Monkey Temple

Hey! I start my placement today and move in with my family, so this may be the first time I get to post for a while.

Yesterday, was an eventful day. I walked around the city for a while, and while I was walking a Nepali guy about my age started talking to me. He told me he was studying to be a Buddhist Monk and offered to show me around the city a bit. I only had a few hours, but I decided to go for it. We were constantly in very busy touristy areas, so I wasn't concerned. We went to this temple which most people refer to as the Monkey Temple because there are lots of wild monkeys there. The guy, who's name was Krishnan, was very knowledgeable and took me to a few places tourists normally can't go. He spoke to a woman praying in a Hindu shrine, and she blessed us with good luck by putting a dot of red/orange stuff from the shrine on our foreheads. We also got to see a prayer service in progress in a Buddhist temple (after climbing 260 some steps!!). He seemed to know everyone there. I started to put an offering into the collection box, but he stopped me and asked if I would buy some coffee and milk instead and he would bring it to his monastery. I guess I should have smelled something fishy then, but I didn't... I guess I was being the trusting and slightly naive optimist that I am...

Long story short, he wanted me to buy about $50 worth of coffee and milk!! I refused and he started arguing with me. I told him I didn't have enough money and had to get back. I finally gave him $20 to get him off my back and because I figured that I'd gotten a really good tour out of the deal. For some reason, I was still believing the studying to be a monk thing too and I thought maybe some of it would go to the monastary. As I walked away, I realized how stupid I'd been and got angry at myself. There's no way that guy was studying Buddhism because how many Buddhists are greedy swindlers. I still feel really dumb, but I've learned my lesson. Since then, three or four other Nepali's have started chatting with me and one of them even used Krishnan's opening line which was "I can name the capital of any country. try me." So, oh well, what's done is done.

But to balance things out, I later walked into a music shop I'd been eyeing all day. The shopkeeper promised he was not like other Nepali shopkeepers and wouldn't try to force me to buy anything. He showed me a bunch of traditional Nepali instruments and played them for me. I was there for about 45 minutes. He claimed that his were the best quality in town. I'd seem some other shops with Nepali instruments, and as a musician, I can verify that his were definitely TOP quality. They were gorgeous! I told him I'd come back at the end of my trip so that I wouldn't have to lug them around for two months. He told me it was fine, and he was just glad to make me happy. He said it was nice to play for another musician, because he could see I appreciated his music. I'm definitely going to go back and buy one of his "singing bowls," which are absolutely gorgeous, and also his CD. Let me tell you, that place was an ethnomusicologist's paradise!

So all in all, I'm going to view it as a really fantastic day! So what that I got swindeled in the process. At least it makes a good story and now I'll know better... But I'm definitely more wary of friendly Nepalese...

Oh and a funny note, I've been asked about five times now, "So that Obama guy is your new Prime Minister, right?" NO one in Nepal has heard of John McCain, and everyone loves Obama. Big surprise.

Also, one of my books had a really interesting quote. The author said it was Lawrence Conway's definition of the word "serendipity." It was: Looking for something, finding something else, and realizing that what you've found is more suitable to your needs than what you were originally looking for. I'm hoping that will be the theme of my trip.

Also, I just posted some pictures of my day at the Monkey Temple on photobucket.com. Here's the link: http://s376.photobucket.com/albums/oo204/veganoboist/

Peace out!