Backpack stories – part I

From the lovely Brnik to square Frankfurt and to sinfully rich Doha with all its glimmer, with gentlemen sitting more or less leaned to one side – depending on the thickness of their wallet, and finally to my destination in Kathmandu.

The in-flight service was excellent and I almost had no time to nap, for the Arabian snacks, meals, drinks, sweets, coffee and tea were always diverting my attention …I had to make a toast for luck on the journey with some alcohol. I guess it works faster at those altitudes. Not to mention all the TV and Radio stations I found on the little display in front of me – and I’ve managed to control the remote with my eyes closed.

A good start to get used to the altitude of Nepal, where Kathmandu is the capital and biggest city (with some million inhabitants). At the elevation of 1337 m Kathmandu greets you straight and honest – no twists or beautifications. Crowds, cars, motors, bikes, pedestrians, horns, coconuts, cows, children, elderly people, grocery vendors, wrist watches and you’re rushing by in a small minivan pass the low, dirty old buildings towards the tourist center of Thamel, with chaos stepping up a notch. While driving there’s basically no rule about direction, lane or places to stop – just do what you will. Busses passing cars, cars passing rickshaws, motors passing bikes and everybody passing pedestrians. Without realizing you’re in the heart of the city.

We still haven’t stopped to smell the roses when we were in the hotel backyard in the middle of the city, without feeling it. This hotel is more of a small Slovenian embassy, so you still don’t understand you’ve arrived half a world away, but still feel at home. The stickers on doors commemorate Slovenian expeditions and a book about Slovenia on the check in desk also reminds us of home. Slovenian expeditions used this hotel as their starting point for over 20 years, so the receptionist sends us to our room 203 in Slovenian!

Settling down and breathing in... followed by a sip of some home made... After a short rest we hear chatter in the yard – in Slovene. A group had just arrived, wanting to go for a trek towards the base camp of Everest. A homey feel of the hotel courtyard was like sitting in a Croatian seaside hotel under the trees and not in a country locked between India and China under the tallest mountain in the world.

In the next few days a group came to the hotel, lead by Viki Grošelj. A nice and charming gentlemen, big and strong like Mt. Everest itself (can Everest be strong?). He took my hand and asked me about my health. Since the first day there’s been something with my respiratory apparatus, so I nag a bit about it, but he said I’ve probably got ill from all the beauty. I start feeling better... among other things probably because of the medicine as well.

We carefully step from our home away from home to the street. On the first day you mostly look where you step, to see every hole, not to stumble over a rock or not to get hit by any of the various vehicles. On the second day you start observing the shops full of souvenirs, cloths, trekking equipment, tiger balm vendors, scarves, jewelry, tea... Suddenly there’s a whole bunch of things you’d want and need. There’s no order with stores and prices thus you don’t know where and how to grab the bull by the horn. Haggling without end, that I’d never get used to. You’re always trying to orient yourself towards the hotel to find your way back from the various parts of town.

Walking around town

We take a rickshaw to the Durbar square (The square of palaces), which is the religious and social capital of the old town. this is where they used to coronate the kings of Kathmandu. Most of it was built between the 17th and 18th century, but some of the buildings are much older. It’s easy to get lost here for a few hours and watch the everyday life, walking around the complex of palaces, temples, shrines, statues and hidden yards, all on the UNESCO list of world heritage. In one of the buildings a “living goddess” resides – the Kumari, or Kumari Devi, which means a virgin.

The girl is an incarnation of the goddess Druge – the goddess mother, or the incomprehensible one. She fought the demons, thus she always has ten arms, holding various weapons. There are several tests to prove they’ve selected the real incarnation of the goddess. A girl, still a child, has to spend a few days in complete darkness, where she is being scared. She needs to select the clothes connected to the goddess and a large number of livestock is slaughtered in front of her eyes. If a girl endures all of this without fear, she is the “living goddess” until her first menstruation. Believers visit her daily and come to get her blessing. The girl lives a luxurious and unusual life for a child of her age, thus when it comes to the first outburst of the energy of life (first period) she lands hard on the ground of reality – falling from the status of a goddess to a mere teenager. Usually she can’t find a husband, for as a goddess she’s spoiled to such an extent, nothing can please her afterwards.

Next day we went to the temple of Swayabonath – one of Nepal symbols, also named the monkey temple, due to the many monkeys lingering about and snatching tit-bits from tourists’ hands. Swayabonath is the oldest and most mysterious holy place, rising up over Kathmandu. Its shining white dome and pointy golden top are seen from everywhere in the Kathmandu valley. Stupa, as such Buddhist monuments are named, is attracting pilgrims for over 1500 years, while the date of its erection is much older.

The legend speaks of a wondrous lotus blossom, that Buddha himself placed in the lake that used to cover the Kathmandu valley. The flower started spreading brilliant light. Holy men and deities traveled to the lake to worship and meditate near the light. At that time Bodhisatva Manjushri meditated on the holy mountain Wu Tai Shan in china and had a vision of the brilliant light coming from the Lotus blossom. He mounted his blue lion and flew over the tall tops of China and Tibet towards Nepal. With a huge sword he split the mountains and the water from the lake descended, making the place accessible to travelers. From the flower a hill grew and from the light the stupa Swayabhunath came to be – the name literary means “self made”.

On each side of the stupa is a pair of eyes, so the deity can see the world from all sides. The curve resembling a nose is the Nepalese numeral for one – symbolically stating the unity and only one true path towards enlightenment, the path of the teacher Buddha. There’s a further, third, eye above the two, representing the ability of observing the soul and the wisdom of Buddha.

The stupa itself is divided into five elements. Three levels, getting smaller higher we go, represent earth. The dome on top level presents water. Over the Buddha’s eyes is a tower of pyramidal shape, representing fire. Made of 13 steps it symbolizes the path of enlightenment. On top of it is a baldachin, the embodiment of the wind and the pointy top of the dome represents metal.

At the foot of the stupa we find prayer mills with mantras engraved in them Om Mani Padme Hum, that has no exact translation. The flags of five colors again represent the five elements (earth, fire, air, water and metal) and are flying in the wind around the stupa, carrying prayer into the sky.

Last preparations for the way

As two uninformed souls we stand in front of the agency, for we’ve been talked into taking one Sherpa for the trekking, being convinced we needed none. At the door we’ve met three people from Ljubljana (thank god), who explained otherwise (I used to think I can’t decide, but now I know I can.

We leave the agency and click our heels – we can do it without a Sherpa – piece of cake. In the evening we pack out backpacks and put the bare necessities in them (really only the most vital things: 3 pairs of socks, 2 long sleeved and two short sleeved shirts, long and short underpants, a few things to fight the cold and rain, sleeping bag and personal hygiene). We might offend a bit, but then, who won’t?

For the trekking around Annapurna you need a TIMS (Trekkers Information Management System) and a ticket ACAP (Anapurna Conservation Area). You can get it in one of the many agencies on site. Walking sticks, thick jackets, sleeping bags and so on can be bought or rented for a fair price in every store. the quality might vary, so you should check out what they have on stock before you decide.

Early in the morning a taxi takes us to the New bus park – that doesn’t look new anymore. And now, off to adventures under the Annapurna. I can’t hide how excited I am.