The family at Bodhanath stupa. (dec. 15)
Muna and I turning prayer wheels at night at Suwayampu Buddhist monatery. (dec. 15)
Me singing with the band. (dec. 16)
Yet another one of those quick recaps:
Jan. 15 – A good, family oriented day. Nepal was celebrating a festival for sweet potatoes (??) so for once everyone sat together in the morning and ate several different kinds of Nepali snacks (made of ingredients like rice, corn, yam, and molasses). Then Ama and Baba took us back to Bodhanath stupa (which we went to on Muna’s birthday) and we bought Tibetan noodles and Buddhist prayer beads. Then Muna and I went to have lunch at her friend Shitu’s house and ate Newari (the most prominent caste in Kathmandu) “pizza” (made of rice, lentil paste, and egg) and dal baht. In the evening we went back to the other Buddhist stupa we had been to in the morning on one of the first days because it has a great view of Kathmandu and looks beautiful at night.
Jan. 16 – My last day in Kathmandu, and a music filled day it was. One of Muna’s friends had hooked me up with a group of musicians that play gigs in Kathmandu and we agreed to play a gig together that night at a Jazz Bar called “Upstairs”. So we spent most of the afternoon getting a repertoire of songs together, including “God Bless the Child”, “Nature Boy”, and “Summertime” as well as a few songs that I like to rock out to on my Ipod. The gig went fairly smoothly considering we all just met one another, and we all agreed to keep in touch so that if/when I am back in Kathmandu we can do it again.
Jan. 17 – I woke up early because I hadn’t packed yet. Was picked up by Muna’s friend, Robin, at about 9:30. He and I had agreed to go to Pokhara together because he had a friend here he wanted to visit. Originally we were going to take the bus but then his cousin and a friend decided they wanted to come on the roadtrip too so Robin’s uncle provided us with a car and driver for the trip! We drove 2/3rds of the way, to a town called Bandipur. It’s Robin’s childhood village and a very picturesque and quaint little one-streeted village. And lucky for us, that night a Film Festival was passing through, so I got to watch a 60 minute Nepali movie about a 10 year old girl who is forced into an arranged marriage.
Jan. 18 – We drove the last 2 hours to Pokhara and spent the afternoon on a canoe boat on the lake. That night the boys played pool and darts and taught me the rules to Cricket, a very popular game here in Nepal and in all of Asia. I had a lot of fun, though it was certainly obvious to me that I was surrounded by a bunch of boys. Where oh where was my Muna?
Jan. 19 – Woke up early but lazed around the hotel for several hours. We ordered room service and watched more cricket, as well as the Discovery Channel (thankfully). After lunch we climbed a hill and relaxed. Listened to music, drank a beer, and ate chips with the beautiful view of the lake in front of us (though unfortunately no Himalayan view because it was too foggy). That night we listened to live music at a bar.
Now that I am venturing out on my own, it’s up to me to meet people and make friends here. That’s why it was so nice to get to spend so much time with Muna and all her friends these past few weeks – I had an instant group of quality people to talk to and hang out with. I am truly sad to leave Kathmandu and even wondered at one point why I was leaving. But the situation in Kathmandu, with Muna and all her friends, was a once-in-a-lifetime affair and cannot last forever – Muna will be gone as will half of the people I met. Plus, I am sure that once I settle in here in Pokhara I will appreciate the lake, the mountain view, and the clean air. But truly, Kathmandu is a vibrant city with so much character and charm (despite its strange odors and hectic feel) that I KNOW I will be spending more time there before I leave Nepal.
