Last days in Nepal...

 I spent the last week in Nirvana Peace Home, which pretty much stands for "If your a hippy in Kathmandu, get your arse to this hostel to smoke some hashish".  I had a lovely little room attached to the kitchen with a little garden out front, for only 2$ a night.  This all changed the night it rained and a lot of cat sized rats decided my room was the safest place to be, so then I moved to the top level where all i had to worry about was the threat of an earthquake and passive smoking from the terrace of hippys.

Durbar Square in Kathmandu is a UNESCO world heritage site, although I did see men with cement patching up a temple?  Basically it is a patch of temples which are of course very old and full of spiritual stuff.

Kumari is a chosen living goddess who lives in a temple within Durbar sq.  She is selected at age three for her courage, height, caste and specific facial features.  Once chosen the Kumari is taken away from her family and lives in the upper level of the temple never touching the ground.  On occasion she will come to the window and let people see her for just a moment.  On this day I waited in the courtyard of the temple wiping off pigeon shit from my shirt when she came to the window, but all I saw was a little girl with lots of eye make up.  When the Kumari has her first period she is then thrown out and goes back to her family because she is now "human".  Unfortunately its then very difficult to wed her off to any man, after all its very superstitious to marry a former living goddess!

I met a young guy called Babu who tried with all his selling tools and tricks to get me to buy a wooden chess board.  I would turn the corner and here again was Babu with a bracelet.  I would walk for ten minutes and there was Babu with another type of chess board unfolding beneath my eyes.  So once he realised the sale was never going to happen we sat and had chai and this is what he told me;

 "I have worked the square since I was five years old, I'm now 21.  I have six brothers and we live in one room not far from here.  I make enough each day for one family meal of chappati and mutton curry.  I never went to school,  I will be here selling in the square my whole life."

He refused to let me pay for the chai.

picture taken from the bus coming in to Kathmandu

another bus picture

wicked street art near my hostel

the quaint Nirvana Peace Home Hostel and the very good guard dog.

Holy man (or very good beggar)

snoozing, I did check to make sure he wasn't dead

one of the many freaky gods 

paw paw seller

Holy man (although he does have matching orange ADIDAS shoes so maybe a good beggar?)

this is the healthiest dog I've seen in Nepal - very chubby, and not so healthy man.... 

dried fish shop (um, where the fish come from I have no idea)