When we discovered in January that the company were going to be going on a holiday to Nepal I had no idea that it would be the weekend of my birthday. It made my birthday this year extra special!
Leaving Singapore on Friday at 7.30am meant a very early 5am start! Two flights later via Bangkok we arrived in Kathmandu to be greeted by our tour guides and taken to our first hotel of the trip, Dwarika. Kathmandu is a pupil-dilating experience, and very comparable to my first experience of India. The trip from the airport is 1.5km, and in that short distance there is plenty to see and of course hear. Cows in the street, pavement markets, rickshaws, temples, intense traffic and the sound of horns (and lots of them). I can see already that Kathmandu is going to be great place to make the most of my new SLR camera.
Our first hotel is magnificent. The buildings are made from intricate wood and terracotta work that must have taken 10 million hours of work from the best craftsmen in Nepal. Every brick is handmade, every piece of wood work an original and centuries old. Nepal has eight World heritage sights and has won two Heritage Awards. One for the medieval city of Bhaktapur and the other for Dwarika's Hotel. I feel very privileged to be able to stay here.
We are able to do as we please this afternoon. I choose to head out with the tour guide and a few of the others to do a cultural tour. Little did I know that what I was about to see would be so harrowing. We started at The Great Stupa of Boudhanath which stands approx. 6 km North East of the centre of the Kathmandu valley. It is one of the most important places of pilgrimage for the Buddhist. It has become the centre of a thriving town of monasteries, craftsmanship and businesses. It is incredible to watch the hoards of people walking around the stupa, praying and worshiping. It is one of the largest and most significant Buddhist monuments in the world.
The stupa is commonly known as Boudha or Boudhanath, meaning lord of wisdom. It is a protective, purifactory and wish-granting stupa. Th dome is approx. 120ft in diameter, 1 hec in width and 43 metres in height. A thick layer of whitewash coats the dome and the form of a double lotus depicted in saffron water colours it. Boudhanath stupa is a symbol of Nepal. A great place to take some amazing shots and a great place to take in the atmosphere and feel at one with the locals. Thousands of pilgrims gather daily here to make a ritual circumnavigation of the dome, beneath the watchful eyes of the Buddha.
We move on from the stupa to Pashupatinath, Nepal's most important Hindu temple which stands on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. It is surrounded by a bustling market of religious stalls. At first it doesn't look that sacred - it is literally a few hundred metres from the end of the airport runway! However, in religious terms, this is a powerhouse of Hindu spiritual power. I never thought when I woke up on Friday morning that that afternoon I would be witnessing a cremation.
Yes, there are cremation ghats along the Bagmati which are used for open-air cremations. Funerals of ordinary Nepalis take place daily here on the ghats to the south of the temple. Bodies are wrapped in shrouds and laid out along the riverbank, then cremated on a wooden pyre. As we arrived there are already two bodies being cremated. The third, is on the floor ready begin. We watch as the family of the body carry it around the wooden blocks and place the body on top. A burning touch is then carried around the body three times and the bodies mouth is set fire to. The cremation had begin. I stood watching from across the side of the river shocked at what I was experiencing. Such a personal and traumatic experience for those involved, on show for people like me to openly take pictures. I felt like I was certainly intruding. But I simply had to capture what I was experiencing.
We were in for treat Friday evening with a six course dinner at Krishnarpan restaurant. A mixture of Nepali hors d'oeuvres, traditional minced meat dumplings, soup, lentils with Himalayan herbs, Nepali chicken curry with herbs and spices, bottle gourd and soybean curry, okra, aromatic potato and cauliflower and saffron rice pudding. Twenty of us sit on the floor and are given aprons to wear to enjoy this delicious meal with such an immense range of flavours.
My birthday starts with another 5am start. This time to do our flight over the Himalayas and Mount Everest. The moment we had all been waiting for! An hours worth of spectacular mountain scenery. We didn't have to wait long after take off to find out what was in store. First to my far left was Gosaithan, also called Shisha Pangma, Standing at the majestic height of 8,013 m. Immediately to the right of Gosaithan, appeared Dorje Lakpa (6,966 m), a mountain that looks like the number 8 lying down and covered with snow. To the right of Dorje Lakpa is Phurbi-Ghyachu, which looms over the Kathmandu Valley.
As the plane moves along, the mountains come closer and closer. Next is Choba-Bhamare, the smallest one of the lot at 5,933 m but singularly stubborn as it has never been climbed. Then appears the mountain that is not only prominent in sight but also in spiritually – Gauri-Shankar. Lord Shiva and his consort Gauri are said to protect this mountain, at the proud height of 7,134 m and the summit had a history of unsuccessful attempts till 1979. As the plane moves towards the land of the rising sun, the eastern Himalaya a succession of glorious mountains follow. Melungtse, a Plateau – like mountain stretches up to 7,023 m, Chugimago at 6,297 m is still waiting to be climbed. At 6,956 m, Numbur mountain resembles a breast, maternal source in the sky providing pure milk to the Shepas of the Solu Khumbu. Next is Karyolung, an intensely white mountain that at 6,511 m gleams with the rising sun. Cho-Oyu is the eighth highest mountain in the world. Reaching a height of 8,201 m, it appears stunningly beautiful from the aircraft.
Next up is Gyanchungkang, at a majestic height of 7,952 m, considered an extremely difficult climb. To the right of Gyanchungkang is Pumori (7,161m). We are getting closer to Everest and I get to head to the cockpit! Our plane is being flown by a very cool female pilot who helps point out the mountains to me. There's Nuptse (7,855 m), which means West Peak, signifying its direction from Everest. Finally, there’s Everest (8,848m). To witness it face to face during a mountain flight is something else. An absolutely amazing adventure and memories that I will never forget. The views are incredible and literally breathtaking.
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I am having the most amazing birthday and it's only 8am! Our plans has landed and back at the hotel I am greeted by the very friendly staff and my second birthday cake. How lucky am I?! After breakfast I decide to spend some time by the pool before packing up and getting ready to head to our next hotel. We arrive at Gokarna in the afternoon after another stop at the stupa for lunch where I take more shots of locals. This certainly is an awesome place for people watching.
Once settled I head off to the spa for a full body massage, manicure and pedicure. Bliss! A great way to spend the afternoon after two mornings of early starts! That evening at dinner I am given yet another birthday cake and we have a yummy buffet meal before a night full of drinking and card games.
Leading up to my trip I was feeling really home sick. I suppose coming up to my birthday (and missing my birthday twin a lot) I suppose I was unsure of how I would feel spending my birthday away from home. It has well and truly been an experience that I will never forget. I feel very lucky indeed to be working for an agency who reward their staff in such a way. From start to finish the trip was really well organised and apart from Suarabh having to leave (due to an outbreak of chicken pox) everyone came home in one piece! Even if we were all exhausted getting off the plane last night! Nepal certainly is an adventure which ever way you do it. I have lots of countries on my list of "places to visit" and I will most certainly leave Nepal on there. I would love to go back at some point!
So, a few mentions to make this time round. To Lauren, I know this week hasn't been a great one for you, but I hope that you managed to enjoy your birthday and that you (and your colleagues) enjoyed your birthday treat. A massive congratulations to both Jennie and Jo. I am so excited for you both and can not wait to meet the new arrivals, hopefully at the end of the year whilst home for Christmas. From one adventure to another. I head to Tioman on Wednesday for some rest and relaxation! Can't wait!
