Nepal: 50 Shades of Gray
I held half-read The Immortals of Meluha in my hand as I was
flying over the majestic Himalayas on my flight to Kathmandu, mouth gaping at
the beauty bestowed upon the peaks and valleys all painted in 50 shades of
Gray, as alluring as the protagonist from the said book itself. Laden with
ample dose of snow, the peaks jutted out well above the clouds, soaking in the
vitalising rays of sun, totally disinterested with the foggy conditions on the
ground. I thought about the mystical abode of Shiva just beyond those mountains
and said a silent prayer in my mind to the soft-hearted, dancer incomparable,
god of destruction, while I looked on. My thoughts wandered to Tintin in Tibet
and a tiny hope simmered in my heart to meet the Bigfoot, although I knew I was
going to trek well below the boundaries of the mysterious Yeti.
As I
stepped out of the airport, the chill of a January evening was instantly
replaced by the warmth of the Nepali people. The traditional greeting of
putting a marigold garland around my neck sent me to those innumerable episodes
of Roadies. Adventure to main Junoon ke saath kar hi chuka tha, aaj mala ke
saath avabhagat bhi ho gaya. While there is lot of hardships faced by the
common folk over there, that doesn’t becomes a hurdle in their welcoming
behavior. They still smile warmly and proudly describe their heritage and culture.
While one
is still pondering over the hardships, they are hit in the face by the hustle
and bustle of Thamel, the tourist district of Kathmandu. Brightly lit shops
showcasing their wares from ethnic clothing to jewellery to amazing paintings
to the expected-trekking gears, it is a far cry from the cold that envelopes
the route to Thamel. This area also has numerous lounges, cafes and restaurants
with great food and even better music. While the food is embellished by the
expert hands of the chefs, the music is unplugged and brought down to its bare
roots by the much talented artistes of the Himalayan nation. Every dish
imaginable can be served if you can stroll around and look for the restaurant
serving the cuisine of our choice. A visit to the Gokarna House is a must. It
not only provides authentic Nepalese meal but also live cultural performances
by much talented artistes. The guests can also join in the group to have a go
at the Nepalese dance form. Pity they didn’t play DJ wale babu to cater
to our more base tastes.
People must
visit the Bhaktapur Darbar Square complex for the magnificent structures made
in Indian Shikhara style as well as the Asian Pagoda style. Many
structures bear the brunt of the earthquake and lie in dilapidated condition.
However, the charm of the complex is not lost in the rubble created by
earthquake. Like the Nepalese people, the complex is also slowly limping to
regain its old glory. Pashupatinath temple is another stop that has to be done
by the folks with a religious bent of mind. Do witness the stunning enormity of
the temple complex on the banks of the holy river Bagmati.
While
Kathmandu is a capital city that witnesses the set fight of sticking to the
roots and the clamour for modernization, Pokhara is a town on steroids. The
adventure capital of Asia, it boasts of lakes, mountains, food shacks,
adventure sports and the local kids racing and doing stunts on bicycles. While
the religious can go for a boat ride to the temple in the middle of the lake,
the adrenaline junkie can climb atop a mountain and paraglide from there. Or if
you are one of those, who would like nothing better than lazing around in front
of the lake and calmly having your food or drink, Pokhara will satisfy you, as well.
As we sat in front of a joint, looking at the sun setting behind the hills, the
hills exhibited varying shades of gray as they went farther and farther, with
the fog enveloping them to give an added bent of enigma.
Nepalese,
continental, Italian, Greek, Korean, Japanese are the few cuisines we could
find in our two day stay over there. Every restaurant or shack will look
different from the other. This is not only inspired by the cuisine one is
serving but also from the heightened sense of competition faced by these as
they have an added pressure to look different from other.
The paintings
in Pokhara are better in their artwork and quite understandably so, as it is
the tourist capital of the country. Do not forget to try clothing made of
marijuana plant or banana fibre available at shops along the lake.
We had
planned for Australian Base Camp (extendable to Pothana village) from Dhampus
village. Being a naturalist, Yog sir gave us a bag to collect the junk strewn
along our path to Pothana so that not only we leave with memories but also lend
a hand in keeping this beautiful nation pristine. The trek proved to be a task
for a Garfield like me, who gorged on lasagna just a day before. However, the
destination was beautiful and it was worth the sweat.
As I hopped
on the plane on my way back, and looked down after five minutes, I promised the
mystifying Himalayas for a third tryst. A longer one. I never thought that life
in monochrome can be so colorful and now I am a believer.
Comments
Post a Comment