Kathmandu - A feast to the eyes

Stomach better, it was time to walk and explore. My favorite time of the day in Kathmandu is early in the morning. At around 6/6.30am, vegetable and flower vendors and other shopkeepers set up shop, people go to various temples and burn incense, the small dusty and dirty streets are filled with the odors of incense, flowers and dirt; men sit at corners and drink chai; the chaos and bustle of the city experiences its pre-explosion. There is a certain stillness in the movements of people that is about to explode and will take precedence over the course of the day.

Make no mistake, Kathmandu is dirty and polluted. But despite that, or sometimes because of it, the city is incredibly picturesque. The pagoda shaped temples, the old houses, the incomplete brick constructions, the clusters upon clusters of electrical wires, the tiny shops with men wearing Nepali hats tending to them, the eyes of the Buddha, the burning incense, marigolds and their sales women, the tiny alleyways leading to green haven sun-lit courtyards, the mountains surrounding the city, etc. have left me awestruck more than once. Yesterday, even the skies decided to get into the thick of things and offered the magic of lightning and thunder. Standing on the terrace of the Swayambhunath, Ana and I, could not but marvel at the beauty of lightning.

On our way back into town, we heard music, and momentarily stopped to listen. A group of guys were playing music in a tiny shop. They invited us to join them, and we ended up spending 2 hours with them singing and playing music. It's amazing how music can bind people.

My favorite moment yet…


So far, Kathmandu has been a feast… to the eyes and to the spirit.