Namaste Nepal!

I arrived in Kathmandu on the 28th and, through some sort of divine intervention - Hindu or otherwise - I'm staying at Dwarika's, the most gorgeous hotel in the city.

The founder, Dwarika Das Shrestha was jogging around Kathmandu back in the 50s and saw an old building being torn down. The intricately carved wordwork of the Newari tradition was going to be used as firewood - so he bought the carpentars freshly cut lumber and saved the centuries old pillar. Until his death in the 90s he, essentially, ran around Kathmandu saving the artwork that was being destroyed to make way for more modern buildings.

The Courtyard

Dwarika's hotel is built in the style of "Old Nepal," right down to the tapered glued bricks, and houses all of the carvings that Mr. Shrestha save. There's even a workshop where Nepali carpenters are trained to create wood carvings in the old style, to fill in missing pieces and build additions. In the evenings birds fly in and out of the rafters, and there are dancers and musicians playing traditional Nepali music in the courtyard. Totally zen.

The view from my room

Tonight I'm heading to check out one of the temples and hope to have some good photos for my next post. I'm thinking of everyone often! Namaste!