathmandu is endlessly fascinating.

Paul, there are, indeed, ATMs. There is one right outside the airport terminal, and we've found them all over KTM.

We're having a fine time and will report more later.

So is Nepal a safe place for an American to travel? I did some research on it a while back and I remember concluding that the people were hostile towards Americans and that things such as drinking water could be lethal.

Perhaps I'll have to reconsider making a trip there.

I don't know when you did your research, but Nepal has been through lots of changes in the last decade and even in the last year. Nepal is currently more politically stable than it has been at any time since the late 1990s.

I don't know that Nepalis as a group have ever been hostile toward Americans as a group. I've not experienced any of that.

Safe bottled water is readily available. The tap water used to be the worst in the world. I don't know where it ranks now, but it is clearly MUCH better than it was when I was here in 1994. Then the tap water had a brown-green color if you filled the sink, and it had a bad odor. Now, it is clear and odorless, but still not potable. Of course, the tap water throughout much of the less developed world is not potable and one should drink botled water.

Turns out the US State Dept has a Travel Warning up for Nepal - driving conditions and terrorism, mainly, and it's clear they don't like the Maoists! (Surprise, surprise.) Doesn't look like the info has been updated since May. It includes this: "Almost all U.S. official travel outside the Kathmandu Valley, including by air, requires specific clearance by the U.S. Embassy’s Regional Security Officer. As a result, emergency assistance to U.S. citizens may be limited. Active duty U.S. military and Department of Defense contractors must obtain a country clearance for official and unofficial travel to Nepal."

The UK Foreign Office, as usual more laid back than the US, doesn't have a specific warning for Nepal, although it does have some warnings within the country info.

Of course you're right, thursdays, that the US state department has a travel warning for Nepal. Like you, I take the state department warnings with a large serving of salt.

We went to Patan today and had a wonderful time. The Durbar Square at Patan was my favorite this trip. The museum in a portion of the old palace there is stunning. We also had a lovely lunch in the cafe in the museum courtyard.

We bought a singing bowl today (one of the handmade ones). Neither of us are yet proficient at getting it to sing. I can get it to sing softly, but I haven't mastered the bubbling water technique. Lcuy, I thought of you when I bought the bowl, thinking of you looking for one for your daughter.

We also went to a fair trade crafts shop - the name eludes me - and bought some really beautiful hand woven cloth. Offwego, I thought of you - the weavings are beautiful and the prices irrestistable!

Today the the day in Tihar when dogs are honored. We have some great photos of dogs with gardlands around their necks.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Kathmandu. It's been a wonderful stay.

Kathie, I've been following your report with interest. I know I don't have to tell you to keep it coming...

have a great flt back to bkk and look forward to reading more

Kathie

I hope you thought of me enough to bring me some!!! Ha. Take some photos; I wanna see.

Thanks for posting this great report. Stories like these just make my list get longer and longer.....

I have been following your report from Kathmandu.
Brings back memories from my 2 visits there long long time ago. Flying into the Kathmandu valley on a propeller engine plane back then, with the engines screaming and just making it over the top of the last Himalayan mountain before a sharp dive down to the narrow airstrip used to be exciting. I understand things have changed for the better since then, what with jet engines and longer runway. Looking forward to reading more.

Hello again friends,

Today was our last full day in Kathmandu. We went to Swaybhunath, sometimes called the monkey temple because of all the monkeys there. The monkeys weren't as aggressive as the monkeys at the temples in Bali. I watched a local man hand his ice cream cone to a mother monkey. She immediately started eating it, giving a piece of the cone to the baby. But when the baby wanted the ice cream, she tried to keep it for herself. The baby finally got a handful of ice cream. It was an interesting interaction to watch.

There was a Tibetan monk chanting at the bottom of the hill. Cheryl got a good flip video of it. The internet connection here is so slow, she can't post it from here - perhaps in Bangkok.

When I was at Swayambhunath so many years ago, I remember talking with a woman making mani stones along the stairway to the stupa. I talked with a man selling mani stones at the top and told him about her and asked if she was still around. He knew immediately who I was talking about and directed me to the stairway where she works. Indeed, I did find Dougga! We chatted and I bought more stones from her. She invited us to her home tonight for the celebration but we declined. We had a lovely talk.

One of the things I've learned in Kathmandu is that all short cuts take longer, have rougher roads, are more crowded with people and carts. etc than the regular route.

Being in Kathmandu during Tihar has been a wonderful experience. I wish we could be here for the rest of the festival. Today was the day for the worship of cows, and the cows were fancied-up with applications of colored powders. The first one I saw was so garishly colored, I initially thought it was a statue!

Lori, we will take photos for you. I bought several for friends. You need to come here to see for yourself and choose. By the way, at the fair trade crafts shop, I paid about US$10 each for the large weavings - beautiful and very inexpensive. Of course, I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy even more and that I didn't buy a pashima there.

Oh, I have SO much to tell you about our visit to the Kathmandu Valley! I have started on a real trip report, and hope to be ready to post it soon after we return to Seattle. Cheryl has an unbelievable number of photos. It will take some time to wade through them and choose the ones to post. Because Cheryl brough her computer along, we are both able to work a bit on our parts of the report on location in Kathmandu.

Tomorrow we return to Bangkok!