It’s Nepal. If there’s a hill, there’s probably a temple, or a stupa, or a destination atop it. If there’s a monkey, there are probably more monkeys. Combine them and you have what we often refer to as “the monkey temple,” more properly the Swayambhunath Stupa in Nepal.
It’s a great morning destination if you need to get your step count. It’s a cardio workout if you take the stairs at speed. Or you can join the group that does stretching and various calisthenics up top. Or pray. Or consider the world around you.
For us, the temple was about a 45 minute walk from our hotel (which, I remind you, was right near Kathmandu Durbar Square). The walk out was pleasant, with enough incline to warm you up, but not so much to leave you panting, until the time that you start the actual climb.
The climb, though. Yikes. It’s a lot of “up,” all in a row.
But you can interrupt your hill-climb at any point “to take pictures.” Sure, sure, it’s only the photo ops that make you want a break. But the pictures are sure cute:
The climb, though, is not so cute unless you’ve been training. So slow down, and take in the scenery. Afterall, the prayer flags are abundant, and the statuary colorful. You’ve got a lot to keep you distracted
The view at the top is a mix of the splendid and the surprising. “Go to Kathmandu and see the varieties of exercise” wasn’t actually on my what-to-expect-while-traveling list, but then, that’s why we travel; to see how people live their lives.
We were there in monsoon season, and rain can bring rainbows.
Did I mention rain? Yeah, there was some serious monsoon rain. Back at “home” near Durbar square, we decided to hang out inside one afternoon to let the squall pass.
Another time, we didn’t plan so well, and had the opportunity to wring out our clothes. Like doing laundry, but without the soap. Or the washing machine. Just water from the sky.
In all, the experiences of Kathmandu were quite compelling. As a close to today’s post, I wanted to share one more clip, this from the city proper. While out for a morning stroll (and birding amble), I did actually catch part of the morning prayers – sacred singing, by ordinary people, going about their business, in the early morning start-of-day. I respect the grounding in the sacred, even though it’s not my practice.
