Drinking Everest

Drinking Everest

Good afternoon to everyone back in London! As promised, here's a brief account of what Hari and I have been up to so far in Nepal on our research trip.

Our arrival here was marked with a number of strikes across the country, which somewhat limited our movement. However, the next morning, determined to not stay in our hotel room, we ventured out. The first stop was the Narayanhiti Palace, conveniently located next to our hotel. It is a very interesting place to learn more about recent Nepali history. After looking at the King's collections, wandering through the gardens and learning about the tragic Royal massacre in 2001 we moved to the city centre.

Because of the strikes the dusty streets were almost deserted, giving us a unique opportunity to uninterruptedly soak up the interesting architecture on our way to Thamel. Thamel is of stark contrast to the area we had walked through. It is the most famous hub for backpackers and trekkers in the country, with every street lined with signs advertising restaurants, hotels, cafes, and especially trekking shops. Most trekkers use Kathmandu as a base, or, at least pass through it afterwards; the whole area has been transformed to fulfil their every need. Finally Hari and I sat down to a glass of pomegranate juice and freshly squeezed sugarcane, which was bliss! So fresh and tasty!

Though it was hot and sweaty, Thamel is an interesting kaleidoscope of new and some very old houses and shops selling almost everything you could imagine.

The following day Nepali people seemed eager to get back up and running and the streets came back to life with small shops opening, local fruit and vegetables appearing in the streets and all of a sudden the colours were back in action and so were our cameras.

We stopped at a Buddhist stupa hidden in the streets of Thamel. A gleaming white stupa (dome) painted with the eyes of the Buddha, decorated with colourful prayer flags and statues of Buddha.

The discovery of the day for me was that we had time-travelled to the year 2069. Apparently the Nepalese use a different calendar - the months are pretty much the same, but they are 57 years ahead of us!

The evening brought back the chaos Kathmandu is known for and we were happy to be a part of it again; especially with an Everest beer in hand. The day came to a good end.

(More to follow....)