9 July, Action-Man, Kathmandu
Mountains surround Kahtmandu on all sides. Huge clouds and thick fog settle and shift on the peaks The city itself reminds me of a West African capital--busy, dirty and struggling. But Kathmandu is cooler than West Africa and the green mountains give it inviting warmth. And the Hindu shrines and priests and Brahmin priestesses in red provide color. But brick, I think, adds the most to this city. Huge, cone-shaped brick kilns tower in the valleys and piles of clay bricks everywhere wait to give a classy exterior look to shoddy concrete buildings.
Kathmandu is also full of alcohol advertisements, painted on the walls of houses and shops. These beers appear: San Miguel, Tuborg Gold, Iceberg, Tiger, and Oranjeboom. And I see these whiskeys with their mottos: Bagppiper ("Nepals' largest , world's no. 3), Kingfisher Premium ("King of good times") Playboy ("Play safe, drink safe"), and Gill Marry ("More joy, more happiness"), Caravan ("A good friend in hard times").
Kathmandu is dirty, too. Cows roam and defecate. Temple goats and wild monkeys and dogs make their own mess. But the real culprits are humans, littering and spitting and urinating in public spaces. Humans neglect sewage and water drainage, road and building maintenance. Humans neglect the cows and dogs. I know what Paul meant when he wrote, "Creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed?" Creation is eagerly waiting for people to step up, take care of it and cherish it. Its greatest hope for good stewardship is in the sons of God. And we are the children of God.
Finally, yesterday, Yogya led us to a Buddhist temple. On both sides of a dirty river were shrines and idols. All the worshippers had gloomy faces. Families burned the bodies of loved ones on pyres by the river. I saw feet and heads through the flames and logs. Nearby, monkeys gathered and quarreled. They're nasty animals! They pick at each others' orifices and gnaw each others' tails. I saw a melon fall from the top of a tall tree. When it hit the ground, it burst. The monkeys screamed and feverishly took pieces for themselves betweeen their little fingers. What an insult to say that we came from such brutes!
Sam
Kathmandu is also full of alcohol advertisements, painted on the walls of houses and shops. These beers appear: San Miguel, Tuborg Gold, Iceberg, Tiger, and Oranjeboom. And I see these whiskeys with their mottos: Bagppiper ("Nepals' largest , world's no. 3), Kingfisher Premium ("King of good times") Playboy ("Play safe, drink safe"), and Gill Marry ("More joy, more happiness"), Caravan ("A good friend in hard times").
Kathmandu is dirty, too. Cows roam and defecate. Temple goats and wild monkeys and dogs make their own mess. But the real culprits are humans, littering and spitting and urinating in public spaces. Humans neglect sewage and water drainage, road and building maintenance. Humans neglect the cows and dogs. I know what Paul meant when he wrote, "Creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed?" Creation is eagerly waiting for people to step up, take care of it and cherish it. Its greatest hope for good stewardship is in the sons of God. And we are the children of God.
Finally, yesterday, Yogya led us to a Buddhist temple. On both sides of a dirty river were shrines and idols. All the worshippers had gloomy faces. Families burned the bodies of loved ones on pyres by the river. I saw feet and heads through the flames and logs. Nearby, monkeys gathered and quarreled. They're nasty animals! They pick at each others' orifices and gnaw each others' tails. I saw a melon fall from the top of a tall tree. When it hit the ground, it burst. The monkeys screamed and feverishly took pieces for themselves betweeen their little fingers. What an insult to say that we came from such brutes!
Sam
posted by Unknown at 7:03 AM
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