Now that we’re back and have ahad time to sift through the 500 or so photos I took on our trip, It’s show and tell time!

First up: Kathmandu’s Durbar Square. Situated about 20 minutes walk from our hotel, Durbar Square was a bustling area that may have won the award for more pigeons in per square foot on the planet earth.

(Yes, that’s a cow. There were quite a few of them hanging out in the area unattended. No, I don’t know why)

The architecture of the area was unlike anything we’ve seen in our travels and was quite interesting. As motorcycles, rickshaws and hashish peddlers crowded the area we wandered around taking in perhaps some of the most interesting structures, statues and people we’ve seen. Perhaps one of the larger differences to note between the temples of Kathmandu and the other places we have visited were the use of color and gold (well, gold plating at least).

A few minutes walk from Durbar Square we came across perhaps my favorite place in Kathmandu. It was down a small dusty alleyway and despite the school boys playing a pickup game of football/soccer, it was one of the most peaceful places I’ve found to date. With a stupa in the center of the courtyard and prayer flags connecting the surrounding buildings, this little square provided a calm place to sit and ponder amidst all of the craziness.

As we ventured outside Thamel, the infamous tourist district, we began to see a completely different side of the frenetic Kathmandu we had experienced.

About a half hour walk from Thamel was the temple referred to by most as the Monkey Temple. Overlooking the Kathmandu Valley, the Monkey Temple was a bit of a hike but it was certainly worth it.

The last photo is actually of the a few of the many prayer wheels. Spun only towards the right, the prayer wheels represent the prayers and wishes of the people that spun them. Simple but meaningful, the prayer wheels became a very common sight in our travels.

Tomorrow we head to the jungle.