The Everest flightseeing was optional so after it was over we rejoined those in our group that chose not to do it. We were then off to see the sights of this capital city. First up was the "Monkey Temple" as it is commonly known. As you might expect it's a temple and yep, it was covered with monkeys. They were in the trees, on the side walks, zipping along the railings and rooftops of this large temple. Fortunately they seemed to mind their own business although it certainly was a little strange being surrounded by wild monkeys from babies to adults. Maybe someone has convinced them that humans are sacred just as the Hindu's believe that the monkeys are sacred? The temple was located fairly high up so there was a little bit of climbing involved to get to the top. Once we were up there we had a nice view of the city of Kathmandu which is packed into a fairly small area. We didn't know it at the time but compactness of the city would lead to a little bit of a challenge later in the day.
One of the things we learned from our guide was that Hindu is a religion and Buddhism is a philosophy. We also learned that on guided tours you're going to see your fair share of both Hindu Temples and Buddhist Stupas. Throughout the day we saw plenty of both. We also enjoyed a bit of time in the city of Patan. Other than crossing a small bridge over a muddy river you wouldn't know you had left Kathmandu and were now in the city of Patan. It did have an interesting Royal Palace area that had been converted into a museum that we roamed about for a while. One of the most interesting things we learned about there was the annual animal sacrifice that still takes place. I can't remember all the animals but it included Water Buffalo, Goats, Sheep, Chickens and Ducks. They are brought to the courtyard and sacrificed. There was even a dried Water Buffalo's intestines hanging above a door to ward off the evil spirits. I'm not sure what day of the year this event occurs. I wouldn't want to be around on that day and I'll bet the animals aren't too excited about it either.
As the sun was setting we headed back to the hotel. It was Sunday afternoon about 6:00 PM. In Nepal the work week is Sunday through Friday so we were smack dab in the middle of the afternoon traffic rush which was actually no rush at all. According to google maps the distance from Patan back to the hotel was a little less than five miles. It took us around two and a half hours to cover that distance. I've been in heavy traffic at different times in different places but in my book this was the mother of all traffic jams. The one thing that I'm extremely grateful for was the group we are traveling with on this adventure. We were tired and getting a little antsy but we weren't going to let a little inconvenience ruin the day............real travelers and new found friends!
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| At the Monkey Temple |
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| Kathmandu from the top of the Monkey Temple |
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| Getting water to the top of the temple.......probably around 150 steps |
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| A boy at a temple in Patan. He was chosen to live at the temple for a month. He helps out and calls the locals to prayer everyday at 5:30 by walking the streets ringing a large bell. |
