My last day in Nepal...

I had one more Buddhist Temple to visit, Swayambhunath, situated on the top of the hill in West Kathmandu.  It is also known as the "Monkey" Temple because of the large tribe of monkeys protecting it.  This is the most ancient and enigmatic of all the Holy shrines in the Kathmandu Valley with historical records found on stone inscriptions that the stupa was already an important Buddhist pilgrimage destination by the 5th century AD.    I felt honored to do the same as those centuries before me.

Looking down at all the prayer flags


I said goodbye to my companions, Rishi and Lock

This was my last visit and headed back to the hotel for another shower and change of clothes for the very long journey home...I will treasure the memories of all of the special places and people I encountered on this journey but I am ready to go home and tackle my new life.  I have an apartment full of boxes awaiting me and I will be more open to what the universe has in store for me after this incredible journey.

A Better Day

After the doctor visit, I drank hot water with lemon juice to break the fever and help the congestion. After a fitful six hours, the fever broke and I was able to get some sleep.  I skipped the morning site seeing but did go out in the afternoon (no rain) and experienced  three burials at the Crematorium Temple on the outskirts of the city.  In the Hindu faith, they must be cremated within 8 hours so "death vans", white Land Rovers are circling the city 24/7 to pick up the dead and take them to the nearest crematorium temples.  The family gathers and watching the funeral pyre and it is released into the river to be re-incarnated.



Awaiting the body

Being released and ready for reincarnation

I felt like I had been reincarnated into my old self because I had energy to shop after this temple visit at a wonderful store called "Crafts with a Conscience". I bought several gifts and a purse for myself and all but 15% of the purchase went to the women who produced the goods. It made me feel good to spend money!

Dashain

Dishain began on Wednesday and the first day of the 15 day festival worshipping Durga, the Goddess of Power.  There will be many animal sacrifices during the festival and everyone travels to their ancestral home to celebrate with family and community. There is a five day government holiday and 15 day school holiday.  This meant much less traffic on the road for my journey to Bhaktapur.  This is a 12th century town on the eastern edge of the Kathmandu Valley.  It is s "living heritage" because it has been preserved as a UNESCO world heritage site with cobbled stone streets, temples and exquisite artwork.  Bertoluccin choose this as the site for filming "Little Buddha".

Cobbled streets

I was getting sicker by the day and finally needed to go back to the hotel and see a physician. I was most concerned for my trip home on Friday and needed something for the cough and chest cold due to the monsoons.