Today we decided to go to the monkey temple and back to Durber Square. Our cab driver to the Monkey Temple told us that we would need about an hour, though initially we did not believe that it would only take that long.
It was very beautiful and took about an hour. The temple is on the peak of a hill with a decent climb. There is a whole temple complex at the top including shops, the big stupa, and small temples. We also went up the hill of the other side where there are more stupas and the monestary. It was not terribly crowded with people, but there are monkeys everywhere doing monkey things. There was one patch of sunlight where they were all grooming each other that was like a monkey salon.
Our cab driver was amused that he was absolutely correct about how long it would take at the temple. He drove us to Durber Square through some rather intense traffic. He was a very good driver and very informative about the rebuilding of th city after the 2015 earthquake. His home had been destroyed in the earth quake and he was in the recess of rebuilding, though with the recovery money he was only able to do a single story home but it was far better than the tent they had lived in right after the quake. He dropped up off about a block from the square and we headed into the crowds trying to make there way around the square.
We caught a quick lunch over by the square and then headed down Freak Street. We wanted to see where the local folks shopped and we certainly saw a lot of commerce happening. It was sort of like a giant traffic jam only consisting mostly of pedestrians.
There was one point where things were so crowded that a little old lady behind me was using me as a battering ram to get through a choke point where some motorist had unwisely decided to drive down a thronging street and, quite predictably, ended up stuck in a sea of people. Any notions of personal space were abandoned because, as a practical matter the only feasible strategy was to power through.
When we reached the end of the street we decided to catch a cab back to our hotel. We were doing okay for the first part of the ride, but then got caught in a massive traffic jam. The cab driver amused himself by turning on raunchy music and setting the volume to stun. We stuck with it for a little while but since we were getting passed by the pedestrians and because we thought we were in easy walking distance, we decided to have the driver let us out so we could walk the rest of the way.
So interestingly, there is more than one Durber Square and the distance back was singaficantly further than we expected. Also the human traffic jam was quite dramatic. The festival that is currently happening around the county involves about 2 million people traveling to visit family and apparently many of them were on the same road we were. All along the way were stalls where people were selling spices, t-shirts, electronic devices, fruit, and just about anything else that one could need.
What we really needed was a beer and a place to sit. We found a restaurant that was down an alleyway where there was a quiet terrace and a local craft brew available. There were also quite a few ver friendly dogs who would, visit periodically.
Finally we made it back to the hotel to shower and rest. After reading and relaxing for a while, Chris ended up falling asleep while Darielle and I went and got some food. We all ended the evening on the rooftop with a nice bottle of the local whiskey.
So far Kathmandu is amazing. Everyone is trying to get somewhere and every space in the city is full of activity. I don't know how it all works, but somehow it does all seem to work. Plus the rains at night give every morning a fresh feeling and everywhere you look there are temples and stupas and other pieces of history woven into the hustle of the city.
I don't know what we are doing tomorrow, but the plan is to avoid getting in a car. If we have to be in traffic it is going to be pedestrian traffic.
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