An Incredible Friday in Kathmandu with My Husband

I love it when my husband doesn't have to work. Today was a wonderful day. We dropped Ethan off at the bus stop for summer camp and then Mike and I grabbed a taxi. Now I must explain a taxi rider in Kathmandu. First the taxi pulls up and you tell the driver where you want to go and then the haggling over price begins. You ask them if they use a meter and usually you're told the meter is broke, so some arbitrary price is negotiated. If negotiations fail then you try with the next taxi driver. The taxi's are small white Suzuki cars that remind me of the Volkswagen Rabbits of the 1990's. They are small and bumpy but they do get you where you need to go or close.

We started off going to the Pashupatinath Temple which is a sacred Hindu temple and also the place where the dead are cremated. The color of death here is a crimson red and a light orange. The vendors along the route sell flower offerings, coverings for the dead body, spices and incense. It is an amazing, colorful route. Many calves have made their way to this temple in order to get offerings. I noticed many people touching the sacred creatures in order to receive blessings. I petted one that reminded me of the brown swiss cows I used to show in 4-H.

Ascetics live in caves along the river and there are many. Many want to bless you in order to receive money, and we bypassed many. It seems that when you are Caucasian, it is assumed you have money and will pay. I hate standing out among many, it is probably my one big complaint of living in Nepal.


We proceeded to the counter and because of our diplomatic status we got in for free. The experience was mind blowing. The colors, the historical Newari temples and architecture, the people, the incense, the smoke and sweet smell from the burning bodies, the monkeys, the ascetics and the look upon the mourners faces as they watched their loved ones move on to their next incarnation.
We walked pass sacred Hindu temples that we could not enter and then across a bridge over the Bagmati river. This river is sacred because it eventually goes into the Ganges, the most sacred river to Hindus. Many people were placing leafed bowls of rice, various spices and a lit candle in the river and watched as they float away.

This was only the beginning of a wonderful day, more to come in the future.

Namaste