Capital was welcoming us like an urban village, you know, all its dusty, mugy road we rode. Lenghty we got into maze of streets further into the town, eyes widely open I was looking out. We´re riding somewhere, I didn´t know where we stop, probably bus stand. Half an hour later we got to bus stop what looked more like a small place between two houses. Only two next buses stood there and many cars. After we got out I realized the cars were ocuppied by divers, a taxi drivers man. Okay, let´s do it, have to go to Thamel. There´s a lot of cheap hotel despite this is the most touristic place. Four hundred first offer, head´s shaking, well fucking hundred fifty better. Got in a car and drowe away. A driver, strong dumpy man carried us maximally up to ten minutes, pulled over and threw us out with “Thamel is der guys, der behind bend” his hand gestured towards a tiny cigarette shop. He was away within one minute together with that bloody wheels, didn´t smile didn´t say anything more to us simply outwitted us. Baaah. “So mai frend!” I proclaimed, put the backpack on and struck out toward it. Billy was swearing awhile then caught up with me. We got into the labyrinth of narrow backstreets full of perfume, crowd swarmed there and back again, lots of motorbikes were zooming past them as well as animals. Everyone had blown the horn to people even dogs but not to COWS. That´s brilliant.
We were drifted with the tide to a corner. There´s a man. Tall man, his eyes covered by sunglases but his smile widely open to us and toothless mouth said I´m your guy. He slowly walked up to us “Helou Sir, I hav good hotel for you, very good and cheap. Noting expensiv, up to yu. How much you want?” “Hi man, thank you, we could find something by self, thank you” “Oukay, I go with yu, look what yu want and then go and see my hotel. I have really good price, trust me. Wifi is there, AC too, television, everyting yu want, really!” We walked around several hostels, found the best one at the end. Hostel OSKAR. It means the sun informally in czech.
Eight hundred bucks per night, the room we got had been fairly good, except rusty water coming from all the pipes what we did recognize later. Our caretaker had been young guy about twenty six, worn black biker´s jacket he had looked like a gangsta. But you know, he´d been very helpful, asked us if we felt comfortable and had good wifi connection. It´s such a good deal to stay there. We put the backpack away and went into the town. I forgot in front of the hotel was that tout we met awiting us. In a while he saw us the smile emerged on his face again. “So guys, yu want see my hotel now?” “ No mister, thank you but we´ve already checked in here. Sorry” “ Really? How much yu pay here, hmm? I can give yu lesser price and beder service! So maybe tomorrow? I go around here and see yu, okay?” “ As you´re saying, maybe tomorrow (no why?) see you.” Actually we wanted to checked into a hostel in neighbour, there´s full. Nevermind, forgot it. We bought some food in local minimarket we found just few meters beside the hostel. I laid down tired from, no I´m lying you, what did we do? Playing cards or whatever. OOOMMM... I awoke from a deep deeep sleeping to a sunny day. “Today´s nice, isn´t it? Do you wanna go with me, there´s a sanctuary complex called Swayam Bhunath, a bit above Kathmandu only two kilometers far from here. Come with me, dude!”
It was early we awoke so that we went. Nice stroll with the sun´s rising up on the background of awaking city. A girl´s walking at a lonely street, the girl garbed in a beautiful coloured sari, perhaps green with a big red polka dots. A mammy´s kindling fire to support the family and silhouete of the place we´re going was dazzling ME by its huge shape against the morning sun. I love morning fresh walks. Swayambhunt is a temple complex with peace pagoda, maybe the biggest pagoda in Nepal, i´m not sure man.While we´re walking through a wood vegetation at the outskirts a girl or better to say young woman quickly emerged in front of us, running toward somewhere just beside me and Billy. We appeared down in front of tremendous stairway runs into somewhere on the hill. Many people were sitting, jogging, eating, feeding there in that time you know, it was maybe about half past six or whatever, no one was noticed us, they continued to do what they did. One step, come one. The stairway were surrounded by the statues of Lord BUDDHA, oh my lord! And loads of monkeys everywhere. I felt unknown energy flowing into my body, into my soul. I took the stairs by two or three instead Billy was deeply behind me. I guessed that place called me to go there, to be there, to meditate there. One step, second step, third step, milions of steps like a mantra, like a life you can live.
Can be a polite man, can be a thief, can be a murderer but everything is a way. What is a definition of the word way, do you think it is only describing of a path from somewhere to anywhere or description of ev erything, everything like why the firmanent is blue, or why I perceive the blue is BLUE or grass is green. Later I´d been talking with a sage man he told me the way is everything, not only traveling but also staying at one place but found a family or whatever and just living. Living simply without a big expectations, you know you can expactate that the things will work properly or something like that but you can´t wait people will do everything you want, better to say you think. Oh, I was almost running toward the temple I did not know. I think I was drawn up by the higher power or, you can say, God. We reached a guard booth, I didn´t mention there in Nepal and India is left handed traffic, that´s very important, but we used to walk at a left side so the guard both emerged at our left side. “What the hell is that, man?” We took a look and realized the entrance is paid, not much you know dude, it´d been two hundred buck for us and ten bucks for local. Billy turned RED man, you didn´t see that “ Why do we have to PAY for this and they do NOT have? It is too much. don´t have to pay anything into a church in czech as well. Really much for fifty years old hut, dude! Wuuuuaaa.I do not go with you! Definitely” Terrible expression appeared at his, this time, ugly face, he sat down on a guard´s bench and said rudely toward me “ I´m paing your ticket but don´t go with you!” Okay, I did go alone. Didn´t mean anything for me, just you know imagine you´re getting into a country you´ll probably never come againg and saying SCRAP like that. My opinion-They are mostly buddhist in Asia, they have “better” price for most of Asian people and “Western” Christian people have to pay more. Still don´t see that? It is clear they support their religion and tourism from their countries but if you´re from another religion why you can´t pay a little bit more. Do you know what? Two hundred bucks is one dollar or whatever, then tell me, is it really too much? Fuck it man.
The time I crossed the line was like everything stopped, or was more slowlier. I saw many runners around me like in a slow-motion actually everything was like that. Huge peace pagoda, or a Stupa, had emerged in front of me, its golden ornaments. A big white cupola about forty metres in circumference, then a cubic shape had risen up four- pair of eyes look into the blue into the four cardinal points symbolizing that the Lord keeps order us and our material world. The eyes are blue coloured and whole stupa is up to twenty metres high. Small square surrounds it is full of people, usually, even I was there at morning there was a street seller, a woman´s feeding pigeons and monkeys hanging about, dogs are catching them, they´re playing everywhere that seems more like hunting sometimes, monks are going around the stupa turning with a prayers bell within their everyday walk, simply rush. The sun is slowly rising up above the city its rays shine through all that green leaves what trees have down on the earth and its people to give us power for next day and the stupa here pays tribute to it.The complex is broaden over the hill top with many many temples and houses. Okay, lets go, first thing what catched my attention was a man standing at side of building looked busy. He´s unpacking his stuff right now, all that nice necklace, rings and other stuff. But CHAI. I saw chai niice. While I was walking at a small streets and drinking tea I saw next other stupas, only little version doesn´t matter, right? At a place where a woman meditated in circle walking of another stupa I sat down and relaxed. Several monkeys, some older were simply sitting and did whatever meantime youngest of the group were capering together at a wall standing at edge of flat, hanging down, juuump, from a tree, I didn´t realized, they´re so fast. “Come oon Mike, that´s my branch, I´m gonna push you down, look forward” Jim, the monkey offspring frowned.
I climbed up to a little sqaure or what, trying to get on another side. It looked really diferent, normal houses had laid round me, water well at a middle, silence had been spreading nor bells I´d heard. Suddenly! Woof! Woof! Woof! Unexpected barkling and a dog had emerged. Barkling to a group of monkeys siting on closest sheet shelter. Or me? Frightened I run outta here. Run toward down, hurted with shit in my pants I realized there´s a way to the right. “Right man, easy calm down, nothing´s gonna happen” I appeared in front of that temple I saw.Praying flags had been hanging in front of red building, the temple had been built from red burnt bricks, red roofing tiles up there, few statues presented a lion or dragon, seemed me more from China, had stood and guarded the entrance gates for ever and ever. A monk´s, going round the prayer wheels, smiling shortly to me and returned to his meditaiton. In a prayer hall, because that building had been simply the shelter for monks within meditation, contained several windows toward city with magnificant outlook. The floor hadn´t been covered by a carpet so if you wanna practise have to use a zafu. Actually while I was there a man or some men meditated. Light sound of mantra had floated in air, “Om mani pae mey hun” calmness of that place´d given off love. I´d spend lots of time, I wanted to meditate with them on the other hand Billy´s waiting me. Oops, he could wait longer.
I didn´t know how I left the areal. I went just down the stairs and was out. I was roaming adjacent park looking for a golden statues of three Buddhas. Didn´t succed. So I went back, a guard checked my ticket-I walked through different gate and walked around one time more. Again, I didn´t understand I appeared at the gate like before, at the bad side. “hei sir, yu go lika erratic Dutchman, do yu lika our templs?” “Yep, good morning, I love this place, I like to walk around. I must run to meet my travel mate, have a nice day!” I noded toward the guard. I run through to next guard booth. I catched Billy sitting at a same bench, same position. “Hey dude, are you waiting long?” I asked him “Yes, of course, but I was reading and talking with the guard. It´s a nice guy, told me he´s got two kids and his wife has to work outside, gathers wood and stuff around while he´s here. You know, he don´t speak english well, but even me. And we talked slowly. He was telling me a bit about situation here, something I didn´t understand him you know, mostly did. His life is as hard as lifes of many people here. I´m not sure he´s from Kathmandu, can´t remember...” he answered excitedly. I´d been happy for all the moments like this I felt he really enjoyed when he was telling me he had a conversation and so on. We went back´cos we did a deal, first Swayambhunat, then breakfast I had to make it and trip into the streets then. So we did. Billy remembered we had to manage a bus to Ilam, for luck thanx to our hostel keeper, such a good guy who managed our tickets and not only that. Later man. We´re hanging in the streets, it was a holiday that day or what´cos a park was closed, actually everything was closed, I mean all the monuments even when Kathmandu has no much of them or I didn´t know.
Ahh, I almost forgot, we hit the road toward city centre, to see Durbar square. We took a rikshaw, CYCLO rikshaw even Billy did not want.
He rode with us through narrow backstreets, I think all streets are backstreets here. Several roads are wide and totally choked up by cars, the rest is tiny, narrow mugy or usually dusty ways. Got into there and of course, the entrance there´d been paid. Seven hundred bucks wanted a girl at a corner in a little fee both, the cops were standing everywhere patrolling. “ Oho sir, I hev beter price for yu, here is sixteen hundred per two and I can give yu tousand. Of cours with guider, I take yu to templ, king palace..”whispered fatty dealer´s appearance. Billy turned to him and back went to ask that girl or what. He looked at me. “No man, this is still much even with your guidance. Nine hundred you´re saying? Hmm, sounds better, but still” I walked to “mai frend” standing at the booth “oukay, eight hundred” I heard ugly grinned. Billy hassled with her, my head full of his yellings. “ Run away!”I screamed and run away. The tout or whatever he was we left screamed behind our heels, I took a look to right and headed there, Billy followed my back “ Damn it! Did you hear him? Eight hundred per both dude“ he offered. “No, no, was asking that girl if there´s any discount you know, she said she couldn´t and my english, you see, it takes long time to understand in fact.” Unfortunately the narrow alley I headed for was leading us to guarded Durbarsquare so we turned again into a small alley’s leading us into obscure nowhere.I did not know where we were and what a place we were walking for just Billy was telling me still „I know where we are going.“We emerged on a wide street filled with folk a while latter, the stalls were full of scrap and useless things everywhere, vegetables as well.
It is often there you know, i’d noticed they sort simmiliar things together so then, take this vegetable, you can find it in series of stalls, could be said at a next street as well but it depends on a city you currently are. We are strolling right on the opposite side of that „obscure“ alley, just somwhere. We were crossing the crowd, consisted of a many pales, how billy’d decided to call them. You know, something like slang. Nice girls everywhere dude, it’d been almost a problem to avoid them, i mean not to crash. We are walking at a snail’s pace talking about durbar,you know, all the reasons why to do not go there, we pass a corner of a next tiny alley, with its empty space, leads us away, just several dudes’s standing there and here as well. Eyes contact. A bald guy with his mate, looks brawny he’s perhaps from another country. We’re still walking onward continuing chat, „Hey men, how is it going? You look like you’re at holiday“ a bald guy’s joinnig us. I’m talking with him a while within I stopped to smoke. „Hei mister, you don’t look you’re local, do you? We wanted to go to Durbar, but the price is really high, we want to look somewhere else here, you know. What about you, are you at a trip here, or what?“ I’m asking him. „Hmm i know, there’s nice place, oh great place full of old buildings, but expensive a lot. No guys, i’m local, well i have a store here but living in Pokhara, right? You guys, you are from America? Your dreadlock are awesome man, I wanted same a long time ago, but you know the warm here and travelling of course, it is better by my way“ grinned toward us. Billy smiled like usually when somebody talked about America, with the idea that someone is curious only about dollars. „No dude, we are from Europe, from Czech. What exactly do you sell, or you own it only?“ „Ahha, I was at Germany, I know Czech as well, actually my cousin lives there.right now. And i got a girl from Prague you know, but girls are crazy. She wanted something different, i did not know what. So for information I love Pilsner, i mean that one from Pilsner even when german pilsner is good too. You know what guys, let’s go and see my shop, it is right over there“ he pointed tither a glass shop window covered by a golden writting. I did not attention anything, just an idea rode through my brain. We were talking so on about beer, germans as well, his familyand cousin, within he led us inside, gave a seat and asked „woud you like a tea or coffey guys? No, okay nevermind. Hey Mandeep, bring this to Kausuba please. So look, i have a great offer only for you. Me with cousin want to get started our business at you, in Europe, you now. New market, new possibilities, a lot of demand and I can ensure you will earn three times more money then here. So i’m selling you that beautifull stones, yes real gold with opal“ a palm covered by several gleaming jewels, siver, gold and some with pretty small coloured pebbles. „ Look, that my cousin in Czech as i told you, you just carry that jewels to him and he will give you really more money then I want from you, right?“ Immediately i heard that i realized where i read that, looked to Billy „padáme čéče!“ I said abruptly. “Cože? Co? Proč mě taháš pryč, vypadá to zajímavě, nádherné šperky.” “Dělej, padáme pryč, vysvětlím ti to potom.”I forced us got out, directed „runing“ away again. “What the hell? What are you doing?“ Billy said little bit angrily. „You didn’t realized,did you? I’ve read about that in the guidbook, it was clearly visible. I mean „ My cousin lives in Czech, i love your beer, I’d got a girl there...“That is obviously a swindler dude!“ I answered. “Ahha, I was thinking such a great coincidence and so on.“
It amused us until we reached Thamel where we met that glasses guy again, he in turn offered us his hotel. „I’m sorry man, but we’ve got the acommodation.“ “Hey Sir, it don’t matter. Yu say them no and going with mí. My hotel better.“ That lunatic’s telling me. He disappeared behind our back while we ignored him, I hope he won’t appear. We did get out next day, not at morning, eighteen hours loong pilgrimage to Ilam was waiting us, boarding time was at three. The hotel fellow had been so nice that he managed a taxi and rode with us at the end. We stopped at a busy „Pokhara road“ roadside and he said he’ll rather lead us to our busstop. Lately i was really glad he did that because what he described like the stop was only the roadside beside of a petrol station and buses had been riding to and fro stopping directly on the highway just as close to the side as posible, better to say riding very slowly to give a chance to last folk borded. The only one recognizing sign was a bus mark, direction of riding was, of course, written nepali. Moreover dude, numbers as well We’re standing and waiting almost half an hour there,nervous, while, damn it whatsis name? He was calling somewhere. „So guys, the bus‘ comming after half an hour. Would you like to sit over there into that stall? Its owner is my friend.“ „Let’s go!“ I noded. We crossed that busy highway again and got into the “store“,better call it „general store“ ‘cos there’s just everything you know meals, drinks, drugs, chewing tobaccoes full sort and chai. I did hear that people of Nepal say „CHIA“.it is totally everywhere.
Fast meeting with the owner and we are sitting waiting tea right now. „You know what, that is common in Nepal. A bus driver has a problem on a road, something bad occured so then he reach even hour later.“ Our hotel keeper was telling me, I’m gonna call him Johnny. He look like that, shorter hair, black, undone, rock’n’roll jacket and jeans and his accent, i thought, had been american. He was telling the stories about everything, as he visited his sister in America, i do not know where she lives but she studies there. I‘m lighting up a cigarette.He looked at me, a small starshine in eyes. „Buy me one cigaret too. I smoke little, but I’m going there over the counter you know, my family lives here and i don’t want them to know I smoke.“ Hesasid and disappeared behind that stuff. We run back tothe bus stop after a while, our bus was there right after three minutes, Johnny helped to get the bags inside, said goodbye with huge hug and wished us a good trip. Then disappeared again. I did’t meet a hotel keeper like he was. „Nice guy, rigt?!“Billy was just noding.
