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| Boudhnath |
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| Monks praying in the square. We seemed to have walked in on a special day. |
Bhakatpur is a beautiful ancient city that doesn't need to modernize. Barely any cars, temples are just part of the street, and villagers are happy, working, kids walking home alone, infants cared for by their 4 year old sister, fruits for sale on the sidewalk.
You can live like a king in Nepal, but unlike India there isn't some place specializing in luxury. In India. You could get 5 star treatment for a fifth of the price you would pay in a suburb, but in Nepal, luxury consists of a room with a shower, unless you choose to go outside of the city to one of the spa getaways. Blue horizon hotel is a city centric with incredible staff and restaurant, but while the room is spartan and comforter quite old, it is comfortable. There is a bucket in the bathtub for filling with hot water and scrubbing, for when hot water is too limited to shower. A massive change from the deluxe suites we spent the last week in.
Monkey temple- when I first read about this place, I was already excited. These places with wild animals have always taken on a mythical status, but here, the villages seemed to barely acknowledge the hundreds of monkeys climbing over everything. They crawled on the Buddha statues, sat atop the highest stupa in Nepal, while the morning workers wiped away the monkey piss with long mops. The monkeys were domestic enough to eat from your hand, but my attempts to get a monkey on my shoulder or arm were not successful. The monkeys will get close enough to grab and pull back immediately. Some will eat directly out of your hand if the prize is right. Baby monkeys are too scared and will accept a cookie piece, but dare not get within arms length. A temple visit I'll never forget.
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| De-Evolution |
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| The view from our hotel in Pokhara |
