Last days in Kathmandu

These last days are very nice and relaxing. Wake at sunrise ( of course), hotel breakfast, relax and read ( loving my Kindle thanks Tom and Kate), then venture out to a different coffee shop for second breakfast!  Yes any weight that I lost on my trek is now being rapidly replaced via yummy banana and apple pancakes!

The Hotel Holy Himalaya is really nice, clean and quiet, tucked into a little back street. I get to see the sunrise and the moon rise which is lovely.

Also it must be vegie planting time because suddenly there has been a flurry of activity in the vacant block. Not sure whey their is a soldier on the wall to the next building, but he was very interested in the planting to.

Walked west, away from old town, past the abandoned Royal palace, which is slowly being turned into a museum. It was very overgrown but you could see how majestic it had once been. In 2001 the Crown Prince murdered 10 members of the Royal family, including the King and Queen, his brother and sister, and himself. Many Nepalis believe it was actually the evil uncle who orchestrated it, as he wanted to be king himself. He became king and the .Maoists then began to rebel, with. Nepal becoming a republic in 2008.

And amazingly everywhere you go there are shrines, many of them thousands of years old. Its like a living museum, and everyone seems to pray and worship all the time.

Swayambhunath, the Buddhist temple

Well I must be getting my eye in because I was able to walk the couple of kms and back to this amazing shrine without getting lost, and with much less fear and trepidation! Its sort of like a Magic Eye puzzle, I'm now starting to be able to distinguish and remember landmarks, which is a great relief.

Swayambhunath sits high on a hill to the west of Thamel, the part of Kathmandu where I am staying. You can see it for miles off, and there are just throngs of people, locals and tourists, going there. It is both Buddhist and Hindu, and centres around a gleaming white dome or stupa.

On the way I got caught up walking with a group of about 20 women and children, all in red, going to pray. They were lovely and chatted to me for quiet a while. The story goes that Kathmandu was once a lake and this hill arose from the lake, hence the name Swayambhunath means self arisen.They have records of activity here as early as 460 AD!

When you arrive at the bottom of the hill there are beautiful, brightly painted Buddhas in all sorts of poses ( oh and also heaps of hawkers trying to sell you things!)

You enter via this amazing steep stone pilgrims stairway, built in the 17th century by the King.  I didnt mind the stairs, was more worried about getting past the gang of Macaque monkeys who ride the hand rails and will mob anyone who they think has food!

As you arrive panting at the top of the stairs the dome and all the prayer flags come into view.

In front of the dome, blocking the stairs, is the great thundebolt, or vajra, which symbolizes enlightenment  and destroys ignorance!

Prayer flags which look amazing, and are their to carry the prayers from the wheels below to heaven.

Butter lamps are lit and given as offerings

Prayer wheels run all around the stupa. You rotate in a clockwise direction, touching each one. I did a circuit so anyone who reads this should know that they were blessed.  They are all engraved with Om mani padme hum Most of the women visiting were in red sari's, this is the symbol of power and the Goddess, remembering that Dashain is just over.

Many many smaller statues surround the main stupa

The dome is topped by four faces of Buddha that face the four cardinal points.  The squiggle which we take as the nose is really the Nepali number one, for unity, and above the eyes is the third eye showing insight. This is the original depiction, which is copied and replicated all over Kathmandu Valley.

Moosie and I once we had finished our prayers

An amazing place to visit, and so nice to see people with such deep beliefs.

Durbar Square, Kathmandu

Found out that “kath” means cut wood, and “mandu” city, so it’s the city of buildings made from wood (most mountain places are made of stone).

Feeling good, Kathmandu is quieter as it’s the last day of Dashain Festival, so I braved the walk from Thamel to Durbar Square. Its only about 1.5 km but takes time and a lot of deep breaths.  Oh and did I mention that it is so polluted here that my throat is sore within 5 mins?  But all good, it was an amazing day!

So many deities, Gods, statues, holy symbols and people intent on their personal worship.

This is a temple to Annapurna, goddess of Abundance. You place a butter lamp in exchange for a blessing.

Three religion temples, where Hinduism, Buddhism and some other one I can’t remember are all worshiped.

The level of detailed, ornate carving, metal work and stone on every surface is amazing

Pretty rickshaws (they are my plan B if I get lost)

Holy men (who charge for photos if they catch you taking one)

 Durbar Square is a UNESCO world heritage listed sight, and contains many wooden building built in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, some even older.  This is where kings were crowned.

Cows, always cows!

This bell rings to ward off evil

There are two lion statues at most temple steps, one for blessing and one for protection

Necklaces of flowers which bestow blessings on you ( I think!)

 Moosie sought out some protection

Many of the temples are three tiered and have intricate ( and sometimes very erotic) carvings on them.  People climb then steps and just sit and watch the world go by

Sorry but I don't love the monkeys, you must never put food in your back pack or they are all over you!  Yikes!!

Its a 15 day festival so flowers and food everywhere

I walked through the culinary alleys where they sell food, and also every pot and pan you could imagine

Food vendors are often on bikes

And every sort of fruit, vegie, spice, bean, grain and condiment was on sale

I became obsessed with all the pretty colored and carved doors

Very glad that I ventured out, had a young Nepali boy walk with me and tell me about what we saw, to practice his English he said, and of course I was to pay him or buy food. I quiet enjoyed the explanation, then just told him I wanted quiet time and gave him some Rupee. He was much less pushy than the grown men who want to guide you in the Square, when I said I needed quiet he just headed off.

Leaving Pokhara

Since my tummy stopped being so bad I Have been the very hungry caterpillar. This is Banana Fritters with Chocolate Sauce. I have no words!!

I have spent the days just walking different parts of the shore of Phewa Tal, it is just so beautiful

As I wander I see the local ladies collecting these loads of grasses on public lands, I think to feed chickens, goats and water buffalo.

Love this pimped bus

For my final morning the mountains were perfectly clear

Air Buddha was on time and I watched the Himalayas run on forever out my window