Intro To Nepal -- Holy Festivals And High Tragedy

From 30,000 feet -- first look at the Himalayas.

Talk about timing...

Emerging from the terminal at Tribhuvan International Airport and haggling with a cab driver for a ride into center-city Kathmandu, I had little sense of what I was heading for.  

I shared the ride in the tiny Suzuki taxi with a "Kiwi," a fellow traveler/adventurer from New Zealand.  The driver zipped in and out of jams of vehicles, roller coastered us over potholes, swerved around dogs humping in the middle of the road...

Somewhere in there the driver turned to us and imparted, "So very lucky you're here now.  Vejaya Dashami starts in three days."

The Kiwi and I looked at each other perplexed.  We mouthed almost in unison:  "Vay-am dash-whaaat????" 

Dusty streets of Kathmandu.

No traffic signals either!  Free-for-all!  

Traditional Nepalese caps in the Thamel district.

Eventually we were dropped off in the Thamel district, the tourist zone, and the New Zealander and I parted off to our respective lodgings.  Even though the recommendation came off the Internet, my guest house turned out to  be an excellent choice -- clean, reasonable and down a quiet alley away from the madhouse streets of Kathmandu.

The staff not only was friendly and answered my pesky questions with patience, they called me "Mr. James," a title of some respect.  This made me feel like one of the White Rajahas, even though I am your basic budget traveler, to put it mildly.

Staff at guest house. "My boys," as I called to them.

Temple wall with both Buddhist and Hindu symbols.

Corner market (convenience store?).

Nepal is primarily a Hindu country (Buddhists are in the minority) and the main Hindu festival of the year is called Vejaya Dashami, as that cab driver was trying to get through to us.  It spans ten days and features family get-togethers, feasting, gift-giving, drinking, dancing, gambling, and more -- much more, as I was to find out.

Half the country is on the move during this time, it seems, traveling off to relatives, returning to home towns, etc.  Much like our Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday period.

(Gambling is illegal in Nepal, but is allowed during this festival time.  And from what I could see traveling about the country, it is partaken of with gusto then.)

Marigold wreaths to be worn during the festival.

Holy men provide guidance and blessings at the temple squares.

Ring the bell after making a temple offering

A few days later I happened into the old royal city of Bhaktapur, known for its Vejaya Dashami festivities.  

Hundreds of people clad in orange and red gathered at the temple square, red dye on their foreheads, green strands of bamboo behind their ears.  A yearling buffalo was led out in front.  Priests were chanting up a storm.  To the clanging of cymbals and beating of drums, a man in ceremonial dress took up a sword and whacked off the bull's head!

The crowd was locked onto this (except for a few tourists who about passed out) as the spurting blood was caught up into brass goblets and sprinkled about the temple.  The remnants were then placed before various shrines and statues.  The smell of incense, more offerings, this time of bananas, rice, slaughtered chickens...more prayers and chanting.  All in all, quite a show.

Buffalo bull about to be sacrificed.

What's left of him...a few hours later.

Chickens about to meet their fate as well.

I also visited the city of Pokhara, ninety miles to the west of Kathmandu and a center for trekking and mountain climbing in Nepal.  The city sets at the base of the high massif (wall) of the Himalayas and when the weather is clear the mountains are plainly visible.  Sometimes when the optics are right, it seems as if you could reach out and touch them!

My first night there a rainstorm lashed us with fierce winds down where I was at 5,000 ft.  But up at 18,000 feet, two miles plus above us, where a team of climbers was tented up for the night in an attempt to climb Mt. Gurja, it was a different story...

This link describes what happened:  https://news.sky.com/story/nine-climbers-missing-on-nepals-mount-gurja-after-storm-hits-camp-11524889

Rescue attempts were mounted from a nearby airport and the bodies later helicoptered in to there.  Like I say, I was ensconced in the vicinity of this, although it occurred far, far above, up in thin air, where it's almost a different world.  Nonetheless the incident had an impact on many of us.

In the aftermath, prayer flags were hung out and the monks were chanting for days on their behalf.  The smell of incense in memoriam was everywhere.  

Looking toward where nine men died Oct.13.  Prayer flags in foreground.

Remember, eight of the ten highest mountains in the world are in Nepal and any of them, not just the famous Mt. Everest, can turn deadly in a heartbeat!  As the incident on Mt. Gurja shows.

May they rest in peace.

[PART TWO TO FOLLOW NEXT WEEK]