Today is the last day in Kathmandu. I've learned a lot about Nepalese's ancient history and culture. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, but it is one of the friendliest that I have come to know in my years of travel. I believe much of it has to due with their ability to be tolerant. Despite having a predominant Hindu population, the two major religions of Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism, have blended and co-existed in utter harmony and mutual respect. The country has also shown a high degree of religious tolerance and reverence towards other faiths as well, such as Christianity and Muslim. The followers of the two predominant religions visit and worship each other’s holy places as not seen or experienced elsewhere in the world. Kathmandu has mosques, churches and a Sikh gurudwara, some of them grandly located in the city’s busiest centres, where devotees offer their prayers according to their faith.
One of the questions I had was the difference between a shrine and a temple. I found varied answers but the simplest is a temple, of Buddhism origin, is a varied designed building that is worshipped by a community. Each temple is dedicated to a holy or inspired person in history. A shrine is of a more personal nature, usually small and square (though there are exceptions) and found in neighborhoods or even outside one's home. Most shrines in Patan, where I had been staying, have been erected to remember an ancient/past family member(s). It is both a Hindu and Buddhism belief that past family members that lived a "clean" life carry special "powers" that can be past on to living family members. There are special holidays throughout the year that celebrates the "ancients". Dashain is probably the most revered holiday as it last about 15 days. The start of the holiday may be in September or October, depending on several factors, which are a little complicated. I found a good explanation on Dashain and other holidays on wikipedia, wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashain. I highly encourage you to read the site. Each day of the holiday has a special significance. It is a holiday that is very controversial as well. The holiday has a emphasis on peace, family and tolerance, but practices in sacrifice of animals are still abundant. It should be noted that the animals are used for personal food and skins can be used for the household or sold for sustenance. Animal rights advocates have been trying for years to stop the practice that has been in play for hundreds of years going back as much as two centuries.
The guest house office is closed today, so I don't get a chance to say good bye to my host. The flat in the renovated Newari villa was very nice. Considering the dusty and dirty air surrounding the entire Kathmandu Valley, this place was well kept and cleaned each day.
I walk to the Patan Durfar Square to catch a cab near the edge of the temple area. There is a lot I didn't cover about Patan, but again wikipedia, wikipedia.org/wiki/Patan,_Nepal, has additional information on this most interesting and ancient city. I find a cab, that looks like it and it's driver were both on their last legs, and negotiate a $600NR fare, about $6US to the airport. The ride was an adventure in itself. The cabbie seem to have his own short cuts through some of the darkest alleys and roadways, mostly of dirt and rock. I first thought maybe I was about to become a hostage/kidnapped victim. Each time we came to a stop for animals or people, I would make sure my window was up and door locked. It took about 15 minutes to negotiate our way to the main Kathmandu highway, which is in the midst of a major upgrade with plants, flowers and road repairs. Still, it took another 20 minutes to get to the airport. We had just turned into the gateway of the airport when we came to a dead stop and became part of a line of vehicles. We would ease our way up to a check point with about a half dozen armed tough looking bereted militia, that was looking in every vehicle. It came our turn and one of the security men asked where I was from and asked for my passport. I did not hesitate to pull it from my shirt pocket and hand it to the cabbie, who in turn handed to the green camouflaged military officer. He took a look, gave me a big smile, and said "thank you, sorry for inconvenience" in perfect English.
I make it to the small Kathmandu airport and it is packed with people coming and going. I find the departure door and enter in a lobby where I find I must fill out a departure card. After about ten minutes and letting two other people borrow my pin, I then proceeded to a long line. After 30 minutes I made it to the front and it was an x-ray machine for baggage. I set my luggage on the metal machine and it worked its way through while I walked through the security archway. I passed through with no alarms, but the security person asked me to step aside and did a mild frisk. Then he asked me "do you have any drugs on you, hashish and (something I didn't understand)". I said no and I was released to capture my luggage. Now I was able to go to the Thai Airlines check-in line. Since I'm traveling economy the line for that seating assignment is long as well. I'm sure glad I started to the airport three hours before my departure. While in line a uniformed official of Thai came up to me and ask for my passport, what now! He looked at the outside and noticed my US Passport and guided me up to a tasseled draped line away from the other passengers. No one was in line and a nicely officially dressed Thai Airline agent ask for my passport. Special treatment for some reason. Do I look like Steve Spielberg, Brad Pitt or Jerry Garcia (oh yeah he is dead) to get pulled out of line for this special treatment? Maybe it was because I was the tallest and largest person in line! Nevertheless, I then proceeded to customs, that only took about ten minutes in line. Finally! Not quite yet.
There was another three side-by-side long lines, with no sight of the front, that I would have to stand in for over 45 minutes. This airport, while it seems it has air conditioning, was not keeping up with the large number of people. When I could finally see the front of the line there was another security check, this time for carry on luggage. Didn't we do this about two hours ago? I finally send my bag through but it stops after I walk through the security archway with no alarm. Seems at the end of the baggage belt a vendor had sent a large amount of plastic bagged ready to eat noodle servings through the X-ray machine and they had all spilt on the rubber belt inside the X-ray machine. The armed security men at the end of the belt were not pleased. There were noodles everywhere. They stopped the line and had a maintenance person come and clean up the mess. Now my bag has not made it through yet. I'm wondering how much of the noodle mess was going to be in and about my backpack. Once the mess was cleaned up, while the poor vendor was continually verbally abused by the security personnel, my bag came through. Noodles were hanging off the top of my bag. The guards were amused, but did give me a towel to brush off the collection of yellow colored pasta.
I proceeded to my gate area because now I'm within 30 minutes of departure. Our course, this is a day of waiting, my flight has not even arrived yet and is now scheduled for one hour late departure. While I try and find a scarce open seat, I smell it...chicken soup. Great now I' going to smell this the rest of the day, as will other people around me. My patience is becoming a bit thin at this point. Yesterday, I remember reading some passages from a book I picked up at one of the kiosks in Patan Durfur Square on Buddhism. I think it is something like a"Buddhism for Dummies". I read about the importance of patience and tolerance. Both are signs of personal strength and enlightenment. Okay let's see if I can calm down and practice a little bit of this new found awareness. I close my eyes, think of a most pleasant place or person and spiritually put myself in the picture. Hey that worked pretty well. It also made me think simply. Just find a restroom and wash the back pack and yourself down. I remember now that I always carry antiseptic cleanser and a bar of soap in a plastic bag in my backpack. I find the restroom, which cost $100NR, about a $1US, to use the facilities. Want toilet paper or towel? Thats another $.50US. I pay the fee to a feeble looking gentleman and start washing everything down with stares and smirks from the crowd in the restroom. What else is interesting about this restroom is that both men and women use it, but know one seems to notice, except me.
Okay all washed down, even put on more deodorant and cologne, and I'm now refreshed and calm. May have to read a little more of that Buddhism stuff. The lobby area consists of five gate areas that are packed with people seating in the few chairs, but most are standing. One thing I learned about gate areas, always go to the farthest part of the area, because most people will try and stay in the more immediate area. That worked, because I found an area away from the maddening crowd with a departure screen right in front of the chair that I found.
I also noticed something else in the area. There were several hundred young men, no women, milling around a gate area that had no number assigned to it. They were all about 16-25 years old with many having far away looks, almost in despair. I was sitting next to another passenger that was from Ireland and ask him who were all these young men, some sort of educational group. He gave a bit of a chuckle and said, "it's a slave plane". A what? He explained to me it was a group of boys/men that were on their way to somewhere to work. He explained to me about Nepalese workers going to other countries to work. Okay I think I've read about this somewhere along the line.
Now, my curiosity is getting the best of me. I leave my comfortable and premium scarce seat, which was quickly gobbled up by an old wrinkled Asian lady that probably needed it more than me. I walk over to where the group had been standing for the last 30 minutes, as if waiting for someone to move them on to the next spot. There were a few seats available but there was no way I was going to get one of them. I heard someone speaking English so I maneuvered myself in that direction. There was a boy that couldn't have been more than 18 years old and I said hello. "Namaste", Nepalese for hello. He told me his name was Sam, doesn't sound to Nepalese to me. I asked where he was going and said he was going to Qatar to work on the football (soccer) stadiums for the World Cup. Though most in line didn't look too happy, this young man seemed genuinely excited. I asked him how did he get a job in Qatar. He then explained to me about having to pay (a loan) $40,000NR, or $400US to an agency for the "privilege" of working on the stadiums. I asked him how much he was getting paid and he proudly said $10,000NR per month, about $100US. I thought that to be appalling. I asked him what he did with that money and he said the agency promised they would help get most of his earnings to his mother, he never knew his father. He said his living expenses were free in Qatar, so it would leave him a lot of money left over. I ask him where the plane he was to board was located. He pointed out to a plane that had no commercial markings, that seemed to be a private B-737. Just about this time an older adult, that looked as if he was an airport official, broke through the crowded line and ask if this was my plane. I said no, that my gate had not been assigned yet as a pointed to the departure screen. I explained I was just talking to the boys. He gave the boy a very sinister stare, then smiled at me and said he would help me find the right gate. I gave him my flight information since my gate was not yet assigned. I said "subha din" which I found out is a loosely form of "have a good day". Several of the boys gave me the traditional hand prayer signal and a slight bow, "namaste". Now namaste is like aloha, it can mean good bye or hello. After I was "escorted" to my gate I asked the red coated airport official where those men were going. He gave me a forced smile and said "on a holiday".
I continued to be curious about workers going to Qatar and used the last minutes on my cheap calling/data card and googled for information. There was plenty of information on the subject...all very controversial. Nepal apparently is one of the largest export of "slave paid labor" to Qatar. Over 400 workers have died from what Qatarian officials call "cardiac arrest" in the last three years. Also, the "free" living arrangements are not much more than concentration camps with little clean running water and food not fit for animals. Workers are forced to buy decent food with their limited income. Workers do not have return tickets back to their homes, so getting out is almost impossible. I'm just appalled at the overall abuse these gentle people from a country known for tolerance and peace.
Our plane has arrived and is turned around very quickly and we take off late at the time that was announced. I can't get my mind off that young man and wonder how he will be treated in a strange land. Will his mother get the money that he planned so proudly on sending her? Will he be part of the documented abuses of the labor force in Qatar? Did I get him in trouble for talking to me so freely in the "slave line".
I get into the 8 year old Bangkok airport and arrive to the anthesis of the Kathmandu airport. This is by far one of the most modern and technically equipped airports that I've seen, though I hear the new Singapore airport is comparable. I get quickly through all the check lines and my baggage is waiting for me. I checked one of my bags since I had a few things in it that I couldn't carry-on. Don't worry nothing illegal. I use the cab queue that is so simple and efficient. I just push the kiosk button and it gives me a number "23". I walk a short distance to that cab space and it is waiting for me with it's trunk already open. I get a traditional clasped hand prayer sign and a bow. Wouldn't a greeting like that at a cab queue be pleasant to experience, say at O'Hare in Chicago?! I'm back at the Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok and check in and escorted to the 17th floor by the baggage handler I had checked my big bags in the hotel's storage upon my departure for Nepal five days ago. It was delivered within 10 minutes of my arrival. First thing I do is fill up the deep bath tub with the bubble bath that is one of their freebies and soak for about 30 minutes. I don't think I appreciated a bath more than the one I'm taking around midnight.
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