1. Up at 4.45 for a flight around the Himalayan peaks including Mount Everest, an experience that was truly awesome. We were very lucky to have the clearest of skies, the flight was a delight and the views of the mountains just so beautiful with the early morning sunlight on the peaks. The first photo was taken from the cockpit, the second from the side, rather grubby windows.
2. Kathmandu’s Durbar Square was humming. It is still festival time so there were families in abundance again, the shrines were all decorated with marigolds and there were people chanting, playing bells and singing. Because of the festival, there were few shops open but there were still stalls in the square selling all manner of trinkets and things too heavy to bring home! There are innumerable magnificent medieval temples, pagodas, shrines and pavilions – it’s quite remarkable.
3. We took the most exciting bicycle rickshaw ride to our next place, the huge Swayambhunath stupa. Our driver found the journey hard and from being third in line out of 15, we ended up being last as all the others overtook us and we lost sight of them for a street and a half!
The stupa is one of Nepal’s most sacred Buddhist shrines and beneath the all-seeing eyes and the streamers of prayer flags, there were many pilgrims spinning prayer wheels, murmuring mantras and strolling around the stupa in a clockwise direction.
