Changu Narayan Dayhike...

This was one of those wonderful rambling days that makes traveling so sweet… A leisurely, scenic, spontaneous outing with family & friends, wandering through rice fields, villages, forests, temples and traffic jams, concluding in the “golden hour” of sunset strolling back through quiet cool farmlands on the outskirts of town…

We’ve always wanted to visit the Changu Narayan temple, but after many trips to Nepal, have never managed to do so. It’s well known as a UNESCO treasure trove of ancient stone carvings and fine woodworking, but it’s quite a ways out of town… most tourists never get out there, typically opting for the easier (and awesome) sites of Pashupatinath and Swoyumbunath (“monkey temple”) during their short time in the Kathmandu Valley. When I was leading treks, there was minimal free time… A day or two in Kathmandu, out into the mountains for a few weeks, then back to town for a quick farewell dinner, a day of shopping, and poof, fly home… This is what I am LOVING about our “Fall in Nepal” plan. Actually living in KTM for an extended period allows us to slow down, get to know our neighbors and neighborhood, and do those unusual outings with plenty of time to enjoy them…

So we hopped on a crowded local bus with our good friends, the Canapary family, and jostled and rumbled out towards Bramakhel. The kids LOVE standing up, cramming into crowded buses, riding on the roof (when possible), and just hanging on tight… local transport seems like a carnival ride for them, so they’re always game! Had to ask several locals where the trail was, and we were re-directed multiple times, but all the directions, accurate or bogus, are delivered with a laugh and a smile. We eventually found the trail, crossed the little bridge, admired the rice harvest, and newly planted potato crop… Well outside the chaos of densely populated Kathmandu, it feels so relaxed, refreshing and clean out here in the fields!!! This is what most of the KTM valley used to look like! Up a steep wandering trail, we chatted with locals, played with kids, and swung on a marvelous bamboo swing left over from the Dashain festival. Almost to the top of the hill, we were stalled out for at least an hour by “the cutest baby goats EVER in the world!!!” We had to work pretty hard to avoid adopting several… We just might have to become goat farmers back in CA. Our kids are SO in love with baby goats, that we made up a related hiking song: “Bahkra manparchha, bahkra manparchha, sano bahkra, tulo bahkra, bahkra manparchha!” It just means “I love goats, I love goats, small goats, big goats, I love goats.” Not that complex, but the tune is catchy. Finally we made it to the top of the hill, with wonderful views over the hazy valley, and headed into the narrow lanes of the village. Ate a nice late lunch, again significantly delayed by cute animals (this time puppies!), and finally entered the Temple complex. The temple is dedicated to Narayan (one of the incarnations of Vishnu), and is one of the oldest in Nepal… The courtyard is brimming with gorgeous stone carvings dating from the 5th-7th centuries; one famous inscription was apparently carved back in 464 AD. The temple itself is the classic Newari/Nepali pagods style building, with intricately carved doors, window, and roof-support beams… some of these are a bit horrifying, with gods dismembering demons or ripping out their guts by hand, while others have more erotic themes. I guess back in the day you might have brought your kids by and showed them what might happen if they didn’t behave themselves properly! There was golden metal-work on the doors, plenty of incense burning, and red tika powder and offerings on many of the statues. All of these works of art, like in much of Nepal, are priceless museum pieces. There is (or was) such an unbelievable wealth of outdoor shrines, carvings, temples, and statues scattered on every street corner in Kathmandu Valley, that the entire valley was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site… Some of the best bits have been stolen by art thieves, but it still amazes me how much ancient art can be found at every turn, on every street corner, and on the walls of random homes… A recently renovated house in the village had shiny new bricks, and was obviously mid-way through the construction project. But the 500 year old Ganesha figure had been carefully set aside during construction, and replaced on the outer wall of their house for passers-by to worship and do puja… just as they’ve been doing for centuries.

Another sweet thing about Changu is the quiet…. It is a bit remote, so even though there are souvenir shops lining the entry path, and we are here during the peak trekking season, we saw just a few tourists. So peaceful and mellow compared to some other swarming sites! Finally we descended the hill, with sunset approaching, bade farewell to the cute animals, and enjoyed strolling home in the evening glow… If we hadn’t lingered with goats and puppies all day, our timing would have been all wrong! Thanks be to cute animals!!! The harvest is coming in; one last load before dark. Locals stopping us on the path to say Namaste, and ask our names. Our girls skipping along the trail singing the goat song… A lovely evening in the incredibly picturesque Nepali countryside.