I was so excited to land in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was 7 am when I landed. It took me nearly an hour to get out. At the gate, there was RAM holding a board of my name. He shook hands with me and carried my luggage asking me to follow him.
There was a car waiting for me. RAM drove me to my hotel and carried all my stuff to my room. It was a nice room. I took a shower. I was expecting a jet lag after the long flight. But was it the magic of Kathmandu that got me fresh and fine?
I had to buy trekking poles for my trek. So, I decided to walk out of the hotel and shop. I went to some shops near Thamel where I could find all the trekking gears. At one of the shops, I bought my trekking poles and knee caps. (i wasn’t thinking of buying it, but I was convinced that it will ease my trek without occupying more space in my backpack)
I went into a restaurant nearby where I ordered my pizza and a drink. I returned to my hotel and stayed there scrolling my mobile screen until it was the evening time.
I googled some places in Kathmandu where I could visit. And there was a long list. I took a taxi and visited Boudhanath stupa. It was the largest Buddhist Stupa in the country. The place was crowded, yet something was very calm and beautiful about the place.
I looked at the Stupa from a window of a restaurant on its premise. It looked so beautiful! After emptying my cup of coffee, I walked to find a taxi again. I asked the driver to take me to the Pashupatinath Temple.
“ The dead is dead, and the living has to live”
If you are visiting Pashupatinath, be prepared for burning bodies. Cremation in Pashupatinath was a new thing for me. I sat and watched the religious burning rituals at Pashupatinath Temple. There were lots of people, some who were crying for the deads, some who were burning the dead for a living, the kids who were jumping into polluted Bagmati to find some coins, some who were carrying a bundle of garland and selling them.
After visiting the Pashupatinath temple, I planned to go to the Kathmandu Durbar Square. It was also called the “Hanuman Dhoka”. (There was a statue of Hanuman, a monkey god in front of the gate to the palace.) There was the palace, a huge statue of “Kal Vairabha”, Kumaru Ghar where living goddess Kumari lives, and many temples built in pagoda styles.
After the visit, I went into a restaurant and ordered my dinner. After having dinner, I went back to my hotel for a good sleep.
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