October 1 - Getting to know Kathmandu

Krishna Dhakal is a scholar, a teacher, one of the first gentleman involved with tourism as it was developing in Kathmandu in the 1970s, was a Professor of Tourism and taught many of the city-guides that are now working in the area. He comes out of his retirement and helps us with his compassionate view of Hinduism, Buddhism, the architectural art of the valley, the many cultures that have came together in the rich and turbulent history of Nepal. Every time I spend a few hours with this man in the Kathmandu Valley I feel like I am a much richer for the experience. We started with an early visit to the Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, in the early morning light, then we went to Mike’s breakfast, that famous Kathmandu institution where fresh brewed coffee and American style breakfast has been available for a few decades now. We met James Gihmbrone, James is an old friend of mine and always takes some time to share with us his passion, his enthusiasm, and his knowledge about the art form of the Newaris People.

Spending time in James' gallery, the Indigo Gallery, is always a pleasure as we watch him store his materials that are used by many of the local artists: wax, paste, redousse, that are used to make the Buddhas that so many people see in the Temples of Kathmandu. James has lived in Kathmandu since 1970.

In the afternoon we visited Pashupati and Boudhanath, two of the other big temples in the Valley. Of course, the jet lag is still a big factor with this group; we made it back to the hotel relatively early. Wongchu and I discussed some more details to prepare for our beginning of the trek tomorrow and our flight to Lukla. I will check with in tomorrow to tell you how that goes.