Nepali classes

Yesterday, we started with our very first Nepali language classes. A teacher from the Namaste Institute for Cross Cultural Experience, Geeta, is teaching us, in a tiny class room in Thamel. With Thomas, we are taking the intensive approach: two hours every day, for at least two weeks. After that, I'll go on mission to India, but I hope to take it up once again after my return in September.

Currently, we've been focusing on basic vocabulary (greetings, where I'm from etc). It struck me that the first two words we learned (kalem for pen and kitaab for book are the same words in arabic. Today we delved into some grammar (they have about 5 different forms to address somebody, according to the level of politeness to respect) and the writing.

Here the very first word we learned: मां, or mother. They have about 45 letters, 36 of which are consonants. It doesn't look easy, but we'll try to at least get some basics...

Bhoto Jatra, or the vest festival

This Sunday was one of the most important festivals in Lalitpur, Bhoto Jatra, or where a chariot with a vest is put in display over the city.
Rato Machhendranath or Matsyendranath is a god of rain worshiped by both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal. Hindus regard him as the reincarnation of the Lord Shiva, while the Buddhists regard him as the Tantric reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara. Legend says that, when Guru Gorakhnath visited Patan, he captured all the rain showering serpents of Patan and started to meditate after he was disappointed by the locals as they did not grant him any alms on his request. As a result, Patan faced drought for a long time. The then king of Patan, on the advice of his advisers, invited Machchhindranath, Guru of Gorakhnath, to Patan. When Gorakhnath learned that his teacher was in Patan, he released all the rain showering serpents and went to see him. As soon as the rain showering serpents were set free, Patan again got plenty of rainfall every year. After that day, the locals of Patan worshiped Machchhindranath as the god of rain.
After the chariot reacher Jawalakhel, this festival concludes with Bhoto Jatra, which literally means "vest festival". During the ceremony, a government official holds up a sacred jewel-studded black vest from the four sides of the chariot so that all the people gathered around can have a look at it.

Hence, now, just as monsoon is starting (yes, plenty of rain starting to fall), we went to watch the chariot, at the same time as the president and many officials came to pay their respect. Now, when I say chariot, you might think of like a roman style, low chariot. No, this thing was about 15m high (as you can tell from the picture). What is more, in the construction of the chariot no nails are used to connect the joints of the huge chariot but are only tied with ropes and veds. The only part that uses iron to hold are the four wheels. Pretty impressive...

I also got the great privilege of touching a living goddess while there. While leaving the scene, a young child was being carried away, with an entourage and sun screens. They hurried and brushed past me, and, without knowing exactly what was happening, I reached out and touched her arm. Now, she's (one of) the Kumari, or living goddess. It is part of the tradition of worshiping young pre-pubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy or devi in Hindu religious traditions. The word Kumari, derived from Sanskrit Kaumarya meaning "virgin", means young unmarried girls in Nepali and some Indian languages and is a name of the goddess Durga as a child.

In Nepal, a Kumari is a pre-pubescent girl selected from the Shakya or Bajracharya clan of the Nepalese Newari community. While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu, and she lives in the Kumari Ghar, a palace in the center of the city. The selection process for her is especially rigorous.

Eligible girls are Buddhists from the Newar Shakya caste (the clan to which the Buddha belonged) of silver and goldsmiths. She must be in excellent health, never have shed blood or been afflicted by any diseases, be without blemish and must not have yet lost any teeth. Girls who pass these basic eligibility requirements are examined for the battis lakshanas, or 'thirty-two perfections' of a goddess. Some of these are poetically listed as such:

• A neck like a conch shell
• A body like a banyan tree
• Eyelashes like a cow
• Thighs like a deer
• Chest like a lion
• Voice soft and clear as a duck's

In addition to this, her hair and eyes should be very black, she should have dainty hands and feet, small and well-recessed sexual organs and a set of twenty teeth.

Once the priests have chosen a candidate, she must undergo yet more rigorous tests. Her greatest test comes during the Hindu festival of Dashain. On the kalratri, or 'black night', 108 buffaloes and goats are sacrificed to the goddess Kali. The young candidate is taken into the temple and released into the courtyard, where the severed heads of the animals are illuminated by candlelight and masked men are dancing about. If the candidate truly possesses the qualities of Taleju, she should show no fear during this experience. If she does, another candidate is brought in to attempt the same thing.

After passing all other tests, the final test is that she must be able to pick out the personal belongings of the previous Kumari from an assortment of things laid out before her. If she is able to do so, there is no remaining doubt that she is the chosen one.

Tales of the Dragon

This evening we attended a story telling night, called Tales of the Mountain Dragon. It was part of a 3 day session series of exclusive storytelling infused with a rich mix of esoteric narratives, mountain sounds and music. It had a very spiritual feel to it, starting off with a prayer and a moment of meditation. It took place at twilight, on the terrace on top of a cafe, with a beautiful stupa (white dome) behind it, decorated with many prayer flags.

The storyteller, Koitso Salil Mukhia, who is also the Founder of the Acoustic Traditional and National Festival of Indigenous Storytellers, has been professionally narrating sacred tribal lore and conducting various healing workshops using stories and sounds to various audiences across India and Nepal for over a decade. As an initiate into shamanism, his sessions include a wide array of ancient sounds, storytelling themes and rituals which have been widely acknowledged and featured. Part of the objective is to avoid the loss of this folklore, as there are less and lees of these shamans.

He told two stories, about a hunter going twice to Shrangri-La (or Mei-la), the only one coming back alive, which talked about guides to inner spiritual voyages. The second one was about a monk taking in a student and teaching him how to play the flute, at which he excels. However, the student decides to leave and becomes a carpenter, finding his music in the wood.

We also bought two prints they made, to support the organisation (and to decorate our house, which still has very bare walls).

                                                                                                    

Settling in

So, in the house, and discovering little joys... and challenges.

I had my first tomato salad, with the tomatoes growing in our garden. We had about 6kg of them,  which meant I have tomatoes now coming out of my ears.

Cooking on our brand new stove. Though not induction, it's still pretty sweet.

Our didi, called Devi, who helps out in the house, and insisted I take a selfie with her (not in my habit)...

And this is how we are furnishing the house. Mostly second hand, through online ads, and lots of bicycling around the city to look at stuff. And when we do find something we like, get a riksja to help us transport it, which has made for quite a number of stressful hours during the hectic trafic in Kathmandu.
See Thomas helping out during a stretch that was very uphill...

Full moon rising. For my birthday tomorrow, and also a sort of house warming, we've planned a classic: a game of werewolf. We've invited the couple of friends we've made and are looking forward to spending a Friday the 13th, with a full moon, playing my favorite game....

The new house... our home

I didn't want to jinx it, like what happened with our last house, so I waited until the lease was signed, but here it is, our new house, sorry, home! 

We must admit that we're very happy, after two weeks of visiting over 40 houses and flats, to finally have our chez nous. Unfurnished, it is smaller though a bit pricier than the previous one, but still has a large living room (with fireplace), three bedrooms and a study/office for me.
The street is rather quiet but the neighborhood is very nice and lively. Owners seem relaxed and trusted us with the keys since Monday, so we've been scouting for everything to make the place inhabitable (appliances and stuff) since then.

 One of the reasons why we really liked it, was because of the modest, but well taken care of garden, with veggies.

A little fountain, with the Boudha statue.

Exquisite, though not very solid front door.

And we even have some unexpected but most welcome house residents we discovered: Mama Cat and two kittens, which we baptized Mamandu, Mandu 1 and Mandu 2. Not very used to people, it'll take time to be adopted...
 

 The staircase, leading to the first floor.

The master bedroom, large and spacious, and currently very empty...

Basic and not very much to our taste but we'll manage bathroom (there is three of them in the house).

The guest room, awaiting furniture and... guests!

Terrace one,  on the first floor, with the colored prayer flags leading down to the fence.

Staircase to the second floor:

Which leads to the second terrace, just aching to host cocktail parties.

The obligatory watertanks, cause we only get water every fourth day.

Now we're busy equipping ourselves with everything, fridge, batteries for back up electricity, internet, all the basics. The house also came with two staff from the previous tenants, Debi: a Didi (house maid) and Bishnu, the gardener, who will come in twice or thrice a week to help out. Rent-wise, at around 600€ a month, it is a big house for western standards but an okay price for Nepal, neither super expat-expensive, nor a bargain. 

Tonight will be our first night here, I really hope we'll be happy here. Funny to think that these walls, which now still seem so alien and bare, will see so much of our lives here...

Getting out of KTM to hike

For the first of June, and after a lot of house hunting and walking through the dusty streets of Kathmandu, our friend Niranjan took the excellent initiative to invite us for a hike 40 minutes out of KTM, to Champa Devi (2,278m), the highest peak on the Chandragiri Ridge south west of Kirtipur. Early start to avoid the heat, up in the mountains (well, they would probably call them hills here, but for us Belgians...). Leaving the village and monastery of Pharping, the trail initially makes its way through a pine forest. Most of the walk is along a ridge that offers spectacular mountains views with a bird’s eye view of the Kathmandu Valley. The top of the hill is enshrined with a sacred site, where locals perform their rituals on auspicious days.

The path is very well maintained and often consist of steps, taking around 2 and a half hour to get to the top, with great views over the west Kathmandu valley and the surroundings, though pollution did temper with the visibility, making it impossible to see the snow covered Himalayas.

I can't imagine the effort needed to make these staircases....