The Report From Kathmandu
Much to report.
Saturday was our day at the Taj Mahal, and might I say it lives up to any expectations that you’ve ever heard. The craftsmanship and grandiosity of it all is truly amazing.
The Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum for the favorite wife of 17th century ruler Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal is a shortened version of her name, Mumtaz Mahal. While this romantic tale has been the accepted story for centuries, there is hidden symbolism that suggests Shah Jahan built it for a much less romantic, and much more egotistical purpose. Verses from the Koran inscribed on the Taj’s walls portrary that it was intended to be a reproduction of God’s throne. Given that Shah Jahan’s remains are enshrined within it, it can be assumed that he thought of himself as Godly, or even as God himself. What an ego!
After Agra and the Taj Mahal, we took a 15-hour night train north-east towards the Nepal border. We were unsure we would be able to book this ticket, as the region we were traveling had been hit with heavy floods that had affected hundreds of thousands of people. While the train tracks were above the flooding, from our compartment we could see parts of villages submerged in a foot of water. The houses closest to the rivers the most devestated. It was not Katrina-esque proportions, but the flooding had caused many people to flee their homes, and to set up tent communities on higher ground. Very sad.
At the train station we hopped on a very slow bus to the Nepal border, paid $40 at immigration for our visas, and crossed the threshold into a much friendlier country. Once in Nepal we hired a taxi to Lumbini, the site where the Buddha was born. We arrived at nightime, after traveling non-stop for an astonishing 24 hours.
The city of Lumbini is nothing special, but housed in its boundaries contains the Lumbini Development Zone, which is essentially a huge park full of ruins and temples that the city encourages outside developers to build on.
meditation in the sacred garden
A few countries have built temples around the ruins of Buddha’s birthplace. France, Germany, Korea, China are some of note. Each temple was perfectly manicured and most had resident monk populations. The United States has of yet not built a temple in what has been deemed one of the most important religious sites in the world. Another example of how the US is falling behind in the scheme of the world. Even France has a temple here!
The experience in Lumbini was spiritual and rewarding. But alas, one day was enough, and it was time to move on to Kathmandu.
Our 10-hour mini-van to Kathmandu was clad with fellow travelers, and had some of the most beautiful scenery we’d seen on the entire trip. Halfway there, a landslide fell directly on the road, and delayed us about half and hour. However, a more picturesque spot for a delay you could not ask for. Behold!
And now, we are in Kathmandu. An exciting, extraordinary city, very friendly to the tourist. Good music, good food, onward ticketing offices at every street corner, temples galore, all nestled in between beautiful, high mountains. It is very comfortable here and it will be hard to leave.
We plan to volunteer teaching English in Kathmandu for a few days before heading to our homestay at Ajamvari Farm. Until then, we shall study, work and relax in one of the world’s most interesting places. Cheers.
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