Patan

Still on the improvisation mode; we wander what’s next. Jeremie makes up his mind and proposes to visit Patan. It takes us an hour to get there. I am a bit exhausted and Jeremie is feeling pain with his little toe. We take the service of a young guide who is quite effective. He explains to us the different stories behind Patan Durbar Square and its different temples and figures. It is quite interesting as the culture seems the same now as it was centuries ago; it is not like an Egyptian explaining the tails of the Pharaohs. It is all real as the people’s belief still honours the same gods, temples, statues of kings, etc.

The religious culture fascinates me as it gets quite complex with Buddhism and Hinduism appearing as very interrelated. We got the chance to attend a festival that happens once every 12 years. It’s the Red Machapahendra deity festival on which the faithful kill bulls and offer all kinds of donations and burn candles to the god who is a reincarnation of one of the main gods. It is a great experience to be in the middle of this fervent crowd. We put the red signs on our foreheads in sign of prayer. Then we check out the Patan Museum. Great place to visit, the explanations neat the works are very useful in understanding the relations and the meaning of each gestures and god. Some very good insight is also provided about the history of Hindouism, Buddhism, and their different versions and applications. We spend two hours there before heading back to Kathmandu. We have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Tashi De-Lek, a Tibetan place with excellent food.