Well another good sleep, no band playing parades at 6AM. So I get up around 10AM and decided tea is just not going to hack it this morning. I'm going to have to cheat on the Nepal meal schedule. I noticed last night that the Cafe Swotha across the street had a breakfast menu. So this morning its an American Breakfast of eggs over easy, toast, ham, bacon, sausage and coffee. There, now I feel much better. Today is the last full day in Kathmandu. I'm still disappointed about not being able to take the helicopter to Mt. Everest.
I take a walk to the area called Lagankhel which is due south of Patan. This area is very active with traffic. Its streets are bigger and wider...and more honking motorcycles. There also is a very large bazaar again selling everything from soup to nuts. In the middle of the square is a transportation center for buses and it is packed with people and eager bus drivers trying to get down the road. One of the main hospitals and 24 hour emergency care is located here as well. I took a picture of this place: all windows were open with people hanging out them, a pile of dirt and rocks at the entrance and a few broken windows. Please ankle please hold up for one more day. I end up buying a couple for trinkets and move on to my next hike to Jawalakel.
Jawalakel is located due east of Durbar Square and about a 20 minute walk from Lagankel. This seems to be where the major college and schools are located. The grounds are very nice to include a football (soccer) field and park area. UNESCO is located here as well. UNESCO is a division of the United Nations that contributes to building peace, alleviating poverty, and fostering sustainable development and intercultural dialogue in Nepal through education, science, culture, communication and information. In other words there here to help people get ahead. This area is where the National Nepal Zoo is located. I decide not to go since it will be a bit of a disappointment after being in the Serengeti a few weeks ago.
I start my walk back to home base, the Cozy House, and along the way I come across a park with a small pond called Pimbahal Pukhu. It has a beautiful doomed shaped shrine with a stone walkway leading up to its entrance. I notice a makeshift boat in the small brown water pond with four children aboard. One male child has a long pole that seems to be moving the boat, made of six large empty plastic barrels attached to a metal deck. I look a little closer and they are actually going around the pond picking up trash off the surface ...a good deed for the day. I have pictures and video on FaceBook.
I finish my picture taking and continue my way west toward Durbar Square. I arrive and there is a ceremony going on and I asked someone what's the occasion. This is the start of Balachaturdashi one of the pious festivals of the Hindus. The importance of this festival is to offer obeisance in the commemoration of deceased ancestors (antecedents). Antecedents are believed to be equal as the God in the Hindu mythology. Mythology explains that: though the God wishes to present us some thing, the antecedents can stop us from obtaining the things. So without appeasing to the antecedents we can't get any fruitful awards. I had to look it up. While there I ran into a couple of dudes that looked like they were dressed for halloween, but in fact they were holy men called Sadhus. They are religious holy men that live off the land and depend on people to help them in there quest for perfection. In the countryside they will live in caves or off the land. In cities, like Kathmandu, they will live at or near a temple or shrine. They are also teachers of meditation. I got a great video of them with me on FaceBook.
I'm near the guest house so I go there and have high tea at the tea cafe next to the entrance of the guest house. Now its getting a little dark so I find another cafe near the square called the White House. Its a bit off the beaten path but the food was editable, not as good as some of the other places that I have visited. I have a dish called momo which is like a veggie dumpling.
I head back to the guest house and its time to call it a night. What I'm finding out is that the city literally closes down at night, primarily because it does not have the street light infrastructure to support having places open. Also the culture here is that night time is to be with family. I need to pack, for its back to Bangkok tomorrow for three more days before heading to Tokyo.
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