Back in Kathmandu

 

Once back in Kathmandu we had a tour of important religious and historical sites.

Patan Dunbar Square located in the center of Lalitpur City just outside Kathmandu

 

Many of the current structures date back to the 17th century, though the area dates back to the 6th century.

 

The Golden Temple of Kathmandu.

The head monk of this Buddist temple can be no more than 12 years old.  Local  families via for the honor.  Once chosen the monk serves for one month and can not leave the temple during that time.  This young monk looks about ready to leave.

Temple statues

Monkey statue and prayer wheels.

Buddist "Thousand Lights" offering

Buddist Offerings

Wedding ceremony

We had a "singing bowl" demonstration

They are hand-made from 7 different types of metal.  When struck with a mallet they have a tonal vibration that is reported to cure many physical ailments.  Such as headaches.

Backaches

They come in all sizes, each with different vibrations for different uses.

No we did not buy any.

Swayambhunath Religious Complex also known as the Monkey Temple.

"Budda Eyes" also know as Wisdom Eyes face out in four directions to symbolize the all-seeing omniscience of Budda.

Over 400 steps lead up to the site.

Panoramic view of Kathmandu from the Temple complex.

Holy Temple monkeys roam about freely.

Prayer wheels are spun clockwise to accumulate "good karma" and expel "bad karma"

Shrine

Buddist monk pray room

Stupa (a Buddist symbol of enlightenment) with prayer flags

Shrine

Back on the streets of Kathmandu vegatable vendors offer fresh produce.

Nepalese delivery truck

Our next stop Paro, Bhutan



Pokhara, Nepal

Once the fog lifted we were back in the air for a short flight to Pokhara, Nepal.

 

The Himalayan range marks the northern border of Nepal with Tibet/China.

The section of the Himalaya's near Pokhara is called the Annapurna's which contains the 10th highest mountain in the world Annapurna 1 at 26,545 feet.

On our flight there was a passenger in fine cultural costume.  There was a large crowd awaiting his arrival.  We were informed he was a important religious figure.

Our local tour guide gave us a quick tour of Pokhara after arriving.  The first stop was at his home.

We met his lovely family.  They had a neat yet simple residence by our standards.

He was particularly proud of their newly installed biogas system, replacing bottled propane.
Their biogas is produced on-site utilizing manure and organic waste.

We next stopped at Devi's Fall.

Not exactly Niagra, but a tourist attraction for Pokhara.  During rainy season though the water level is reported to be up to and occasionally over the blue railing.

Being a neighbor to Tibet, Nepal has a fairly large Tibetian refugee community.
One of their means of support in Pokhara is producing yarn and weaving various products.

Human powered transportation is common in Nepal.

Nepalese pickup truck.

We then took a canoe ride on Lake Phewa, the second largest lake in Nepal.

Human powered motor boats.

Our destination was Barahi Island Temple.

We stayed at the Fish Tail Lodge located on Lake Phewa.
Access to the lodge is by human powered pontoon ferry.

The ferry operates 24/7.

The Fish Tail Lodge is noted for having had dignataries from many countries stay here.
Including President Jimmy Carter and Prince Charles.

We stayed in room 19 two doors down from the room President Carter and Prince Charles stayed in.

Nice view of Lake Phewa.

The next morning we were up early for a hike to view the Annapurna Range at sunrise.

Annapurna Range above Pokhara Valley at sunrise.  Annapurna 1 is the mountain on the left.

The peak in the center, which looks a lot like the Matterhorn in Switzerland, is Machapuchare "Fish Tail" Mountain.  Elevation 22,943 feet.  It is considered a sacred mountain and has never been "officially" climbed.

After our sunrise hike it was back to Kathmandu.