Neighbours and festivals

Last week I was hobbling on my crutches back to the flat and I saw a small dog running straight towards me dragging a long chain. I got talking to a lady who owned the runaway and she invited me in to her garden for chya  ( nepali sweet, spiced tea) and cell roti ( circular bread made by piping the dough into boiling hot oil).

 She was the wife of a gurkha soldier and we swapped news about our respective families. I had never met her before but this is typical of the hospitality of the nepali people. As I left she even cut a large mewa (papaya) from her tree as a parting gift. Here is a photo of her with her much loved runaway.
This week the traffic between our flat and the office has often been at a standstill. This is because of the big festival of the rato machendranath (red chariot) which is built every year in the Patan area of Kathmandu where we live. This bizarre structure has a wooden frame bound with jungle vines and  houses the golden idol which usually resides in the main temple. During the festival the chariot is pulled through the streets by teams of men. It is so tall that the power lines have to be turned off for the festival and if it topples over dire things are predicted to happen. If it successfully completes its route it is believed that much needed rain will come. In the picture you can see the man dressed in white atop the enormous structure putting the finishing touches to the pennants on the top.