Bhaktapur, mon amour

Having dinner at candlelight. What if I got used to it?

I have returned to Bhaktapur for a night (2 days) before I start on the Annapurna circuit.
When I left Kathmandu it was pouring. On the road to here the land on both sides of the road was flooded. I saw people wading knee-deep in the muddy waters. Gardens under water. Streets under water. And still pouring.

Getting my visitor pass done took a bit longer than I thought. I needed 2 photos (for the visa you only need 1!), then I had to fill out a form and provide copies of my passport and the visa. The latter were a bit of a problem as there was blackout in parts of the town and I had to find a place to make a copy. Something to remember: always have copies of the passport and visa with you!

After checking in at the guest house I headed out undeterred. I sought shelter under a temple and soon was assaulted by kids asking for money or food or something. It can get annoying sometimes as you have no private space. They come close and very close to you and you can feel their breath on your neck, and they're touching you and watching you from very close. It's fun watching them, too! So I think we're even :-)

After a while the rain stops and I start wandering around. I end up in the area where the Untouchables live and - had I not known it - wouldn't have guessed it. Unlike in India the live in brickhouses, too, even though more crammed. The streets there are merely narrow lanes where a bike or motorbike fits, but no car. The women are busy doing laundry in big large buckets and bowls. Some of the kids are helping.

It is late afternoon when I realize that Tacapola Square would be the best spot to go to. Facing West, the main Dattatreya temple will be probably bathed in the warm sunset light. So off I go.

The square is busy. Vegetable vendors have lined up their produce ll over leaving just a lane for the traffic. But there's more than just those: children playing, old men busy in discussions, fast food vendors offering the traditional momos (vegetable or meat filled deep fried or steamed dumplings)...
As the light is only getting better and I admire the woodcarved balconies I notice some general movement going on - people line up the street in expectation. Soon after we can hear music and a procession is coming down the street and into the square. Women and girls dressed in the traditional local dresses and holding a burning candle in their left hand come in 2 long lines. They are followed by some men carrying a very much decorated chair-like structure. Another line of women is following.
The outfits are beautful. The dresses are black with a broad black border and they wear a white shawl around their shoulders. They are so beautiful with their dark hair either pinned up or braided.
It's just another holiday for them - a feast for my and anybody's eyes,I bet.
And what an opportunity to take pictures of faces - something I'm fascinated by.

After they leave the square the crowds dissolve. The light is still very good but I am getting hungry. So why not use the opportunity and go to the Peacock Cafe which is close to the temple offering a good view over the square and of the temple.
Why Peacock ? The peacock is an important animal in the Buddhist tradition it is one of the animals ridden by one of the transcendent Buddhas. You can see peacocks carved in window frames or depicted in paintings. You can buy peacock feathers and peacock carvings. However, behind the temple there is a famous carving "the Peacock Window" with the peacock as the central figure and its gorgeous display of feathers making up the rest of the window.

So I go and pick a table in the corner, order some vegetable fried rice and a juice and keep shooting with my long lens. The light is getting warmer and warmer, the temple is glowing orange. The people are all going about their daily routine.

As it slowly turns into twilight I notice it started raining. The waiter places a candle on my table while excusing for the fact that there is again blackout. No problem for me, it's more subtle and fascinating - or should I say romantic?
No, there's no romance around me with the big camera gun laid out on the table.

I look down and notice that all but the vegetable vendors have sought shelter from the rain. Hiding maybe under an umbrella with their produce being washed by the rainwater, they continue to sit crouched in the dark and in the rain.

When I finish my meal and decide to go it is dark. I am happy for the small flashlight that my friends gave me as a gift before leaving and which I carry with me. The streets are full of puddles, but there's no mud, at least. Some of the shops are lit by candles, otherwise it's pitchblack. People are still walking both directions and I have to be careful because they do not care if they hit you with their umbrellas. So from time to time I throw a flash of light in front of me and keep going. As I walk through the ankledeep poodles I think about the advantage of walking barefoot. No washing of shoes, no shoes damaged - only advantages.

The big Taumadhi square is in the dark, too. You can see candles in various spots, but that's all. How patient these people! I remember the times during my childhood in Communist Romania when blackouts were rather the rule. How difficult to work or learn!

I am surprised to find out, though, that the Namaste Cyber Cafe across from the temple is functional. It is using a generator. So I go up the stairs into the small dusty attic overlooking the square, where a few young people are sitting at the computers playing or surfing. Through the window I can look straight at the big Nyatapola temple.
High speed internet and a keyboard where the letters have been repainted by hand and the keyboard table is about to fall down, vibrating under each keystroke. But it works!

By the time I go back to the guest house next door electricity is back but I'm falling asleep right away.