Saturday
September 19, 2009
Leaving
Lhasa, we were thoroughly searched, and our temperatures were taken. There is much that could be said here about
the situation in Tibet but will not be at this time. I can safely say, however, that the Chinese
airport security makes TSA look ridiculously inept.
The flight
from Lhasa to Kathmandu was 50 minutes with a time change of two hours and 15
minutes. Odd, agree? Good flight with a beautiful sighting of
Mount Everest. The pilot made a little
semi-circle toward and away from the mountain so everyone could take in this
incredible view. One could look at
Jennifer and see the wheels turning as she thought about her own Everest climb.
We were met
at the airport by our guide, Buddi, and treated to a mini excursion by the
royal palace, with an explanation of the recent changes in the government. After the royal family was murdered, followed
by an unsettling time being ruled by the king’s nephew, Nepal became a republic
in 2008 with a president and parliament.
The palace is now a museum. Our
hotel is the five-star Yak and Yeti, our one spurge hotel. While this is a vast improvement over our
hotel in Lhasa, it would not be a five-star hotel anywhere else in the
world.
Our
afternoon tour started with a drive out to Swayambhunath
, The Monkey Temple. And yes, there were
monkeys running free everywhere. The
huge, white Stupa was quite impressive as were the memory stones. Easy to see why this is a UNESCO site. Another UNESCO site is the Medieval-feeling
Dunbar Square. Before 2008, all but
pedestrian traffic was banned. Now it is
total bedlam and very loud. Here we saw
the sacred, 12th century temple built from a single tree. Then on to the Temple of the Living Goddess,
where we heard about the four-and-a-half-year-old beautiful child rules until
puberty. Before returning to the hotel,
we walked through the local market street busy with everyone preparing for the
upcoming festival. We all agreed that
this was the most intense experience so far – The narrow street was packed,
wall to wall, with hundreds of people mixed in with cars, motor bikes,
rickshaws, and as we might say in the south, “I don’t know what all.” It was hot and so, so loud. After a brief rest from all that turmoil, we
went to a typical Nepalese restaurant with local dancers, singers and costumed
Yaks, Yetis, and peacocks. Great way to
end a very good day.
