Hashing and hanging out in Edinburgh

So what did we do in impressive Edinburgh? 

Poor guy, caught in some wind. Haha.

Went hashing
Well, after our hashing adventure in Glasgow, we were told that the Hash House Harriers of Edinburgh were about to have their momentous 1800th run. Why not? We thought. 

It was a tricky city run at some points, for example the Green Mile posed some challenges. "Who are those people? They must be running a marathon?" Nope, no, I don't thinks so: this is not what a marathon looks like! Once we got out into the parks it was a lot easier. 

The great thing about including hashing as part of your trip is that you go places you wouldn't ordinarily go and meet people you wouldn't otherwise meet. I talked to a fellow hasher about the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum. Given the results, it was not surprising that she said there was a lot of tension in the community and many people chose not to talk about it to avoid conflict between friends and family. 

Hashers celebrate

Rob and a post-hash beer (brewed 
by the Edinburgh Hash team!)

Just one angle of the castle during the hash

Camped in a garden
No, not just a random garden in old town. We camped in someone's backyard. The first time we entered into the world of Camp In My Garden was not exactly what you would call a raging success. Sure it was a mysterious and eventful but we didn't catch much shut eye. As well as the somewhat odd house dynamics (we never met the actual host), it turned out the house was not only "conveniently placed near the railway station" but it actually BACKED ON TO THE TRACKS. Luckily for us there weren't many trains. No, that's not right, while there were very few scheduled  trains, there were lots of trains running express through the station between the hours of 6am to 1pm that made the most heart-stopping and horrendous noise as they tooted their horns on the way through. We thought they were bearing down on the ten! - we only lasted a few nights before moving to a hostel.

Attended the Jazz and Blues Festival
We saw a great band at the Jazz and Blues Festival: they just happened to be Australian. The Bearded Gypsy Band. They were great! I nearly threw cake in the face of the woman behind me however. She was tapping her foot so loudly and often out of time. (I didn't actually have cake so she was lucky.) We'd definitely see the band again if they came to Melbourne.

Visited a Castle 
We saved our castle visit for quite a few days into our time at Edinburgh. Standing on an extinct volcano, the castle is apparently the most besieged place in Great Britain and the most attacked in the world, over its 1110 year history. When we got there we could see they were setting up for the Military Tattoo which was exciting, even though we would not be there to see it. Inside the castle we jumped on the first introductory tour of the day which was very informative and an excellent starting point to get a sense of which parts you want to see. There are so many exhibitions and we spent a solid 4-5 hours there. The Scottish War Memorial was particularly moving and intricately designed. 

Heading up to the keep (Do you need to post anything?)

St Margaret's Chapel which dates from the early 12th century, making
it the oldest building in Edinburgh 

Coat of arms on the Great Hall 

War Memorial building
(Do Rob a favour and leave your slurpie outside. 
Do Kat a favour and save chatting about your weekend plans for later.)

Detail on the War Memorial
building

Soldiers' Dog Cemetery

Cannon-side view of Edinburgh

In the afternoon we joined the swarm of tourists awaiting the One O'clock Gun. The firing of the cannon was originally used as a time signal for ships in the harbour as it was too foggy to rely on a visual signal alone. We all had waited in position for awhile before 1pm but when we finally heard the sound a number of people (me included) jumped! 

Firing of the cannon

Saw some comedy
In the lead-up to the Fringe Festival we saw a two-act preview show at The Stand Comedy Club. The first comedian, Carl Hutchinson, based his act around a childhood dream to become a wrestler. It was very funny. Some guys in the front row kept getting up for drinks and bathrooms breaks. It was pretty rude and Carl pointed them out early. They still didn't get it though. Tough gig being on stage with that lot. 

The second act was probably better appreciated by the local audience because Vladimir McTavish had a few in-jokes we did not understand. The bits we did understand were good though! 

Toured Parliament

We thought a tour of parliament might be a good way to learn a bit more about Scotland and its history and it turned out we were right. What has actually stuck with me from this particular afternoon is the temporary exhibition in the lobby. (Temporary exhibitions seem to do that a lot!) The World Press Photo exhibition showed prize-winning photographs from across the world. There were some incredible photos on war, ebola, sport and everyday lives in several countries. For me, one of the most powerful photos (and there were many) was taken by an artist who uses drones to take photos of every-day gatherings with the same type of image that we see taken from military targets on the 7 o'clock news. (Explanation from the artist below photograph.)

Photography by Tomas van Houtryve Source: World Press Photo 

People exercising in central Philadelphia. Drone operators may consider such ‘signature behaviors’ as evidence of the existence of a training camp.

Since 2002, the US has used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) to collect intelligence and carry out airstrikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. The aircraft are guided via satellite by distant operators. The attacks have resulted in a large number of fatalities, including hundreds of civilians.

The photographer bought a small drone, fitted it with a camera, and flew it in the US over the sorts of gatherings that have become habitual targets for airstrikes abroad—weddings, funerals, groups of people praying or exercising. He also used it to photograph settings in which drones are used to less lethal effect, such as oil fields, prisons, and the US-Mexico border.

Pretty powerful photography. I hope I can see a 2016 exhibition.

Climbed Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags
A highlight of visiting Edinburgh was a walk up the nearby hills. Arthur's Seat, like the rock upon which Edinburgh Castle sits, was formed by an extinct volcano system which was eroded by a glacier. This left behind the Salisbury Crags, cliffs between Arthur's seat and the city of Edinburgh. The Crags are a pretty interesting formation that, from the top of the hills, look a bit like a wave in the ocean. 

In case you were wondering, as I did, Arthur's Seat mountain range on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria WAS named so, due its similar appearance to Edinburgh's Arthurs Seat.

Rob and I with Edinburgh and some crags in the background

Why would you go to Edinburgh?

What a place!

People have raved about Edinburgh to me for years. Now I know why. Reasons why I think Edinburgh gets such a good rep:

1. It has a lovely, intact historic town 

2. It inspires and produces famous writers

Several writers have drawn inspiration from Edinburgh: Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle. 

The grave of Thomas Riddel and various other parts of Edinburgh may 
have inspired J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books (Note the stones left 
by the grave from fans and haters of Lord Voldemort!)

3. It is hilly

Hilly places just tend to have an edge on non-hilly places.

4. It is compact and easy to navigate

Just follow the Royal Mile: Castle at one end, Parliament, Holyrood Palace and Arthurs Seat at the other.

5. It hosts fantastic, famous festivals

Not its most famous festival, but we really enjoyed ourselves at the Jazz & Blues Festival. While we were there Edinburgh was busy preparing for the Military Tattoo, the Fringe and the International Edinburgh Festival.

6. It has its own castle...on a rock

(It also has the AMAZING Edinburgh castle rock...looks like chalk, tastes like magic and maybe invented by accident!)

Edinburgh Castle

7. It is the poster girl or boy for amazing town planning!

Just look at that!

8. It is a city of depth, angles and alleyways

Edinburgh alleyway

Victoria St: Apparently the inspiration for Diagon Alley, even has a joke shop

9. It is a short walk to get great views of the town

Arthur's Seat

10. It is aesthetically beautiful 

Kathmandu

Differences noticed by Rob

Coming back to Kathmandu was a lot like coming home, but to a place where all the chairs have been moved around a little bit.  The first place I could notice a change was at the airport, where we did not have to battle to keep hold of our bags, find an ATM (admittedly the ATM was either out of money or without power - so not much has changed there).  My Nepali language skills were extremely rusty but I managed to convey to our driver that I wasn't a "regular" tourist, I had actually lived here before (I think this was more important to me than to him).

Our ride to our hotel was punctuated by me attesting to Kat "I used to work there", "wait, I have no idea where we are" to "oh, now I know" to "I don't remember there being this much/this little traffic".  Truly, I spent that ride taking in the smells, the sounds and the feeling of being back in Nepal.

Taxis - don't pull the lever

Before long I showed Kat along the road, eager to revisit Lazimpat (my old neighbourhood) and introduce her to my friend Gunga who owns a teashop there, and even hopefully to eat at Katherine (Ensler's) and my old Lazimpatian haunt the "LGC" (Lazimpat Gallery Cafe).  The whole area has changed a great deal and I could not even identify where the LGC used to be.  What used to be a bustling 2 lane main road with a giant hole in place of a sewerage access point is now what appears to be a 4 lane highway through to the northern part of the ring road.  The businesses on either side are shiny and even flashy, with bakeries sporting espresso machines and fancy new signs.  The road down to the Radisson and Katherine's old house is also newly paved.  My old apartment building still seems to exist, but hidden behind a development or two that initially led me to believe it had been knocked down. There was no trace of the old local rubbish tip where garbage was left for up to a week until magically carried away in the dark of night.

The longer we spent there, the faster the Nepali words and inflections came back to me, it is remarkable how much more comfortable I felt in Nepal because I had some of the language skills to navigate the place, as compared with Malaysia or Vietnam.  With Malaysia, there's a tendency to feel pretty comfortable because most things and people behave the way an Australian would probably expect them to and for a large part, you can fall back on English.  In Nepal, even when there is a good smattering of English, having a phrase here or there can really turn things in your favour (with the exception of the bike incident). 

Politically, not a great deal has changed, at least on the surface.  There is no constitution, what was to be the priority of government outlined during my time there.  The people in many regions are still plagues by power outages and a lack of essential infrastructure.  However, change moves slowly, and having had 7 years away, you can see some things here and there that give you hope.  Street kids were not to be seen anywhere we went in Kathmandu - I'm not sure whether this is a good or bad thing, as they had to go somewhere...

Mr Dahal (also known as "Prachanda the Fierce") is still yelling and shouting whenever you turn on the TV.  I have no doubt that his popularity has waned in the years since I left.  Having fought and "won" an insurgency that he started in 1996, he rose to power while abolishing the monarchy with astounding popularity (August 2008) and then gave it up in a tantrum (May 2009), all in the time I lived there.  All my memories of seeing him or hearing about him were of a man with strong conviction but a fierce temper; although he is no longer Prime Minister, it seems both are still with him.

Kat's first impressions
It was great to see some of the places Rob had told me so much about. (Even if everywhere we walked was either half or double as long as Rob remembered!) I enjoyed seeing him excited at being back and was enthusiastic about putting a picture to the stories I had heard.  I saw where his regular hole-in-the-wall store was that he bought eggs and some of his old hang-outs. Apart from this my first impression of Nepal was not wholly positive. Kathmandu airport is a strange, old place and the Nepali customs man was not altogether welcoming. Then out on the street, the dust and air pollution really irritated my nose at first. Maybe I cannot remember but I did not feel like that in New Delhi, India, despite the fact I think they are comparable in this regard. 

What I did like was mo mo's (actually having them in Nepal!) and one of our first walks through Kathmandu valley to Swayambunath temple. Although the view from the temple was hazy, it was a beautiful structure and nice to watch people doing their morning rituals up there, whether it be prayer, exercises, tea or singing. People were, as always, feeding the monkeys and the puppies also seemed to be 'looked after' in Nepal. Overall it was a good first couple of days before we headed off the mountains, probably my preferred habitat! 

Swayambunath

Dogs dreaming of biscuits at Swayambunath (just wait until they wake up!)

Catching up with/meeting Rob's friends

Shivaratri, Durbar Square and Pashupatinath 

We visited Kathmandu's famous Durbar Square on Maha Shivaratri (Hindu festival celebrating Shiva and the day he married). Krishna had explained that it is a day Nepali Hindu's wish for a good husband or wife (or that they remain good). It was an excellent day to visit Durbar Square because it was alive with people and colour. We sat there for a fair while watching as people queued for the temples, prayed and made offerings. A marching band, an army brigade, matching outfits (not just couples), children playing and the distinctive architecture captured our attention for quite some time. 

We visited the Royal Palace and saw endless exhibits about the last King of Nepal. Some of it was really interesting (parts that showed what was happening in Nepal at the time) and some of it weird (a fake aquarium that looked like a primary school diorama and was apparently owned by King). In the end it got very repetitive as it contained every picture taken of the King, his coin collection, his book collection, etc, etc. This mostly shows how important a figure he is in Nepal, but for us a small portion of the museum was enough. It was great climbing up the tower and looking down at views of Kathmandu. 

Later that evening we attempted to visit Pashupatinath, one of the most sacred temples in Nepal. We barely made it within cooee of the temple. The best we could hope for is to join the masses walking near the temple and watching others in a ginormous queue. (One of the most formal queues ever to grace the city!) Oh and we also paid an absurd price for fairy floss due to the tourist tax (The first guy tried to sell the tiniest fairy floss to us for 300 rupees! That is around AUD$4. We still paid probably 3 times the locals at about AUD$1, which of course was absolutely fine and completely worth every cent!) Even though we did not get to see the temple, it was nice being amongst the festivity. 

One of the day's many colourful queues

Shivaratri at Durbar Square

For sale - outside the temple

Nescafe lady: Why limit such things to sporting events?

Kala Bhairab - god of destruction at Durbar Square 

He stood here for ages

Army marching through Durbar Square

Marching band

Garden of Dreams
A well-known retreat from the dusty streets of Kathmandu is the Garden of Dreams, a walled European style garden with fountains, pavilions and flower beds. Once owned privately, the garden was restored by the Austrian government from the beginning of this millennium. Having paid the entry of Rs. 200 per person (for Non-Nepali), you can visit the cafe or enjoy the atmosphere from the benches or pillows on the grass. We enjoyed a morning and lunch here and it was a nice change of pace.

A retreat from the city: Garden of Dreams

Boudhanath
A highlight of our time in Kathmandu was visiting Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in the world. Rob has visited a few times previously but was keen to go back. We both enjoyed the sensation of walking around the stupa clockwise with a mass of people. (If you walk anti-clockwise you do not gain any merit and also generate negative karma.) The rhythm and movement of the uniform walking and the spinning of prayer wheels made it quite peaceful. It almost became hard to stop walking around. Eventually we stopped for a rooftop tea break and attempted to catch a sunset. (We didn't have must luck on this front whilst in Nepal unfortunately.) 

Boudhanath

Sea of people moving with the current

Hostel we liked: Sister's Guesthouse
We stayed in a few hostels in Kathmandu over the month. Our last one was easily the best because the owner, Biman-Didi, was friendly, welcoming and helpful, the food was great, the wifi and hot water were fairly good and the rooftop was good place to hang out or do yoga. It was right in the thick of Thamel so expect some noise, but if you can handle this, it was a winner. It is also one place you can get the tongba (warm Tibetan beer). One of the only beers I have ever enjoyed. When we left, Biman-Didi presented us with a khata (traditional Tibetan Buddhist scarves) that give you good luck for travelling. 

Dinner with Krishna
Our trekking guide, Krishna, had kindly invited us to dinner with his family towards the end of our stay in Nepal. He lives with his brother, sister-in-law, sister and baby niece. It was great to meet them all and we felt lucky to be invited into their home. His sister-in-law and sister cooked us a delicious dahl baht but did not eat with us and we were already home by 7:30pm!