Durbar Square Part I

In those days, we needed to go to the Nepal Bank office at the upper main road to do our banking transactions. One goes to the darkish corner of the Foreign Exchange counter, where your request slip is recorded painstakingly in longhand in an enormous ledger, its length the width of the counter. Then the ledger was sent to another counter where again some recording is done, and checked with the slip. These are sent by a topied messenger to the back of the bank, after which you would get your cash or slip after about 20 minutes or so. That would be an excellent space to go outside, turn right to go to the fresh produce market, buy giant cauliflower, beans, potatoes, naspati (a native pear, hard as a rock) or tired mangoes from the Terai. A couple of cows would slowly meander through the market, and are not shooed away by the vendors but are offered choice bits of vegetables, as they depart.

Or take in a pizza slice at California Pizza, with the large brick oven at the entrance (they have moved to Thamel since). Or perhaps stock up on fragrant Darjeeling tea or South Indian coffee beans from the Keralawallahs who specialize only in these beverages. Probably the Kathmandu Cold Storage would have some seafish from Calcutta (now Kolkata) but buyer beware: no one knows the condition of the well-travelled fish before these where placed on the long and short gauge train and truck. Their buff meat was good, and we chop it ourselves for making Bolognese sauce while the fat, gristle and bones were favorites of our Lhasas.

Or go on to the pocket sized park in front of the Bank, and read Rising Nepal with the pages stapled onto boards for everyone to view. The local version was also on boards side by side. I am sure the commentaries from the readers in the areas would be quite interesting except that my Nepali was so basic I could only judge them by their body language and the number of tsk tsks as they read articles, following their reading with their fingers.

The Chinese goods shop of National Trading was also situated here, with its stock of cotton and corduroy fabric, bicyles ("Phoenix" brand) and parts, the Everest of thermos jugs, blankets, harmonicas, white flower menthol liquid, rubber boots and white rabbit caramel candy.

Kathmandu itself is said to be named after Kasthamandap, an imposing pagoda near Hanuman Dhoka Palace. One is never jaded with the overwhelming monuments in the area, falling under the spell of the religious and cultural life of the area, as well as its commercial aspects. (end of Part I)