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This is our last post prior to heading for the first leg of our journey home on Tuesday 25th. We fly via Silkair to Singapore and then catch a connecting Singapore Airlines flight out of Changi which, all going according to plan, will see us arrive in Brisbane at around 7.00 am on Wednesday the 26th.
Ken has Thursday off from work but, for reasons only understood by him, is going to work on Friday.
We did another of our wanders around Kathmandu today (twice in fact) and came across any number of new and interesting sights during the day. This is the odd thing about this town - you can turn a corner by mistake and walk straight into a square (or Chowk as they are called here) and be presented with a beautiful Hindu Temple, a Buddhist Stupa or some small shrine to Ganesh or Vishnu, any of which could be 500 years old.
Or, as we experienced this afternoon, you can get caught up in preparations for a Festival and end up amongst many, many hundreds of people all going out to the local markets to buy adornments for their homes &/or gifts for relatives - or illegal fireworks as some kids are currently exploding as I type this.
Ken here - Desley went off to check out the fireworks so I have taken over.
The current Festival is called Tihar and it is the 2nd most important one in Nepal after Dasain (which finished not too long ago). After the third day, Tihar becomes Diwali - the Festival of Lights. We experienced Diwali when we were in India so the fireworks are no big surprise.
As a bit of background info, the Hotel here consists of two separate buildings with a large courtyard between the two. Within the courtyard is a very nice garden and a number of table settings where you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner.
It has become surprisingly cool in the mornings and late in the day so we haven't used the outdoor area much over the last week.
Speaking of mornings, here is a run down of a typical one here at the Ganesh Himal:-
3.30am - Unknown person walks across the Courtyard (loudly enough to wake us up).
3.32am - Same person starts their motorbike, revs it a few times and drives off.
3.50am - We fall back to sleep.
4.00am - Local Buddhist community (the Hotel owners / operators) bang a Tibetan gong as follows - BANG! Bang, Bang, Bang, bang, bang.
4.10am - Local Buddhist Lama does about 10 minutes of very, very deep bass chanting.
4.30am - Back to sleep.
4.45am - Local dogs (who lay around sleeping all day) begin barking and fighting.
5.00am - Local traffic (mainly motorbikes but some surprisingly large trucks) start to drive up and down the adjacent laneway - all tooting the horn of course.
5.10am - Local Roosters starts up, closely followed by every crow & pigeon in creation.
5.30am - Back to sleep until maybe 6.30am at which time other people having breakfast downstairs in the garden force us to get up and join them.
It's the smell of the wonderful food here that really gets us up.
It's dinner time now actually so gotta go! We plan to sample the home made Raksi with dinner - hic!
Desley says it will be either an aperitif or a mouthwash - whatever, we have to try it.
- comments
Aliya Haha, that sounds like a morning at my house, minus the gong. Although there was a kuzu once...
Steve Hughes I am listening to 'Dead Can dance' as I read your entries. Sounds like that is apt. Heath and I are heading to Manila for a week on 29th Nov as I have a conference to attend a t a university there. My first venture outside of Oz. Sheesh - I haven't even been to Tasmania! That' another country isn't it? So glad you are having a great time. Might need a good sleep when you get home though. :)
Floppyboot G'day Steve. Thanks for your comments over the last month - always good to hear from you. Enjoy your trip to Manila!