The front entrance of the Kathmandu Guest House
The front entrance of the Kathmandu Guest House
The Kathmandu Guest House inner court yard. Photo from the balcony outside my room.
Guests enjoying lunch at the Kathmandu Guest House, inner court yard. Photo from the balcony outside my room.
Photo of the balcony outside my room. Fresh garlands of flowers, called mala, are placed on statues of deities and their steeds.
If your surroundings are chaos, then you must find an inner sanctuary in which to clear your mind.
After the disturbing ride from the airport, I entered Thamel. It is traveler central. Every kind of entertainment, restaurant, hiking equipment, knick-knack, clothing and more are available here. It is impossible to walk the streets of Thamel without being harassed to buy something or smoke something. Taxi and rickshaw drivers constantly ask where you are going even if it is apparent that you are not going anywhere.
The Kathmandu Guest House is dead center in this jumble of mercantile ecstasy. Fortunately, it is gated. A guard is posted at the front and allows approved vehicles inside. And once inside, the noise dissipates and the clutter gives way to sculpted beauty. The guest house used to be a Rana Mansion, built in a very traditional style with buildings on the outside and an open garden space on the inside. It was converted into a hotel by Karna Sakya in 1967 and originally had 13 rooms. Now it is a 121-room hotel, still, I think that they have managed to keep the charm.
There are several hotels that offer beauty and escape from the streets of Kathmandu, but for me, this one offers the right balance of comfort and anonymity.
The place looks exotic and quiet. A good sanctuary from the street peddlers and confusion of some place that is not home. I hope you find time in your days to share more of your trip in the near future.
ReplyDeleteit is an oasis. i could feel myself getting calmer after stepping into these photos. we stayed in a hotel in nairobi that felt much the same. from chaos to calm. and maybe it was only an illusion, but a feeling of safety came over me too (needed at the time).
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing, i love these posts.
Thank you for these posts. I've traveled a fair amount through the years but never anywhere like this. This is more than a world away and is a good reminder that the rest of the world doesn't live like we do here.
ReplyDeleteLeenie, Don't worry, there is a lot more coming, I took 600 photos. I went to the northern border about 10 miles from Tibet and down to the southern border a few miles from India. It will take me more time to write about it than it did to live it; landslides, leopards, rhinos, children, trekking, yoga... Next time you'll just have to come with me.
ReplyDeleteThe wooden pillars seem majestic. The charm of wood is soothing.
ReplyDeleteThe carving on the pillar from what I can make out seems similar to pillars in the porch of a home I happened to see in Nashik.
I am so enjoying reading about your trip and seeing those wonderful pictures. I want to come with you next time -- it will certainly be different than my foreign escapades in Africa and other places far, far from Nepal.
ReplyDeleteThis looks so serene and lovely after the more depressing post below.
ReplyDeleteReminds me a lot of Morocco. Splendor and squalor in fairly close proximity.
Much more so than in the west.
How I would love to travel again.....!
Just looking at the pictures makes me feel peaceful. So glad you had a refuge from the intensity of this trip!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the next installment. Really, Butternut, you've got a book here. Nepal. How many people go there, return there, understand it?
ReplyDelete