We arrived yesterday in Kathmandu, and checked in to our hotel in Thamel before exploring on foot. Nepalese traffic is even crazier than I remember,  but we managed to make our way to dinner before heading to the Garden of Dreams…a very picturesque garden in the middle of Kathmandu.

This morning was spent riding up yo Swayambunath…the Monkey Temple, which overlooks the city. After a few nervous starts in the Anna was able to negotiate the narrow windy streets and busy traffic up to the temple.  As its name implied…it is full of monkeys. Hold on to your valuables, we saw one monkey steal candy from a baby girl, leaving her in tears.  That aside, it was well worth the effort,  with a sweeping panorama of the city, framed by prayer flags.

We spent an epic afternoon walking to Pashupatinath. ..one of the holiest sites in Kathmandu,  where many families cremate their dead on open pyres along the banks of the Bagmati River.

We have more exploring tomorrow before meeting up with my host family from 2002, who I stayed with as a medical student.

–Ken and Anna