Pashupatinath

 No sooner than have I walked up to the gate, I was guided to the ticket counter, 'buy ticket, buy ticket.' OK. Then this man approached me, 'guide?' 100 rupees. I said, why not, come along. A lot of the temples in the Kathmandu valley are made of wood or if they are bricks, they will have these beautifully intricate wooden windows. Nepalese people are known for their intense skill in carving wood. Some of the wooden temples are so gorgeous, the carvings are so intricate and lovely, it leaves one speechless. It was a huge place and hiring an unofficial guide was a good idea. There were leproused beggars everywhere. I didn't know that leprosy still exists, I thought it has been eradicated in the world. Obviously not.

Pashupatinath

A very sacred Hindu temple by the river Bhagmati. As in Varanasi in India, this is also a place of open cremation. Bodies of the Hindu faith are brought here, burnt in an open fire and the ashes scattered into the river. When I arrived that morning, a body was being burnt, the process had been going on for a while and was almost completed because I couldn't see any visible body. I read they need to weigh the body and from that can deduce how much firewood is needed to finish the job. They only have regular wood here. But in Varanasi, apparently one can purchase different grades of wood, cheap ones or expensive ones depending on one's family's fortune. There wasn't any foul odor just the smell of wood smoke.

Puja

 'Puja' means morning prayers to greet the morning sun. It was early when I arrived. The mist was still over the temple and it had this spiritual air to it. People were burning anything that could find to keep warm. It was so cold. Vermillion powder is being sold, that's the red dot they put on their foreheads. Flowers and other accoutrements are being purchased ton bring to the temple for the priest to bless. Some are left at the temple, the rest are brought home to bless the family. Non Hindus are not allowed inside the main temple. I was able to see the other shrines.

Early morning at a sacred Hindu temple

 It took me 2 days to get nto Kathmandu. I don't even know why I went but I'm glad I did. The country uses hydroelectric power and in the winter months the water level is too low to generate enough power so they only get a few hours of electricity each day. The other times power comes from generators but between the hours of 1am to 7 am, there is virtually nothing and the whole country is plunged into darkness. The roads are crowded and full of potholes. It is dirty because trash is everywhere. Its a hard life. I'm glad I witnessed it. I grew up in British North Borneo but I've never seen the conditions of my childhood this bad. The Kathmandu valley wasn't always like this. Back in the days before cars and people, there were three glorious kingdoms existing side by side. They were rich and religious and built some of the most lovely monuments that we see today. Today it is a little hard to appreciate the beauty because of modern encroahment into the sacred places. There are still a few places where they are a living museum meaning conditions today are the same as years ago. Since I only have a few days to see so many things, I had a plan in place and I managed to accomplish all that I planned. The first order of business was the sacred Hindu temple at Pashupatinah. A taxi took me there the first morning of my arrival. The mist was still over the temple and it had this other worldliness to it. The flower sellers were already up to sell flowers to the people who have come for their morning 'puja' or prayers. One is to offer some flowers to be blessed by the priest, leave some at the various shrines, take some home and keep it for good luck and health. The faithful do this every morning, it is usually the womenfolk.

Kathmandu

I've just stepped off the plane and am at home right now. This definitely was a very different experience, one that shouldn't be missed, hard as it was. In the winter time when they most need it they only have a few hours of power each day. It was so cold. The place is crowded with people, cars, bikes, smog and dust. The roads are bad and full of potholes. Its an extremely poor place but beautiful as well. I'm glad I went. I met some incredible visitors from other countries.

Leaving tonight

I have a few more hours and I'll be heading for Tribhuvan airport. It rained while I was in this Internet cafe. It stopped. It's so cold. I'm glad to be going back to warmer weather. The noise, the crush of humanity, the traffic, its insane. But all in all it was a good trip, at least I got out of my comfort zone and plunged into a culture and place that is so different. The Kathmandu guest house where I stayed is right smack in the thick of things but it is quite secluded and is a respite for the insane living outside. Hong Kong, here I come and then Los Angeles. I'm ready to head home.

Back in Kathmandu

I'm back in Kathmandu, came back yesterday on the bus. It took an hour longer because there was an accident. You should see these mountain roads, narrow and steep with a precipitous drop off the side of the mountains. I met and talked with more people on this trip on my own than any other trip. While in Pokhara, I was invited into the home of a Tibetan refugee to have lunch. How cool was that? I sat with Sunshine, a girl from England who is here to attend a wedding of her Dutch friend to a Nepalese man. There was another Western girl who was hitched to a Nepali man on the bus with us. The Dutch man we were traveling with made the remark, 'what's with this thing that so many Western women are hitched to Nepalese men?' I said, it happens a lot in Turkey between Western men and women and Turkish nationals. I told him, my motto is 'don't bring home any souvenir larger than a carpet!' Anyway I changed hotel, the first one was cheap but too quiet. I went to this one because Sunshine said it was the one she stayed in when she first arrived. I prefer this new one, its right in the thick of things.

Nepal

I am in Pokhara right at this moment. I arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday night and spent all of Sunday in Kathmandu visiting temples including the most holy Hindu temple of Pashapatinat. It was fascinating, saw a dead body being burnt and another being prepared to be burnt. I took the bus from Kathmandu this morning bound for Pokhara. I met lots of other travelers from all over the world, most are here to do some trekking and yoga. In winter, there is load shedding, they get only a few hours of electricity each day, most other times they have to generators. It's freezing because there's no heat in any of these places. I wear all my clothes to bed, the temperature is the same inside and outside. But I'm managing. It's hard to get hot water to take a shower and most of us do without one for days. Once you get over these expectations, the place is really charming. Well, I'll be doing some visiting of the Tibetan settlements here while most other visitors are para gliding, zip lining and trekking and of course at yoga classes. It's fun, very different from other trips. Then I return to Kathmandu for a few days before flying home. I'm glad I came.

Playing with picasa

 

 I just uploaded picasa and am trying to learn it.

A little trip

I'll be going for a little walkabout. Be back soon.

Soho

There's no trip to London without a trip to Soho or London's China town. We go there for the delicious Chinese food. It's always a delight to visit Soho. Right next to it is Charing Cross Road where all the bookstores are. I love the gigantic Foyles. I bought a few used books during this trip. One of them by Dervla Murphy about Nepal and that is why I'm going to Nepal. It's amazing how an idea from a book could change the course of one's life. My life is constantly changing because of the books I read.

London 2

They still have these in London and I think they are still in use. I just got myself an iphone 5. I've never used any of these red phone booths before. I'm going to qwitch on global roaming when I leave for Nepal which is in a few days.

New Year resolutions

I never make any. They don't work, there's nothing in the negative that could get us up and running...stop smoking, lose weight, eat less fat, less sugar, work out more.....bla bla bla.. Oscar Wilde said, 'moderation is fatal, there's no success like excess'. Soot for the moon, if you don't reach the moon, maybe you'll reach the stars (or is it the other way around?) Anyway have big plans for 2013, have even bigger plans.

London

 One of London's iconic stores, Liberty of London, a fabric store.

 It has branched into other things like men's and women's clothing and home furnishings.

 Every girl dreams of getting their hands on some Liberty fabrics.

 Carnaby street? The Beatles sang of Carnaby street.

 And of course, the proverbial fish and chips store of England.

From Bordeaux airport we flew to London Gatwick. The crowds at the Gatwick train station was like a mad house, so chaotic. It was wet and cold and some lines were down. We had to rush from one station to another, following other travelers. Finally we got into Victoria station at almost midnight, went to a flea pit hotel nearby. We only had one day in London to see family and have dinner with them. The visit with family was very nice. We had asked for a wake up call for the airport on the day of our departure but the guy forgot. Good thing our internal clock woke us up and we made our flight.I'm going to bring a travel alarm clock when I travel from now on.

Happy New Year

There's a book, 'castle in my backyard'. I read it years ago. Imagine living in France, there's always a castle in one's backyard or a church steeple. Here in St Emilion, this cottage had a church steeple in its back yard. Happy New Year.

How to look like a French girl

It's easier to take pictures of people unaware with a small point and shoot camera. It was harder with a big DSLR but I managed. They didn't know that I was snapping their pictures.

More cute things

 Bordeaux is not very big but it is not small either. It is like an arrondisement of Paris. It's very easy to visit and is very enjoyable. There is this tram that runs from the train station to the other end of town. Or it is easy to walk but at the end of the day it is better to take the tram. We stayed across the street from the train station.

France is still the most favorite of tourists. It is not difficult to see why. It is beautiful and the French people has such finese in everything they do. There's a cute vignette everywhere you turn, even at this bakery. I get very sad when I come home and have to store away my camera.

Lunch in Bordeaux

I'm amazed at the variety of foreign food in Bordeaux. We chose Asian street food for lunch. I had the Pad Thai or Thai noodles while Sophie had the Penang Laksa (Malaysian).They were both delicious.