Farewell Dinner

So it is almost time to go...
Before all the sadness of leaving friends behind and realizing that it is over... I had an awesome and very festive farewell dinner!!
My friends from READ Nepal took me to a very cool restaurant with folk singing and dancing, sooooo interesting!!!
The restaurant is called Gandaki Dohari. Later I found out that dohari is the word for the kind of singing traditional in Nepal when a male and female talk to each other by singing. It is very beautiful and lively! (Parece um pouco com o Repente, mas é mais romantico e a plateia canta um refrão entre um desafio e outro)
Too bad I could not understand much of what they were saying (after two months, my nepali has not improved at all...one of the few things that did not happened as I have hoped...

The good thing is that we had the chance to dance, the bad thing is that it was really hard to learn how to dance Nepali style... But to be honest, I didn't care... I danced anyway, just feeling the music and enjoying that very special and unforgettable moment!

One thing I know is that Nepalese people know how to party and have fun! I only wish this had been my welcoming dinner... not a farewell dinner...

Thanks to all my friends that made the night unforgettable!!! I will keep practicing and maybe I will be better prepared for next time... :-)


Chetan and I

All of us dancing (or trying to..:-) )

Raju teaching me some moves... (my legs were sore for three days..)

Raju is a good teacher... unfortunately, I am not a fast learner... :-)

Sanjana and Pushpa

Changu Narayan

Last Thursday, after visiting Bhaktapur, Lava took me to visit Changu Narayan temple. This temple sits on top of a hill and from the village surrounding it we can see the entire Kathmandu valley! It is breathtaking!

The Temple is very pretty and its origins and many of the stone sculptures around it date from the 4th century, during the Licchavi period. The Temple itself is from 1702, when it was reconstructed after a fire. The wood carvings are particularly amazing, it is different and very intricate.

Garuda statue dated from the 5th century

From Changu Narayan temple there is walking trail to Bhaktapur, which is only 4 miles to the south. Our guide in this visit, Lava's friend, was great and taught me a lot about Hindu images and culture.

I was very grateful to READ Nepal to have offered me this special treat, a visit to two amazing sites which I would probably have not had the chance to see if it wasn't for them!

Village of Changu Narayan

Bhaktapur

Last Thursday, Lava, one of my colleagues at READ Nepal, took me to Bhaktapur, where he was born and raised and still lives to this day. Bhaktapur was another of the three kingdoms in the Kathmandu valley, before King Prithvi Narayan Shah unified Nepal in late 1700's.

So just as Kathmandu and Patan, it has its impressing Durbar Sq and Royal Palace and several incredibly beautiful temples and monuments. The entire old town has brick pavement, donated by Germany, which gives a very distinct appeal to the town, very, very pretty and charming.

Siddhi Lakshmi Temple, Chyasilin Mandap, King Bhupatindra Malla Statue and Vatsala Durga Temple at Durbar Square in Bhaktapur.

Golden Gate and 55 Window Palace, Durbar Square, Bhaktapur

Siddhi Lakshmi Temple

Shiva and Krishna Temples, Durbar Square, Bhaktapur

Some of the interesting sites to visit are the Pottery Squares, I visited two of them one in the east side and another, more famous and larger, south from Durbar square.

Pottery Square, on the east side of Bhaktapur

Pottery Square, south from Durbar Square, Bhaktapur

The impressive, and highest in the valley, Nyatapola Temple is breathtaking and the view from the top of its plataform is amazing!

View from the top of the Nyatapola Temple plataform, Taumadhi Tole, Bhaktapur.

My friend Lava, on an alley leading to Taumadhi Tole, where is the Nyatapola Temple, in Bhaktapur

Nyatapola Temple, Taumadhi Tole, Bhaktapur

Another attraction at Taumadhi Tole is the beautiful Bhairabnath Temple.

As if all these sights were not enough to make me fall in love with Bhaktapur, as we walked in one of the main streets of the old town, I came across a shop proudly showcasing the Brazilian soccer team uniform... that sealed the deal!

Officially, Bhaktapur rocks!!!

My little Nepalese friends

These are my two little neighbors, Shraddaha and Sandhya. They also live here at READ office building.

They are really, really cute! The funny thing is that only since last weekend they became comfortable around me!

It is a shame that I am leaving next week...

Here they are with their mother, Gita.

This is Sandhya, she used to hide behind her mother every time I was around. Now she comes to my room, sits at a chair like a grown up and make beautiful drawings in my notebook.

This is Shraddaha, she was always more outgoing, but lately, we became really good friends, she teaches me Nepali words and I teach her English words. If I had been practicing like this since I arrived in KTM, I would probably be speaking a much better Nepali...

I will miss these two precious girls when I go home...

Another great week followed by great weekend...

I had another great week working with READ Nepal. My project is going well and I am learning a lot with READ staff and volunteers. During the week I have been so busy that I have no time or energy at the end of the day to enjoy KTM. Lots of work and, the best, having fun with it! No doubt this has been a very special and rewarding experience. And time is going by really fast... specially now that my return is getting close...

READ Nepal Team

Over the weekend, I went to Basantapur with Chetan and Julie. Basantapur is the neighborhood where Julie lives, just south from Durbar Square. We first visited Kathe Simbu, one of my favorite stupas in Kathmandu, a relatively peaceful place between Thamel and Indra Chowk.

Kathe Simbu

From there we went to see the night market in Durbar Square and to a rooftop bar to see the sunset while drinking an Everest beer. After the beer and nice conversation, we met Julie's nepalese family and had dinner in a Newari restaurant close by. It was a great evening, not only because of the many KTM's attractions, but specially because I was in really great company!

Hanuman Dhoka and Basantapur Square

Julie and Chetan

Durbar Square and Basantapur Square, Kathmandu

Julie and I

Sunday, I went shopping, after all it is almost time to go home and it is now or never... so, following Sanjana's suggestion I went to the Bead Bazaar at Indra Chowk to buy bead necklaces. It is overwhelming, so many choices, all so beautiful, I was just like a kid in a candy store! After the necklaces, some pashminas and cute stuff for Raquel and my niece, Luiza.

(me fez lembrar os velhos tempos, indo na Feira da Av. Afonso Pena aos domingos para comprar bugingangas... bons tempos...)

Bead Bazaar, Indra Chowk

The streets were busy, as usual, and from time to time I had to stop and take pictures, hoping that they will help me never forget this amazing summer...

Shiva Temple, Indra Chowk

Seto Machhendranath Temple


Colorful and busy Indra Chowk


Asan Tole


From Asan Tole to Indra Chowk

Asan Tole

A visit to Patan

This weekend I visited the city of Patan. Instead of taking a taxi, bus or tuk-tuk, I decided to walk. This way, besides the workout, I could also get to see some of the neighborhoods in Kathmandu I haven't had the chance yet, like Dilli and Bag Bazaar and Singha Durbar.

Walking around Kathmandu is always very interesting but my favorite day to walk is Saturday, because it is holiday there are few cars in the streets and less pollution.

The town of Patan is just south of Kathmandu, across the Bagmati River. It is the second largest town in the valley and it has amazing buildings and temples! My guidebook said more than 600 stupas and 185 bahals.. obviously I did not have the chance to see all them or check this information...:-)

I entered the town thru the footbridge at the Gaths of Sankhamul. Although it is a footbridge, animals, motorbikes and bikes take much of the space in this bridge, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery can be very dangerous...

Ghats of Sankhamul

From the footbridge to Durbar Square, I could see several stupas, temples and bahals. Among them the Northern Ashoka Stupa ( there 4 Ashoka stupas, one in each corner of the town) below. Ashoka was a famous Buddhist emperor, who ruled around 250 B.C.

Uma Maheshwar Temple

and Kumbeshwar Temple, one of the valley's three five storey temples. All of them very beautiful!

A little farther, I arrived at the impressive Durbar square. Truly beautiful!!!

Royal palace

Gorgeous wood carvings on Vishwanath Temple
Khrisna Mandir and its Garuda Statue (Garuda is the man bird that is Krishna's vehicle)

Entrance to Vishwanath Temple

I just loved the architecture and town of Patan, it is less crowded than Kathmandu and it has endless buildings and scenes to appreciate.

Naga Bahal, one of the many courtyards with hitis (water tanks) in Patan

Besides the fancy and famous temples, there are small and unpretentious temples everywhere I go... I love them and I like to observe how much they are a part of the Nepalese life.

Patan Dhoka (Gates of Patan)

On the way back, I crossed the Bagmati river on the main access Bridge, then I was back to the hectic traffic and crowded streets. This is what is fascinating about the Kathmandu valley, the scenery completely changes from one neighborhood to the next..

I walked past the National Stadium, Thundikel Parade Ground and Ratna Park arriving at the beautiful Rani Pokhari. To recharge the batteries I ate lunch in a nice Japanese restaurant in Sherpa Mall at Durbar Marg. I was so lucky that it only started drizzling when I was almost home, after a 17 km walk.

What a great way to spend the Saturday!

Ratna Park

Rani Pokhari