Temples, a Stupa, and those Familiar Bells

Our second day back in the Kathmandu area took us to Patan. The receptionist at our guesthouse told us how to get there on the bus... it sounded quite easy. We walked to the southern edge of town and worked out which bus went to Patan by simply asking. Now, the flaw in our logic appeared when we got on a bus that the conductor said did not go to Patan... but the elderly man in the front seat said it did.... in future we will listen to the conductor. We got off the bus after about 40 minutes when it veered in the wrong direction. Thanks to Andy's map reading skills, we were able to walk the last 1.5 miles and actually found it, and it was worth it!

Here was a square chock full of ancient Hindu temples to various Gods, a royal palace, and a busy market. There was also a large water conduit/pool where we saw many containers lined up and locals waiting to fill with their daily water. Imagine having to do that every day because you didn't have running water. When we approached the Vishwanath temple, we were told we could go in, and it was awesome! Up at the top of the stairs was a bright red Shiva and others as well... the color was outstanding. As a side note, it is always lovely to be in a country where people aren't afraid to use bright colors. We finished up our Patan visit with a visit to the museum... learned loads about Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal.

Today we went to Pashupatinath, Nepal's most important Hindu temple on the holy Bagmati River. We arrived by bus successfully this time! It was a humbling experience as, besides the amazing temple structures, we witnessed a cremation ritual from start to finish.

We next walked through the deer park, where Shiva is said to have once frollicked as a golden deer, to Bodhnath, the most important Buddhist stupa in Nepal. It is said to possibly contain a bone of the Buddha. Colorful prayer flags flapped in the breeze overhead as we circled the stupa, spinning the prayer wheels (147 niches contain 4-5 wheels each.. that's a lot of spinning... we needed a nice sit down and a Coca Cola after that!). We met a lama and later paid a visit to his monastery, Tsamchen Gompa. Andy lit butter lamps here before our walk and bus journey (again successful) back to Bhaktapur.

And so this marks our last night in Nepal. Feelings are mixed. We feel ready to go home but also reluctant to leave the rich culture here we've come to love. Though it will be nice to sleep past 4am without interruption, we are going to miss the sound of the early morning worshippers ringing the temple bells as part of their daily devotionals. Nevertheless, tickets are purchased, and plans are made, and tomorrow night we begin the journey back to North America (with a brief visit to Hong Kong on the way).

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"The critical question becomes whether you're more committed to remaining where you are or to where you want to be." (Marcia Wieder)