Namaste

I made a mistake in that I deleted my pictures from my camera before posting them on the blog. I downloaded them on my computer so I will have put them up at a later date.  

I got in the evening of the seventh and Basically just got dinner and went to bed. The next morning I got up early and walked to Darbar square. This is an area with a lot temples, shrines and stupas. People come to worship. On my way to the square I really enjoyed grabbing some fresh orange juice and some fry bread and watching people go about there business people carry huge loads sometimes bigger than they are using baskets that rest on their back with a strap that runs across their foreheads. It's impressive to say the least. People here still very much dress traditionally. Which would be similar to what I would think of people india. In the square there are people selling various goods. Some sell flowers for worship and others vegetables. It was really cool to see how a heritage site is still used locally and hasn't just been turned into a tourist stop. The streets are narrow with the buildings tall on either side. It seems like only streets cut through them. My favorite part of the city is occasionally you will get the small hallways that take you between building. When you walk back into them they open up there really cool courtyard areas. These would usually contain a stupa or a shrine of some sort. I went to one that was really large and had a stupa and there were kids playing badminton. 

After that I went to the monkey temple. This temple sits on top of a hill that overlooks the city. Really cool views. I met a guy who showed me around and explained some of the legend and symbolism surrounding the temple. The temple had 365 steps coming up to it. There are lots on symbolism representing the elements. 

On my way down I met a local napali guy who helped me with getting the permits I needs for trekking. Then he took me to the white none start which was incredible. The views were really amazing. The temple was busy but mostly with locals. It might stay odd the radar due to it being down some sketchy potholed roads and the fact that it's only open on Saturday. After that it wads off to another temple. This one a huge white stupa. It was really beautiful. Really bummed I can't post some pictures. I think they were some of my favorite of the trip up to this point. 

I bought all my trekking gear and figured out what I needed to do to get to besi Sarah where the trek begins. I am on the bus now. I will get there in the afternoon and see how far I want to go. 

I really loved my time in Kathmandu. I look forward to getting back there and seeing more of the sites.