Random Snaps and Stories: Nepal

The mountain village of Ramkot near Bandipur

The road to Ramkot

A Hot Corn Vendor Sleeping Dog and Sleeping Driver

These women are hauling cement on their backs supported by a headband, up 2 floors

and 1 lashed bamboo ladder to the roof……..in Flip Flops!

While walking through Bhaktapur, a heritage site near Kathmandu, we came upon two young girls dressed in dazzling costumes. We were informed that these Newari girls were preparing for their wedding to a bael fruit, also known as a wood apple, a symbol of the Hindu Lord Vishnu. This will be the first of 3 weddings planned for their future. The second wedding must occur prior to menstruation, and following 12 days of seclusion in a darkened room, the girls will emerge and there is a great celebration of their marriage to the sun. The third or first non-divine marriage is to a man, and should their husband die, they will never be considered widows as a result of their marriages to the immortal Vishnu and the eternal Sun.

Always on the hunt for interesting local food options, we were recommended a spot for traditional Nepali cooking: Honacha. It took several attempts, but eventually we found ourselves walking through an unmarked door down a brick hallway and finally into the cavern-like restaurant. The specialty is the Bara, a fried pancake with egg accompanied with dishes of lentils, beans and VERY spicy potatoes. (Our cousin Laurie the retired health inspector shouldn't look too closely)