The Things I didn't see...

I read an article once that said the more pictures people take, the less they remember about a given place or event. As a photographer, this seemed ludicrous to me. Surely, photographs help us to create memories! I know how valuable they are to people. I know how valuable they are to me!

But a few days ago, in Nepal, I think I finally understood. Derek and I were wandering through a huge market area in Kathmandu. The streets were lined with brass and incense, yak wool blankets,pottery and Gurkha knives. The small shops lining the street were crammed to colorful and chaotic capacity and above them, the upper floors of the building were adorned with interesting windows, doors and shutters. There was wood and brick and stone and plaster. I felt overloaded by the visual experience of it and framed and shot pictures almost frantically, trying to capture every inch of this exotic and fascinating place.

After several minutes of concentrating on my pictures, the thought occurred to me that I was here in Kathmandu, Nepal with Derek and I was barely paying attention to him as I concentrated on shooting. I stopped and lowered my camera and looked at the brass shop I had been photographing, then I looked at Derek. I mentioned the article to him and how maybe I really was missing a big part of the experience.

Derek looked at me and smiled an enigmatic little smile. I looked longer and realized It's one I've seen many times over the years and I knew exactly what it meant. It meant, "Oh good. You've finally realized (fill in the blank)". He's awfully good at letting me come to realizations on my own.

He looked back at the shop I had been photographing as I suggested that maybe I was missing something by focusing so much on taking pictures of our experience. He smiled bigger and said, "You mean like the smell of Jasmine in the air? Or the sound of the bells in front of the brass shop ringing in the wind? Maybe the glint of the sun on the brass platters?"

I just stared at him in awe of his perception. He understood. Even better than I had. So with my camera dangling from my fingers, we stood there and just looked at the shop and took in everything about it and I suddenly saw so much that I had missed initially. I...experienced the shop. We moved on and this time, walked quietly...slowly down the street. Absorbing.

I won't lie, I still took a few pictures...but less. Instead I took his hand and we wandered and we listened to the sounds and we smelled the Jasmine and we took in the total experience both of the city and of being together in such an amazing place.

A little further down the street we saw a Hindu temple. As we passed through the threshold into the small square we heard the overwhelming thrum of hundreds of pigeons. A woman was flinging out seed to them with a wide arc of her arm. The birds would cluster to eat and then some little thing would startle them and they would burst into the air all around us. Again I grabbed my camera excitedly and began shooting but then I looked at Derek and put it down again and just stood and absorbed the moment.

I experienced the collective cooing, the breeze created by so many wings flapping all at once and again...Derek. It was magical. Transcendent, and I think I wouldn't have realized that if I had just kept focusing on the ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed. 

I love photography. It is an amazing way for us to preserve memories, but they are one dimensional. The next time we travel or visit family or do whatever we are doing, I will remember to put the camera down more often and live right there in that moment and be with the people I am with, instead of trying to capture the surface experience quite so thoroughly.

Of course, that doesn't mean that I won't still post waaay too many of the pictures I did take;-)

I was mugged by a monkey...

In today's headlines! Monkey mugging thwarted by mild mannered maiden!

Well, there is so very much to say about today's activities, but I'm going to keep it short because I'm exhausted! It was an amazing day and we got to see lots of great sights!

We had a great breakfast in the hotel and even tried some of the local dishes.
Then we were off to explore more of Kathmandu.

First we hit a local market area. Every inch was a picture! The top floors of the building were rich with texture and color and style while the shops below were filled with beautiful brass and spices and clothes and...well...just about anything you could imagine!

We hired a car and driver for the day (Alhamdullilah)! Unfortunately, he was new to Kathmandu so really struggled to find his way around. In his defense, we didn't hire him as a tour guide, just a driver.

Our first stop was Swayambhunith, or The Monkey Temple, an ancient monument so called because of the sacred monkeys that roam freely there.

The Swayambhunath complex consists of a stupa, a variety of shrines and temples, some dating back to the Licchavi period. The stupa has Buddha's eyes and eyebrows painted on and is impressively large and golden.

We were surprised to find monkeys munching on wrapped candies that are left for them.

As long as you are cool about it, they will leave you alone. You must simply stand there and pretend not to notice them and they will come quite close, but make eye contact and you are on the naughty list!

On the temple grounds you will find huge Hindu Prayer wheels. Devotees spin them as part of their prayers. There was even one Giant one inside a building!

If you feel brave and decide to climb the 365 steps (one for each day of the year) you will find an incredible view of Kathmandu, but you will also find some truly incredible architecture. There are pillars and dozens of Hindu and Buddhist statues as well as a huge white dome with a large golden spire. And monkeys. Always the monkeys!

They are everywhere and they have the run of the place, though some of the locals are less enamoured of them than we were. One woman selling beautiful strawberries was clearly fed up with monkeys stealing her fruit. As I watched her, a large monkey edged closer and closer to her wares until she suddenly snatched a sturdy looking sling shot out of the folds of her skirt and let loose with a barrage of something that had the monkeys scattering.

I found a beautiful singing bowl that I had decided to buy and as I wandered amongst the Stupa, I dangled the blue plastic bag that held my bowl from my fingers. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a monkey hiding behind one of the statues. And YES! He was definitely hiding! As I passed, he reached out and grabbed my bag! Luckily, I had a firm grasp on the bag and his mugging attempt turned into a tug of war. I practically had to wrestle the little devil to the ground! Sacred monkey my...anyway. I won. I gave him a good scolding and told him stealing was bad. He looked quite indignant and with what was undoubtedly a slur against Americans squawked his discontent and ran off.

I thought we were done but I eventually caught on to the fact that he was following me! I would turn quickly around and there he would be, hand reaching for my bag. Of course as soon as I turned he would look away, all innocent like, but I was on to his game. Derek suggested that scolding a monkey that could potentially rip my throat out along with 60 or 70 of his pals was probably not a good idea, but I felt it was the principal of the thing really.

I saw another visitor get ambushed too. A monkey jumped him from above, swiped his bottle of water and bolted. The really impressive thing was that the monkey knew how to unscrew the cap.

There at the top of the hill it was beautiful. We were at about 5,000 ft and the view was incredible. Cool mountain breezes kept us cool and comfortable as we wandered. As always, there were vendors by the dozens selling everything you could imagine.

We spent quite a bit of time there and then found a great loval restaurant with amazing food and bottle soda pop.

After a very late lunch (can you even count it as lunch at 4:00?), we made our way through wicked traffic to Durbur Square, a part of town with a large temple where there was a considerable amount of damage from the earthquake. I was in a significant amount of discomfort because of bursitis but we had forgotten to bring Motrin.

As we sat in heavy traffic, Derek noticed a small pharmacy across from us and impulsively risked his life by leaping out of the car into traffic and darting between cars to the pharmacy, much to the confusion of our driver. We watched in awe as he purchased Motrin, otherwise know in 50+ circles as The Elixer of Life.

Standing at the outdoor counter of the tiny shop, he had to hunk to avoid hitting his head. I'm sure the staff were thinking "Even Yeti get aches and pains once in a while! I beamed at my Knight in Shining Armor and popped some Motrin. 

We finally arrived at our destination and jumped out for a look around.  It was clear that there had been terrible damage done by the earthquake. Even hear there were vendors selling their wares. Keya is the queen of the bargain and got us pretty amazing prices on some great souvenirs and then it was time to head home. We're calling it an early night as we are completely worn out from high altitude, lots of walking and having way too much fun!

Are We There Yeti?

17 March, 2016
What a day! Flying into Kathmandu was amazing. As we descended we began seeing the beautiful terraced hills and valleys. Graceful curves swirling around each hill in perfect symmetry.

Since it was only a one hour flight, our plane was quite small, so we landed further away from the airport and road a shuttle to the terminal. The first thing we noticed was air! Cool, breezy, semi unpolluted air! Hey, it's a step up from Dhaka.

Did I mention we are traveling with friends? We've sort of adopted the two single guys in our building. The fourth floor is Dana, and George, an FSO from Public Affairs is on five. He's a great guy with an adorable Bangladeshi girlfriend name Keya. George and Keya and Derek and I have all come together.

Upon leaving the airport, we found our driver waiting with signs bearing our names and the name of our hotel. With our luggage tucked in back of the van, we piled in and prepared to head for adventure! What we didn't realize was that the real adventure lay in trying to escape the parking lot!

You know those annoying little plastic games with the little squares you slide around trying to arrange them into a picture? I hate those games! That's what the parking lot was like. This car would inch forward a few feet and that one would slide in behind, and so on for a good fifteen minutes.
But I didn't really care because I had the window open and was already snapping pictures. We were surrounded by mountains. It was hazy, but I knew they were there.

We drove through the streets passing an insane looking amusement park with a deadly look Ferris wheel. It looked like something Tim Burton would design.

Like Dhaka, Kathmandu is alive with activity, thought the population is a lot let dense.
After months of living within less than a two mile radius (no really. We can't go outside of the diplomatic zone), it was amazing to see anything new and different.

We arrived at our hotel to find that while it was as beautiful as the pictures we had seen online, it had been badly wounded in last years earthquake. The front is covered in tarps and major repairs are going on. They have rearranged so that the front desk is around the side. Still, it's a beautiful and fascinating looking hotel and the room is great.

We got settled in and then...(drum role please)...we went out walking! You simply cannot understand the significance of that until you are not allowed to do it. It was liberating. We found a beautiful pool across the hotel grounds and vowed to go back later. For now, there was walking to be done.

Heading out onto the rocky and uneven street it was hard to tell whether the condition of the roads was due to the earthquake or just part of being in South Central Asia. There were definitely similarities to Dhaka, but we walked...and we wandered...and it was wonderful. 

We strolled through shops filled with cashmere and pashmina's and yak wool. There were beautifully carved statues of Ganesh and other Hindu Gods, amazing jewelry, and shops filled with hiking gear for those intrepid travelers crazy enough to attempt a trek up Mt. Everest. A guy tried to sell us pearls and we just laughed. Dude, we're from Bangladesh, pearls we've got.

Eventually, we found an open air rooftop cafe and stopped for dinner. The sun was setting somewhere between the buildings across the street and the mountain range behind them in the distance.

We sat for ages enjoying the soft, cool air and just being outside. George tried the Masala Coke. I'm not sure who it was that originally decided that Coke would be good with Masala seasoning sprinkled in it, but based on Georges reaction, they were wrong. 

The sun went down, music came on and I felt more relaxed than I have in months. We swapped tales of our travels, and joked and chatted for ages until deciding it was time to wander a bit more.

Back out on the Main Street we headed back the direction we had come. The sidewalks were ragged, tall and narrow. In short, quite deadly for someone as uncoordinated as myself.

As we headed past the turn for our hotel, I noticed a dark shape splayed along the tall sidewalk gutter on the other side of the road. Keya thought it might be a dog, but it became clear that it was a person.
The immediate concern was if the person was alive or...otherwise. 

We stood for a moment, uncertain what to do. Several people walked past, barely giving the heap a glance. I was shocked. Derek headed across the street and we followed. It was a man, slumped half on the sidewalk, half in the street. He was breathing but not moving. A flip flop covered one foot but the other shoe lay in the street next to him. 

Upon closer examination, it was clear he was not dead, but rather, dead drunk. Still, the level of disregard for his well being was shocking. As we looked him over trying to decide what to do, several other people started to gather. Keya called the police and asked that they come get him.

A few young men finally dragged him out of the street, where cars whizzed past menacingly close to his prostrate legs, dumping him on the far side of the sidewalk out of harms way.

We decided our part in this drama had played out and continued on. Life outside the diplomatic zone was proving quite interesting.

George decided we should check out a movie theater he found online. According to Nepal Google Maps the theater was a mere half mile away.

I suspect Nepal Google Maps also says Dhaka is a mere half mile away. Still, we were walking and out of our political prison and that was good. We walked on. We even found the U.S. Embassy. We saw many buildings that still bore the scars of the earthquake.

Finally, we found the theater. Sort of. It looked more like a good place to get mugged than a cinema. I am pretty sure it doesn't have dream lounger seating. Or possibly...seats. It turns out that theaters are only open during the day in Kathmandu. George and Keya befriended the bookstore owner next to it and got all the info and left having been convinced to buy two books.

By this time, we had hit about six miles on my Apple Watch. This might not seem like a lot to some people, but for someone who has spent the last six months getting barely 3,000 steps a day, my 54 year old body was starting to protest.

I pled old age and suggested we get a taxi and the young whipper snappers conceded. Moments later a van of sorts pulled up along side us. We were shocked to see that it was packed with at least fifteen people crammed into every cranny. Shaking our heads and waving them away, we laughed at the absurdity of suggesting that four more people could fit in the already overburdened van. 

The smiling group continued on their way, but we were nearly apoplectic when a couple of blocks later we saw them pull over to admit at least eight more people! They just kept piling in and disappearing. I suspect that it was Tardis in disguise.

It was really dark and getting late and I was definitely starting to wear out. My decorative sandals were not made for hiking.

A block or so later, Keya hailed a taxi. The driver pulled to the curb, but there was a low-ish metal railing along the sidewalk that appeared to go on basically, forever.

I glared at the railing for a moment, but desperate to get back to the hotel, I hiked up my Salwar Kameez and climbed over it in a smashingly undignified manner. The others followed, but with slightly more panache.

Looking at the tiny taxi, it became clear that it was desperately unqualified to carry the four of us. Especially Derek, who is 6' 4" tall and may or may not have, on occasion, been mistaken for Bigfoot.
Derek offered to continue walking home, but I was convinced there was safety in numbers and begged him to come with us. Keya slid into the back seat first. Then George. Then me. I didn't think it was possible to suck in your thighs the way you would suck in your stomach, but I managed it and the door closed. Mostly.

It was Derek's turn to get in. I think I heard the car whimper. He put a tentative foot onto the floor board but immediately realized this angle was not going to work. Instead he sat down sideways in the seat. I heard the shocks cry out in panic.

He ducked his head down low in order to clear the door jam, but once inside he couldn't sit completely upright. He looked like Fred Flintstone with his head desperately trying to poke through the roof of the car. I suggested he might try pushing the seat back. I don't actually need leg room. The driver reached over and flipped a lever and the seat slid back a few inches. It was just enough for Derek to drag his legs into the car and slam the door before they could escape.

The car groaned. For a moment we wondered if it could still move. We laughed hysterically as it dragged forward, resigning itself to it's unreasonable burden. Note to everyone: Nepalese taxi's aren't really designed for westerners.

The trip back seemed much shorter in the beleaguered little taxi. The driver dropped us off across the street from out hotel. As we descended from the back, I'm fairly certain I heard the car give a sigh of relief. I suspect it will need new shocks.

We walked the short distance back to the hotel, spent but happy for having spent the evening wandering the city of Kathmandu. We even managed to save a drunk guy!

Tomorrow is Monkey Temple day along with all sorts of other adventures!