Relatively Indian

My Nepali friend in Thailand summed it up perfectly when he drove me to the airport. I was on my way to visit his home country of Nepal and mentioned my expectation of having to be flexible and "go with the flow" while there, especially if Nepal is anything like my visits to India. He quickly confirmed, "you will only be allowed to do what Nepal allows you to do."

Take the traffic, for instance. You may only want to travel 5 km across the city but the constant stream of pedestrians, carts, bikes, motorbikes, cars, buses, trucks and even cows – all vying for an open space on the road – can make this a prolonged journey. There are no lines on the road to indicate lanes so wherever one can fit is fair game.

Some interesting facts about Kathmandu and Nepal:

• The city of Kathmandu stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley of central Nepal.
• It is surrounded by four major mountains: Shivapuri, Phulchoki, Nagarjun, and Chandragiri , a popular destination for spiritualists and trekkers alike.
• Nepal is the country in the world with a time zone that is set apart by a 15 minute interval. Sure enough, I had to adjust my watch by 1 hour and 15 minutes when traveling between Bangkok and Kathmandu.
• The supply of electricity is shut off 10-12 hours a day! That seems like a lot for a city this size but the use of individual fuel or battery generators make up for this inconvenience.

I have come to know Kathmandu as an old city with lots of history – spanning nearly 2000 years! But Kathmandu remains a vibrant center, as I noted when coming across a performance of modern dancing and wrestling in the oldest part of town.

Turns out I was in Nepal during an important festival called Diwali, a five-day Hindu festival of lights that celebrates new beginnings, the emergence of light from darkness and the triumph of good over evil.

According to British World News, families often light small painted earthenware lanterns half-filled with oil because, as tradition suggests, leaving them outside houses overnight helps Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) find her way safely into their homes. The more lamps a family lights, the easier it will be for Lakshmi to find her way to their home. Modern celebrations also make use of bright electric lights and fireworks, as I saw throughout Kathmandu at night with hosts of Christmas lights strewn on buildings and fireworks in public areas.

Sushil, a friend who lives in Kathmandu, graciously played tour guide during my stay in Nepal. He informed me that people worship dogs and adorn them with flowers during this festival. I found this particularly interesting because, only the day before, I watched a news segment on a Malaysian law that prohibits its population from even touching dogs (let alone worship them) because they are considered unclean. Quite a difference between beliefs in the Muslim and Hindu faiths and between practices in Asian countries!

Mount Everest Sighting

I caught my first glimpse of Mt Everest as we flew into Kathmandu with its peak at 8,848 m (29,029 ft) which was well above the cloud-line. Needless to say, it was a breath-taking sight to witness Earth's highest mountain peak and then to see it rise above the clouds. Another sighting of the Himalayas was from the orphanage I visited while in the city; a beautiful addition to the skyline of Kathmandu.

My plan was to get a close-up view of Mt Everest via a one hour flight dedicated to taking passengers along the Himalayas. So I arrived at the Kathmandu airport early in the morning of my second day in Nepal to board a Buddha Air twin engine plane that held 15 passengers. I wanted to go early in the week in case the flight was postponed due to weather; turns out the day of my flight was perfect with only a few low-lying clouds.

The flight itself was quite an experience. We were allowed to watch the pilots fly the plane and even visit the cockpit to view the mountains from their vantage point. The views weren't too bad from our seats either!

The foothills and valleys hold a beauty all their own but the higher we climbed, the more spectacular the views. Our stewardess pointed out Mt Everest and also informed us that no one is allowed to climb the nearby twin peaked mountain because it is considered holy.

Scripture verses kept running through my mind when witnessing the Himalaya mountain range, reflecting how the same awesome God who "created the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1:1) will one day return at the end of this age and "every mountain and island [will be] removed from its place" (Rev 6:14). Removal of these mountains seems unfathomable to me, but to God it is but a thought.

When you place a small plane filled with over a dozen people next to a mountain range like the one I witnessed, not only does that put us in perspective -- a mere speck of dust in comparison -- but highlights the awesome power of God, the Creator and Manager of such beauty!

Images of Nepal and Durbar Square

It was time to learn more about the capital city of Kathmandu, with a population close to 1 million and municipal area of only 50 square kilometres (19 sq miles) -- sure makes for a densely populated city! Sushil and I drove to a downtown area then walked along a narrow street that offered plenty of cultural images of Nepoli life. Needless to say I was busy with my camera and Sushil was very patient.

Street life was fascinating enough, but when we turned a corner into Durbar Square, I believe my words were “Whoa, this is amazing”. And it truly was amazing. I learned that Durbar Square is an ancient part of Kathmandu hosting palaces of the then Kathmandu Kingdom. The area itself dates back to the third century with the earliest remaining structures dating back to the middle ages.

Visitors are allowed entry into the palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled the nation over the centuries. No doubt these palaces were 'upgraded' over the centuries with the addition of courtyards and temples, often decorated with elaborately-carved wooden windows and doors.

A cultural highlight for me occurred when Sushil showed me a small opening between buildings that led us to one of his favorite restaurants. I checked numerous times and there was no sign advertising this restaurant from the street; the locals just knew where to go!

The narrow passage could not have been more than 3 feet wide and at the end of this alley was a fire pit area where cooks prepared our meal. I am positive I was the only foreigner they had seen in this place in a long, long time.

It is here I was able to experience true Nepoli cuisine prepared using, let’s say, true Asia methods. Buffalo is the only meat offered and they are most liberal with their use of spice. Fortunately living in Korea and Thailand for the past seven years helped me handle the spicy food. As for the meal itself, I don't think buffalo with flat rice (dried rice pounded flat) will be a combination I see anytime soon given the fact this is a local favorite.

Sushil warned me to dismiss any notion I had of the standard restaurant, for this place broke all 'western rules'. It was so laid-back that customers sat wherever they could find a surface, cooks served food by picking it up with their hands to get it on your plate, and conveniences such as napkins and ice were not even a thought... and I loved the experience!

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'm including a 35 second video to help you get an idea of what I'm talking about. (Note: it really is as dark in there as the video shows)