The seventh poorest country in the world. A country where thanks to the heavenly Himalayas, a new form of tourism was created – trekking.

Nepal is the only Hindu kingdom in the world. It lies embraced between India and China (Tibet).

A country where three main religions blend together:  Hinduism, Buddhism and Voodoo. The Hindu religion is regarded as the official religion which is endorsed by the majority of people, however by many of them this is only formally.

The life of the Nepalese is full of routines and traditions and significantly differs from the way of life we are used to. Each visitor should therefore be prepared for these differences; on the other hand, the Nepalese are very tolerant people and will simply gloss over any faux pas.

The national greeting is “namaste”, which is used throughout the whole day. The agreement is expressed with a gentle nod of the head sideways; disagreement is expressed by putting a hand in front of the face. It took me a while to get used to it and as a result I photographed a few people by mistake, not realising that they were not keen on the idea.

A rickshaw in Thamal.

The capital city of Nepal is Kathmandu.

The time zone is +5:45. The highest point is Mount Everest (8,850 m above sea level).

During my stroll in the Thamal district, I had the opportunity to observe the busy Kathmandu street life, so different from the European way of life. At times there is unbelievable poverty, chaos, mess, animals, smog, soldiers and people. Many people in fact. The traffic is extremely chaotic. They drive on the left side of the road and one can see all types of vehicles including cars, trucks, motorbikes, cyclists, rickshaws, pedestrians, children, cows, ducks, chickens and beggars. All of them constantly use their horns. If you go to the city as I did, after a week’s meditation stay with Buddhist Monks, you will experience severe stress!

The centre of Thamel.

The district is crammed with souvenir shops, bars and restaurants open until late night which almost urges you to visit while haggling is a necessity when buying something.

We met tourists from every corner of the world; some of them already back from their programme, all bearded and hairy, soaked with the aroma of Nepal while others look as if they just arrived, all clean and full of anticipation of extraordinary expectations.

Our steps led us into the monkey temple called Swayambhunath, positioned on top of a hill. The steps leading to the top are full of cheeky monkeys which love to jump on the visitors backs and steal their possessions.

Some of the carvings on the temple roof frame have a strong erotic symbolism and are therefore very attractive to visitors.

I had a shock when visiting the sacred Hindu place of PASHUPATINATH Mandir. It is the most sacred place in Nepal. Cremations take place throughout the whole day on funeral ghats. The temples are spread out alongside the banks of the Bahmati River whose dark and very dirty water is sacred to the Hindu people. To be cremated there means that you are saved from an ordinary life. The Hindu people consider actual death as something dirty and when the pyre with the body finally finishes burning, they brush the ashes into the river. Just few yards away, worshippers were getting washed, washing their clothes and even washing dishes. A swim in this river would probably guarantee us hospitalization, and for me, probably more permanent consequences. The whole funeral ceremony is quite a shocking experience for us Europeans.

Here are some pictures.

The body is wrapped in a white or orange shroud during the funeral ceremony and yellow flowers are scattered all over it. The oldest son or the closest male relative lights the pyre.

Our next journey led us to the Old town and to Durbar Square. I was very curious about the Kumari Bahal palace, the home of the young Goddess Kumari. Kumari – a living Goddess, the cult of the prepubescent girl which is worshiped as a living incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Kali. The candidate must be of three to five years of age. High requirements are demanded in terms of selection. The story says that the girl must undergo various ceremonial rituals to fulfil all the conditions. She must walk through a yard full of blood and dead animals and she must pick out items which were the possessions of her predecessor. She must be beautiful, her horoscope must correspond etc. Her life is not a happy one. She lives in isolation and when she is allowed to leave the palace, which is only few times a year, she is carried on a sedan chair. She looses her Goddess status when she first menstruates following which she becomes an ordinary woman. Although she is taken care off financially, her life is nowhere ordinary. It is believed that it is bad luck to marry a Kumari. A sad destiny, don’t you think?

This is a Kumari.

This is the place where worshipers can spot her. As a sign of devotion, they paint their faces with red paste.

I was pleasantly surprised with the choice of food. Thamal offered many opportunities for a good meal until late at night; the bars were full of tourists from around the world and everywhere was bustling.

It was also pleasant to hear the Czech language again after a long journey. What a pleasant surprise in the restaurant.

Nepal offers much more and trekking is certainly worth trying. Unfortunately, I did not have much time, only three days. However, I was happy that I could at least taste a bit of the local life and mentality. To learn about Nepal as it is today, you will need to spend much more time there. What a shame, so until next time, see you soon.