Khatmandu

Outside the door to our apartment at the Melungtse

We found a resting place in Khatmandu for the first number of days. I located a hotel on line, The Melungste Inn, which could accommodate us in a 2 bedroom suite, with living room and kitchen, like a small apartment. We had resolved to only stay at a place that we all felt comfortable in but when we arrived in our weary state we would have taken anything. Luckily the place was amazing. There was no Internet connection but there was a TV and it was away from the bustling centre of tourist town they call Thamel, so it was a place for rest and recuperation for all of us.

For the first few days the kids did not venture out at all. Mark and I explored the city centre, the Thamel area, while they rested at the apartment. We were in no hurry to get moving. Thamel is what they call the main tourist area. Once you enter the few streets that make up Thamel, all you see are tourists. People from all over the world. The streets are very narrow and on either side are shops after shops catering to tourists, hotels, restaurants, laundry services, Internet, travel agencies – anything a tourist would need or want.

Narrow Streets of Thamel area


Colorful Tuktuks waking for customers in Thamel


Bakery in Thamel - Mark checked them all out


Garbage pick-up (lots of it)
After 3 days of exploring Thamel and searching for the perfect accommodation, we had purchased some fabulous art, eaten some amazing curries and other dishes and we were all starting to feel rested however we had not yet seen much of the real Khatmandu.

Masks for sale in Thamel streets


One of the original pieces of art we bought


We had taken a taxi between the hotel and Thamel many times through the crowded streets of Khatmandu but it was usually through one of two routes we came to know well. Along with the food at the hotel being cooked fresh all the time (we realized you had to order at least an hour in advance because of this) we also discovered an incredible Tandoori Chicken restaurant 10 minute walk from the hotel. Amazingly it was called “Richmond Bakery and Café” and it specialized in Tandoori and roasted chicken. Huh? Anyway the first time we went there, out of Tandoori, so we had the Roast chicken. Amazing. The second time, out of Tandoori and Roast, so we had the curries and momos (little dumplings stuffed with delicious veggies with a fab sauce). We vowed to return one more time to try the Tandoori.

While in Nepal we arrived in the middle of a major New Years festival for Nepalians. It was Dewali, the festival of lights. Every day was a day of worship for something different. One day it was the blessings on the dogs, which there are many of all over the city. When Mark and I went out that morning, dogs were marked between the eyes with red paint and wore lays of small orange carnations. They sat proudly in front of their masters buildings. Another day was blessings on cows, blessings on children etc.

Blessings for the Dogs of Khatmandu


Orange strings of carnations adorne everywhere

Every night there were fireworks, more decorations of orange carnations on every store front and home for blessings of good fortune. In the evening strolling minstrels of an amateur but meaningful nature came to the hotel to play, celebrate and hopefully make a few dollars.

After spending about 4 nights at the Melungtse Inn (still not sure what that means) outside the core of the city located on what is called as the Ring Road, we moved into the city. Mark and I had searched through numerous hotels, trying to find something comfortable, affordable and central. What we found was that every room looked identical no matter the cost of the room. The differentiating feature which controlled the price of the room was how elaborate the lobby was. Of course we were most attracted to the open large traditionally decorated lobbies with adjoining garden areas for sitting in and reading but the rooms always showed to be just as unappealing as the hotels with lobbies with no ambiance but were much more expensive. We finally decided on a small hotel right on the main strip of restaurants, bars and stores. I think we were getting frustrated and making the decision to stay in this hotel was made out of desperation because when we returned the next day, I was quite surprised we had decided this location.

The next day we all packed up from our luxury apartment and headed for the city. Caleb was not completely well but feeling better and all of us were going through various stages of recuperation.

View from our balcony. Much care is taken with the wiring.

The first night at the downtown hotel, was a disaster for me. Across the balcony which was on the 3rd floor, in the opposite building, which was only a narrow street away of about 12 feet, a live band played rock music, windows open wide, patrons dancing and laughing. It was like having a full rock band in your livingroom. Luckily the bars closed down around 10:30pm so soon after that there was peace and quiet.


Chillin at a cool Thamel restaurant - The Himalayian

We stayed there two more nights, venturing out a bit at a time. The band continued to play every night and although I wanted to move, the kids and Mark seemed to enjoy the noises, so I was voted out. Caleb was weak the first few days so only left the hotel for meals. Artemis had a puking session one night, Mark was constantly coughing and feeling weak and I (as well as Mark) had developed the cursed “hoarkers spit”. To explain – we were first introduced to this in China, people spitting all the time (hoarking and then spitting on the streets, in the restaurants, everywhere). It was disgusting. But one has to get use to it eventually or else be grossed out all the time. People in Tibet continued this tradition and then also in Nepal. By the time we reached Nepal Mark and I were doing the same, and this was out of necessity. One could not help it. Was it the air, the food, the altitude? I am not sure. It was disgusting but uncontrollable. So we joined in.


Walking around Thamel

After many attempts we finally met up with my cousin, Stephan, from Edmonton. We first bumped into him on the streets of Thamel and then we met up for dinner that evening.

Lianna, Stephan (blondie) and his new friend from Israel

We had one of the most expensive dinners to date. It was delicious but where pizza is extremely cheap in Vancouver, in Khatmandu it seems to be one of the more expensive items. Stephan was leaving for a 10 day trek the next day so we chatted about all the great adventures we had had so far. The kids didn’t join for the dinner that night, still trying to get their health back so preferred to stay in the hotel room watching a movie.

We spent much of our time in Thamel the next few days, waiting for Caleb to get his energy back. At this point we were ready to find somewhere else in Nepal where the air would be cleaner. We decided to venture to Chitwan National Park. In the morning we booked a car and driver (we decided to go luxuriously instead of the local bus as we were all still not fully recuperated) for the next day. Finally that afternoon when we were all feeling somewhat energetic we decided to walk to the famous Monkey Temple. A helpful gent, from the shop we booked our drive out of Khatmandu, gave us hand written instructions on how to walk there from Thamel.

Caleb and Artemis riding in a Tuktuk

What a shock we were in for. Leaving the district of Thamal, into the area below the Monkey Temple really threw us into a part of Khatmandu that seemed to be truly forgotten. Garbage littered the streets in piles, streets were not much more than rubble in some areas, people lived in small huts on the side of the road where they washed in the open stream of water, cooked, played. Mothers with children passed us dressed in tattered saris, children with no shoes, clinging to their mothers’ threads. This was the most impoverished areas we had seen yet. The river we crossed below the Monkey temple took our breaths away as we looked at the shore caked with garbage and the blackened water streaming with litter of all kinds. A group of pigs were eating garbage on one shore while a dead goat floated near and a group of children played on the other shore, picking up things they found littering the edge. I would not have been surprised to see a dead body float by.

The monkey temple was a steep walk up of cement stairs. Monkeys lived and wandered freely as impoverished vendors pressed tourists to buy their wares or give them money.



Climbing up to the Monkey Temple, monkeys everywhere

The top of the temple provided an amazing view of the city, what you could see of the city through the thick haze of smog. We returned to our hotel by taxi exhausted by the whole afternoon and ready to go to the forest.

The next morning, our car picked us up outside the hotel. A young nice looking Thai man was our driver. His English was very good and we learned much about the country from him as we made our way out of Khatmandus’ streets of rubble and city of mass confusion to the small clean, bicycle and elephant ridden village of Sauri beside Chitwan National Park.

Lianna