Sunday, October 13, 2024
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Today is another travel day; we left the hotel at 5:30
to fly 2 hrs 15 min from Chengdu to Kathmandu, Nepal,
passing over the glaciated Hengduan Mountains |
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| Welcome to Nepal, the birthplace of Buddha (KSS) |
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We waited a very long time for our
group to get through immigration,
and in the meantime the Nepal U20
Men's Volleyball team passed by |
This was the first time the team participated in an international tournament, in Sri Lanka, and did well, losing only to the undefeated Uzbekistan team.
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We were welcomed to Nepal with marigold
garlands by our New Group Leader Suresh,
and sat back for the ride to
the Dhulikhel Mountain Resort |
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Kathmandu police officer directing traffic; yes, we
are driving on the left-hand side of the road |
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Apparently electricians, internet
service providers and cable television
operators simply add new cables
with every new installation! |
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Sanitation workers still at work during the holiday
for the annual Hindu Dashain Festival, October 10-14 |
The Dashain Festival actually lasts for 15 days, but is a public holiday for five days. Celebrating the victory of good over evil, families travel to ancestral homes, plant barley grains to later use the seedlings as ornamentation and offerings, perform animal sacrifices, seek blessings for work tools and vehicles, and elders bless younger family members with a
tika/mixture of vermilion, yogurt and rice that is placed on the forehead.
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Lunch was at the Hotel Heritage
in Bhaktapur |
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| Starting with the best soup of the trip |
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We were served potatoes, rice, mixed vegetables,
chicken, and beef |
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A specialty of Bhaktapur is juju dhau/king of curds,
like thick creamy yogurt |
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| The waitstaff had the tika/mark for Dashain Festival |
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| Our tourist bus received many glances |
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| Taking mother out for the holiday |
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The bus literally scraped past this
tangled mess on a utility pole |
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A glimpse of the copper statue of
Kailashnath Mahadev (2003-2011),
the second tallest Shiva statue in
the world at 43.5 m/143' in height |
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On barely two lanes of road, cleared
after the damage from flooding in
September when the area received
a foot of rain in 24 hours, holiday
traffic was heavy and slow |
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| Shopping in the town of Banepa |
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| Evidence of mudslides from the rain |
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| A disabled vehicle really snarled the traffic |
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| Holiday-decorated truck means it has been blessed |
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| Much of the traffic was on motorbikes |
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Crowded buses even had
passengers on the roof |
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| Four people on this motorbike |
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| Mudslide below our hotel (KSS) |
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| A truckload of people (KSS) |
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We had to cross the busy road to reach
the steps to Dhulikhel Mountain Resort |
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We were greeted with a marigold corsage,
shown with flowers in water |
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The Dhulikhel Mountain Resort (1981)
was the first such resort in Nepal |
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On that rare clear day, you can see the Himalayas
from the terrace |
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| Resort bedroom |
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| Space enough for a living room |
Yes, there was a complete bathroom as well.
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