10 September 2016 Kathmandu
Dibash came and met us at the hotel at about 8.30 after breakfast in the most gianormous dining room reminiscent of the Raj.
We then embarked on an expedition to Kirtipur outside of the Kathmandu city limits-given that we had an itinerary stating that we had a free day-we were happy to just let it happen. Visiting there gave us a panoramic view of Kathmandu and also in retrospect a handy
introduction to the various aspects of Nepalese culture in a small area. We started our walk around by going to the Bagh Bhairav temple near the market place dedicated to the God Bhairav in the form of a tiger.
We then climbed the hill to the Uma Maheshwor Temple, which allowed us to see the valley, which extended beyond the city. Of particular interest were the erotic carvings on this temple that we were told were designed to encourage pro creation rather than fun!
As we wandered from one end of the village to the other you could see the cracks and rubble left from the earthquake 2 years ago.You could only guess at and be fearful of the hidden cracks and movement of the buildings jam-packed together.
We arrived at a hill opposite the previous temple, which was Hindu and stood at another large stupa the Chilanchu Vihara dominating a square of the village. This is where we were introduced to the thunderbolt or Vajra .Its origins seem to be from Tibetan Buddhism (Also called a dorje)
Ever onwards we then went to the Shri Kirti Vihara Monastery where feeling self conscious we observed a Buddhist ceremony. One thing we have learnt is that no one seems to worry about “intruders” during services as long as you are shoeless and don’t take photos .In this particular case we saw that the people in the congregation were all holding a threat which linked them. At the end of the ceremony the monks and nuns cut up the thread and they used them as bracelets.
So, back to the car and off to lunch. This turned out to be very special as we went to a Nepali farmhouse where Kapana was to teach us how to cook Nepali style. Kapana was an absolute delight and took us through how to make Mo Mos. Our guide had tipped her off, that I had a MoMo fetish so I was a happy guy! We had a great meal of Mo Mos with a beautiful fresh tomato relish, vegetables and a banana lassi. All the vegetables having come from her garden.
After lunch we headed for the Swayabhunath temple colloquially called the ͞monkey temple which had some nice touches, which you can see in the photographs. Given that this indeed was the home of rampaging monkeys it was not surprising to see a tiny tot screaming bloody murder and a satisfied monkey tearing open a packet of potato chips it had purloined.
Back into the city and a stroll around the market area of Asan the purchase of an umbrella and a chance meet-up with out guide Dibash’s boss Shekhar. Had a great conversation ranging over many subjects drinking black tea until dinner time at the Cha Cha restaurant.Back to the hotel and sleep before the excitement of getting to Bhutan.
