Katmandu

Kathmandu: 11/3-8/07
Nepal

We stopped in Kathmandu for a few days on our way from Tibet to Bali... didn't do much there except eat and sleep and eat and morning yoga and eat and shop and eat. After the basic and bland food of Tibet, and the MSG loaded food of China, the complex tastes and fresh ingredients of Nepali food were heavenly. Here are some photos of our daily walks through this incense smelling, crowded, eye catching, and very interesting town:

Afternoon skies over the Durbar Square in the central city

The crowded streets of the old town. Wonderful smells of food and shops selling all sorts of interesting things. Midday. A man selling birds walking around the Durbar square.

Women selling flowers, given as offerings at the many shrines, on the street corner.

Many places along the streets are small doorways that lead into large open squares. These places are filled with stupas, sculptures, and shrines. Walking through town is like walking through an unorganized dispersed museum... with pieces dating from thousands of year ago up to the present.

It all seems to work somehow... the open and chaotic ways of the city and people are everywhere, but it all flows in peaceful energy.

In a large square between two narrow streets ladies dry and sift their basmati rice.

Men playing chess on the street.Stupas are everywhere, often squished between buildings. Kids use these areas as parks and play areas (even some cricket games).Pigeons rule the streets! It doesn't help that these ladies love to feed them!