19.07.09 Touring Kathmandu

In the morning we met our tour guide for the day and started our tour from the Pashupatinath Hindu temple. Non-Hindus are not allowed to go into Hindu temples, so non-Hindus are allowed to see the temple from the other side of the river that flows next to the temple on one side. On the side where foreigners were allowed, were the cremation platforms and we actually saw a cremation ceremony when we were there. Quite special.

Pashupatinath temple

From Pashupatinath, we went to a Buddhist Stupa, called Boudhanath. It is one of the largest in the world and like Pashupatinath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After the stupa we went to Swayambhunath, also known as the Monkey Temple, due to the holy monkeys living there. The temple is on top of a hill (lots of stairs!) and you can see Kathmandu very nicely from there. There are also the statues of the five different Buddhas there, as we learned. Due to this trip, I think I might be starting to understand something about Buddhism, but it's still very confusing with all the different Buddhas and everything.

Boudhanath

I was starting to get hungry from all the sightseeing, so it was time to go to the last place of the day, the Durbar Square (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and have lunch there. After lunch, we walked around the Square which is filled with all different kinds of small temples. In the end we went to see the living goddess, Kumari, who appears at her window for few seconds twice every day. The Kumari is a young girl who is chosen by a special family from certain families, and she lives in a house in Durbar Square until she reaches puberty. After that a new Kumari is chosen and the old one can do what she wants. The Kumari can not leave her house, but her family can come and visit her.

Kumari's house

After the sightseeing, we went to buy some CDs and have tea with our guide. I had agreed to go shopping with a friend from our tour group, so our guide drove me to my friends hostel with his motorcycle. I met her there and we agreed to meet at my hotel in half an hour. Then back on the bike, get my parents and then to the hotel. We managed to do a little shopping and then it was time for dinner with some more people from our tour group.