Nepal - A Travologue
The view from the air was just breathtaking. I am headed to Nepal, the only hindu country that enjoys monarchy for centuries. The first impression that one gets from the sky are the number of rivers & estuaries that gorges across the valley. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal is a town situated in the heart of the valley.
The hotel where I was staying was Yak & Yeti a lovely place with lotsa exotic looking plants in the heart of the city. Adjoining the hotel was the “Casino Royale” a magnificent 3 storeyed building catering to different kinds of gamblers…the tourists, the novices & the regular or professional gamblers.
Since Kathmandu is most famous for its casino’s, one had to go to one to feel the pulse of the place. The moment you enter the casino, you are hit by the sheer pace, excitement & energy. The adrenaline flowing in every winner’s body & the hope and aspirations that the losers experience & go for one last bet, to try & make up for the previous losses….but alas !
I bought chips worth a couple of hundreds & tried to learn the backpack, a card game which was for the semi professional kinds & so retreated to a more understandable game of Roulette. Won some, lost some & eventually ended up with exactly the amount that I had earlier bought chips of. Felt it was safer to encash, before one was caught in the enticing drama & came back to the confines of my room with the satisfaction that I had not lost money gambling.
Next day was a visit to the ancient & famous temple of Pashupatinath to cleanse my sins of the previous night at the casino by paying homage to the popular deity. This is an ancient Shiva shrine and is almost a thousand years old. By the time I reached the shrine, it was raining very heavily & had to convince a flower girl to loan me her tattered but much in demand umbrella to which she finally did agree after being offered a comfortable amount.
The first thing that strikes one as you enter the temple grounds is the gigantic brass Nandi statue that guards the temple from the front end. The darshan was an arti followed by distribution of the holy water & some prasad. It humbled me, looking at the devotion & sheer faith of everyone coming to the temple braving the weather.
Suddenly, I heard a loud roar (bellowing) of 2 giant bulls in the temple courtyard & before one could take stock of the situation, the bulls were at loggerheads with one another. The sickening thud, which followed each time the bulls charged at one another & the angry outbursts made me scurry to the protection of the temple confines, lest one of the bulls got more interested in me than one another.
Behind the temple flows a holy river & the Hindus use the cemented banks to cremate their dead. The mortal remains of 2 people lay soaked in the rainwater, next to the river, awaiting their turn to be sent to dust.
After the completion of one pradakshina (walk round the temple) I headed back to the hotel with my cabby, Keshav, a young & energetic lad only too willing to talk & discuss his land, its people & the quandary that the political situation was in. Talking to Keshav reminded me once again of how the Nepalese were warm & very simple-minded people with a very hard & yet simple way of life.
The next day woke up early & walked across the hotel grounds seeping in its beauty. A couple of ducks waded in the pond near by. After a heavy breakfast, took a morning flight to Pokhra, a picturesque place. The Aircraft that we were travelling in was a 45 seater local airlines called Necon Air.
The arial view of Pokhra is just fantastic with multiple rivers, gorges & small hamlets peppered across the mountain slopes. The hotel where I was put up was “Fulbari”…the name seemed like a complete put off. But one look at the resort was enough to fall in love with the place. It’s grounds were lush green & full of exotic flora. Figurines of different hindu gods adorned the lawns. The interiors had exquisite wood work & decorated with ethnic paintings of ancient gods, pagodas, temples etc.
The rooms were airy with a wonderful view of the mountains from the varandah. Lunch was in a restaurant called “The Fish Tail”. The Fish tail also has lodging facilities. One had to go via a small boat from the main land to get to this island in the middle of the lake. The whole experience was quite thrilling & the ambience dreamy. Food was lovely…fish fry, prawns fry, rice n chicken dishes, chicken momo (nepali snack just like dumplings) washed down with local drinks.
Back at Fulbari, walked to the end of the cliff & the sheer magical view of the mountains was breathtaking. The mountains looked a rich green hue with little rivulets snaking down its sides & all the little brooks meeting up with the almighty river which looked ferocious after the recent torrential rains that had lashed the terrain a week ago.
After taking mugshots of the terrain around, walked towards the garden & hey ! there was this peacock walking by. He walked awkwardly near me. All too aware & cautious in his approach & ready to run lest I come too close. I love animals & without being intrussive like watching them. The moment I would get closer, he would run away like an elusive dream & when I stayed put, he would come back. After a while as his comfort level increased having me around, he started walking by my side, accompanying me to the pond where there were huge fresh water fish swimming in big schools. Watched the fish a bit & then headed to check out the swimming pool & gym. The same day, I had to leave to catch a flight back to Kathmandu & from there to Calcutta.
Copyright © BuntysBanter 2005
The hotel where I was staying was Yak & Yeti a lovely place with lotsa exotic looking plants in the heart of the city. Adjoining the hotel was the “Casino Royale” a magnificent 3 storeyed building catering to different kinds of gamblers…the tourists, the novices & the regular or professional gamblers.
Since Kathmandu is most famous for its casino’s, one had to go to one to feel the pulse of the place. The moment you enter the casino, you are hit by the sheer pace, excitement & energy. The adrenaline flowing in every winner’s body & the hope and aspirations that the losers experience & go for one last bet, to try & make up for the previous losses….but alas !
I bought chips worth a couple of hundreds & tried to learn the backpack, a card game which was for the semi professional kinds & so retreated to a more understandable game of Roulette. Won some, lost some & eventually ended up with exactly the amount that I had earlier bought chips of. Felt it was safer to encash, before one was caught in the enticing drama & came back to the confines of my room with the satisfaction that I had not lost money gambling.
Next day was a visit to the ancient & famous temple of Pashupatinath to cleanse my sins of the previous night at the casino by paying homage to the popular deity. This is an ancient Shiva shrine and is almost a thousand years old. By the time I reached the shrine, it was raining very heavily & had to convince a flower girl to loan me her tattered but much in demand umbrella to which she finally did agree after being offered a comfortable amount.
The first thing that strikes one as you enter the temple grounds is the gigantic brass Nandi statue that guards the temple from the front end. The darshan was an arti followed by distribution of the holy water & some prasad. It humbled me, looking at the devotion & sheer faith of everyone coming to the temple braving the weather.
Suddenly, I heard a loud roar (bellowing) of 2 giant bulls in the temple courtyard & before one could take stock of the situation, the bulls were at loggerheads with one another. The sickening thud, which followed each time the bulls charged at one another & the angry outbursts made me scurry to the protection of the temple confines, lest one of the bulls got more interested in me than one another.
Behind the temple flows a holy river & the Hindus use the cemented banks to cremate their dead. The mortal remains of 2 people lay soaked in the rainwater, next to the river, awaiting their turn to be sent to dust.
After the completion of one pradakshina (walk round the temple) I headed back to the hotel with my cabby, Keshav, a young & energetic lad only too willing to talk & discuss his land, its people & the quandary that the political situation was in. Talking to Keshav reminded me once again of how the Nepalese were warm & very simple-minded people with a very hard & yet simple way of life.
The next day woke up early & walked across the hotel grounds seeping in its beauty. A couple of ducks waded in the pond near by. After a heavy breakfast, took a morning flight to Pokhra, a picturesque place. The Aircraft that we were travelling in was a 45 seater local airlines called Necon Air.
The arial view of Pokhra is just fantastic with multiple rivers, gorges & small hamlets peppered across the mountain slopes. The hotel where I was put up was “Fulbari”…the name seemed like a complete put off. But one look at the resort was enough to fall in love with the place. It’s grounds were lush green & full of exotic flora. Figurines of different hindu gods adorned the lawns. The interiors had exquisite wood work & decorated with ethnic paintings of ancient gods, pagodas, temples etc.
The rooms were airy with a wonderful view of the mountains from the varandah. Lunch was in a restaurant called “The Fish Tail”. The Fish tail also has lodging facilities. One had to go via a small boat from the main land to get to this island in the middle of the lake. The whole experience was quite thrilling & the ambience dreamy. Food was lovely…fish fry, prawns fry, rice n chicken dishes, chicken momo (nepali snack just like dumplings) washed down with local drinks.
Back at Fulbari, walked to the end of the cliff & the sheer magical view of the mountains was breathtaking. The mountains looked a rich green hue with little rivulets snaking down its sides & all the little brooks meeting up with the almighty river which looked ferocious after the recent torrential rains that had lashed the terrain a week ago.
After taking mugshots of the terrain around, walked towards the garden & hey ! there was this peacock walking by. He walked awkwardly near me. All too aware & cautious in his approach & ready to run lest I come too close. I love animals & without being intrussive like watching them. The moment I would get closer, he would run away like an elusive dream & when I stayed put, he would come back. After a while as his comfort level increased having me around, he started walking by my side, accompanying me to the pond where there were huge fresh water fish swimming in big schools. Watched the fish a bit & then headed to check out the swimming pool & gym. The same day, I had to leave to catch a flight back to Kathmandu & from there to Calcutta.
Copyright © BuntysBanter 2005
posted by Bunty's Banter at 9:33 PM
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