The Bailey Expedition

Kathmandu Nepal

Our flight into Nepal was surprisingly smooth as we made our way from Bangkok over the Indian subcontent and Calcutta, past a rather large typhoon, and over the foothills of the Himalayas to the Kathmandu valley. Unfortunately there was heavy moisture in the air and the peaks to the north remained shrouded. Making our way to the hotel was going to be an easy matter as we had located a place online in Bangkok the previous day. Let me set the scene. 4 of us in a stripped down noisy miniature van from the 60s with no shocks and rolled down windows careening from the airport to our designated haven. The street appeared intent on emulating the Himilayan landscape with its extremes of elevation and undulating topography. Three wheeled cars and barely functional bicycles going every which way with no particular signaling or rules, cows asleep and oblivious in the middle of the road. Motorcycles armed with 2 cycle engines expelling blue smoke and being propelled frantically in random directions. Locals and visitors mingling in alleys disguised as main streets with incense, brass, and hand knotted carpets spilling out of every doorway onto this amalgam of sight, sound, smell, and surrealism.

Our first day here was superb. After a late start to help our bodies adjust to the altitude, we headed out. Our first stop was the Fed Ex office to send out our lastest webupdate for all of you. Next it was off to Swayambhunath. This is a beautiful Buddhist temple on the top of a hill that allows a towering view over the the city. The monkeys were here first and have chosen never to leave so they are an integral element of the experience and have the run of the place. The stupa at the top is classically Buddhist with eyes, prayer flag and multiple prayer wheels. We spent hours at the top watching the monkeys, eagles, monks and the clouds. Amazing

On the left we have provided you with the opportunity to spin a Swayambhunath prayer wheel and send out your prayers.
om mani padme hum.
Hail to the jewel in the lotus

On the top of Swayambhunath is an old monastary. We could hear sounds eminating from the top of a set of stairs and led by Griffin we explored. Inside were about a dozen young monks chanting and playing brass instruments (you can view a video clip on the right). We were welcomed in and unobtrusively took a few photos. Later one of the monks spoke with Pamela and Griffin and invited us to come and visit them at their new monastary in a couple of days. We are looking forward to the opportunity.

We ended our first day by walking down one of the oldest streets in Kathmandu. We headed past hundreds of small shops selling everything from animal parts to some of the most beautiful woven fabric and beaten brass. While the street is the sidewalk and is very busy and dangerous to navigate, we took a couple of hours to window shop and bargain for a variety of hand crafted materials. We are looking forward to some excitement as we attempt to head through customs.

This second day in Nepal has had two distinctive elements to it. First a visit to the Buddha Dharma Center and second a trip to Boudha. The Center is a monastery on the edge of Kathmandu that the monk we met invited us to visit. It was quite special. It had separate monasteries for monks and for nuns. We were invited in and allowed to explore their facilities. Eventually we were invited to sit in with the monks as they began a 4 hour session of praying and chanting. This was a newer monastery that had been painted by visiting Bhutanese Monks over a 3 year period. It was quite a spiritual place and we left in a bit of awe.

Next we headed out to a very large stupa in a nearby town. Boudha is considered the Nepalese center of Tibetan Buddhism. It consisted of a huge stupa surrounded by buildings and homes. What made this visit truly unique is that as it grew dark, hundreds of members of the community came out and began to walk around the monument, chanting, praying, lighting candles and generally celebrating. We felt a bit out of place surrounded by all these Tibetans, yet the melange of individuals, incense and holy sounds, when stirred clockwise and allowed to swirl, created a trancendental atmosphere.

After a couple of days to collect ourselves and take care of more mundane matters, we prepared to depart to do some treking in Pokara. At the last minute we changed our plans due to celebration plans in the works. We were curious as to how they would play out (nothing seems to ever be actually to firmly planned in advance here), there appeared to be a rare opportunity to mingle with Sir Edmund Hillary and other Everest Summitters. We rose early and took a taxi to some obscure square, followed a crowd, got lost, walked back upstream and found a small field with 200 people and the world's press gathered. Dozens of Sherpas and dozens of individuals from around the world who had summitted Everest. After 20 minutes Sir Edmund Hillary arrived and was mobbed by the press. Quinn masterfully maneuvered himself to be right where Sir Edmund stepped out and then after he took a portrait photo was elbowed into oblivion by the pros. I held Griffin on my shoulders and he was thrilled as he snapped pictures.
After a parade through the streets of the city (with bagpipes, soldiers, school kids and drums) all the summitters arrived at our hotel. Quinn and Griffin buzzed about the hotel taking pictures and getting autographs including Reinhold Messner and Tensing Norgay's son and grandson. Quinn also had his picture taken with Jamling Tensing. Sir Edmund held court at our pool with Quinn and Griffin right in there with the CNN, BBC, and other world reporters. Then Griffin went for a swim as the reception continued to swirl. It was a star-struck day for the kids. Finally it was off to Pokara.

Please take a look at a photo diary from Kathmandu.