Final days in Kathmandu

Our time in Nepal was already a thrilling experience, a mixture of adrenalin sports and exposure to a whole new culture. After our return from the Bungy jump, we began to look forward to some of the landmarks and sights of Kathmandu again. First place to go to the Boudhanath.

Even the taxi over to Boudha introduced a new perspective on the treatment of cows. Having lived a significant portion of my life in rural somerset, seeing cows is a pretty common sight to me. Although I have never seen one dictate traffic by simply refusing to move. The predominantly Hindi majority place great reverence towards these animals and was  a high contrast to how we perceive cows in Britain, Seeing a cow position itself freely in the middle of the road and the drivers negotiating around the animal was not unexpected, but still a nice surprise on our journey.

The Boudhanath Stupa was again festooned in the iconic prayer flags and featured the famous eyes of buddha. Boudhanath is one of the most popular and important buddhists sites in Nepal, there was no shortage of Monks here. You are even able to walk on top of the stupa, making sure you do so clockwise. There are also numerous shops, restaurants and hotels located around the square, meaning plenty of opportunities to pick up some food or a souvenir. Boudhanath is a grand and spiritual place, just as swayambhunath. I think overall I preferred Swayambhunath, mainly due to its views of the valleys and of course its resident rhesus monkeys. Boudhanath is still a must do in Kathmandu and walking around the Stupa and spinning the prayer wheels is a great experience.

That night we got the privilege of seeing an epic thunderstorm. Watching from our rooftop garden in Thamel, we were treated to spectacular lightning seldom seen in the U.K. I have always enjoyed a good thunderstorm and this one didn't disappoint. Moreover, the weather the following day was blue skies and pleasant temperatures. In essence the perfect day to visit the garden of dreams. The gardens are close to Thamel and have been helped maintain by the Austrian government. It seemed a strangle collaboration, but did not detract from the gardens. The various elephant statues, ponds full of gold fish and exotic flowers created a peaceful environment to simply sit back and relax. Amazingly you could not even hear the chaotic traffic outside of the gardens walls.After a few hectic days in both Nepal and Egypt, the gardens were great just to sit back and relax. unfortunately the weather turned on us later, so we treated back to Thamel for some dinner and more shopping. I  managed to get a good price on a singing bowl, I had been seeking one for quite some time.

Our final day in Kathmandu and also in Nepal, and we decided to go to Durbar Square. The square is filled with an assortment of temples and palaces. The museum in particular gave great insight into the history of Nepal. The square was another highlight and even the stray dags seemed to be enjoying their surroundings

The architecture in Durbar Square was outstanding and is worth a visit, to simply learn more about Nepali culture and History. Now there was just the walk back to the guesthouse, and we stumbled across another smaller Buddhist temple. The ubiquitous flags adorned the place and some of the local children were playing some football. For me this was an example of a city, where you can take one turn and be lead to something unexpected and magnificent.

My only regret about my visit to Nepal was I wish it were longer. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and feel more educated and cultured than before I came out here. Seeing the country where Buddhism began alongside its spectacular architecture and natural surrounding was truly special. We spent the majority of our time in Kathmandu and did not get to see as much of the country that we would have liked. However this does have the added bonus that we will have to come back to this magnificent country and do one of its famous hiking trails. Visiting Pokhara, the lowlands and the Himalayas will have to wait until I return here, so for now I will remember my own time here and fondly reminisce about this country. Nepal did have one final send off for us, on the plane to our next destination, we did get to witness the Himalaya mountain range from the plane., serving as further enticement back to this mystic and exciting land.