Sights and Activities
Below are the places we saw and activities completed while visiting the Nepal:
Kathmandu
Chaotic, busy, colorful, loud, alive are all adjectives that describe this city full of hidden courtyards, temples in every corner, and squares with vegetable vendors, cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, and cows!
Below are some of the more memorable ones:
Kathesimbhu Stupa: this Tibetan stupa is a small copy the great Swayambhunath complex.
Asan Tole: this tole, or square/street, is jammed with vegetable and spice vendors. It’s the busiest square in the city and contains Annapurna Temple, a Ganesh shrine, and a Narayan shrine.
Seto Machhendranath Temple: a temple that attracts both Buddhists and Hindus. The age of the temple is unknown, but it was restored during the 17th century.
Durbar Square: the heart of the city that houses many courtyards, temples, and other traditional architecture, including: Maju Deval, Shiva-Pavarti Temple, Kumari Bahal, Bhagwati Temple, Jagganath Temple, Taleju Temple, Hanuman Dhoka, Tribhuvan Museum, and Basantapur (Kathmandu) Tower
Patan: we took a day trip to this peaceful Kathmandu-adjacent city and walked around visiting temples, courtyards, and a museum. Some of the noted places include: Sulima Square, Pim Bahal Pokhari Pond, Chandeswari Temple, Lokakirti Mahavihar, Nyakhuchowk Bahal, Golden Temple, Kumbeshwar Temple, Kali Temple, mazes of interconnecting courtyards, Haka Bahal, and the beautiful Durbar Square with many temples and the Royal Palace which houses the interesting Patan Museum. During our walk, in the Haka Bahal courtyard, we got the awkward opportunity to visit the Kumari (living goddess) cult where we stepped into a room where a girl, the living goddess no older than 12 years old, gave us a “blessing” by putting a red dot on our foreheads.
Swayambhunath: the Unesco World Heritage Site is mobbed by monkeys and soars above the city on a lofty hilltop. The compound is centered on a gleaming white stupa, topped by a gilded spire painted with the eyes of the Buddha. The hike uphill to this stupa also gives great views of the Kathmandu Valley.
Everest Base Camp Trek
We had an adventurous time during our 13-day trek to see the “top of the world.” We flew into Lukla airport, the most dangerous airport in the world, to get our first glimpse of the jaw dropping Himalayan Range. The entire trip was full of excitement as we passed great mountain and river landscapes, Tibetan monasteries, chances to meet the Sherpa people, and even had a minor setback when Sal got sick. Be sure to read more about this great journey in our article.
Pokhara
Phewa Tal Lake: we took several nice strolls around Nepal’s second largest lake with great views of the surrounding forest and mountains
Sarangkot: woke up early to see the sunrise and the spectacular view of the Annapurna Himalaya Range. The Himalayan peaks include: Dhaulagiri (8167m or 26,795ft), Machhapuchhare or Fish Tail (6997m or 22,956ft), and the rounded peak of Annapurna II (7937m or 26,040ft).
World Peace Pagoda: took a hike through rice fields and a hilly forest to reach this pagoda, constructed by Buddhist monks from the Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji organization to promote world peace. On our way there, we met a 15-year-old local, Rajan, that guided us to the top. After taking in all the great views of Pokhrara and Phewa Tal Lake, we decided to return via a shorter route and cross the lake by a rowboat.
Lumbini
Maya Devi Temple: this temple sits on the site of the birth of the Buddha. We viewed a marking inside where it is believed the birth took place. The sacred pond beside the temple is thought to be where Maya Devi, Buddha’s mother, bathed before giving birth to the Buddha.
Lumbini Museum: this museum is devoted to the life of the Buddha, with artifacts and photos from Buddhist sites around the world.
