Pokhara to Muktinath Via Jomsom

I wouldn't have dreamt that, journey from Pokhara to Muktinath would become integral part of my memory before I took it . Only word to explain it would be 'Phenomenal !' 

Surprises started at the outset. Imagine. A six foot or more , black African american towering over you, introduces himself as, ' I am Milind Joshi, incidentally I am Gujarati Brahman and would be driving you to Muktinath !'  I had said, 'Just imagine', but in Nepal it could happen. A young youth in his mid twenties with cute smiling  face introduced himself as our driver, and came out on his own that , his name was Anil and surname Bisht and by caste he was 'Bahun', that's Brahman in Nepali. Absolutely flat face face , definite yellow complexion, slanting eyes to the extent that they were only slits with typical epicanthic [ flap on the inner corner of eye] fold, so typical of Mongoloids ! The racial mixing in Nepal is so complete that many  a time it becomes difficult to categorize ! May be, the Biharis coming from India, settled in grass lands of Terai in south east Nepal, got so assimilated with mongoloid Tibetans from north mountainous areas that probably a new race came into existence, 'Nepalis' which braced Hinduism leaving Buddhism away and so the Mongoloid Hindus with Brahman surnames !
This is apart from the subject I know , but I can not resist to put it down.  Just to push the conversation on, I asked him , 'Whether he eats meat or not, or being Hindu Brahman it's a taboo for him.. What he answered was very practical. 'Yes he loves non veg food but while eating it, he puts away his sacred thread  to avoid the bad omen !'

The one who said' It's not the destination but the journey that matters !' should be or is it must be, as in punishment, made a bus driver on Beni - Jomsom route. We always say' No news is good news!' Here there is no road, but here it's, 'No road means no road !' Period. The 70 or so kilometers of stretch between Beni and Jomsom is nothing but tract for 'Cross country Himalayan car [Mixed, as motorbikes too abound .] Rally ! The entire course[ My pen does not dare to write word, 'Road' !] goes through Kali Gandaki basin cajoling steep  mountains on one side and deep valleys on the other. It's never two lanes, manages hardly one vehicle at a time. And by chance if two come from opposite directions, then one has to retreat on extremely narrow path, minding deep slope on the side, one mistake, even the smallest one, and you may be swimming in Kali Gandaki ! But the drivers plying on this route are polite to the core along with being expert in their craft, so no ego tussles here.The one in better position stops, reveres and allows the other one to negotiate ! Brought up in Mumbai driving culture , this was unseen, unexperienced and last but not the least, Unfathomable ! To top  the scenario,like icing on the cake, two wheeled Motor bikers too, wait, watch and give the way to the one who deserves ! I felt like saluting them because two wheelers in Mumbai.... well,less said the better ! But humans being humans every where, some times the situations are created.

The driver of white bus was extra smart, [might have learnt his driving skills in Mumbai, quite probable and possible, both because there  are more than 4 to 6 million Nepalis in India] , did not pay heed to the bus coming in from the opposite direction, so got stuck up ! And we kept on watching the scene with long held breaths ! The driver of Green bus got down, arranged the stones below the tyres of white bus and like a toddler taught to take his first few steps, helped the other driver to ease out of the situation. [ Picture aside]. Even then he probably did not learn his lesson and was driving in front of us for miles together with  a gait of 9 months' pregnant woman,  absolutely wobbling, at times with 45* inclination  !

The path has different moods every 12 kilometers like what they say about the language. Initial stretch, as it is at lower altitude, is more rocky, laced with stones from the sizes of pebbles to rocks to even boulders at places.Himalayas as compared to other mountain ranges in India are made of extremely loose earth, so 'land slides' is a rule ! We could see one, where entire village was buried in loose soil and debris!

The accompanying Himalaya also changes its face too often.The trees are initially usual rain forest type, dense and tall with different species. As the altitude mounts the pine trees and others from the species take the place of these trees. And contrary to common belief Himalayas are not equally afforested all over,at places it's bereft of even a single tree , absolutely barren ! 

The road is so uneven that even the bikers can not hold on to their seats, so have to drive, standing all along. Many bikers driving such, in a row could be a slice of footage from any Hollywood western flick !. All were dressed appropriately for the drive, with headgear, shades and mask on the face,as the dust on the road was much more than the waters in Kali Gandaki ! Where there is no road even to call for, one has to drive through dry river bed of Kali Gandaki, full with sand. At times when it too becomes non existent, you just go through the waters of Gandaki ! And there are Buses plying on this route regularly !!

Kali Gandaki is a major tributary of Ganges coming from the Left and boasts of passing through the 'Deepest Gorge in the world'. It's known as 'Andha Galchi' in Nepalese. Lined on one side by Dhawalgiri[ Dhaulagiri in Nepali] and Annapurna on the other, when it passes through valley near Lete, it's the deepest ! We did pass through Lete in Tukuche tehshil, but could not appreciate the depth as the height  or depth of gorge [canyon] is counted from the highest points on both the sides and we passed through the middle ! Though the waters of Kali Gandaki are Himalayan crystal clear, it's called Kali [Dark] because the sand of the bed is black. Another explanation, as usual, may be, after incarnation of Goddess Parvati, Kalimata! The river bed is famous for having well rounded stones considered by Vaishnavs as incarnation of Lord Vishnu, 'Shaligram' !

Few years ago there was this western flick, 'Mad Max Fury Road' and I had seen it in 4D format in Viviana Mall,Thane. In 4 D format your chair jumps when the vehicle on the screen jumps , dives, speeds whatever. I endured the jerks for 10 minutes but as the novelty wore off I felt like shouting ' Enough,Stop this chair from shaking, now !' It was that gruesome.

On Beni Jomsom road I experienced more than 4 shows of 'Mad Max Fury Road', continuously without a single break ! It was intolerable exercise testing your patience, your grit and your physical endurance ! As I am tall I always sat in the seat next to the driver but the space was so cramped, that I invariably ended up,banging my knees on the glove box with every bump. I got down with my knees, all bruised and body totally weary ! I really wondered how those sitting on the hind seats endured the ordeal! May be because we all were on the wrong side of 60, SIXTY ! Had we been younger, might have had enjoyed the 'Joy Ride' with surplus splurge of adrenaline !
Even then I would say it's paradise for hikers, trekkers and bike riders , for free flow of adrenaline, all the way along ! Visuals are breathtaking, road is adventurous, air crispy and the people very warm !  

What one squarely misses in Nepal is transport infrastructure. Notably Railways. The reason given is the hilly mountainous terrain which makes it difficult to lay down the rail roads. I may not buy the arguement as India has many such railroads that pass through hilly areas  ,right from ,Shimla - Kalka to Metupaliam - Udhagmandalam [Ooty] to even our own Neral - Matheran. Shimla - Kalka is mammoth with umpteen number of tunnels and viaducts.The planners have built it so perfectly that along with the scenery that accompanies you all along, you reach the plains without any travel fatigue, whatsoever. Is it because Nepal was never under British or for that matter any other white skin rule ?

As we got down at Jomsom, all the strain of 7 hours of tardy journey vanished in a jiffy as we had alighted exactly in front of Nilgiri peaks of Annapurna range.It was glowing in it's evening glory, basking in the golden rays of setting sun ! It then was, 'Click,Click and Click!' But even the 10th of its golden beauty was not captured in that mechanical device,what the eyes could devour !

You turn around and Dhaulagiri treats you with equally beautiful visual feast ! You are in the midst of natures' beauties and there's is dilemma as where to look . Both are that hypnotizing ! 

The air had breezy chill and it was time to put on your warmers. 

After a short sleep of few hours we were to head for Muktinath, surprisingly one of very few abodes dedicated to Lord Vishnu, in the land which is considered to be a gift of Lord Shiva. As the name suggests the devout Hindus consider it to be the step to the Nirvana, total salvation ! Mythology goes, that the eldest of the Pandvas, Dharmaraj, ascended to the heaven, from here. For me the road  to Muktinath and its surroundings only mattered.

Himalaya in this part of Nepal is absolutely bereft of any trees, save few bushes, and presents to you in its absolutely raw Avatar. The patterns on the rocks [?] are so vivid,intricate and mesmerizing that you say 'Wow' even without knowing it ! Again humans, should I say Hindus, won't say betrayed my beliefs, on the contrary went exactly as I had anticipated. The temples around Muktinath were crowded to the capacity, rather overflowed but to devour the bounties of nature, not a single soul was present. Good for me, I always run away from the maddening crowds.  

The pattenrs on this range were so picturesque  and eye catching that it holds you almost spellbound. Probably must have withstood the onslaught of harsh mother nature for millions of years but had not given up and so every groove and crease is still visible in its beautiful form, even today since its inception ! 

Kali Gandaki too, though mostly devoid of any water, well absolutely thin at places, has immensely vast bed that could easily accommodate a small township! 

The last few kilometers of road to Muktinath is a tar road, and for a change, we heaved a sigh of relief.The motor-able road does not reach up to the temple and you have to walk up the hill a few kilometers. The temperature was around 5*C and chilly wind blowing was sending shivers down the spine. Though fully clad in layers, cold was too much to bear. After every few meters of walk every one has to rest for a while otherwise either cold or high altitude lack of oxygen may bring you down. Though not overtly breathless I had to take  slow strides to make it to the top.But I could, without much problem !
The temple of Muktinath, at the height of more than 3000 meters, roughly 12000 feet, is built in a pagoda style and was thronging with disciples.

In pre Tibetan times it was known as 'Thiru Saligramam' there by denoting, one, its strong South Indian Hindu connections,and two,India did have only one culture from North to South even then ! Just behind the temple there are 108 'Go mukhs' [ according to Wikipedia they are Bulls' mouths, but they are not aware that the Hindus have more reverence to the Cow than the Bull] through which flows the sacred water. It ultimately flows into the sacred tanks in  front of the temple. Even in that freezing cold there were many devotees who went through all the streams to have a last dip in the tanks, as a karmic ritual.

There is an advertisement for 'Cinthol soap' by  Godrej  where few ultra  hip youths   jump, similarly in a freezing pool surrounded by deep snow. In principles, 'The act ' is same but both the groups frown at each other for their forward or backward way of thinking !
There are few other shrines on the plateau but by that time hypothermia had taken its toll  on me and I had started lisping ! My wife and a relative kept on asking me about my well beings, though their was no mental clouding or breathlessness I was unable to speak properly as my lips and area around had gone too cold. Taking that as a hint we started our downward walk. On reaching the sunshine lisping disappeared and I could speak normally ! 
Cow slaughter is legally banned in Nepal so when you ask for steak, 'Yak' meat is served. Had our light lunch at Hotel Majestic and started our homeward journey.

After a gap of a day in Pokhara we were supposed to catch homeward flight from Kathmandu.But the parting note was not to be that easy. We started from Pokhara at 5 AM to catch the flight from  Kathmandu for Mumbai at 2 PM. But because of bad roads and heavy traffic, at one point of time we practically were sure that we would definitely miss the flight. Some how we managed, but an advice for those who want to visit Nepal, Keep Kathmandu on your itinerary as the last stop or there is every chance that you may miss the flight !
There is so much more to Nepal than I could write, for want of space. All in all it's a nice destination for varied experiences, and to meet good warm people ! Cheri o ! 

Pokhara

What Mumbai is to India, Pokhara is to Nepal. Even more so because, it's the largest city in Nepal, nine times larger than Kathmandu ! Abounds in natural beauty, is stepping stone to Annapurna trek and  is referred to as 'Tourism Capital of Nepal'. That's because, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu,three of ten highest mountains in the world are within 15 to 35 miles from the city ! The distance between Kathmandu and Pokhara is not much by air, hardly 25 minutes' flight, but it may take off only after 2 hours [!] or even longer !  By road it may take 5 hours onward, depending on the traffic. The road is okay in parts but at places to call it 'Highway' was hard for the tongue to pronounce and for the brain to accept !

The officers' quarters of Manipal Medical college where we were put up ,faced the Annapurna ranges from the front. Actually in Nepali language the last 'A' of Annapurna is silent so it's Annapurn only. [The way English language treats 'Yog' or 'Ramayan' or 'Mahabharat'. Even Karm is now accepted by the Oxford dictionary in its mutilated form 'Karma' !] So early next morning when we got up and had casual visit to the balcony, eyes just popped out. Shouting for my co brother I rushed to the room to grab my camera. Whatever that was in front, didn't have more apt word than 'Nazara' in Urdu ! Early morning nascent rays being reflected from the glassy snow was view to watch ! The words failed and so we gobbled up the nature's gift only with the eyes. 

 The  tallest one[apparently], the picture above, [as it is nearer to Pokhara], is known in Nepali as 'Machchapuchchere' or fish tail.

The next ones in the line[ picture on the Left] were Annapunra I the real tallest in the ranges, but as it was far away looked smaller than Machchapuchchere, Annapurna IV and others, like,Piang Peak, Tilicho , the names are just hard to remember.Annapurna II and III are further away down south. There are around 16 peaks in the range tallest being Annapurna I scaling over 8000 meters.

We were damn lucky on the day one itself as on the successive days they were lost behind the veil of clouds ! May be , yes we were luckier as Sagarmatha [Mt. Everest] too did not play hide and seek with us !

Pokhara is situated on the banks of Phewa lake and has three rivers flowing through it. Seti with its tributaries, upper and lower, while Kal and Bhallam are little bit on the outskirts. Seti really plays hide and seek with Pokhara as more than 3 to 4 kilometers of its flow, runs underground !

At Davi's fall, [ The dispute still goes on about the name. Davi was a swiss couple who drowned in the Seti fall so the name.. that's one and in Nepalese it's known as Devi's fall , naturally after goddess Kali.] it comes with full gusto to disappear in the crack in the rocks to appear again at Gupteshwar Mahadeo about 100 feet below the surface of ground ! Not only at Guptshwar Mahadeo Seti has many tricks up in her sleeves to put you into confusion, but at other placess too it plays games !

Just behind the quarters where Seti meets other two rivers it comes from below the rock that had fallen from the height during the 2015 earthquake making it appear, as if Seti is coming from no where. Kal and Bhallam meet it just after it emerges from the ground below.

The sand of these three rivers varies so much in color that the waters coming from all appear different ! Seti  is also used for generating electricity after making her pass through Seti Gorge. It's an aqua-duct built at a height where 'Lower Seti' gushes hundreds of feet below, making enormous noise !

Phewa lake lying on the southern side of Pokhara is a semi natural lake. There is nothing great about the lake except that it is most frequented lake of Nepal. Like any commercial venture it has hotels and restaurants lined along the banks frequented mostly by hippie-sh whites !  It reminds you of Nainital. But unlike Nainital it has an island in the center which is an abode to Barahi Mandir. Why on earth all the beautiful scenic sites are given to God as if in dowry I don't know,but at every beautiful site in Nepal rather than meeting nature lovers you are practically accosted by Pilgrims who have one point agenda, come what may, bang your head on the threshold of the temple and feel extremely pious ! 

Pokhara really abounds in natural surprises. Practically in the heart of the city, 100 feet, well below the grounds there are caves which house thousands of horse shoe bats. In Nepalese it's known as Chameri Gufa. I had been to Bat caves in Langkawi so was skeptical about the 'Wow' index. It turned out that these caves were more raw and gave experience of the life time. Langkawi caves though great, are extremely tourist friendly, so much so that you walk through them, as if you are loitering through an air conditioned art museum, on well laid out wooden footpaths with railings and guide assisting you with torch light in full glow.  Mostly designed for Americans !

Chameri Gufa being in Nepal, you don't get any of such luxuries. The caves are pitch dark, naturally to suit bats, but there are very few search lights, one per five persons, so mostly you are on your own. The guide does not assist you ! The floors are uneven, rocky and extremely slippery , covered with slimy mud. You climb down through rocky path managing your camera and belongings but mostly yourself ! But once you reach the inner part of caves it's definitely 'Wow' ! Thousands of bats are hanging upside down, oblivious about what's going around!

The exit from the caves was extremely narrow and tortuous. One Nepali lady could not manage and got stuck up in the narrow tunnel like exit. She lost her wits and started howling. The result: Human traffic jam in the narrowest part of the caves ! There was no go, but to turn back. I was just about managing my clumsy 6 feet torso as none was in front of me with light and to manage with mobile torch was difficult in two ways. Light was insufficient and one hand was blocked in holding it. Result I could not gauge one rather deep step so slipped soiling my white shorts ! I then, really became 'Butt' of all the jokes. Even in that cavern there were two extreme experiences of Nepali women ! Seeing me struggling to get down the slippery steps, one Nepali beauty in her twenties, wearing ultra posh jeans, top and make up, helped me to get down offering her hand !While negotiating another climb, one plebeian Nepali woman in her late thirties just pushed me aside and being from the mountains climbed up the remaining path in jiffy,giggling, with her full heart !

Surprises in Nepal don't stop. Atop Ananda hill,  a hill adjacent to Phewa lake, Japanese Monks  have built a Buddhist pagoda, called as Shanti Stupa or Peace Pagoda. The cleanliness, the ambiance, the absence of noise, discipline every thing what Japanese stand for was there, in contrast to other Nepali pilgrims. The view from the hilltop shows you Himalayan ranges along with glimpses of Pokhara city and Phewa lake below.
Pokhara is full of such surprises but for want of space it's extremely difficult to accommodate all of them in one blog. So.... long ! 

 

Mt.Everest, Kathmandu et al

Early next morning we were supposed to catch a flight to have a glimpse of Mt. Everest. In Nepal it's called 'Sagarmatha'.As in Sanskrut and how the Himalayas were formed it seemed to be an apt name. When Indian plate moved towards the Chinese plate, the collision that occurred [millions of years ago], resulted in folding of the land that formed Himalayas. And it has already been proved that before the Himalayas were formed, the space was occupied by the sea. So peak arising from the sea, Sagarmatha. But in Nepalese it means 'Head of the Sky' and not at all what we derive !  I feel,  we should respect the Nepali sentiments and start calling it Sagarmatha and not after Mr. Everest, who has got nothing to do with it ! [ Of course the Chinese, as usual have a different say in the matter. But as per the international understanding Sagarmatha still lies within the political borders of Nepal so if it has to be called by any name, then it has to be Sagarmatha ! Another one. During recent earthquake in April 2015, Mt Everest has shifted towards Nepal side by 3 cms, so more so ! ]

The plane was propeller driven, smallish one, hardly having 14 o 16 seats thus everybody had window seat.

The Nepali air hostess was sweet little girl in her early 20s and word petite would have fitted her like glove on the hand.During the entire flight of one to one and half hours she was going to every passenger and explaining the mountain ranges with the peaks, seen from the window.

And the view was really awesome. Every body was allowed to have a peek in the cock pit for a short while. When my turn came I just could not fit in the cabin. If I would crouch there was not enough space, if I would kneel down or sit on my hunches  my head was hitting the ceiling. Not knowing what to do I some how manged to fit in with the help of co-pilot/navigator. He pushed my head down avoiding his gazettes to be damaged ! Both were smiling at my attempts to manage my almost 6 feet torso ! 

And there it was. Sagarmatha [ Mt Everest] just in front of me,in all it's glory.Early morning sun was giving  it yellowish golden glow that was difficult to describe and etch on the mind. But that was the only thing one could do as my video-graphing bombed due to awkward position. Nonetheless it was sight out of this world!

On the way return, we were served champagne on the house and that was feather in the cap !

Though according to expectations the plane did not encircle the peak so it was huge disappointment. But the reason told was equally plausible. The northern side of Mt. Everest is in the territory of China and if plane encircles the peak it would have been the breach of Chinese air space, so..... ! Understood !

The rest of the day was reserved for Kathmandu sight seeing. Misnomer of the first order, there  were no sights worth  my taste, and it turned out to be only temple tour ! Only redeeming feature was Durbar square, situated in old Kathmandu, Bhaktapur. Among-st all the temples surrounding it , it stands out for it's unique European architecture.Tall Romanesque pillars stand at the gate holding the entire structure on its strong edifice.[?].Unfortunately during the earthquake of April 2015, it came down leaving  only the relics of the old past.Even the mightiest are shown the dust by the quirk of fete !

Restoration of 'Gaddi Baithak' [ main palace]  and Hanuman Dhoka [ the old palace behind the main one] is in full swing with the help from abroad, mainly USA and China. Though it was open for visitors there was no point in going in the palace as 90% of the structures are destroyed and what you could see would be relics only !
All the adjoining temples and palaces too, now are in shambles except the palace of 'Kumari' Nepalis' Goddess incarnate!

Young nubile girl before she attains the puberty, is selected as 'Kumari', after rigorous selection process.She has to be from particular caste of Newaris, dominant sect of Nepali society. She is worshiped on all pujas especially , Navratri and Durga puja. As soon as she reaches menarche she ceases to be Kumari as it is believed that, goddess vacates her body then.It's not surprising in Nepal that she is worshiped by both, Hindus and low land Buddhists.But highlander Tibetan Buddhist refrain from doing so ! The exteriors as well as interiors of the palace are decorated with intricately carved out wooden panels. 'Kumari' with her family stays in the palace but appears for 'Darshan' only once in a day.

She sits in one of the ornate windows only for few hours for devotees but no one is allowed to photograph her. The way she dresses herself goes according to the old Nepali traditions, prominent being vermilion applied on her entire forehead in designated manner.  If she deviates from whatever she is marked for, she is removed from the throne, reasoning that her purity is lost !'Kumari' tradition is not restricted to Kathmandu alone but town of Patan too has its own Kumari.

I do not know what's the attitude but we Indians and Nepalese are mostly similar in our outlook towards our heritage. Entire square speaks volumes about the glory of bygone days, [forget about earth quake as such also], we do not respect what we had. Rather than isolating the entire area from daily mundane hubbub it swarms with people, vehicles, even four wheelers along with petty sellers on those dingy roads.

A simple walk was so tedious as road surface was uneven, covered with dust and at places where waste water flowed freely ,with sticky mud !

The next halt was at another Buddhist temple. It welcomed us with aroma  of sweetmeats in the making,pervading entire area.It augured my hunger so much that I went in search for the source. It turned out that the smell was emanating from the lamps offered to the deity by devotees. They had used pure ghee,[clarified butter] rather than normal wax or ordinary oil, so THE aroma ! 

If you go by the name, 'Swayambhunath', it appears to be a Hindu shrine devoted to Lord Shiva. At the same time again,as name suggests it implies that the deity is 'Self Sprung'. But though it's not a Hindu temple and is a Buddhist Stupa, it's revered by both the communities equally.And the Buddhist too accept the concept of 'Self Sprung' which is very common among-st the Hindus.

After climbing rather a steep hillock what comes to your eyes is astounding! The main stupa stands elegantly at the center of the complex with it's head having compassionate eyes of Buddha, peacefully looking over the valley of Kathmandu to offer solace to the troubled minds.Between the two eyes filled with wisdom and compassion is drawn number one in Devanagari script signifying the unity of entire universe



.As usual, the White skinned, do not know how to respect the sentiments of eastern mind, so call it 'Monkey Temple' as monkeys abound in the area! It's surrounded by many other temples, some Hindus' too !

'Boudhanath' again a Buddhist stupa is situated at the heart of Kathmandu's busy market area[ now] and you'll definitely miss it if not looked for keenly.It's one of the largest stupas in the world. The head of the stupa was damaged in the earthquake of 2015 but was renovated with the world help and now stands majestically on the Kathmandu skyline.Though larger than the Swayambhunath it too has the compassionate eyes of Lord Buddha depicted on the central tower.The perimeter is one of the longest in the world and is lined by shops, restaurants and few temples. It has highest number of Buddhist visitors in Kathmandu !

Last but not the least was temple of 'Pashupatinath' a Shiva shrine revered by the Hindus, from all over the world ! Considered to be one of the 12 auspicious Shiva shrines [Jyotirlinga] it's thronged by the Hindu devotees all year around.But when we went it being Diwali, the crowds were large, though not mammoth ! The shrine was specially decorated with ghee lamps in hundreds, signifying festival of lights ! The importance of Pashupatinath temple lies in the fact that it has Shivalinga which faces in four directions with zenith as the fifth, signifying 5 prime elements of the Hindu mythology..Unlike other Shiva shrines, the idol in Pashupatinath is always dressed in golden cloth. The temple stands on the banks of Bagmati river , locally revered as incarnation of Holy Ganges, and is built in pagoda fashion.As the photography is not allowed in the temple complex I had to do with the photograph of entrance only.

We were in the temple at around 6 to 7 PM and it was 'Aarati' time. Though born Hindu I am not devout Hindu by rituals so wanted to bypass the scene. But the sentry did not allow me, and pushed me in the melee. Short of suffocation by the strong crowds I dreaded Lower Parel stampede like situation and hurried through the devotees as fast as I could. No it was not to be so. The priest on the other side wanted me to pay my respect by banging my head, well almost, on the threshold. I politely refused and escaped the situation ! Though I offered my respect, gratitude, submission, whatever from afar !

At around the same time 'Bagmati' is worshiped as Holy Ganges on its banks.It's known as 'Ganga Aarati'.

It was sight worth a watch. 3 priests with different lamps,with multiple flames, offered their gratitude to the revered river from the ghats specially built for the same. The religious chants were soothing to the ears as they were low key and were sung in melodious tunes. There were many devotees dancing to the tune as if in trance. But that was normal sight in Nepal as Dancing and Merry making, are the hallmarks of Diwali celebrations in Nepal ! 

I don't really understand, though being born Hindu, how Hindu mind works. In such a pristine ambiance to watch few a corpse being cremeted, only few meters away was rather saddening !. But on the contrary it's considered to be extremely auspicious if your last rites are performed on the banks of 'Bagmati' with 'Pashupatinath' himself by your side when you climb the steps heavenwards ! Amen !

Nepal, surprises....well !

Disclaimer: The contents of this blog are the first-hand experiences on my part and are narrated not to insult or derogate anybody, but in case if somebody is hurt, it's inadvertently, and not intentionally and I am profoundly sorry at the outset for said in-appropriation on my part. 

I am not confirmed  'Nepalologist ' neither I am a profound traveller who is well informed than the Royal King of Nepal [ in this case] before stepping in an aeroplane. My slate was absolutely clean.

It so happened that my wife's cousin works at Pokhra Manipal Medical college as HOD and she invited us for the holidays in Nepal. She had drawn out the itinerary to the last T, so we were supposed to just go along. And I simply did it and enjoyed to the fullest !. As nothing was known beforehand, everything was a huge surprise of the greatest kind. 

Nepal: Full of surprises of both kind. My idea of going to Nepal was very simple. Just cut a ticket to Kathmandu, hop on a plane to Nepal, get down at Kathmandu and that's it, at least for Indian nationals. Not so any more. The sequence started from the T2 itself. So far [ till 1st Oct'17] you could travel to Nepal on your PAN/AAdhaar whatever, maybe even Driving license [? exaggerating, Maybe ] but now they insist on valid Passport. A girl next in the line was asked to go home to get the passport when the flight was just a few hours away. The immigration officer too appeared extra cautious. For the first time in my life, I was asked to remove my shoes. As the terrain was going to be hilly with long walks I was wearing heavy hunter shoes. The explanation,[ unasked for, you don't question man in uniform at the airport] given was, the soles of my shoes were big enough, he meant roomy, to store drugs or contraband. Me? drugs? contraband. Maybe over the years, I must have started looking like one good thug! It did not end there. Passport officer went through mine. from front to back, then from back to front 3 to 4 times searching for something. Maybe it was the last immigration stamp. At last, he got it, and as if finding out the hidden treasure he said; ' It means you travelled abroad last on so and so date!' Was there any other alternative than to say 'Yes'? I did. and he cleared me. Rest of my chums were cleared in a jiffy !
Royal Nepal Airlines, now only Nepal Airlines, after the political upheaval, was just adequate. The courteous, efficient, good looking staff which was warm too !. But the food was below Air travel standards. The rice served was so dry, that I had to pour water in it to make it gulp-able!



The first impression of Kathmandu was average, so-so, but over the days, it sank! I  am not going in to, 'Kantipur, it's the original name, the present name derived from Kashtha Mandap, that is Canopy made out of wood and all that blah blah but it does not fit to be THE capital city of any nation.

I am very well aware that Nepal is a poor country, but being used to affluent foreign travel, This foreign jaunt was a surprise, no, shock! In the suburbs of Kathmandu, there are still no roads, whatever dust-laden, stone pebbled path is used for traffic is/may be called as a road !
Though Nepal at present is Federal republic that has gone secular, Hinduism in public as well as in private life dominates beyond even Indian mind's expectations. We were in Kathmandu when Diwali was going on. It's the biggest festival in Nepal [ Known as Tihar] and is celebrated in full regalia. The entire city was decorated with Marigold flowers in the day time and illuminated lights in the night. The city is overfull with temples Hindu as well as Buddhist. The amalgamation of two religions in Nepal is so complete that at times it becomes difficult to separate them. Out of Swayabhunath Bodhnath and  Pashupatinath, the first two are Buddhist stupas while the last one is Shiva shrine! Surprisingly disciples of both the religions throng all the shrines to offer their services! 
Diwali tough celebrated in Nepal just like India, the references are different. It starts with the name,'Tihar', may be derived from Tyouhar in Hindi.1st day is dedicated to 'Crow.' Sweets are left on the rooftops for the crows to devour. It is thought that it prevents calamities. We reached Nepal on the second day of Diwali and it turned out to be a day for 'Dog Worship' or 'Kukur Puja'. We saw a few Dogs garlanded with flowers and red vermilion applied between the eyes, 'Tika'! They were fed goodies and all this is done to please the god of death 'Yam' as the dog is supposed to herald his arrival and is supposed to warn, being a good friend of the humans!  The third is the day for 'Cow' worship, they too are similarly worshipped. On the same day in the evening, there is 'Laxmi Pujan' just like Indian Hindus. The entire premises are lit with oil lamps,[now 'Chinese' electric bulb strings too],[ But sky lanterns were nowhere to be seen] decorated with Marigold flowers. In the same evening entire Nepal goes into singing and dancing spree where women too, do not lag behind. We came across many families, communities enjoying Diwali, where merrymaking was is full swing! One dance at the centre and others encircling him/her, clap to the rhythm all along! Forth is for the bulls while the fifth or the last one is a big, big event in Nepal. It's celebrated to honour the relationship between the brother and the sister, and is known as 'Bhai-tika'. Sister applies seven coloured 'Tika' on brother's forehead. Garland him with flower wreaths and, feeds the sweets  But unlike Indian Hindus, BOTH exchange the gifts and not only the sisters, who get the ones! All the shops are closed as it's a public holiday, so we were given the notice that 'Orders for the dinner would be taken only before seven' as everybody would be in rush to reach the homes. Conspicuous by their absence were firecrackers! Maybe not from the point of view of pollution but they're just not the part of Diwali in Nepal! 
Another custom of Nepali Hindus is very touching. While giving anything, not only money, even mundane things like water [mostly], keys, parcels or even grocery, they touch the Right hand, with the Left at the elbow, as if like, in 'Offering' and receive everything in the cup of both hands, as if receiving with dignity! I too started doing the same, when the occasion arose, it surprisingly is very pleasing!
Nepali Rupee is cheaper than the Indian one, and the first time in my 'Foreign' sojourn I enjoyed exchanging the money!
To Indian mind Nepalese means Gorkha [Gurkha in Mumbai parlance]   or chick looking girl in a red light area. Gorkha is neither a caste, not a tribe and definitely not a profession [ A Watchman without fail ]. The region/province that lies between Kathmandu and Pokhara is known as Gorkha and people coming from the area, as Gorkha,  means coming from the mountains or Pahadi areas. They may be Rais, Limbu, Gurung Chhetri Magar or others.
Girl trafficking in Southwest Nepal till a few years ago was rampant due to the custom of selling the young girls by their own relatives, parents at times, for social and religious reasons. Youth organizations in the area are fighting a hard battle and results are positive!
To be continued......

Vistadome, Shiroda, Goa etc

After working all the time continuously, without even Sundays, for almost 3 to 4 months a shot of fresh air was a must. My son too was at the end of his tenure at Chennai so it was a nice time and occasion for family time. His father in law suggested rather than going to oft-visited mundane places, read Goa, we will head to something similar but completely untouched by commercialism, his native place Shiroda. And Shiroda it was.

Unfortunately for the fast travellers, it's a bit way out. Neither Konkan railway nor any airport is nearby. The nearest railway station is Sawantwadi but fast trains don't normally take a halt there and Dabolim, Goa airport is well 3 to 4 hrs drive at peak hours. Railways recently [we were first to book for Dasara.] introduced a new concept at least for Indian railways, Vista-dome. The Jan Shatabdi express going to Madgaon has this chair car at the end of the train, even after guard's cabin, known as Vista-dome. 

The rear wall of the cabin is all open, as it is made of glass. It's really mind-boggling to see the rails running just behind you in a jiffy. Entering the tunnel might not be that watchable but when it is leaving the tunnel, the experience is just awesome. The outer walls too are covered with glass practically up to the ceiling , to give expanded panoramic views of the mother nature accompanying you all along.

The seats are extremely comfortable even for a long haul and can be rotated in 360 degrees to allow you to enjoy the beauties and bounties of mother nature from every angle or you can just chat away with near and dear ones facing each other.
The journey from Kudal, where we alighted, to Shiroda, was a longish one taking 90 minutes or so but was invigorating. Small villages passing by were spic and span clean and were laden with a lush green cover, not leaving even a small patch in barren brown. My Vyahi Nitin's [ my son's father in law] ancestral home in Shiroda was not the old dilapidated crumbling house but was newly built, practically a bungalow, with all the modern amenities especially commodes! [ I was too happy to hear the news ! ]  
Shiroda beach from his home was at a walk-able distance but not that near. It was perfect as Nitin had described. Goa-ish but sans the Goa's lusty crowds.

 
Miles and miles of beach without a single tourist. Hey, we were not tourists, we were the sons of the soil visiting the native place !! The entire beach was to our disposal, a feat might have been unheard on Goa beaches. The ones seen in the photograph are local fishermen out for the catch, I mean returning from the fishing. And what a catch! It was sheer excitement on seeing so many different types of fishes in one go. There were plenty, really plenty. Right from usual Mac-reals to Sword fishes, Eels, Smaller varieties of shark, very big pron, crabs, shrimp, pomphrets and so many other we never had seen before, say cuttlefish, the one seen below. It belongs to squid family and is normally found in Mediterranean and North Baltic seas, some times around South Africa. Konkan coast is a rare habitat for them.

Saket and Neha participated in the auction for their sale and won it against the local fisher-woman. We got really a bargain. We paid only Rs 400 for 8 medium-sized pomphrets, each of that size easily costs more than Rs 200 in Mumbai!

Another prize catch, not money wise but for us, was the stingray, the famous 'Sting Ray' which can kill you by its piercing sting. Notable casualty all croc lovers know was Late Mr Steve Irwin.
The fisherman who caught them was adept, of course, and within no time he removed sharp stings from all of them. Contrary to my understanding the sting is at the base of its tail and not at the end. Except very few of the catch I was was told that all of them were edible! The small ones with green colour were wasted because they eat other fish, that was the explanation given for not eating them, Respect?

If we don't do anything foolish, we are not Benurwars. Many sea snakes were caught in the net inadvertently while fishing. We could not watch them struggling for life in that deadly net. As such nobody eats them, because they are poisonous, so we requested the main fisherman who was handling the show to release them.

And after the lesson, how to throw them back in the sea, was learnt, Shubha and myself ventured to throw them back in the seawater. It could have been deadly, really deadly. God knows why I did it, but I did it and got a reprimand from everybody including the fisher-folk!
As we were staying at home it was a treat almost every day. Though I am not a vouched fish lover, the spread used to be so varied that I could never resist.
Lately, Konkan coast, especially on the southern side, is becoming popular for Dolphin watching. We too did go. But though we could see them from far it was not as expected. The reason being, these dolphins are in their natural habitats, not like pet ones, and do not like to venture near humanity so run away from loud sounds. The motors of the speed boats definitely make much noise and we had to contend with their distant view.
Goa I saw this time was different from we normally see, but about that in the next blog.