During the 3 day national strike that was called after the King's decision to sack the Democratic cabinet, many of the schools were closed, mine included. It was great to have 3 days off to explore Kathmandu. Other than giving my clothes a good hand washing, much of my spare time was spent walking to different temples and overall just trying to make myself feel at home in this ancient asian city. On Saturday of last week a group of market vendors made me feel particularly comfortable.
Julia (an Aussie volunteer) and I were waiting near Pashupathi Temple for a friend to arrive, who ended up being a no-show bed ridden with a bad case of dysentary. We waited for about an hour, then decided to leave and find a cup of coffee. We wandered a bit, but were unable to find a coffee shop. Next to a closed up market area we saw a small group of men standing together drinking what look like coffee. Thinking that a cafe of sorts must be near by, we walked over to the group.
It turns out that they were all drinking tea which was being made in a small pot just to the side of the group. As soon as we approached we were offered a cup. After some small talk they invited us to a worship ceremony/celebration later in the afternoon. How could we say no? We said we'd return around 4pm.
After a relaxing day at the Buddhist Temple, Bodhnath, we returned to the market. The worshipping was in full swing when we arrived, and being the only foreigners there it wasn't long before we had an audience surrounding us asking all sorts of questions, some quite personal. Two people spoke english very well, so communicating wasn't difficult. Our presence was creating quite a stir, but no one seemed to mind, not even the group in the middle of the room reciting scripture.
The reason for this particular gathering was the annual worship of the Hindu God of wealth and prosperity. All of the shop owners and their families gathered here to pray for a good year in sales. This day seemed to be very important to them and it was an extreme honor to be invited. Everybody was so nice, and some I hope to see again before I leave. The worshiping was followed by a great feast that had taken most of the day to prepare. We exchanged emails and phone numbers with a few people, then said our goodbyes.
Living in Kathmandu may be easy for some people, but not for me. This city is the definition of third world. Horrible pollution, horrible traffic, trash everywhere, constant honking and yelling, etc... Growing up in Oregon made me a small town boy at heart, so the past month has been quite a trial on my patience and ability to adjust. A majority of Kathmandu is ugly. In the few days before being invited to this market ceremony I was really questioning whether I could cut it in such a place. This very enjoyable outing helped me see the real beauty in the city, and it's in the people's hearts.
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