Last Day in Nepal

Day 22 – Friday, 6th November 2009

We woke up at 7:00 am out of habit, with a strange feeling that something wasn’t right. There was no Sherpa offering us morning tea, no frantic bag packing and no need to rush to get anywhere. We then remembered that we were in Kathmandu, in a lovely hotel and that we could lie in bed for as long as we wished. Pure bliss. We did, however, start to feel extremely hungry, I guess our stomachs were still in the trekking mode. We decided to go down for breakfast, despite the early hour. This was a brilliant idea, because not only was the food excellent, but we also met a few of our friends in the hotel restaurant.

After breakfast we went on a trip to Swayambhunath with two of our friends from the group. We took a taxi there and agreed with the driver that he would wait for us for an hour and then take us to the city centre. Swayambhunath is a Buddhist temple situated on the top of a hill west of Kathmandu and it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal.

The temple is colloquially known as the ‘monkey temple’, and the reason for such a name becomes obvious, when you notice the large groups of monkeys wandering around the complex. The monkeys are usually harmless, but you have to be careful, as the naughty ones might snatch any food or valuables that you carry around.

There are many small buildings and shrines scattered around the Swayambhunath complex. Ancient stones with inscriptions, prayer wheels and statues of Buddha are also familiar themes.

The soaring central stupa is topped by a gold-coloured square block, from which the watchful eyes of the Buddha gaze out across the valley. Unfortunately, during our tour those eyes were covered by scaffolding due to some renovation works. We enjoyed the building, nevertheless, as it is a stunning example of Buddhist architecture. The stupa’s white painted base represents the four elements – earth, fire, air and water.

Prayer wheels are an essential part of Buddhist beliefs and culture. Set all around the temple complex, they are spun by pilgrims as they pass by. Each prayer wheel carries the sacred mantra om mani padme hum.

The site was full of pilgrims presenting their offerings to the gods, tourists intrigued by the ceremonies they witnessed and overwhelmed by the beauty of Buddhist art and religious architecture, and finally temple keepers, who swept the streets regularly made sure everything was in its place.

From its hilltop setting, Swayambhunath offers spectacular views of the Kathmandu Valley. The prayer flags fluttering from the lines stretched out between buildings seem to carry people’s words and wishes away to the sky, to the gods. It seems as if the breeze defines people’s destiny.

The taxi driver was waiting for us outside of the temple, just as he promised. He then took us to Thamel, a lively Kathmandu district famous for its many hotels, restaurants and shops. We wanted to wander around for a few hours to get a feel of the real Kathmandu, away from the posh Patan neighbourhood. We had a small lunch in a cafe on a roof of a building near the Shri Tibet Hotel. Afterwards we went to Tiwari’s Pilgrims Book House, the best bookshop in the city, where we bought a few albums, books and other souvenirs, including beautiful Nepalese shawls and pashminas.

After our little shopping spree we took a taxi back to the hotel. The ride through the crowded and narrow alleys was crazy, but we could see another interesting part of the city and our driver was a very nice man.

On our last evening in Nepal our whole group decided to stay at the hotel and attend an organised barbecue and buffet. This was the last meal we wold have together after our three week journey. We had a lovely time, joking, exchanging e-mail addresses and of course, thanking our guide, Matt, for being such a great companion and for looking after us in the mountains.

That evening was also a chance to say a proper goodbye to Kathmandu and Nepal. I didn’t have a prayer flag to hang, but hoped that the gods would hear out my wish. I wished to one day return to this enchanting country and the mighty beautiful Himalayas.

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