Above; stairs up to Pashupati....Below; the "Holy" River
Melanie taking pictures at the Ashram.
Pashupati
On my first full day in Nepal, I woke up really early not by choice but because I was so jet lagged. I finally got out of bed at 6am Nepali time, washed up and got dressed. Two other volunteers, Melanie and Anne, were also up because they were going to the Elderly Ashram and then to Pashupati Temple. They invited me! I was so excited to get out and see some of Kathmandu! Once we were all ready, we walked for about 15 minutes to Basundhara and caught a bus to the Ashram. The bus ride from Basundhara to Ashram was unusual, because it was Saturday morning, which is their "holiday" or weekend, also it was quite early in the morning so the bus was empty and traffic was light (What a shock?!?!?)
We arrive at the bus stop and walk maybe 10 minutes to the Ashram. We walk in and immediately to our right their is a "band" of eldery Nepali men and women singing and conducting some kind of religious cermony. We stopped and listened, Anne and Melanie took some pictures...but I am still too shy to take pictures of strangers. Then we walk up these steep steps to these shrines and at each of them is a large bell that a woman and walking around and ringing. I am standing pinching myself, thinking "I am really in Nepal, I am really in Nepal..." We walk around the grounds some more and then head into the back of the Ashram to see the less lucid elderly. As we were walking out I began thinking to myself how incredible these old Nepali men and women are. Just as this thought crosses my mind a little old Nepali man walks in front of me, and he walks with his back at a 90 degree angle, totally hunched over but still with a smile on his face and a "Namaste" (hello in Nepali) for a strange white girl. These people are miraculous.
After leaving the Ashram, we headed to the temple. Before entering the temple, because we are apparently (because we are white) tourist we have to pay 500 rupees. Once we walk in we see a shrine that has been recently worshipped, because there had obviously been an animal scarifice (yes! blood streaked all over the ground). Then we go on the bridge that goes over the "holy" river of Kathmandu, but it is so filled with trash that it is hard to believe how holy this river is. It is so sad to see the disrespect taken to something so sacred. Then we head up all of these HUGE white steps, along the way there are these "holy" men and they sit around smoking hash. They were talking to us in Hindu, Anne and I were laughing that they were inviting us to come and smoke with them.
At the top of the steps, was this little village of shrines and lining the far right was this mini forest of these HUGE trees. It was like entering into a whole another world, Kathmandu is so dirty and impoverished, and the temple was run down...but it was ancient (literally, from 400 AD) and beautiful despite the abandonment. Oh! Another thing about the temple is ALL the monkeys. Now monkeys in a zoo, cute. Monkeys running around wild, swinging down from buildings is more like the movie 28 days! They are kind of creepy and word to the wise you never know if they have rabies or not. Eeeek! We took TONS of pictures, especially Melanie she should totally be a photographer. As we are about to leave a man worshipping a specific shrine stopped us and, sadly, told us that we were charged 500 rupees but the money never actually makes it to the people to repair the run down shrines. We were SUPER disappointed to hear this news, so with heavy hearts we headed back. We were lightened some because a "holy" man stopped us and blessed our fore-heads.
Once back at the volunteer house, we hung around for about 30 minutes then it was off to Papa's House for Tiffin (aka holiday). Papa's house is just seconds from the volunteer house and has a HUGE yard. It was so interesting to see all of the children interact, they were playing jump rope and some were playing basketball. Tiffin got really fun when the children finally warmed up to me, alittle girl name Jenny came up to me and chatted and talked to me about being Christian (she saw the cross on my necklace). I decided she was too young (5 or 6 years old) to explain I didn't really associate with one religion or another, more spiritual than anything else. The sun had come out that afternoon and it was VERY hot in the yard, I was starting to get worried that I was getting sun burnt (Yeah! I forgot to put on sunscreen, shame on me). Melanie and I headed back to the volunteer house, and I feel asleep. Ooops! Melanie and I were suppose to go back to Papa's house and listen to Eric (another volunteer) play his guitar for the children. Well, still being jet lagged I can't do it all.
That is a summary of my first day in Nepal. In real time it is my third day in Nepal so...YIKES I have some catching up to do. Until Next Time.
We arrive at the bus stop and walk maybe 10 minutes to the Ashram. We walk in and immediately to our right their is a "band" of eldery Nepali men and women singing and conducting some kind of religious cermony. We stopped and listened, Anne and Melanie took some pictures...but I am still too shy to take pictures of strangers. Then we walk up these steep steps to these shrines and at each of them is a large bell that a woman and walking around and ringing. I am standing pinching myself, thinking "I am really in Nepal, I am really in Nepal..." We walk around the grounds some more and then head into the back of the Ashram to see the less lucid elderly. As we were walking out I began thinking to myself how incredible these old Nepali men and women are. Just as this thought crosses my mind a little old Nepali man walks in front of me, and he walks with his back at a 90 degree angle, totally hunched over but still with a smile on his face and a "Namaste" (hello in Nepali) for a strange white girl. These people are miraculous.
After leaving the Ashram, we headed to the temple. Before entering the temple, because we are apparently (because we are white) tourist we have to pay 500 rupees. Once we walk in we see a shrine that has been recently worshipped, because there had obviously been an animal scarifice (yes! blood streaked all over the ground). Then we go on the bridge that goes over the "holy" river of Kathmandu, but it is so filled with trash that it is hard to believe how holy this river is. It is so sad to see the disrespect taken to something so sacred. Then we head up all of these HUGE white steps, along the way there are these "holy" men and they sit around smoking hash. They were talking to us in Hindu, Anne and I were laughing that they were inviting us to come and smoke with them.
At the top of the steps, was this little village of shrines and lining the far right was this mini forest of these HUGE trees. It was like entering into a whole another world, Kathmandu is so dirty and impoverished, and the temple was run down...but it was ancient (literally, from 400 AD) and beautiful despite the abandonment. Oh! Another thing about the temple is ALL the monkeys. Now monkeys in a zoo, cute. Monkeys running around wild, swinging down from buildings is more like the movie 28 days! They are kind of creepy and word to the wise you never know if they have rabies or not. Eeeek! We took TONS of pictures, especially Melanie she should totally be a photographer. As we are about to leave a man worshipping a specific shrine stopped us and, sadly, told us that we were charged 500 rupees but the money never actually makes it to the people to repair the run down shrines. We were SUPER disappointed to hear this news, so with heavy hearts we headed back. We were lightened some because a "holy" man stopped us and blessed our fore-heads.
Once back at the volunteer house, we hung around for about 30 minutes then it was off to Papa's House for Tiffin (aka holiday). Papa's house is just seconds from the volunteer house and has a HUGE yard. It was so interesting to see all of the children interact, they were playing jump rope and some were playing basketball. Tiffin got really fun when the children finally warmed up to me, alittle girl name Jenny came up to me and chatted and talked to me about being Christian (she saw the cross on my necklace). I decided she was too young (5 or 6 years old) to explain I didn't really associate with one religion or another, more spiritual than anything else. The sun had come out that afternoon and it was VERY hot in the yard, I was starting to get worried that I was getting sun burnt (Yeah! I forgot to put on sunscreen, shame on me). Melanie and I headed back to the volunteer house, and I feel asleep. Ooops! Melanie and I were suppose to go back to Papa's house and listen to Eric (another volunteer) play his guitar for the children. Well, still being jet lagged I can't do it all.
That is a summary of my first day in Nepal. In real time it is my third day in Nepal so...YIKES I have some catching up to do. Until Next Time.
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