Kathmandu - Week 2

Kathmandu - Week 2




Maju Deval in Durbar Square

 • I went to Durbar Square which houses many, many temples and the former royal palace. The temples were just amazing and made me wish I knew more about Hinduism. Climbing to the top of the temples wasn’t bad; it is the going down the stairs that is scary. They are narrow and high. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I took a bow and everyone still up on the temple clapped for me.

• Many of the temples are covered in all kinds of erotic art. No one really knows why. The going theories are:

o Celebrating the cycles of life

o Highlighting the roles of Shiva and Parvati in creation

o To scare off the virginal goddess of lightning.

• Major drawbacks to visiting the landmarks are the peddlers. They will follow you around for hours. I couldn’t shake them no matter how many times I said no.

• There are a lot of hippies from the West here. I think I am the only person from the West not wearing Teva sandals.

• You can pick out a Westerner very, very easily. The fact that they tend to be taller and blonder really helps.

• There are LDS humanitarian missionaries here.

• There are no addresses here in Kathmandu. The city is broken up into something like neighborhoods. For example, I tried unsuccessfully to go to church on Saturday (the Nepal holy day). Here is why I didn’t make it – the address of the church is “in Maharajgunj (the neighborhood) behind the Slipper factory off the Ring Road.” I made it to behind the slipper factory, but I couldn’t find the building after that.

• I would kill for a Diet Coke Big Gulp with lots of ice.

• My stomach is not quite used to the food here. I don’t think I caught a bug, but it isn’t going well.

• Most shopping here is done on the barter system. I am terrible at bartering. Gary is much better, so I always let him go first.


Pradin, Me, Gary and Khem



• Having a driver is awesome.

• Not having a driver because of yet another strike is not awesome.



• I took a taxi all by myself. It isn’t that I have never been alone in a taxi before. For some reason I feel a great source of pride about this minor achievement.



• Gary loves my meal of fried ramen noodles with eggs.

Meg and Gary in Thamel

• My students are wonderful. They have started calling me Didi, which means sister. It is a term of affection. They also call me Jenny.

• The neighborhood with all of the good shops is called Thamel. It was great shopping. We wandered all day looking at jewelry, scarves, knives and other religious relics. I spent a lot on myself.