Crazy Kathmandu (Part 1 of the Valley)

Seeing the beautiful snow capped mountains from the airplane, made me think, damn, I should have taken more time to do some trekking here. I came to Kathmandu to attend a Buddhist Master’s 10 day teaching, but decided to arrive about 8 days earlier, just to check out a bit of Nepal. I was a bit slack with researching and organizing anything to do. Thinking 8 days isn’t enough time to do a proper Himalayan trek (and it is something my husband and I would love to do together), yet knowing it is far too long to spend wandering around Kathmandu. I decided to spend two nights in the trekker/backpacker/tourist suburb of Thamel before heading out of town (well, what I thought was out of town).

Unfortunately you actually can’t see the snowy mountains once you land in Kathmandu. It is a rather noisy, smoggy valley hiding mother nature’s beauty. But what is lacking in nature is made up in the friendly, kind Nepali people, the crazy vibes and the fascinating mix of trekkers, spiritual travelers and yoga enthusiasts.

When I was a young teenager I discovered a shop (I think it was in Durban or Ballito), called Kathmandu. From growing up in a rather small town, I didn’t even know there was a place called Kathmandu. What was this intriguing place, where I was exposed to incense, Nepali and Tibetan handicrafts and “hippie traveler clothes” for the first time. I was mesmerized by that shop, feeling a connection to the items they sold, but at the time, not understanding why I felt so connected to it. (Now I know ). Arriving in the suburb of Thamel I felt like that teenager all over again; that little shop that I was so mesmerized with had exploded into an entire suburb!

I was glad that I had left a number of my things with a friend in Delhi, so I had space to fill my bag with the wonders of the real Kathmandu. I started the day at an amazing yoga studio and then happily wandered from trekking shop to jewelry shop, to fair trade clothing shop, to handicraft shops supporting and uplifting local women. It was fantastic, and the best part, the Nepali people! I could shop in peace! A kind “Namaste”, a genuine kind-hearted smile, I could look at items calmly and quietly, without being harassed by shop keepers. Yes, I bargained when paying (as is customary), but overall, it was a much more pleasant experience than ones I had earlier in my trip.

That afternoon I attended a Thanka painting workshop. I love being creative, but I am an impatient perfectionist. Usually more of a “throw some paint on a canvas and wing it” type of creative, than try stick to form and get frustrated with myself when it is not good enough. So this was a good test for me. I was also the only one attending, so I had the artist, Bikash’s full attention. To be patient and kind with myself trying an art form that I had never learnt and being open to dear Bikash pretty much correcting and painting over all my attempts was initially rather difficult for me. But then I relaxed into it; turning to be mindfully aware that here I was in Kathmandu, painting a sacred Medicine Buddha Thanka. Talented artists surrounding me, some funky local music playing over the radio, the sound of activity outside, the wet paint glistening with reflections of light and the fascinating transformation of colours as Bikash taught me how to mix and blend until it was just right. After 4 1/2 hours all the “coloring in and blending” had been done. Bikash asked if I would like to attempt the detailed fine strokes, explaining that it would take another two hours. Considering it was 7:30pm and my fine painting skills are non existent, we agreed that he would take the time over the next week to complete it. I had put a lot of mindful love into my Thanka, but I also wanted to be able to actually view it appreciatively. As I was writing this, I received a message from Bikash, showing me the finished painting, which I will collect in a few days.

I ended my day discovering an amazing vegan restaurant. My bloated tummy was very happy to have a buddha bowl of brown rice and crunchy steamed veggies. A change from the copious amount of momos, lentils, paneer, spices and gluten I have been consuming over the past 7 weeks. I was feeling rather chuffed with the time I had spent in Kathmandu; Yoga, shopping and painting… that is my kind of day.

For my remaining time before the teachings, I booked a six day “Yoga retreat”, thinking it was out of the city. I spent only two of the five nights there. Rather bleak that it wasn’t so much a retreat, away from the city as expected, but rather, lovely accommodation on the edge of the city (but still in the noise and pollution), with great food and an option to attend two daily yoga classes (which were great classes). It just wasn’t quite the full retreat schedule I had seen advertised and I felt like I was wasting time and an opportunity to see more of Nepal than just Kathmandu. I was irritated with myself, for not researching better, and then irritated for being irritated with myself, “so much for Mcleod Ganj Self-Love”, I thought. And then trying to reason with myself that I should stick it out at the retreat, “maybe I had a lesson to learn here?” A lesson in expectations? Grumpy and, for the first time in my whole trip, feeling that it may be time to go home, I called my darling husband in tears. His encouraging words, “don’t wish this last bit of time away, Lau, its going to be over so soon”…I honestly don’t express my gratitude enough, for the support and love from this amazing man, through all of my “crazy”. So I pulled myself together, realizing maybe it was a lesson in doing what is best for me, did some better research on surrounding areas in the Kathmandu Valley, and decided to head to greener pastures (literally)…The amazing thing was how apologetic, kind and considerate the staff were at the “retreat” center, helping me with my next destination, and refunding me. For me, yet another display of Nepali kindness and hospitality….

To be continued….