At the start of the Kumari festival, the goddess is taken from her palace in the center of Kathmandu's Durbar Square and paraded through the city streets. The opening ceremonies had been delayed and I had grown tired waiting for her to appear. I moved to the side of the square, away from the palace entrance to relax. It was then I noticed 2 men emerge from an obscure alleyway carrying Kumari. They hustled her to the awaiting chariot at the palace entrance.It was a stroke of pure luck.