After arriving in Kathmandu late at night, I was awoken by the honking of horns and the revving of motorbikes. A couple of days of exploration were ahead! I hit the streets and was amazed at how narrow they were. Pedestrians, motorbikes, rickshaws, cars and people selling all sorts of crafts share the road space... hence the constant honking.
I took a taxi up to the 'Monkey Temple' which is very aptly named. It was feeding time, so the local family of macaques were racing around eating the grain and frolicking around the place. Prayer flags festooned the trees and buildings with their blue, yellow, green, red and white colours swaying in the breeze.
The views of the Kathmandu Valley were stunning.
I met the group that evening and we are a great mix of Aussies and Poms. I'm looking forward to spending the next 16 days with them!
Next stop was the sacrd Hindu temple where many Hindus come to make their funeral pyres and then put the ashes into the water. It was fascinating to watch. Even more fascinating are the Sidhus (?sp) who are Hindu religious men. However, they don't appear to study Hinduism or do any 'good deeds'... they just sit around in their amazing oranged robes and painted faces, demanding money for pictures and smoking dope! Apparently it is illegal to buy or sell dope in Nepal, but smoking it is ok!
Nepal is a wonderful country and I'd love to spend more time here. The people are very poor and there is massive unemployment, but they are just so happy and welcoming. The dogs and cattle roam the streets in absolute peace and the Hindus and Buddhists have a very harmonious relationship.
