Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Nepal – 2010. We spent our first day in Nepal and several days at the end of the trip in Kathmandu. We stayed at the Hotel Vaishali which was nowhere near as good as its webpage says. It’s in the center of the Thamel district of Kathmandu so it was a good location for shopping and eating. While in Kathmandu we visited a number of temples and took an overnight trip to Bhaktapur and Nagarkot. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city in Nepal. It is in a valley and has nearly a million people, so is very crowded and the traffic is usually chaotic. We were there during the latter part of the Dashain Festival which is very important festival for the Nepalese and is a couple of weeks long. Many shops, restaurants and other services were closed during the latter part of the festival.

A bitch and its’ puppy enjoying the sun

A funeral pyre on the banks or the Bagmati River, near the Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu

A family preparing a body for cremation

Bagmati River, at the Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu. It is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists

Several of the Votive shrines at Pandra Shivalaya, opposite the Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu

Monkey god

A swing erected for the Dashain Festival, Kathmandu

The eyes of Lord Buddha. This is the top or the Boudhanath (or Bodath) Stupa which is the largest stupa in Nepal and is considered the holiest Tibetan Buddhist…