Good morning! It is 5:22am in Kathmandu. I’ve been up since 3:30am….still working to get over jet lag. “They” say it takes a day for every hour time difference. That would be a 10hr and 45min time difference from Toronto to Kathmandu. 10 to 11 days…so I’m ok. Blair and Willis are doing much better then I am. I get tired….all I can think about is bed and sleep. I’ve always been a sleeper. I love to nap. To me there is nothing better then an afternoon nap on sunny afternoon after a very active morning, Â hence I’m awake at 3:30am on Sunday morning.
This first week has been all about orientation. Orientation on our sponsoring Canadian organization UNITERRA (CECI) and it’s programs in Nepal. Orientation on Nepal: history, culture, politics, geography etc.. Orientation to Kathmandu, Blair’s partner organization in Kathmandu (whom he’ll be volunteering for), house hunting, a welcome lunch with other UNITERRA volunteers and yesterday a city tour. It’s been an amazing week!
My first impressions of Kathmandu. Crazy, chaotic, quite, alive, colourful, accepting…I cannot believe how quiet this city is at night. Kathmandu is a city of over a million people living very close together, high density living! The occasional dog barking but that’s it. Maybe it’s just where we are living in the city… But it blows my mind each night. During the day the city is filled with life and all sort city noises, by 9pm you’d think you were living in the country. Getting around Kathmandu is nerve jarring. We have been spoiled with a driver, thank god! I have yet to see a traffic light or people staying in their appointed lanes. Horns are used to communicate. Mostly to alert your vehicles presence, at an intersection or going around a blind narrow corner or coming up behind pedestrians. Friendly honks though, not laying on the horn.
The pictures that follow are the ones I took on our city tour. They are from my perspective. We all took cameras and it was really interesting seeing Will’s perspective. To see them check out Blair’s pics on facebook.
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- I don’t know. Just loved the look of this stall. I think it’s been there a long time.
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- Looking Down on Patan Durbar Square.
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- Will, Blair and our guide in front of the Royal Court Yard
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- Patan Durbar Square. Ancient and still well used today.
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- Kids waiting to leave on a weekend bike ride.
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- Buying entrance pass to square.
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- Nepalis hanging out on their day off.
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- One of the many ancient temples still in high use today.
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- Looks interesting…didn’t have the guts to check out what the artist was drawing.
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- Everybody loves feeding the pigeons.
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- Collecting water. This site has been functioning since the at least the 1600’s/
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- Incense vendor. Raw, grounded and prepared incense for whorshippers.
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- The Golden Temple
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- Prayer Wheel. One of thousands at the temple.
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- Worshippers at a Hindu temple for Shiva…
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- Dogs at the temple!
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- Dogs!
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- On to our next site.
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- Heading down to the hindu public cremation site
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- Coloured powders for ceremonies and dyes. I love the colours.
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- Blair checking out curios.
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- Public cremation site
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- Motorcycles the prominent form of transportation in Kathmandu.
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- Cremations
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- Monkey’s at the temple…not monkey temple though.
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- Do you think he’s had his picture taken before?
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- Sadhu’s
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- Streets of Kathmandu
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- Largest Buddhist Stupa in Kathmandu.
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- Painting lime on the Stupa
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- I just love the prayer ribbons.
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- Walking around the Stupa
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- Can’t get enough of the colours and ribbons. I just love it.
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- These 2 young monks were being filmed…sorry, no idea what for or why.
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- The Henry’s on top of the Stupa
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- Will checking out the site’s
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- More prayer flags. Love those flags.
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- Walking along the Stupa
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- Blair with flags.
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- Offerings of water.
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- Pigeons!
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- Fun scattering the pigeons.
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- Monks spinning a prayer wheel.
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- Even the dogs find it peaceful here.
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- I love dogs!
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- Saturday is not a day of rest for everybody.
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- Having a rest?
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- Every space is used.