We knew we'd arrived in Kathmandu when we felt the crisp, cool air on our skin and saw the taxi touts awaiting us outside the airport doors. We grabbed a taxi ticket to avoid the throng, and arrived at our hostel Trekkers Home late at night after a short bumpy ride. We'd both been to Kathmandu on separate occasions, but nothing could prepare us the following morning for the noisy, dusty chaos that is Thamel, the tourist district. The traffic seems to follow no logical course apart from the constant beeping of horns, so you need to have your wits about you when crossing the street. We took respite from the sensory overload with a delicious and ridiculously cheap breakfast ($4 for both our meals + coffee) and spent the rest of the day mainly recovering from jet lag. The next day we set out for the ancient Newari city of Bhaktapur, which was the capital of Nepal during the 'Malla Kindgom' up until the second half of the 15th century. It is the third largest city in Nepal, with 80,000 people still living there today. Many of the temples, and the main Durbar square district were destroyed or badly damaged in the 2015 earthquake, along with many of the original Newari residential buildings. Despite this, as we strolled through the winding, dusty streets, it was great to see most of the city still standing as it has for hundreds of years, a 'living museum'. It was also heartening to see reconstruction efforts underway to repair many of the damaged structures. The cultural life of the city is also well preserved. Passing through one of the city's many squares we came across clay pots drying in the sun, artisans selling theirs wares, and a masked dancer with crowd gathered around. Bhaktapur provides a rich glimpse into medieval life and architecture in the Kathmandu valley.
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We've spent the past two days in Kuala Lumpur, where we had a planned layover. We arrived at our hotel in Petaling, Chinatown at around 8:00pm and after a short rest we set out into the thick of the markets to seek out some dinner. We decided on a popular restaurant called Kim Liam Kee, known for its speciality, 'Hokkien Mee' cooked over hot coals. It also happens to be one of the oldest restaurants in Petaling St. The thick noodles covered in sticky black soy sauce didn't look particularly appetising at first glance, but they were surprisingly delicious washed down with some Tiger beer. The next day we set out to see Petronas towers and the central city. Two things that were apparent riding the train to Kualar Lumpur Central was the amount of greenery throughout the city juxtaposed with with a myriad of construction sites. I hope the amount of development occurring doesn't ruin the unique feeling the city has that you've stepped into a tropical rainforest. We spent some time strolling through KLCC park and admiring the twin towers from several vantage points before making our way to Low Yat, a multi-storey electronics super store. Confronted with all kinds of tech and IT gadgetry, we wandered up and down the escalators for several hours until we eventually found everything on our list. From Low Yat we walked back to China town and wandered around the street stalls in search of dinner. We settled on a place with all kinds of different skewers that you could pick out and then boil in water at your table. I chose fish balls, tofu, and what I thought appeared to be chicken. I was wrong. As soon as I put the skewer into the boiling water, the 'chicken' unravelled and revealed itself to be some kind of coral? Seaweed? Oh no, wait, lungs! I was loathe to try them but we'd already paid for them so I thought I should try at least one. The verdict? Basically tasteless, with a chewy, gristley texture...I didn't have any more. The day after we had a few hours to kill before our flight later in the afternoon so we ventured out to see the Botanic gardens. According to the map they were fairly close to where we were staying, but a long, sweltering walk in the sticky heat proved otherwise. We passed the national mosque along the way, with its intricate Islamic motifs and spectacular turquoise tiled roof. By the time we reached the gardens, we barely had time to spend in the orchid garden before heading back to catch the train to the airport. Next stop Kathmandu, where we'll be spending a few days before catching the bus to Pokhara. Bye for now, Michi After many months of planning, we've finally embarked on our 5 month tour of Asia. That is, myself and my boyfriend Bede who is accompanying me on my Parker Fellowship journey. What is the Parker Fellowship? It is a travelling scholarship offered annually by the University of Newcastle, which offers a student the opportunity to pursue a personally significant programme of international study revolving around an area of architectural research.
The primary aim of my trip is to investigate vernacular (traditional) housing across a range of climactic regions in Asia in order to gain a greater understanding of passive design and how we might design houses in Australia that are better adapted to our local environs. Over the next five months, we will be travelling to Nepal, India, Vietnam, China, and Japan in order to investigate local examples of traditional housing, and the materials and methods by which they are constructed. I will be updating this blog regularly as well as documenting my process through sketching and photography as we go. Feel free to subscribe, I look forward to sharing my journey with you! |
AuthorMichi Playford - 4th Year Master of Architecture student at The University of Newcastle ArchivesCategories |