This is a picture taken at the Kumari Ghar, which means house, in Nepali.
Its a beautiful palace sandwiched in the center of Kathmandu City in Nepal. Kumari means virgin and every year a virgin girl (pre-pubescent) is choose from the Skhaya caste (Nepal has a dozen or more castes). Her family, in return, is paid a handsome sum…enough, I’ve been told the large sum (comparatively) feeds her entire family for life.
My mom is an awesome cook – she never used to be, but taught herself the abc’s of cooking so that she could feed us! Here she teaches me how to make Minced Chicken Vegi with Tomato Achar (pickle)…it’s so good. This is not a typical Nepalese cuisine, but an original dish created by my mom…
Crazy isn’t it? Check out the video…they climbed up the wooden ‘tower’ and stayed put for a few hours…for the love of religion!!
Human Ladder…Crazy Nepali!!! from diiver on Vimeo.
I stumbled upon this store when I was visiting the Sleeping Goddess in Budhanilkantha in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. They sell “organic” hair extensions and I was excited, as the storeowners were eager to sell me their goodies and readily showed me the step-by-step process of adding hair extension. It comes in various colors and length and is worn at festivals…gorgeous isn’t it?
Tsuyo, our dog demands to be treated like a King! We seldom let him in our casa unless he begs…Tsuyo, translated ’strong’ in Japanese, is roughly six years old, but he has the stamina and energy of a newly born puppy. He’s the ’star’ of our family and he knows it! Here, he ignores my mom’s plea…
This is my dad–my mentor, my critic and one of my best friends. Dementia took his mind and his ability to express his love for me. I miss talking to him dearly.
The weather was humid and I was sweating all over…stopped to chat with a policeman…check out the police attire…he was wearing combat boots, heavy shirt and he still was not breaking a sweat…
Here I am in Budhanilkantha (home of the Sleeping Goddess, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal) buying a necklace for my friend Tami. Haggling for price is a part of the shopping culture in Nepal.
Patan City is about 5 km south of Kathmandu Valley. It’s a royal city (meaning monarchies used to live there centuries ago). I feel like I’m back in the past when I’m in Patan…its surreal.
It’s a must-see if you are visiting Nepal. Why? Where else can you see craftsmen creating wood ornaments, stone carvings and metal statues of deities surrounded by temples….Yep, there are temples EVERYWHERE. The craftsmen will shoos you away when they are creating their art, but the key is to BUY some of their creations and then take pictures. But I’m not here to talk about art or temples…customer service at restaurants in Patan can be a tad bit slow….so, here I am waiting for the menu from the waiter….it’s been over 30 minutes…
