I landed in Kathmandu. — ines villido

I landed in Kathmandu on the 30th of October. I was supposed to fly to Lukla on the 1st of Nov and head on a 2-day hike towards my **art residency** at Sagarmatha Next in Syangboche. That’s in the Khumbu region of Nepal, up in the Himalayan mountains, on the way to Everest Base Camp (EBC). However, the unusual rainy days held me stuck, waiting for my flight in Kathamandu for an extra 4 days.

On my first days in Nepal, I noticed the things wanted to be sheltered from. I’ve recollected the moments that fascinated me.
I’m not condemning them good or bad; these are moments that stuck with me, something that struck to me as out of the ordinary.

Landing in Kathmandu, I saw crates of tiny yellow chicklets being transported. Their bodies smeared a bit reddish. Have they hurt themselves or are they just dirty? But oof, the wretched smell.. Thousands of them pressed into tiny compartments. I wonder which flight they took. And if I’d be able to eat eggs or chicken again without being reminded of that smell.

I walked through the busy streets - the streets always look busy here -, trying to find a grocery store, feeling like I’m walking around wrapped in cotton wool. I had a flu and everything felt a bit muffled and weird.

I looked at the dog on the street corner, only to be staring at the lifeless heads of freshly decapitated chicken fed to him. I found myself thinking - this wasn’t what I wanted to see. The image is still fresh in my mind.
And then the somehow adorable, dead, curled up rat in the middle of a busy street, next to holy temples. No one pays attention to it.

Wire jungles of Kathmandu

Hotel view - click for a story

Market next to Boudhanath Stupa - click for a story

I thought I’d go and spend some time in the Garden of Dreams. It sounded nice. I walked through the gates, where, to my surprise, I had to pay an entry fee of 1000 NPR (about 6€) - seems weird, but okay. When they asked me to give away my bag and phone because it is permitted to take any photos, I figured, I’m in for a surprise as these gates definitely don’t lead to the garden I aimed for.
Instead, I entered the Narayanhiti Palace, the museum of what used to be the home of the royal family in the Kingdom of Nepal until the abolition of monarchy in 2008. It was fascinating. I stayed for about 2 hours.

I can imagine how royal it must have felt living there. They said that it’s like a walk through Nepal with all the rooms named after the states of the country. Among the several stuffed tigers, rhino heads, even a crocodile and a polar bear, hugely decorated interiors, adorned in detail, outside was a gift from Adolf Hitler - a Mercedes Benz, the first car ever to reach Nepal. There weren’t any roads suitable for it to be driven to Kathmandu. It had to be carried here.

But after going through the residency of the late king Brirendra (also called the people’s king as he was loved by the public) and his family, the path led to the place of The Royal Massacre. Allegedly, on the evening of the first of June 2001, the younger son of king Brirendra killed all his family members (father - the king, mother, sister and brother), and committed suicide right after. They say it was because he couldn’t marry the girl he loved. However, most of the public never believed that story, and thought it was somehow orchestrated by his uncle Gyanendra, who was next in line for the throne after all the closest relatives were dead. When the beloved family died, the monarchy started a downfall which found its end in 2008. Nepal is now considered a federal democratic republic.

When I pass the queuing little school girls in the museum on the tight stairs, they stare into my unusually light eyes for their surroundings, and all the kids start waving to me and greeting me with a “hello”. I feel uncomfortably “seen”.

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So far, Nepal has reminded me of patience and acceptance - going along with the inevitable. There is a lot of beauty around, and people are kind. I feel safe here, albeit a bit lost on the unfamiliar streets.

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