Although Nepal
does border China it is a long way (6 hour flight) from Shanghai. Nepal does have some simularities with China
but it really seemed to be very much a part of India (except for the language
which is unique to Nepal). When you think
of Nepal you probably (like us) think of what must be high elevations and cold
temperatures. Well, come to find out,
you to not need coats or long pants in Nepal in October. The temperature was between 75 and 90 degrees
all week (the lower temperature being the “cool nights”). Actually, everything about Nepal is a contradiction.
It’s a tiny landlocked country of amazing topographical diversity. From the
tallest mountains in the world, Nepal plummets to subtropical tiger jungles
stretching at sea level along its southern border—all within a distance of 92
miles. Although Nepal is an independent counrty and has never been colonized,
the Nepalese cannot reach the outside world without the expressed approval of
its powerful neighbors. Iso much for independence!
Nepal’s history
seems to play a big role in its 21st century culture. The
legends recount that the Katmandu valley was once a great lake and that
Buddhist people believed Manjushiri broached the valley wall with a magical
sword, draining the water and creating the Katmandu valley. The Hindus claim it
was Krishna (God of Hindus) who performed the mighty deed, hurling a thunderbolt
to create the Chobar Gorge. At least scientists agree that the Katmandu valley
was submerged at one time and the rivers of the valley do indeed flow southwards
through the narrow Chobar Gorge. Choose whichever legends you prefer; but what
is generally accepted is that Buddha was born in and lives in Nepal. But today, the Hindu and the Buddha religions
co-exist peacefully.
It’s a country that was born in—and is stunted
by—an archaic caste system that traditionally supports ethnic marginalization,
gender repression, and absolute rule: Our tour guide pointed out that there are
4 distinct classes in the caste system.
The Brahmin class which consists of the educators, priests and rulers,
the 2nd class which Our tour guide is a member of the is the
Kshatriya class and generally consists of soldiers, and government
officials. The third class is the Vaishya class and consists of merchants,
business people, farmers, and artisans, and the fourth class is Sudra and
consists of laborers, service providers and any non Hindu person. The first three classes are generally well
respected but the fourth class is considered un-clean and normally kept
separate from the other three classes. Membership is both hereditary and
permanent. Our tour guide’s parents told
him that although he was free to marry the girl of his choice he must marry a
girl in his same class. Inter-caste marriage also carries with it a social
disgrace. If he did not do this then his class and his
future generations would have to be members of the his wife’s lower class. The caste positions determines an individuals
behavor, access to land, position of political power and authority. So although things are changing and people do
tend to get along well together, Your position in the caste system is still
very important. Although the caste
system was officially abolished in the 1950’s it is still an important factory in
your social position in Nepal.
Nepal has a
monarchy that has managed to cling to its throne—with varying degrees of
success for 238 years but within the past 10 years the government parties have
managed to upsert him and now the elected parties rules the country.
Even the time zone of Nepal seems like a contradiction. Although the country is located atop India and China, we had to set our watch back 3 hours and 15 minutes. I think Nepal just wanted to be “different”.
Given the rapid change of pace of it’s
neighbors, it seems surprising that little has changed in Nepal. The infrastructure in non-existant, the
counrtyside is still managed wih hand tools, and the dust permiates everything. The country is relatively poor and exists
mostly due to its agriculture and tourism. Some industrial development has been
to happen but only little. The real
assest of the country is it’s mountains.
50% of the country is covered by mountains and another 30% by large hill
regions. This makes development
difficult but it is interesting to see how many of the hilly regions have been
terraced so that agriculture is possible.
However transportation infrastructure is almost non-existent. 85% of Nepalis live a remote, agrarian
existence. Most areas have no electricity, no roads, no schools and no medical
facilities. Most of the transportation up and down the mountainsides is of the
two-footed variety. Poverty prevails and
is accentuated by corrupt local authorities. Donkey carts and oxen-powered plows
are high-tech. Even if there is a primary school nearby, peasant children are
expected to help with the family harvests and livestock by the time they reach
the age of six. It follows that illiteracy remains as high as 60%--some reports
say as high as 80% among women, who do most of the fieldwork. The urbanized areas are jarringly different.
Poverty and illiteracy still abound but new technology can be seen everywhere. What one sees in Kathmandu and the other
industrialized areas are cyber cafés, cell phones, very poor air quality
created by non-regulated auto emissions, and trash everywhere. We would often say how nice the towns and
landscapes would be without the trash.
The unification of Nepal occurred ten years before the American Revolution. AGorkha warlord—the first of Nepal’s kings—conquered and consolidated scores of independent principalities to establish a central government that is still seated in the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal enforced isolationism and thus few foreigners were permitted to enter. Western influence was almost non-existent until World War I and World War II, when the British Army utilized the famous Gorkha soldiers as vanguard troops in conflicts throughout Asia, Europe and Africa. These fearless combatants returned to their homeland with new concepts and new expectations based on what they had experienced abroad. Also, by the end of World War II, the British Empire’s control of the subcontinent had given way to the Gandhi-inspired “home rule” in India.
Nepal opened its borders in 1950 which then saw the end of isolationism. Nepal had attributes the rest of the world desired. Because of Nepal’s amazing beauty and medieval culture, Western adventurers and tourists flocked to Nepal, and labeled it as one of the most dramatic and exotic destinations on earth.
And then there is the monarchy. Up until a few years ago, the Hindu king—the only one in the world—was revered as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. But in the late 80’s the people’s revolt forced the king to relinguish his power and he allowed the existance of political parties. So the 1990’s saw the first free elections. On the ballot was a wide variety of political parties from which to choose: from royalists, to centralists, to communists and Leninists—and everything in between.
In terms of corruption, these political leaders proved themselves no better than the king. New elections were held, one after another. Each successive government seemed more cynical and self-serving than its predecessor:
It is true that freedom of speech improved during the 1990s. Other civil liberties increased as well. But by and large the elected officials’ interest in democracy played second fiddle to favoritism, personal financial gain, courting and siphoning NGO money, securing contracts for building projects through family-owned companies, and other abuses of power. With this type of political upheaval, the country saw no real advancement.
After many years of civil unrest, in February 2005: King Gyanendra dissolved Parliament altogether, dumped the so-called constitutional monarchy and, with the support of his loyal army, became dictator. An exodus arose, especially among the young people who faced recruitment into the Maoist Army and agonized over the impossibility of continuing their education if they remained at home. In mid 2006 The Rhododendron Revolution was in full swing and was a huge turning point. After 19 days of increasing civil unrest, King Gyanendra was forced by his own generals to step down as leader of the nation.
Due to the
unstable government, the unrest and exodus of talented people, Nepal remains as one of the poorest countries
in the world while its neighbors economies are booming. The average annual income has dropped below
the $200 mark—this in a country already listed as one of the ten poorest countries
in the world. 20% of Nepal’s infants continue to die in their first year.
Illiteracy is still 70%. In many areas, life expectancy for men is 50—lower for
women, who face inordinately high risks before, during and after pregnancy.
But in spite of it
all we found the people to be happy, friendly and outwardly expressive. So despite the poor living conditions, and
lack of any kind of infrastructure, the people are making progress. The government is stabalizing, there seems to
be plenty of food and a decent distribution system, and the government is
looking to tap the increadible hydro-electric potential to enable growth in
many regions of the country.
Our arrival into Nepal took us to the Katmandu valley, which is home to
ancient Hindu, and Buddhist sites where temples, monasteries and stupas dominate
the landscape. All the temples, monasteries and stupas are decorated by
enormous arts and architecture. The Katmandu valley also is rich in culture and
beautiful mountain views. Our first stop was Kathmandu Durban Square.
Katmandu Durbar Square:
Katmandu Durbar square “Pashupatinath” is protected by UNESCO world
heritage site and is the holiest Hindu pilgrimage destination in Nepal. On the
day we were there, they were celebrating the return of the living goddess and
hordes of thousands filled the square.
This site is a conglomeration of royal palaces the first of which was
built in the 12th century. It is also a site of numerous temples including
Kumari Bahal (House of Living Goddess), and Kasthamandap (house of wood).
Next it was on to Bouddhanath, built in the 5th century, it is
protected by UNISCO world heritage site. Bouddhanath is among the largest
Stupas in the south Asia and it has become focal point of Tibetan Buddhism in
Nepal. The painted eyes on four
sides represent the all-seeing eyes of Buddha and are keeping a watch on the
people. This is a very religious shrine
of Buddhists. The stupa is located at the
ancient trade route to Tibet and Tibetan merchants rested and offered prayers here
for many centuries. .
Another famous square in Kathmandu is Patan Durbar square which is a
concentrated mass of temples; this area is an amazing display of Newari
architecture, probably the best in Nepal.
There are many others temples
including Krishna, Bhimsen, Taleju bell, Bhai Dega and many others. This gives us a glimpse into the Nepali
people, their faith and respect for religion. All the temples are decorated with
elaborate reliefs. The
whole complex of Durbar Square consists of different sections of ancient palaces
like Sundari Chowk (beautiful court yard) where
exquisite windows and door carving are seen and the Tushahity (Royal Bath) with
its magnificant stone carvings. In front of the palace in the main square where
there is a statue of King Narendra Malla sitting on the stone pillar.
From Kathmandu we travelled southwest more than 7 hours over some of the
worlds worst roads to get to The Royal
Chitwan National Park (932 sq. km). In route to the Chitwan national park we
enjoyed white water rafting, it was exciting and refreshing on a hot afternoon.
This park is Nepal’s largest and most popular safari destination. More than 43
species of animals are found in Chitwan. Here we went into deep jungle on
elephant back to view the wild animals in their natural habitat. Although we
missed the elusive one horned rhino, we did see many species of deer, a wild
boar family and alligators in the adjoining river. We (especially Catharine) also enjoyed the
daily washing of the elephants in the river.
As you can see from the adjoining picture, Cath also enjoyed the
elephant assisted bathing.
After spending two days in the park we drove 8 hours to the Pokhara Valley,
which is one of the most picturesque spots of Nepal. The beauty of the valley
is enhanced by its lakes Phewa, Begnas and Rupa, which have their source in the
glacial region of the Annapurna range of the Himalayas. The lake in the center
of town is surrounded by mountains and made for a great place to hang out and
escape the afternoon heat. The next morning we ventured to the top of the hill
(small mountain) to view the morning sunrise.
Although surrounded by many other
view seekers, we had magnificent views of the Annapurna range and the magnificent
peak named Machhapuchre (fishtail). 5 other peaks of the Annapurna range
surrounded the beautiful lake in the city below. Pokhara is one the few places
in the world to provide such dramatic views in a subtropical setting.
Pokhara is an adventurer’s paradise, from here you can do trekking in the Annapurna region, hang gliding from the surrounding mountain range, take an ultralight for a close up view of the Himalayas, or enjoy boating on the lake. For us a day at the lake was a great way to relax before the lovely walk home in a torrential downpour.
From here it was back to the Kathmandu region and the
bumpiest 9-hour ride of our lives.
Finally we arrived at the top of the mountain in the town of Nagarkot: Nagarkot is situated at an
elevation of 7500 ft., and affords an amazing panoramic view over the
surrounding hills to the foothills of the Himalayas. We arrived in the evening
to a mist filled valley. The next
morning (5am) we awoke to the sunrise viewed from our hotel room balcony that
had to be one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. The glow of the rising sun illuminated the
tops of the Himalayan Mountains and burned off the morning mist on the valley
below. This ever-refreshing memory of
the majestic panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges from Dhaulagiri in the west
and Mt. Everest in the east will be a memory that we will carry with us from
this beautiful place.
From here it was back to the city of Kathmandu and a trip to another
Durban square, Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon) Durbar Square. As you enter
the gate of Durbar Square of Bhaktapur the whole complex open up into a
beautiful square with a beautiful Lion Gate Golden Gate, The Palace of 55
windows, Batsala temple, The huge “Barking Bell”, the statue of King
Bhupatendra on a stone pillar, a public bath and the temple of Pasupatinath. The
Temple of Nyatapola is an impressive Pagoda type building with 5 tiers
representing the 5 basic elements of nature. The steps leading up to the highest
pagoda temple of Nepal is lined with guardian statues of increasing importance;
King Bhupatendra Malla built it in 1702.
The final morning it was once again a 5am wake up for one of
the most beautiful flights in the world.
Leaving from Kathmandu it was a 15-minute flight to the top of the
Himalaya range where we experienced some of the most beautiful scenery in the
world. The tops of the mountains seemed
to sparkle in the early morning light and we enjoyed seeing Mt Everest and many
other mountain peaks. It was a great way to say goodbye to the beautiful
country of Nepal.
Go for the mountains, but enjoy the people, their culture,
their traditions and the amazing country.
No comments:
Post a Comment