In Search of Shambhala
A couple of years ago, a friend and I were dreaming of Nepal, over beer. I just found out then that Nepal is also his dream country. This was already post April 2015 earthquake that shook the country, damaged a lot of its infrastructures and killed thousands. Despite this, we still dream of going to this place one day.
July this year, I got a consultancy job at a farmers organization operating in the Asian region. Since then, I was sent in Indonesia and Bangladesh for work. And after a series of activities in the early weeks of December, I was sent to Nepal along with some colleagues to attend another meeting.
I was thrilled but I wished I learned about it earlier. I would've saved money so I could extend for maybe a couple of days and perhaps go hiking and find Shambhala (hahaha) or at least go to the Everest base camp?
Anyway, despite not being able to go hiking in Nepal because we only stayed in Kathmandu, I still immensely enjoyed my stay in there. I will just go back another time and make some time for hiking and finding Shambhala. 😁
It took me several days to adapt to the timezone (Nepal is 2 hours and 15 minutes late) so I was up early on our first day and caught the sunrise. It's always nice to see the sunrise and sunset in another place.
When I googled the temperature in Kathmandu this time of the year, it said 20+ degrees Celsius during daytime which goes down to 12 degrees at nighttime. I did not want to overdo it and I wanted to pack light (as always) so I only packed regular clothes and a denim jacket. However, the night before our flight, a colleague from Kathmandu sent an email advising us to bring winter clothes because temperature in there goes down to as low as 6 degrees. I was already lying in my bed when I read the email but I instantly got up and slipped in a coat into my luggage. I was glad I did because it was indeed old in Kathmandu.
We stayed at Hotel Marsyangdi in Thamel for a couple of days. Thamel is a commercial center and tourist hub so there are many souvenir shops, restaurants, and hotels around. I heard that hotels in Thamel offer affordable rates that is why our organization usually holds meetings in there.
Since our hotel is located at the commercial center, we managed to squeeze in shopping after work sessions. Once you go out of the hotel, there are already shops lined up in the streets. It doesn't even take a entire minute for you to find a money changer. There is one right at the hotel compound.
During one of our short breaks, I went out to drop the postcards in a shop. They will be the ones to deliver these to the post office. There are a lot of shops that are selling mountaineering gears and local products. I wanted to buy hiking stuff but I brought a small luggage because of my katamaran. Also, the items are pricey, probably because the area is a tourist hub. My friends would have to make do with ref magnets as pasalubong. 😆
After our meeting in Thamel, we transferred to Park View Hotel in Budhanilkantha for another event. Budhanilkantha is already at the outskirts of Kathmandu. The place feels more like Baguio because of the mountains surrounding the area. The hotel was nice as well. 😊
Here are photos of Park Village, our home in Budha-nilkantha. From the tourist center Thamel, we moved to the outskirts of Kathmandu for the South-South Cooperation Forum. The hotel/resorts is full of pretty and nice scenery para ka na rin namasyal somewhere.
PRAYER WISHES. When I saw the movie Shambhala, (which inspired me to add/put in number 1 Tibet and Nepal in my travel goals), among the things that amazed me the most are the colorful flaglets hung everywhere. These are prayer wishes and are hung outside so these will be carried by the wind and bring them to the gods. A Nepali colleague explained to me that these are religious teachings and are hung outside to clear the aura of the surroundings, so wherever there are flags, that place is considered pure/clean.
I asked our President who is a Nepali what's the name of the mountains viewed from the hotel:
"What's the name of that mountain?"
"No mountain."
Those mountains, what are they called?"
"No mountain."
Apparently, in Nepal, they don't call it a mountain if there is no ice on it. Rather, they call it a hill. So I've been asking the wrong question. I never got to know what the mountain range surrounding Budha-nilkantha is called.
Braved cold dusks to see the Kathmandu sunsets. Lovely just the same.
One morning, we woke up earlier (despite the difficulty to do so because of the temperature) to go for a walk in the nearby Buddhist temple. The temperature went as low as 4 degrees that morning and on our way back I was so scared I'd get frostbite because my feet were already numb from the cold. Our Pakistani companions treated us to a glass of hot masala tea to fight the cold.
On our way to the temple one morning, we saw some Nepali people doing a prayer ritual by lighting up candles, offering flowers and fruits, and splashing water to the tree and the ground while circling around the tree. My colleague says it's an old Hindu practice.
Nepal is a country of diverse people and diverse religions. One of our Nepali colleagues said that Nepal is different because anyone can freely practice his/her religious beliefs and people don't fight because of differences in religion.
Early in the morning a lot of pigeons flock at the frontyard of Budhanilkantha Temple. I was in awe when I first saw it, making extra care not to disturb them, and then a man crossed the middle of the square, like a boss, driving the pigeons away. Apparently, it's okay to make the birds fly as you play with them. It's also fine to feed them. My happiness in seeing the pigeons and sadness when most of them flew away was probably very obvious as one of our companions went to buy food for the birds and gave it to me so the birds would come back down and I can play and take as much photos as I want.
Early morning activity: pagbubugaw ng mga kalapating mababa ang lipad. Ka-level ko yung mga bata dito, nakikipaglaro sa mga ibon. In my pantulog + coat, scarf and beanie, di kinakaya ang 3 degrees.
Budhanilkantha Temple is a Hindu open air temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is situated below the Shivapuri Hill at the northern end of the Kathmandu valley and can be identified by a large reclining statue of Lord Vishnu.
It was in Bangladesh where I first heard that I resemble a Nepali–a colleague said I look like a mix of Bangladeshi and Nepali). When I was in India, people would also comment the same. In the Philippines, however, people usually mistake me for an Indian. Nonetheless, still South Asian. So in Kathmandu, I confirmed that I do look like a Nepali. At the airport, the customs person spoke to me in the local language because he thought I was a Nepali. Vendors, waiters, and other locals mistook me for a Nepali. Somehow it makes me feel 'cool' every time I am mistaken for another nationality when I am abroad. It's nice that I can blend in many places, haha.
We went there again the next day because we like to torture ourselves we had free time and glad we did because we witnessed this spectacular ceremony where young students cleaned, bathed, and clothed the lying statue of Hindu god Vishnu. The entire ceremony took more than 30 minutes. Seeing religious practices always fascinates me. Religious practices speak a lot about the people of a certain place.
Food Nepali style
When I was in Ahmedabad, India in October, I had too much local food I said it would be good if I won't be able to eat any Indian food for a year. I did like some of the food we had in Ahmedabad, but I've just had too much. Nagsawa ako sa spice-y food. Didn't expect that I'd be sent to another South Asian country again within the year, but what can I do. As soon as I boarded the flight from Singapore to Kathmandu, I conditioned myself that from then on, they'd probably be serving curry-based food.
Food is very much part of the people's culture, so if you want to get to know the people and the place deeper, you'll have to experience it in every way possible and that includes eating what locals are eating.
I did like a lot of food items served by the hotel. Although my colleague said hotel food tastes different from original Nepali food. But I enjoyed the Nepali thali we had during our last day in Kathmandu. I also liked their many different flat breads.
One thing for sure that I love in South Asia is the masala tea. I'll have it any time of the day. I don't have any photo of any masala tea I had. But on our last day, we got to try different types of tea at the CTCF office.
TEA PARTY. We visited the office of Central Tea Cooperative Federation Ltd. (CTCF) Nepal in Kathmandu where we got to taste different kinds of tea and had a crash on tea production. CTCF tea products are under the NepalTea brand. They are currently working to make their products widely available anywhere in the world. Would love to visit Ilam, where their main office and tea gardens are, soon. Google "Ilam tea garden" and you'll see why. ❤ Few years ago mahirap isipin na tsaa ang tinutungga ko pero ito na ang reality ko ngayon. 😂
Nepal is also big on beans. They have this version of mongo, but is a little sweet, probably it has dairy.
Places, a vegetarian restaurant in Thamel, and a popular tambayan among foreigners. One of our colleagues is an "extreme" vegetarian so every now and then, we get to eat vegetarian food. I had their paneer steak. Of course, had to choose the one closest to a 'meat' meal. 😝
Nepali streetfood/snacks/breakfast food. Because I couldn't really tell if these are just for snacks or for breakfast. A lot of stalls near the temple are selling these food early in the morning. Our Pakistani companion told me the name of one of the delicacies since they also have it in Pakistan, but I totally forgot what is it. I would've wanted to try some of the food but my companions were not interested because we're about to have breakfast at the hotel. We settled for a glass of masala tea in one of the stalls to fight the cold.
Despite my unpreparedness, I still enjoyed the weather when we were there because it reminded me so much of Baguio. And the people were also nice. Hope to be back again one day. I'd love to see Ilam as well because I've seen photos of tea gardens there from the internet and they're juts picturesque! I'd also want to see (even just a peak of just the peak of Sagamartha (Mt. Everest). And I still haven't find shambala, maybe it's somewhere in Nepal. :)
July this year, I got a consultancy job at a farmers organization operating in the Asian region. Since then, I was sent in Indonesia and Bangladesh for work. And after a series of activities in the early weeks of December, I was sent to Nepal along with some colleagues to attend another meeting.
I was thrilled but I wished I learned about it earlier. I would've saved money so I could extend for maybe a couple of days and perhaps go hiking and find Shambhala (hahaha) or at least go to the Everest base camp?
Anyway, despite not being able to go hiking in Nepal because we only stayed in Kathmandu, I still immensely enjoyed my stay in there. I will just go back another time and make some time for hiking and finding Shambhala. 😁
It took me several days to adapt to the timezone (Nepal is 2 hours and 15 minutes late) so I was up early on our first day and caught the sunrise. It's always nice to see the sunrise and sunset in another place.
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| Kunwari cozy. Warm sa taas, nanginginig sa baba. Pag di ka na nga masyadong prepared dahil.sabi ni Google hanggang 12 degrees lang ang ibababa ng temperature sa Kathmandu, tapos mahuhulog pa sa banyo at mababasa pa yung bihisan mo, ay, talaga naman. Fighting! Summer outfit yan pag tinanggal ang scarf at coat. Sabi nga nung isang lolo ko sa Nepal, "I gave the advisory (to bring overcoats, etc.) because I saw what you wear in the Philippines." |
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| Kanina pa ako nagigising-gising because, bodyclock. HA?? ALAS OTSO NA ANG DILIM PA SA LABAS??? Turns out sa maling orasan pala nakatingi. And also dahil may natural alarm clock kami na mga paloma. Cold but good morning, Kathmandu! |
We stayed at Hotel Marsyangdi in Thamel for a couple of days. Thamel is a commercial center and tourist hub so there are many souvenir shops, restaurants, and hotels around. I heard that hotels in Thamel offer affordable rates that is why our organization usually holds meetings in there.
 |
| On one of our meetings, we were bumped out of the original venue due to a miscommunication with the hotel management so once the meeting started, I was stationed here at this very area (because it's the only part if the room with ample space for the stuff I'm gonna be needing for work). I didn't complain, and it even became a source of laughter amongst my colleagues. Eventually, I transferred to the other end of the room where it was warmer. |
During one of our short breaks, I went out to drop the postcards in a shop. They will be the ones to deliver these to the post office. There are a lot of shops that are selling mountaineering gears and local products. I wanted to buy hiking stuff but I brought a small luggage because of my katamaran. Also, the items are pricey, probably because the area is a tourist hub. My friends would have to make do with ref magnets as pasalubong. 😆
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| Hemp bags |
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| Woolen shoes are just too cute! |
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| Colorful pouches that my friends would love to have but I cannot afford. |
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| Traditional Nepali hat for men |
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| This larger-than-life dreamcatcher might be the solution to my bad dreams, but then again, do I really want to get rid of those weird dreams? 😝 Weird can be good, and thrilling. I prefer to keep it that way, for now. |
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| Walked out of a shop and heard Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" playing (for the second time since arriving in Thamel. Must be a favorite here.) Looked around where the music is coming from, and tadahhh. It was definitely calling me pero sorry no time for 'yak alak.' There's probably an Irish pub in every corner of the world. |
Here are photos of Park Village, our home in Budha-nilkantha. From the tourist center Thamel, we moved to the outskirts of Kathmandu for the South-South Cooperation Forum. The hotel/resorts is full of pretty and nice scenery para ka na rin namasyal somewhere.
PRAYER WISHES. When I saw the movie Shambhala, (which inspired me to add/put in number 1 Tibet and Nepal in my travel goals), among the things that amazed me the most are the colorful flaglets hung everywhere. These are prayer wishes and are hung outside so these will be carried by the wind and bring them to the gods. A Nepali colleague explained to me that these are religious teachings and are hung outside to clear the aura of the surroundings, so wherever there are flags, that place is considered pure/clean.
I asked our President who is a Nepali what's the name of the mountains viewed from the hotel:
"What's the name of that mountain?"
"No mountain."
Those mountains, what are they called?"
"No mountain."
Apparently, in Nepal, they don't call it a mountain if there is no ice on it. Rather, they call it a hill. So I've been asking the wrong question. I never got to know what the mountain range surrounding Budha-nilkantha is called.
Braved cold dusks to see the Kathmandu sunsets. Lovely just the same.
One morning, we woke up earlier (despite the difficulty to do so because of the temperature) to go for a walk in the nearby Buddhist temple. The temperature went as low as 4 degrees that morning and on our way back I was so scared I'd get frostbite because my feet were already numb from the cold. Our Pakistani companions treated us to a glass of hot masala tea to fight the cold.
On our way to the temple one morning, we saw some Nepali people doing a prayer ritual by lighting up candles, offering flowers and fruits, and splashing water to the tree and the ground while circling around the tree. My colleague says it's an old Hindu practice.
Nepal is a country of diverse people and diverse religions. One of our Nepali colleagues said that Nepal is different because anyone can freely practice his/her religious beliefs and people don't fight because of differences in religion.
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| Religious practices in Nepal include lighting up candles by the doorstep. |
 |
| BRICK WORLD. Among Nepal's commodities is clay, thus establishments and residences in the country are usually made of bricks. |
Early in the morning a lot of pigeons flock at the frontyard of Budhanilkantha Temple. I was in awe when I first saw it, making extra care not to disturb them, and then a man crossed the middle of the square, like a boss, driving the pigeons away. Apparently, it's okay to make the birds fly as you play with them. It's also fine to feed them. My happiness in seeing the pigeons and sadness when most of them flew away was probably very obvious as one of our companions went to buy food for the birds and gave it to me so the birds would come back down and I can play and take as much photos as I want.
Early morning activity: pagbubugaw ng mga kalapating mababa ang lipad. Ka-level ko yung mga bata dito, nakikipaglaro sa mga ibon. In my pantulog + coat, scarf and beanie, di kinakaya ang 3 degrees.
Budhanilkantha Temple is a Hindu open air temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is situated below the Shivapuri Hill at the northern end of the Kathmandu valley and can be identified by a large reclining statue of Lord Vishnu.
 |
| A couple of monkeys showed up near the temple. One of them went down after a while and climbed back up with bananas. |
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| Fortune-tellers at the temple |
It was in Bangladesh where I first heard that I resemble a Nepali–a colleague said I look like a mix of Bangladeshi and Nepali). When I was in India, people would also comment the same. In the Philippines, however, people usually mistake me for an Indian. Nonetheless, still South Asian. So in Kathmandu, I confirmed that I do look like a Nepali. At the airport, the customs person spoke to me in the local language because he thought I was a Nepali. Vendors, waiters, and other locals mistook me for a Nepali. Somehow it makes me feel 'cool' every time I am mistaken for another nationality when I am abroad. It's nice that I can blend in many places, haha.
 |
| Ganda ng mga kalahi ko oh. Confeeermed belong din ako sa Nepal. Sa immigration pa lang kinakausap na ako ng local language. At kahit mga tindero/a, waiter, at random people. "Oh sorry I thought you're a Nepali." "You look like a Nepali." "Ah, Philippines. You're a foreigner?" Nakaka-survive lang ako sa pagbasa na lang ng body language kapag tinatamad akong ipaulit in English ang sinasabi sa'kin. Nung napadpad ako sa Bangladesh at India, madalas sinasabi sa'kin na mukha akong Nepali. So far nacheck-an ko na din ang Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Laotian, Bangladeshi, at India. Yan ang gandang nag-a-adapt kung san mapunta. 😂 |
When I was in Ahmedabad, India in October, I had too much local food I said it would be good if I won't be able to eat any Indian food for a year. I did like some of the food we had in Ahmedabad, but I've just had too much. Nagsawa ako sa spice-y food. Didn't expect that I'd be sent to another South Asian country again within the year, but what can I do. As soon as I boarded the flight from Singapore to Kathmandu, I conditioned myself that from then on, they'd probably be serving curry-based food.
Food is very much part of the people's culture, so if you want to get to know the people and the place deeper, you'll have to experience it in every way possible and that includes eating what locals are eating.
I did like a lot of food items served by the hotel. Although my colleague said hotel food tastes different from original Nepali food. But I enjoyed the Nepali thali we had during our last day in Kathmandu. I also liked their many different flat breads.
One thing for sure that I love in South Asia is the masala tea. I'll have it any time of the day. I don't have any photo of any masala tea I had. But on our last day, we got to try different types of tea at the CTCF office.
TEA PARTY. We visited the office of Central Tea Cooperative Federation Ltd. (CTCF) Nepal in Kathmandu where we got to taste different kinds of tea and had a crash on tea production. CTCF tea products are under the NepalTea brand. They are currently working to make their products widely available anywhere in the world. Would love to visit Ilam, where their main office and tea gardens are, soon. Google "Ilam tea garden" and you'll see why. ❤ Few years ago mahirap isipin na tsaa ang tinutungga ko pero ito na ang reality ko ngayon. 😂
Nepal is also big on beans. They have this version of mongo, but is a little sweet, probably it has dairy.
 |
| Hotel Marsyangdi food |
Places, a vegetarian restaurant in Thamel, and a popular tambayan among foreigners. One of our colleagues is an "extreme" vegetarian so every now and then, we get to eat vegetarian food. I had their paneer steak. Of course, had to choose the one closest to a 'meat' meal. 😝
Nepali streetfood/snacks/breakfast food. Because I couldn't really tell if these are just for snacks or for breakfast. A lot of stalls near the temple are selling these food early in the morning. Our Pakistani companion told me the name of one of the delicacies since they also have it in Pakistan, but I totally forgot what is it. I would've wanted to try some of the food but my companions were not interested because we're about to have breakfast at the hotel. We settled for a glass of masala tea in one of the stalls to fight the cold.
Despite my unpreparedness, I still enjoyed the weather when we were there because it reminded me so much of Baguio. And the people were also nice. Hope to be back again one day. I'd love to see Ilam as well because I've seen photos of tea gardens there from the internet and they're juts picturesque! I'd also want to see (even just a peak of just the peak of Sagamartha (Mt. Everest). And I still haven't find shambala, maybe it's somewhere in Nepal. :)
