Shanghai

One of the things i was delighted about in terms of my flights on this trip was that i had a 12 hour, daytime layover in Shanghai. For some reason i've never been that excited about visiting China but the pictures of Shanghai that i had seen all looked very nice and i seemed like an ideal spot for a long layover.  The really great thing is that China has a 144 hour layover thing where if you have a long layover on the same ticket you can enter the country without a visa.  I expected to be hassled at the border, but i was not; i only had to show my ticket onwards. The other really great thing is that the airport is connected to the city by the Maglev train - the world's fastest train, topping out at 301km per hour.

It is more expensive than the slower means of reaching the city, but when time is short, why would you not ride the world's fastest train?  Finding my way and getting tickets was a breeze and before i knew it my train ride was over.

I switched from the Maglev at the end stop to the subway and got off a stop 2 blocks from the Bund in central Shanghai. Success!

The weather in Shanghai was a bit of a shock after blisteringly hot and oppressively humid Delhi. It was cool and raining and the clouds were socked in. It felt like...Vancouver. My first order of business was to get an umbrella. Fortunately the subway ejected me on a decidedly commercial street - high-rises, neon signs, familiar retailers, and less familiar shops all unpleasantly (but interestingly) crowded with shoppers.

Armed with my cartoonishly tiny (child's?) umbrella i walked to the Bund to get the postcard view of the Pudong district across the river. The Bund is a stately strip along the river, lined with a pleasant pedestrian walk and large, European looking buildings. Across the river is Pudong, which is notable for its conglomeration of modern, almost futuristic looking buildings. Unfortnately, my view was obscured by the clouds, but it still was a pleasant sight.

On a nicer day i might have walked longer along the Bund, but in the rain i decided to take my pictures and head elsewhere. Following my now-soggy map, i easily found my way to Yu Gardens and the surrounding neighbourhood. It was a good walk. I passed through a park, past a bamboo 'forrest', past small shops, down narrow lanes which were not picturesque, but were filled with interesting dingy eateries and lines of street vendors grilling up meat, fish, tentacles, and tofu.

Right next to Yu Gardens was a large complex of temples. I did no reading about it so i'm not sure if it was a palace or if it is more like a museum, but there were things on display but also areas where people were praying and lighting incense.  I didn't find it super interesting, but there was a nice bit of traditional music played in an elaborately decorated room with buddhas. It was worth visiting, but i didn't stay long.

Exiting the temple complex i found my way to Yu Gardens. At this point it was still raining and everything was so crowded that the gardens didn't have the serenity i imagined, but they were very beautiful, even as i was constantly assaulted by umbrellas.

From the gardens i was ejected into a super busy area filled with shops and restaurants, super crowded, and surrounded by traditional style buildings. It was a fun area to wander around in. I was starving at this point though so i didn't linger too long in any shops, but tried to find a place to eat. This proved difficult, as i speak no Mandarin or Cantonese (and for the layover i hadn't learned anything aside from hello and thank you) and i could not determine what, if anything was vegetarian. Almost every place i went into sold dumplings, which are a vegetarian's nightmare - doughy mystery bags of (likely) meat. Or there were vendors selling things on sticks that might have been fish, meat, tofu, or gluten, but i couldn't tell.

Finally i found a place that was buffet style, not as in 'all you can eat' but as in i could walk around from station to station and help myself to plates of pre-made food, so i could select identifiable tofu cubes, broccoli, and mushrooms. None of it was particularly good or cheap, but it was filling.

After that i wandered aimlessly. Had i had more time there were other areas i would have checked out, but i started to get nervous about missing my flight (and it was getting dark) so i walked a bit (still in the rain) before heading back to the airport. Shanghai didn't strike me as a place i would want to purposely holiday in (it just didn't capture my imagination), but it was a great place for a layover and i would love to have another there (hopefully with better weather). I am aware that some of my lack of enthusiasm for Shanghai was likely due to the weather and the fact that prior to arriving i had gone without sleep for a night, so i was exhausted. A rested me on a sunny day might have had a more favourable account of the same visit.

And with that, another trip concluded and planning for the next to begin.

Viva Nepal!

I arrived back in Kathmandu from Nagarkot mid-afternoon and felt pretty pleased with myself because while the first time i arrived in Kathmandu it was just a confounding tangle of streets and tributaries, this time i was able to give directions to the taxi driver to find my hotel.

I spent the majority of that day in my hotel, partly due to a thunderstorm but mostly due to the hotel i was staying at. As has become my habit, i booked my last two nights in a fabulous hotel. This time is is the Hotel Dalai La. It is gorgeous. Fancy and with a terrific courtyard restaurant. I felt so sloppy on arrival with my dirty clothes and my dirty self, as i had not showered for six days, but not only were they polite to me, but they upgraded me to a superior room. I spent the evening luxuriating in a needed hot shower and watching movies.

This morning, after breakfast, i taxied to Swayambhunath, aka "The Monkey Temple" a hilltop collection of Buddhist and Hindu temples surrounded by trees and countless, curious monkeys. Arriving at the temple involves climbing up 365 steep stairs, flanked by Buddhas and frequented by those ubiquitous monkeys. 

The temples at the top are similar to others i have seen on this trip, but it was splendid how crammed together they all were and how busy they were with pilgrims, people praying, and making offerings.

I walked around for quite some time, watching monkeys steal food from people and visiting craft shops (me, not the monkeys). One man, attempted to open my chakras by hitting a large healing bowl with a mallet and moving it about my head, chest, and back. I felt vaguely uncomfortable, which may or may not be the feeling of open chakras. 

I descended the mountain, wandered around a few more stupas, spinning prayer wheels as a went, then taxied back to Thamel.  

From there i just walked aimlessly for a few hours, weaving with the traffic, declining offers of of guides, rickshaws, taxis, and pashminas. I walked through an area that sold nothing by dentures, then another that sold only textiles. It is all endlessly fascinating.

But come to an end it must. I am now in the excellent courtyard of my hotel having a cigar and dinner and that will be it for me for Nepal. I fly back to New Delhi in the morning. Nepal has been amazing and i have seen only a sliver of it. The takeaway from this is: selecting vacation destinations based on Eddie Murphy movies is an excellent idea. 

Nagarkot

I took a taxi from Bhaktapur to Nagarkot, a small village on a mountain in the Kathmandu valley. The only reasons to visit Nagartkot are for hiking and views of the mountains, the latter of which are dependant on the clouds. I could have taken the bus from Bhaktapur for pennies, but seeing the bus from the taxi made me glad that i splurged for the private transportation.

The drive up the mountain seemed to take forever. I kept thinking that we could not possibly go any higher, but we did, up past little shacks and rough looking hotels, higher into the trees.

The village of Nagarkot has a some places selling food and bottled beverages, but other than that it is just accommodations. My plan for spending two nights here was simply to do nothing but hike and read and rest, which is all there is to do.

I am staying at The Hotel At The End of the Universe, which is quite delightful. It has a nice main building with a restaurant and pleasant in and outdoor seating and then the accommodations are set out throughout a variety of cabins and tents. I had a cozy little cabin with a balcony overlooking the trees. 

At night and in the mornings here it is quite cold, but it is warm and lovely during the day. I have been on a couple of good hikes. The first day, as i set off on a trail into the forest it did occur to me that no one knew where i was or where i was going and i didn't have a cell phone, so if i were to, say, fall into a ravine and break my leg (a mishap for me which is well within the realm of possibility) no one would know where i was. I had at least brought water and an extra cigar. The hikes were lovely. Through dry forests and fields of wildflowers, overlooking valleys of tiered farmland. 

I saw no one except for three women carrying bundles of sticks along the path. 

Of course i cursed the steep hikes up the mountain which ultimately led me back to the main road, which itself was steep and had to be climbed to get back to my hotel, which sits atop a million stairs. Aside from all of this hiking and climbing, i have just been sitting around, reading, and drinking tea. 

Last night there was a torrential rain storm, which turned to hail of apocalyptic proportions. There was no electricity so i, one of the employees, and a girl from the UK  but living in Bangkok, sat in the main building, chatting by candlelight, and waiting for the weather to let up.  During this, there was also an earthquake, though not enough to cause any disruption.

My time in Nagarkot has been thoroughly relaxing and pleasant, as i had hoped for. The views of the mountains have been obscured by haze and cloud, but it has been lovely all the same. This was the best view of the Himalayas that i got...

Today, back to Kathmandu.

Prayers and Squares in Bhaktapur

One doesn't really need two days in Bhaktapur, but i had given myself two days for a more relaxing pace. This proved to be just fine. On my second day i was able to be leisurely in a way that i could not if i had to cram in sightseeing. I awoke at about 5am and shortly thereafter the square awakened. The large temple right outside my window had its door unlocked and then the bell ringing began. People began to enter the temple and each person that entered rang the bell at the threshold several times before entering. The men arrived empty handed but the women all arrived carrying brass trays on which (as best as i could tell) was a few smaller vessels filled with oil and some sort of power, as well as lots of flower petals, and in some cases bananas. I could see through the latticework on the windows that candles were lit. (Non-Hindus may not enter the temple so whatever else happened inside is a mystery.) this carried on for several hours. I also saw women climbing the stairs at the ruined temples and scattering flower petals and something else. When people left the temples they had flower petals on their heads.

I enjoyed my morning coffee at a decidedly western looking cafe called Beans, which had comfy sofas, excellent coffee, and a broad view of the square.

After breakfast i set out wandering. I wanted to find "potters square" (a square where pottery is made, dried, and decorated) and another more far flung square with more temples and whatnot. Of course it is really more about the walk than anything. For example, i came across a group of men pulling by a latge rope a massive wheeled cart, for what purpose i do not know, but it was squarely medieval in appearance.

I took a wrong turn heading for potters square and ended up walking through a residential area by the river, where the unpaved roads and brick buildings were in poor repair but it was interesting to see the goings on. A family of pigs picking through trash at the river bank, women sorting sticks for sale for what i do not know, people selling produce, women doing laundry. And of course, the requisite temples.

Turning back i came across potters square, which was tiny, but nice, with men creating the pots on wheels, women laying pottery in the sun to dry and glazing it, and people tending to straw covered kilns. And of course there were various vendors of the finished products.

I then set off for Tachupal Tole, which proved to be a lovely walk and a pretty square, marred only by some peripheral construction. Goats wandered about and men stood in groups watching the construction efforts. Tourists passed through in groups snapping pictures.

There was a large well in the square and women ceaselessly lowered jugs on ropes to the bottom, filling them with water, hoisting them out, emptying them into a large vessel, and repeated. It is amazing to think how luck those of us are who need only turn on a tap.

I sat in the square and had water and a lassi before strolling on, pausing just long enough to enjoy some of the erotic carvings on the main temple. (You'll notice that in the picture below the woman is washing her hair while getting rogered. I found that funny.)

And that was pretty much it for me for the day. Aimless wanderings, beverages, and not much else. I had plans for the evening, but they were cut short when a huge windstorm came up, shaking the windows and ringing all of the bells violently. I a city it would have still been fine to walk around, but here, with unpaved roads and so much broken brick and piles of dry dirt from the reconstruction, one would have been blinded by all of the dust swirling about. So i stayed put, reading my book by flashlight, and going to bed very early, which was fine.

Bhaktapur: The King of Curds

Leaving Kathmandu my next stop was Bhaktapur. It is a medieval city which is easily visited as a day trip from Kathmandu, but it sounded nice and small and pretty and i thought would be pleasant to spend a couple of nights there.

I arrived at the Shiva Guest house, which is right on the main square. A perfect location. 

My comfortable, albeit a bit shabby, 2nd floor room looks directly onto the square with a large temple so close i could hit it with a satsuma if i wished. (I do not.) i picked this place because it is well located but specifically because i wanted to enjoy the square at night, after the day trippers had left. I was not disappointed. My first night was so peaceful. I strolled around and then sat in the square with a cup of lemon ginger honey tea and a cigar and watched the area quieten to pigeons and dogs.

It's great here. Very quiet and chill. Still overly friendly guides and vendors of things, but there are fewer of them. Also far fewer cars. Sadly the earthquake damage here was quite bad. Some temples ruined but also blocks of traditional brick and intricately carved wood houses gone or lying in ruin. People here seem to think that more reconstruction could have been done since the disaster (a year ago next month), but the work is done so slowly and by hand, without the use of much equipment from what i could see.

Earthquakes aside, there is so much to see here. I explored on my first day. Maps really are of little help. Occasionally i can pull mine out and figure out where i am, but i have no idea how i got there. No matter though, wandering brings its own rewards.

I had a lunch of mo mos and yak cheese and looked out on the square, then walked more, until i had had my fill and returned to my room for some downtime before enjoyed the aforementioned evening on the square.

Food wise, Bhaktapur is famous for one thing - yogurt. Their yogurt is considered to be the best in the land and is referred to as "The King of Curds". You can get it just about anywhere, but there are a number of dingy hole in the wall joints that sell nothing but the creamy stuff from earthenware pots. 

Of course i had to try some. It is pretty great. Super creamy but not overly smooth, just a bit lumpy. It is plain and each bite had me wavering between whether it is sweetened or not. It is made from buffalo milk. One bite tasted tangy, the next sweet. The crown is well deserved.

I also got to see people cooking up mo mos, which i had not previously seen. Steaming them in large flat vessels. Mo mos in Nepal generally come in three varieties: veg, chicken, and "buff" (buffalo). 

The animals here are pretty standard - dogs, pigeons, and crows - but i did see this creature walking around the square and then napping in an archway. I have no idea what it is. A really big goat? A small, female yak? An undefinable, demonic, horned beast? Either way, it was not attractive and clearly wanted to be left alone.