This has been another long travel day. We left the hotel at 7:30 this morning and boarded a bus for a short drive to the airport. We flew from Delhi to Kathmandu, Nepal.
It was quite a process to get out of the airport and on to the plane and then another process to get off of the plane and into Kathmandu. Everyone made it through customs and immigrations. We flew out around 10:00 and landed and got out of the airport around 1:00.
We have a new tour guide that is from Nepal. Our other tour guide came with us so we have two guides here in Nepal.
Our first stop in Nepal was at a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pashupatinath. We saw one of the most sacred Hindu shrines in the world. The Temple, on the banks of the holy Bagnati River, a tributary of the Ganges, is home to Kathmandu’s funeral ghats, a series of cremation platforms.
We put on face masks for the ten minute walk from the bus to the river bank. On the opposite side of the river were the cremation platforms. While we were there a family carried in a body and we got to witness the beginning of the ceremony to cremate their loved one.
The oldest son or a male family member if there are no sons, is the one that starts the crematory fire. It was a sacred event and I was honored to witness it. The guide did a great job of explaining what was happening.
It made me think about the differences between how we Americans treat death and what I saw today. The bodies here are cremated within 24 hours of death. The family takes care of washing the body and preparing it for cremation. They witness the cremation and stay with the body until the cremation is complete which takes five to six hours.
Then the family moves into a mourning house for 100 days. During this period of mourning they wear all white. Sometime after that period they scatter the ashes.
The families are very much a part of the cremation. The guide said most families use this cremation place as the river flows into the Ganges which is a sacred river to the Hindu. They are starting to use electric crematoriums but 85 to 90% use the old fashioned spot on the river.
I was grateful for the face mask as the smoke was heavy. There were at least eight different ghats in various stages of cremation.
After we left this place we came to our hotel. The hotel is a luxury hotel and our room is nice. Nicole and I went to the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. They have a beautiful infinity pool. We sat outside and had an early dinner. We had an American corn and cream cheese sandwich on the plane but that was all we had for lunch. We were both hungry and I like to eat early. The food was the best I have had on the trip. I had a chicken and avocado sandwich and Nicole had loaded Nachos.
Tomorrow we have to be downstairs by 5:15 for the flight around Mount Everest. We will eat breakfast when we get back to the hotel around 8:30. After breakfast we go on a tour of Kathmandu which will include visits to lots of Temples. In the afternoon there is an optional tour that Nicole is going on but I am going to stay behind and enjoy a spa treatment.
Wednesday we tour again all day and Thursday everyone starts home. We don’t leave until midnight 30 on Friday morning so will have a full day to kill before we leave. We are requesting the use of our hotel room for that full day so we can take a nap and then a shower before we leave for the 36 hour journey home. Not sure if they will allow that yet. Nicole wants to get a new tattoo while we wait. I may treat myself to another spa treatment.
My ankles swelled up again today. I have them propped up on some pillows this evening. They should go down by morning. I wish I could find some pressure stockings to wear on the flight home but not sure where I would look. I will ask at the spa tomorrow if they know of someone that sells them here in Nepal.
It has been a long day and watching the cremation was emotional. I am hoping I can fall asleep early tonight as we have to be up so early tomorrow morning.
Kathmandu is a valley surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the world. The temperature today was in the low 70’s and tonight it is to be in the low 50’s. Air pollution is still a problem here but not as bad as in India. I haven’t seen any cows in the roads yet. We did see a bunch of monkeys while we were on our way to the hotel. We also saw some skinny chickens running around and of course a lot of street dogs.
We were greeted on the bus with another lei. We kiddingly said we got laid three times so far on this trip! Wish I could bring them home as they smell so good.
The energy here is much higher than in Delhi. It feels very sacred here somehow. I did see homeless people and very elementary housing as well as the wealthy housing. So far I like Kathmandu much better than Delhi but I shall see after the tour tomorrow if that holds.
We are on the tail end of our trip. Two more days of official touring and then a free day followed by the long journey home. I should have brought my ruby red slippers so we could click three times and be home.
What an amazing trip we have had so far and still have two days to go. So many new experiences and memories made. The time with Nicole has been priceless and worth the price of the trip in and of itself but add in all the sights I got to see and I am one blessed mama.
I haven’t gotten homesick yet but I’m sure by Thursday I will be wishing I was home already. The trip home is the hardest part of these trips for me. Reorientation into my real world can be a challenge too. Guess it is a small price to pay for the privilege of world travel.
Grateful to have witnessed the beginning of a cremation ceremony, grateful for another day of safe travels, and grateful for the best meal of the trip so far for dinner tonight.