It shows photos of the following from 2001 trip to Nepal:
Kathmandu
Kathmandu was noisy, crowded, polluted but so alive! It was easy to get lost in the maze of narrow streets full of pedestrians, rickshaws, taxis and the odd cow. I would turn a corner and find myself in a square with a stupa or temple, people selling their wares, worshipping at the shrines, traffic coming from all directions. Or I'd walk along a busy street and there would be a niche in the wall with a small shrine with wilted offering and red and yellow pigment splattered over the deity. An amazing place - but then I say that about most of Nepal - so different from the countries Tony and I have visited.
There are four sides to the Stupa "tower" with a face on each, representing the all-seeing Buddha. The third eye on the forehead represents Buddha's clairvoyant powers and the nose is the Nepalese symbol for 'one' representing unity - we are all one people.
Coloured prayer flags are hung all around the Stupa with the Buddhist mantra, "Om mani padre hum". Pilgrims chant the mantra as they circle clockwise around the Stupa base. Alternatively they turn the prayer wheels that are set in the walls of the Stupa base.
Picture this. Looking through the main doors of the monastery I saw a centre aisle. Seated on either side of the aisle were two rows of monks chanting. Their heads were shaven and they wore the traditional red, flowing robes.
It might have been a scene out of a movie except in the far right corner there was a European lady observing the proceedings, dressed in brown robes and with her long, dark hair in a bun.
If you are familiar with my brother's comments about "D height", this is the view of the stupa from "Debbie height" which is about 2 inches shorter.
The whole area was bustling with activity. We walked along the opposite bank to a ledge overlooking the temple. Across the river women washed clothes in the river, relatives and friends gather around the burning funeral pyres, medicine men practised their art and women sold flowers and fruit for offerings.
This photo is taken from the top of the Maju Deval temple looking down at the Shiva-Parvati Temple and the people walking through the square. There is also a cow lying in the dirt in front of the temple.
(The next day we travelled to the Annapurna Conservation Area to start our trek. Brother, Sis-i-l and I extended our stay in Pokhara and then I flew to Kathmandu while they continued on to Chitwan National Park. - Deb 2015)
On the 18th December I took a mid-morning flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu and had the whole afternoon free to wander the streets of Kathmandu. D and G showed me a lot of these sites on our way to Durbar Square but nothing really sank in. That afternoon I had all the time in the world.
I visited this square at least four times as I searched for a craft shop that was noted in my guide book.
I couldn't take a photo because this tout kept pestering me so I escaped back on to the Thamel streets. When I returned it was quiet, only one woman turning away from the shrine.
It was late in the day when I visited the temples. Stepping into the grounds was like stepping into another world. All the hustle and bustle continued outside the walls but the caretaker's family and I were the only ones there. It was an oasis of peace and quiet, except for the little kid that kept trying to put a hand in my photos.
My camera broke in Pokhara so I was using a disposable camera with fixed lens and low-speed film. Not the best for the fading light.
My comment: "This is not a lot of traffic?!"
It was true - this is a lot of traffic. Pedestrian crossings don't exist (the ones I saw in Pokhara were faded and ignored). You look for a gap in the traffic, start walking and let the vehicles swerve around you.
The Trek
Our trek took us through the Annapurna Conservation Area. We travelled from Kathmandu to Pokhara along the major highway. The highway hugs the mountain ridges and snakes all the way down into the valley. There is one lane each way packed with vehicles and drivers continually swerve and lean on the horn just to get one car ahead in the queue or to avoid potholes.
From Pokhara we had another 1-1½ hour drive to Naya Phul, the start of our trek.
- Day 1 - Naya Phul to Syauli Bazar
- Day 2 - Syauli Bazar to Ghandrung
- Day 3 - Ghandrung to Tadapani
- Day 4 - Tadapani to Deorali
- Day 5 - Deorali to Ulleri
- Day 6 - Ulleri to Naya Phul, where we boarded a bus back to Pokhara
I prefer this photo of the Modi Khola to the coloured version. Unfortunately the scanned image doesn't do it justice.
Our first night on the trek we had an overnight temperature of about 2°C. I think it was -6°C overnight at Deorali, the highest lodge on the trek. Whatever the temperature was, it was cold enough for a thin layer of ice to form on the water in the washing bowl left out overnight.
Left bench: Brother
Middle bench: Martin, Sis-i-l
Right bench: Fiona, Phoebe (the green beanie), Bob
If you view the screen at just the right angle you can see Mount Dhaulagiri behind my right shoulder. At 8167m it is the fifth highest peak in the world.
This photo shows the Macchapucchre (Fish Tail) and Lamjung Himal peaks with prayer flags in the foreground.
Our trek group trying to:
- Determine which of the three photographers is taking the photo, and
- Avoid the sun shining in our eyes
From left to right:
Brother, Sis-i-l, Christie, Phoebe, Fiona, Martin, Bob and me.
Pokhara
Pokhara is a sprawling town on the banks of Phewa Tal, the largest lake in Nepal. On a clear day the surrounding mountain ranges can be seen.
What a contrast to Saturday. There was one old man worshipping at the shrine and only a couple of touts.
The peaks in the background are Annapurna South and Annapurna I.
So early the following morning Brother and I were back out on the lake. A blanket of mist was rolling across the surface. A flock of white birds (cranes) glided across the top, barely missing the water. Silhouetted against the rising sun were two boats from a local hotel, taking guests out on the lake. The hotel guides stood like gondoliers and made Brother and me look like real amateurs! The only sound was the oars breaking the water. Magic!
This is the result of that morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments for posts older than 14 days will not be immediately displayed. We review these comments before publishing them for public display.