February 1, 2012
We got back and got done to the business of laundry. We had loads…we hadn’t even changed much but almost everything we owned we had to wash! We also missed good food and found an Indian restaurant in Thamel and indulged in some butter chicken and butter naans! Nick decided to end the Bhagat Singh look and shaved his mustache! I couldn’t even recognize him after he shaved…it was about time I guess…after the EBC trip he just looked plain junglee!
There were a couple of places we hadn’t see yet in Kathmandu, so the next couple of days we went to Swayambounath or the Monkey Temple (for those who can’t pronounce the former). It’s an even more important pilgrimage for Buddhists than Boudha. It has a similar style stupa but many other mandirs or temples close by. We also visited a tiny historic gurudwara that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had visited called Nanak Muth. It’s basically hidden in a foresty area and even the locals know little about it’s location. Guru Nanak, Mardana, and Bala had come here and meditated. Some sadhus would not give them fire to keep warm after Mardana had requested it. Guru Nanak Dev Ji miraculously ignited fire from some logs and that spot is still there. I spoke with a young man who lives there. The gurudwara is actually a building that was built during King Pratap Mallya’s time and was given as a gift by the king as well as all the land surrounding it. It was given under Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s name as well. There is a sadhu that stays there and takes care of the property and the young man is his disciple. They pride themselves on being a non-commercialized gurudwara. They were very welcoming and proud to tell the history and also to take care of the area.
After collecting all our laundry we decided it was high-time to get out of Nepal! We decided to take a more scenic route and get out of Kakkarbhitta into West Bengal. All seemed great and the road to the border seemed intact…
