Kathmandu Wakes Up, Patan and Swayambhunath

On Friday October 26th we started our day early at 0530 so we could observe the city waking up.  We went to the heart of Kathmandu’s old town and spent a few hours walking around the streets, through Durbar Square and the Hanuman Dhaka Temple complex.  It was absolutely fascinating.  The streets were alive with vendors of every kind.  As the stores themselves do not open until 10 or 11 people from the country or out lying areas bring their produce or meat and spices into the city and spread it out on the pavement for sale. Others are selling clothes, purses household goods,etc.  People are sitting around in groups drinking coffee and eating.  Bikes and tuk tuks weave through the crowds.  It is sort of an organized mayhem.  A policeman who was stationed to watch over stood on the corner reading a book.  On our walk about we visited the home of the living Goddess.  In Kathmandu each of the three city area has a Living Goddess and has had for centuries.  I had read about this before we went on this journey so I was particularly interested to visit this home though of course one does not get to see the Goddess herself.  The other thing I found interesting was how many people were out cleaning up the mounds of garbage that had accumulated on the streets.  Even though many of the streets are dirt and things are very dusty they are doing their best to keep things as clean as possible.

We then visited Patan which is known as the city of fine arts and along with Kathmandu and Bhaktapur make up the three cities of the Kathmandu valley though they all run together now and are only separated by a bridge.  Patan is a center for artists and craftsmen and is known for its fine metalwork.  We visited the palace square where part of the palace has been turned into a wonderful museum which offered an excellent introduction to the Buddhist and Hindu art and religion of Nepal.  While there we saw a wonderful Buddha of compassion which we both loved and luckily our guide Yam helped us find one that was made in Patan that will forever remind us of our wonderful journey to this unique part of the world.

Our last stop was at Swayambhunath which is a 2500 year old shrine located on the top of a hill in Kathmandu.  First of all the panoramic views of the city were spectacular and made one realize just how large the city is.  This shrine is unique as it a mix of both Buddhist and Hindu worship and is a place they both worship in harmony further demonstrating the acceptance of religious freedom in Nepal.  This shrine is also known as the monkey temple as hundreds of monkeys live on the hill and can be seen playing amongst the shrines.  A Buddhist stupa is in the center of the shrine but there are also prominent Hindu shrines as well.

Our last evening in Kathmandu we had a lovely cocktail party followed by a farewell dinner.  Two weeks have flown by as we say goodbye to new found friends and countries. It has been an amazing adventure and I still am in awe that we have actually stood at Everest base camp.  We have experienced cultures like we have never seen and are richer for it.  How blessed we are to learn through travel.  Looking forward to the next adventure!

Old monk sitting counting donations 

The home of the Living Goddess 

All means of transportation 

Fruit seller in the early morning market. All the produce looked wonderful 

Don’t know what was in the sacks but he had a full load

Sharing breakfast while getting ready for the day

This picture is for Tiffany as I know how much she loves birds. The people sitting on the ground are selling grain to feed to the birds.

Part of the temple complex

Mostly undamaged this temple stood tall amid some in ruins

People set up where ever they could 

Marigolds were the flower of choice with an abundance of different vegetables 

Even fresh fish was up for sale

Some set up cooking stalls and offered hot food.  The smells were wonderful 

By 10am all of this will be gone and the permanent merchants will be open for business and then it will start again early the next morning

Pagoda in the center of Patan

Temple complex in Patan

Lady waiting for some sewing business 

Cooking on the side of the street

Golden door entrance to the palace


Buddha of compassion 

The local laundromat.  This one is self service

Restoration work going on in Patan

View of Kathmandu from Swayambhunath



One of the Hindu shrines

This monkey was regarding us rather seriously 

Main stupa in the background surrounded by dozens of smaller ones

A couple of tourists posing for the camera

Our last look at Everest and the Himalayas as we flew out of Kathmandu 

Kathmandu, Pashupatinath, Bhaktapur and Bodhnath.

Today October 25th we started touring the incredibly interesting city of Kathmandu.  Home to almost 3 million people it is the political and cultural capital of Nepal.  With evidence showing that it dates back to as early as 50 AD it is a diverse mix of faiths and beliefs.  The population is 80% Hindu but all faiths are readily accepted.  The city is a sprawling mix of tiny shops and high rise apartments with a constant mass of people going about their business.  Nepal was hit with a devastating earthquake in 2015 and many of their temples and palaces as well as Haines were destroyed or badly damaged but as a country they are doing an amazing job of restoration to the sites that are important to the people and to tourism as tourism is a major part of their economy.

Our first visit was to the Pashupatinath which is the oldest Hindu temple in Nepal dating from the 5th century and one of the most important Hindu temples in South Asia.  The temple itself is very sacred and is only allowed to be entered by Hindus.  It is a huge site bisected by the Bagmati River which is considered to be a holy river by the Hindu people.  There are dozens of smaller buildings scattered around the site as well as the main temple.  Devout Hindus  from all over India and Nepal come here as they near the end of their lives as they believe that if  they die on the grounds of the Temple they will come back to the earth in human form.  It is also at the temple grounds where all the cremations in Kathmandu are carried out daily. It is the Hindu belief that the body must be cremated within 24 hours so family and friends bring the deceased to the temple and after sprinkling the flower covered body with holy water from the river the cremation takes place on one of the many platforms along the river bank.  While we were there we witnessed four ceremonies going on in various stages.  So very different from what we are used to but to them a part of their life.

We then went to visit Bhaktapur which was built in the 9th century and is Kathmandu Valleys most medieval city. The people of this area are known for their skill in wood working and it is very evident in the beautiful wooden windows and latticework.  Luckily many of these intricately carved windows survived the earthquake.  Walking through the palace square and the narrow side streets was so interesting.  Between the buildings, the wares for sale and the people there was so much to take in.  Like in so many 3rd world countries there were hawkers trying to sell you things but here they had big smiles and were so sweet about it that it was not annoying like it can sometimes be.

We went for lunch at the restaurant that the family of our guide Yam owned.  Eric and I had high hopes for a good local meal but alas it was not to be.  The menu looked like something from south of the border.  Most of our travelling companions were thrilled to order a hamburger but not what we wanted in Nepal.

We rounded off the day with a visit to Bodnath which is is the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal and for Tibetans the holiest one in Kathmandu.  This is their gathering place since they left Tibet in great numbers in 1959 after the Chinese invasion and many come here three times a day to circle the stupa and pray.  The Stupa is 40 meters tall and from the air looks like a giant Mandela.  All around the stupa are a variety of shops and restaurants so was a great place to spend some time and browse and people watch.

In Kathmandu small stores are on the bottom level and apartments are on the upper floors. Only the wealthy live in houses.

These gentlemen are called sadhus and are yogis who live in caves in the area of the temple.  They spend their time meditating and are very tourist friendly as they try and make money by having their pictures taken with the tourists.

There are numerous astrologers and holy men along the river bank that people can consult with

Here we can see three bodies ready for cremation with one being washed at the river.  All the women will leave before the actual cremation takes place.

Dozens of small buildings of worship are spread around the temple complex

The holy river.  The round platforms on the left are for animal sacrifice and the ones on the right for cremation 

The procession to the cremation 

This lady was anointing herself with holy water from the river. Some actually went right in and some children were playing in the river.  To us it looked so polluted that we would go no where near especially knowing what goes into it everyday

Even on the palace grounds laundry must get done

The hectic streets of the city

No space is wasted with some stores even below street level

The bathes in Kathmandu used to be communal and many still remain though they are no longer in use

Rice is a very important crop and in many parts of the city you would see it spread out drying.  It was funny to be walking down a street and come across this

Some of the buildings that are still standing in the palace complex

A gent patiently waiting to make and sell some soup

Building totally made of wood

One of the pieces that has bee restored since the earthquake 

Extensive renovation work is going on all over Kathmandu.

The Golden gate entrance to the palace

The palace square is large and a gathering place for tourists and locals both.

The wood carving and lattice work is exquisite 

The alleyways are narrow and alive with small shops selling all kinds of wares

Just strolling down the lanes is entertaining in itself 

The buildings are varied in their structure and it is amazing more did not fall during the quake

Potters square has existed for hundreds of years and today is still the center of pottery in the city

A lady doin her laundry right in the middle of the city 

A potter at work 

Amazing that this temple survived intact

These incense burners are all over the city so worshipers can light their incense .  Lots of locals were barefoot 

Quite the backpack 

Looking over the roofs of the city

The Bodhnath.  It felt like those eyes which were on all four sides were watching you.

The stores and restaurants were in a circular build around the stupa.  As everyone walks clockwise around the stupa as is traditional it was very pleasant strolling.

This multi generational family was trying to sell some trinkets to passerby’s