Christmas in Kathmandu

This is my third Christmas away from home, and after travelling for over a year, this one is the saddest of the three. Even three in a row is a lot for my standards.
not exactly the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, but the Bodnath Temple in Kathmandu is just as colorful, and just as visited.


But I'm glad I got to spend Christmas with friends and good company. Christmas was a cross cultural affair this year. I celebrated Christmas Eve in kathmandu at the New Orleans cafte, along with an Israeli friend who is Jewish, an Eritrean lady living in India, and a young Belgian family living in Kathmandu for a year studying Buddhism. All in the country of Nepal which happens to be predominantly Hindu.
your everyday cow and a bunch of pigeons in a city square. Nothing out of the ordinary for Kathmandu.

We ordered a traditional Christmas set dinner which included Tom Gai Thai soup and Japanese tempura vegetables. we listened to traditional Christmas music consisting of Tablas and Indian guitars. we gathered around the stage are for the traditional Christmas snake charmer yuletide flute performance. The snakes of course were traditional Christmas cobras. As part of the set dinner we were given Christmas presents which were Christmas ornaments with the likenesses of all your favorite Christmas holiday characters such as Shiva or Ganesh.
not exactly Jingle Bells, but more of the Hindu temple type.
colorful marigolds

It did feel more like Christmas this year than my previous two years. Probably because the weather is chillier here in Nepal than in Brazil and Cambodia, the two places I spent the last two hot and humid Christmases. Amazingly enough, there are plenty of Christmas decorations and lights here in Thamel (Kathmandu's backpacker ghetto). Of course they don't treat it as a holy holiday, but more as an excuse to party. Both Christmas Eve and Night seemed more like New Year's Eve in the streets.
Christmas day was a work day at the Art Refuge. Here's some photos of the Tibetan refugee kids:
the Tibetan Refugee kids at the ArtRefuge
one kid donning masks made for an art project
peek-a-boo
this kid with the wig reminded me of Monte Hall for some reason






this girl is my favorite. I'm afraid I might get Angelina Jolie syndrome, and take her home with me.


Season's greetings, and a very merry Dónde está Ché Pelotas?