BHAKTAPUR (Day 17)

We couldn't go to the elephant breeding farm because it was technically located inside the park and our permit had expired (they were only valid for 2 days). So we spent the morning in town before a jeep drove us back to the main bus stop. By 10:30 were were on a bus headed to Kathmandu.

The bus was far better than most and the scenery was spectacular, with deep river valleys and breathtakingly high hills. These were merely the foothills of the Himalayas yet they were larger than most snow-covered mountains I had seen in my life. Some of them were entirely covered with stepped fields, and the view could be completely different beneath any given bridge... sometimes it was very tropical with banana trees; other times it looked like a rocky, cold mountain stream. The road was very windy and we often had to squeeze by other busses and trucks.

We passed through several of the towns where peanut vendors and beggars swarmed the bus inside and out. They were quite aggressive. At one of stops, a kid selling peanuts boarded. We asked how much. At first it was 20 rupese but immediately dropped to 10. Suddenly, the ticket collector came by and slapped the boy VERY hard on the hand and yelled at him to get off bus. It was only much later that we realized he had dropped the bag of peanuts he had been holding and it had landed at our feet. A bit guilt ridden, we ate them anyway.

As we left our crevice in the hills and entered the adjoining valley, we got our first glimpses of the true snow-capped giants, although it was too hazy to see them clearly. But for all this crisp beauty, there was never any clean air. With the window open, we were overwhelmed with toxic gas fumes; with the window closed, we choked on cigarette smoke. There was also lots of trash alongside the road. In the cities, the sidewalks were made of large cement slabs that were placed over a gutter of running water. Small holes between the slabs allowed for trash to simply be swept into the water below and have it magically carried away.

We arrived at Kathmandu in the late afternoon. When we exited the bus, we were swamped with offers of hotels, taxis, etc. We decided to take an auto tuktuk to the local bus station and from there a bus to Bhaktapur, but the driver convinced us to let him take us the whole way, since, according to him, it wasn't that far. So, in a bumpy old tuktuk with gears that barely worked, we headed east.

About 30 minutes and 7 miles later, we turned off the main road and started up a narrow path, whizzing past some toll office, heading deeper and deeper into the city where clearly no other tuktuks or any motorized vehicles were. We were dropped off at some square and started to wander aimlessly to find our hotel. A 12-year-old boy comes up and offers his help. We tell him we are looking for a specific hotel and follow him even though we suspect he's not taking us where we wish to go. It turns out he DOES take us to our hotel in the the hopes that we will come visit his master teacher's painting store across the way. We agreed.

We quickly checked in first. The room was great! It was very clean, had carpet on the floor and an excellent view of one of the main square, right next to many temples and the main shopping street.

Our room view overlooking Taumadhi Square with Nyatapola Temple, a five-story pagoda

We went to the store and were given some chai (tea). The master teacher then came out and began to tell us all about the different thankga and mandela paintings. We saw the different qualities, both in talent and materials. But then came the prices... which started at around US$250! Even though we were told we could pay by credit card, it was well beyond our budget. So he brought out some of his students' work, which was much lesser quality but still started at $70. It was difficult but we finally managed to leave without buying something.

We wandered down one of the main shopping streets and discovered MANY of these types of stores. The people were very friendly and helpful. We entered another store and tried again. Not only did we find a thankga of fine quality, but we could also have it framed in silk for less than half of the cost for a student piece without a frame at the other store.

Thangka (or Thanka, meaning 'cloth painting scroll') paintings in Nepal began in the 11th century when Buddhists and Hindus began making illustrations of the deities and natural scenes. Thangkas follow strict rules (from the material preparation to the image design) for they are more than just works of art. They are an aid to spiritual practice and are believed to create positive influences in their surroundings. Their brilliant colors awaken the mind and energize consciousness.

We had a dinner of thupka (soup) and momos (dumplings) in the upstrairs restaurant of our hotel.

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