Narayanhiti Palace

As yesterday (Friday) was the first day of the month in the Nepal calender, Dr Yogendra invited Yan and I to attend a temple with him and his father, as is their habit. This was not one that would be found in any guide books - a small temple in the tradition Newar village of Boudmath (spelt phonetically!)  We arose early in the morning, and there are some photos below:

Dr Yogendra with the Kumari - a 'living Goddess'

Women light votive candles in front of large prayer wheel

Dr Yogendra with his father in front of the stupa

After time for breakfast, we headed to the hospital, intending to go to surgical outpatients. After waiting a while with no one there, we decided to go to ENT outpatients instead (we later found out the surgeons were just running late!). Here I saw a couple of cases of acute otitis media, lots of mumps, various neck swellings (ranging from abscesses to ?TB), and out course ears being syringed!

Mumps is quite rare in the UK, although increasingly it is being seen amongst 'Hampstead wives' who refuse to have darling little Johnny vaccinated with that dreaded MMR vaccine if it might cause Austism (there is now extensive research, but NO evidence to suggest this is the case). Anyway, I digress. Mumps seems to be quite common here, and can (rarely) cause lots of other infections, such as pancreatitis, myocarditis, and orchiditis. We saw a girl with evidence of pancreatitis (her amylase >1000) as a result. Unfortunately there is no treatment though (hence the MMR), although glycerol was applied to a bandage and stuck to their cheeks, which apparently helps with the swelling and hence pain.

Today (Saturday) saw me once again return to the back of Dr Yogendra's motorbike for a visit to two of his free clinics he works at in the community. The first one was based in the nun's section of a Tibetan Monestry (unfortunately my camera batteries ran out so I have no pictures of this place), and the second was based in his own community (where you may recall I observed a large meal before). I saw lots of cases of diabetes, hypertension, angina and chest infections. I consulted my Oxford handbook for the angina case, which he admired then used to prove to the patients relative why they should be on 75mg aspirin. I also asked if they were on a statin, to which he thanked me, and added it to their treatment list! One small part, but it's nice to feel useful occasionally!

On the way back, we stopped briefly to look at these celebrations for the children who have just finished their year 10 exams (before they start college).

Narayanhiti Palace

This afternoon, I visited the Narayanhiti Palace. Photography inside was forbidden, but there were still some interesting things to see.

The building was completed in 1969, as the previous ones were demolished and flattened by earthquake. Since Nepal has become a republic (the Maoist government dissolved the Monarchy in 2008), it has become a museum.

On 1st June 2001, the Crown Prince Direndra gunned down 10 royals, including his father (the King) and his mother, before taking the gun to himself. The King was incredibly popular, and there was mass grieving in the streets, as the nation declared 13 days of mourning. No one will ever be exactly sure of his motives, but the common belief is that he was drunk, and got into a rage at his parents disapproval of the woman he wanted to marry. The Royal Massacre occurred not in the main building of the palace, but in a building called Tribhuvan Sadan in the grounds. This was raised shortly after the incident, but when you are walking around the palace you can see the now foot-high walls and small arrows mark the points where the King was shot and the Prince's body were found. Given that the deaths were only so recent, this area has the unnerving feel of a crime scene. After the Kings unpopular brother took the throne, which probably led to the dissolution of the monarchy and the political instability ever since - there have been 9 governments in 10 years. Currently there is a hung parliament, and despite seven attempts at creating a government, the situation remains unresolved).

Elsewhere in the tranquil gardens, surrounded by high fencing and many trees to keep out the noise are the ingenious 'revolving shade' (ghumneghar), which is a room on a revolving axis, and several ponds and fountains - a stark difference to the rest of Kathmandu.

Inside the palace was well preserved, and the tour takes you to the great banqueting hall, guest rooms for visiting heads of state, etc. I also saw a photo taken of the King of Nepal with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on their visit to Nepal in 1986.