Around the World

We got up at 6:30 and took a taxi to the airport. We got there at 8:00 and mailed our film before checking in. We had some large packages we wanted to send but the post office didn't open till 9:00 am. So we had to carry them on the plane with us. We were sort of stressed from running through the airport tying to catch our plane. We made it in time. During our flight to Kathmandu,we met a man named Eric and his daughter, that were going trekking in Nepal.

When we arrived, we all shared a taxi to Tibet cottages. Eric showed us around town after we got checked in.We had tea with an Indian who sells tea pots. We ate some momos in a small hole in the wall. Then we had dinner together. That evening we checked email at a cyber cafe, and got drenched walking back to our room during a blackout.

Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city of Nepal. The city is situated in Kathmandu Valley that also contains two other cities - Patan and Bhaktapur. The King's Palace stands right next to Thamel - the tourist hub of the country. Thamel consists of two parallel streets just to the west of the palace. The palace is at the head of Durbar Marg, a street lined with various shops. Most of the streets in Kathmandu are named from Nepal Bhasa, owing its origin to the rich Newari Culture and heritage.

Eric got us up early to walk to Boudhanath Stupa. It is nice and cool at 5 am! We saw cows in the streets, hemp plants growing wild, and a lot of old buildings. We had some tea and donuts along the way. The stupa is surrounded by prayer wheels that people were spinning while they did the korra round the stupa. At the top of the stupa were some bright Buddha eyes . This is the largest stupa in Nepal and the rest of the world. Many Tibetans go on pilgrimages to worship here. One man was prostrating (moving only with the arms) around the stupa.

Boudhanath is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Bouddha, Nepal. The Stupa is on the ancient trade route from Tibet which enters the Kathmandu Valley by the village of Sankhu in the northeast corner, passes by Boudhanath Stupa to the ancient and smaller stupa of Cá-bahí (often called 'Little Boudhanath'). It then turns directly south, heading over the Bagmati river to Patan - thus bypassing the main city of Kathmandu. Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many decided to live around Boudhanath. The Stupa is said to entomb the remains of a Kasyapa sage venerable both to Buddhists and Hindus. I am on the far left in the photo above, and Donna on the bottom right. They were a friendly group of Indian tourists that were eager to have a photos with us.

After visiting the stupa we went by a monastery then took a taxi back. Donna and I checked on the embassies for India and Kenya to get visas. We also went to the foreign post office.

Met Eric and Jerne at Mikes Breakfast. Its Eric's birthday. We planned a trip to Bhaktapur for the day. It is an ancient Newar town that has preserved the Nepalese culture. We rode an electric bus from Kathmandu. It cost 300Rp to enter the city. It really warmed up to a hot day in the sun.

Bhaktapur's main square, Durbar Square, houses the 55-window Palace which was constructed by King Bhupatindra Malla and was home to royalty until 1769. It is now a National Gallery. Close by is the Golden Gate which leads into Mulchok Court which is home to the Taleju Temple. This temple, like others in the main towns of the Kathmandu Valley, is dedicated to the goddess Taleju Bhawani and includes shrines to both Taleju Bhawani and Kumari. Entrance to the temple is restricted to Hindus and the living goddess strictly cannot be photographed.

I followed the Lonely Planet walk with a young indian boy named Rainesh, who insisted on being my tour guide. He was studying English and wanted to practice with me. Some of the interesting things I saw were erotic elephants wood carvings, ducks, a headless chicken, a lot of stupas, and children swimming in pools of green water. After I finished my tour with Rainesh, I bought him an English dictionary as a thank you. I explored some shops on my own and saw a wood carver making some dragons and owls. I bought a couple matching set of dragon carvings from him. That evening I was feeling a little ill and rested back at our room.