First full day in Kathmandu

We have received such a warm and joyous welcome in Kathmandu.  Jiban Ghimire and his entire staff have been absolutely fantastic.  We couldn't have asked for a better operation to partner with us on this journey.

Swayambhunath Stupa (AKA Monkey Temple)  was an amazing place, 365 steps to the top of the temple symbolizes a year of prayers for the Buddhist faiful.  

Always circle clock-wise to spin the prayer wheels as you pass by.

Yep, there is a major pollution problem, that hazy stuff which is everywhere is  being cleaned up but not quickly enough.

There are more motorcycles and scooters than cars on the road.  It is crazy watching traffic move around, never saw any accidents but it looks like things are in a constant state of near mass traffic crash.

We went to the large, main Hindi temple and saw cremations happening.  It's a very strange culture on this point.  Immediately upon death the body is prepared for the cremation ceremony and then the body is burned.  The remaining ashes are put into the river next to the cremation.

And yes, there are cows wandering the streets unabated.  This one was just hanging out on a pedestrian bridge next to the cremations.

I saw vendors selling raw meat just laying open like this.  There were flies all over the place and the cuts of meat were just laying out on a board. 

Next stop was the area known as Little Tibet where most of the Tibetan refuges live.  It was a very Buddhist area and lots of neat shops and stuff all surrounding a temple.

We went into a Tibetan art school and got to watch and learn how students create amazing Buddhist art paintings.

Lastly our host company, Shangri-La Nepal Trekking, gave us a great kickoff at the Yak and Yeti hotel in Kathmandu.