Nov20
One of the most interesting things about Nepal is the mixture of different cultures in such a small country area. You can find Newars, Rais and Limbus all around Kathmandu Valley, Gurungs, Bahuns and Magars in Pokhara and its surroundings, Thakalis, Tamangs, Sherpas and Tibetans in the middle high mountains, and Tharus all along the Terai Valley. Apart from all those different ethnic groups, Hinduists, Buddists, Islamists and some kinds of Chamanism live all together in complete harmony.
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Mystic Nepal
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Nov18
In one of the streets of Kathmandu’s old town, north from Durbar Square, there is a piece of wood with thousands of coins nailed to it, which are offerings to the God of the tooth pain. This is the most bizarre God that we have found so far and we suggest all the backpackers to go and find it, it’s worthy! The name of the square is Bangemudha, which means “kinky wood”.
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God of the tooth pain
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Nov17
Pashupatinath Temple, Bodhnath, Swayambhunath Stupa and Patan (all of them declared Wolrd Heritage sites by the Unesco) are other interesting things to visit in Kathmandu and are a good example to confirm the healthy cohabitation of the major religions in the country: Hinduism and Buddhism. There are also some bizarre things to see in Kathmandu, like the “God of the tooth pain”, a formless wooden block completely covered in nails and coins, which might help anybody by just nailing a coin to its image. Or the possibility of seeing a “living Goddess” coming out of her window to bless the crowd.
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Kathmandu surroundings
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Nov16
After many days of festival, Kathmandu streets become filthy and full of rubbish. The waste rots after long hours under the sun and is very smelly. There are no bins or garbage containers in Nepal and the waste collection system is almost non existent. The number of cows eating the rubbish is also not enough to get rid it. It was after 1 week when we started to see people cleaning some of the streets. As we discussed with some other backpackers, it is weird to see how Nepali people are used to live among the garbage and filth without even caring the smell and sanitary conditions, something that may discomfort some travellers.
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Trash piles in the streets
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Nov15
Our arrival in Kathmandu coincided with one of the biggest festivals around the country: Deepawali. We were surprised about the amount of people gathering all around the city, the firecrackers noise and the light decorations in the streets. It was the second day of the Tihar, which happens always on the new moon of October-November and which means the end of the year for the Newar community in Kathmandu’s Valley. So, without having planned it, we found ourselves involved on the celebration of the beginning of year 1128. Nepal festivities and festivals are marked by the moon calendar and happen during new or full moon periods. The official new year in the country starts on the 14th of April and its calendar is 57 years ahead ours, so while we live in 2008, they do it in 2065. At the end of the day, we just didn’t know in which year we were living and decided not to worry about the number, we are just travelling around Asia and time is not something to worry about!!
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Nepal’s New Year
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Nov13
Kathmandu is not only the capital city of the kingdom, but the biggest and most chaotic city by far. Its narrow streets in the old town are bustled with motorbikes, taxis, cycle-rickshaws, people rambling along the road and street pedlars. Kathmandu’s history is very rich and you just need to wander around to get involved by the magic and mystery of its past. This is the city of temples and mystic, the place to admire Buddhism and Hinduism at the same time and a real paradise for backpackers, which offers everything they may need during their trip: joy, fun, shopping and cheap accommodation.
The north part of the city center is called Thamel, an area full of budget hotels and lodges, which concentrates almost the whole leisure spots of the city: music bars and clubs, cinema, restaurants, shops and internet points (very much needed to update this travel blog after being isolated in the mountains). Everything can be founded here and this is why most of the young travelers prefer to stay there.
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Kathmandu
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Nov8
One of the biggest fears (read also expectations) that backpackers have while trekking in Nepal is to bump into the Maoists. In the past there have been several reports about violence and assaults against tourists but nowadays they just ask politely for money. We had the pleasure of meeting them just before reaching Tal, on the Annapurna’s range. After an exhausting climb of a very steep slope, we saw a table and four people seating on chairs just beside the trail waiting for the tourists to pass along. The communist red flag was standing behind them. They were asking for donations for the Maoist’s cause and seemed to speak seriously about getting them. It is funny that they called it “voluntary donations”, as the rate was fixed per person and day of the trekking. Tourists had to pay them a total of 2,000 rupees if they were doing the Round the Annapurna’s Circuit. After a good half an hour bargaining, we could finally reduce our “donation” to 500 rupees for both of us. They even gave us a receipt and then let us continue. Later we found out that some people had paid the whole amount because they were scared and some others didn’t pay at all with no consequences.
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Meeting the Maoists in the mountains
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Nov7
Trekking with a porter must be like a very easy walk through fields but it is for sure not as rewarding as doing it by yourself, carrying your own things and walking your own rhythm. But in case someone arrange their services, it is very important to respect their rights and don’t overload them as many groups do. It is very sad to see foreigners ramble around with a small backpack, while their 16 years old porters suffer to go one step further with a 40 kg bag on their backs. For more information about that, check the International Porter Protection Group IPPG or the Porter Progress websites: www.ippg.net or www.portersprogress.org).
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Trekking with a porter
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Nov5
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Trekking around the Annapurna’s range
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