Kathmandu, Nepal

Hey! We have arrived safely! Nepal is wonderful! It was love at first sight. It is a chaotic place full of vibrant colors, loud honking, beautiful Nepalese people, and delicious food that I cannot stop eating. I fully intend on buying the big, baggy pants that are sold everywhere on the streets. That way I won't feel like I need to cut back on the sampling of foods. The smells are probably my favorite part so far. There is a constant aroma of curry and incense that tends to mask the smells of the trash piles all over the streets and meat rotting in the sun. The temples have been breathtaking to see. They are nothing like the temples I have seen in my other travels in Asia. They look a lot more weathered and the colors are more subdued than the gody temples in China and Korea. The people here are so friendly and happy. They don't bother us much or stare like we are aliens. We don't blend in, that's for sure, but the locals don't seem to care that we are here. I feel like I got stared at more in Korea. A lot of them speak a little English, so it has been fun to chat with them. They smile at us and say "Namaste", which is the greeting for "hello" and "bye". Unfortuately there is a lot of poverty here like India. There are street children everywhere who beg for anything we will give them. I feel a little more prepared than previous trips for it. It still breaks my heart, but I understand it a little more now. Although there are beggars, they seem to give up pretty quickly when we say "no" and they move on to the next possible customers.

Yesterday we visited Durbar Square where the king of Nepal used to live. It is a square filled with beautiful temples and other structures. One of the buildings is where the "human goddess" lives. The goddess is anywhere between the age of 6 to 16 years-old. She is chosen after about 32 intensive tests to prove her status. One of the last tests happens in a dark room. There are real buffalo heads placed all over the room. Then men dance around the girls wearing frightening masks and chanting. If the girl is not scared, she passes the test. The current goddess is 7 years-old and she will keep her status until her first period. Then she will go back to a normal life with a hefty dowry. I guess it is difficult for former goddess' to find a husband because many men believe she was pampered early in life and will expect it in the future. The goddess lives in the palace with a few family members and makes a window appearance every hour. She is very important to the culture here in Nepal and even the president gets blessed by her. It was pretty cool to see her, but I was bummed that I couldn't take a picture. She was all dolled up and looked flawless.

We leave Kathmandu tomorrow and head to a homestay in a village called Kirktipur (spelling?). We are staying with a man named Babu and his cute family. We have been emailing him for months, so we are excited to finally meet him. We will be there a few days and then head towards the mountains to do some hiking. We keep getting approached my guides who want to take us on treks through the Himilayas for a few days. We laugh at them and tell them we are too lazy to do that. Maybe one day...or maybe not.

It has been wonderful so far. I already miss my students and friends in Korea but that is expected. I know it will get easier. :)

It's taking far too long to upload any more pics. I will try again soon.

Namaste

xoxo