11 MARCH, 2013 – KATHMANDU SIGHTSEEING

Sightseeing in Kathmandu

Hours after our arrival into Nepal’s capital city, Kathmandu, halfway around the world from Calgary, we were most fortunate to be guided through this fantastically frenetic city by Arjun , an indiviual possessing significant knowledge in the many religions,customs, sculpture and history of the country. We are advised that the city’s population is 4 million. The pulse in the streets, the pace of so many vehicles, the pattern of life here leads you to believe that it is so much more than that. Traffic is thick with the cacophony of constant car horns and the city is alive with sites and smells and temples of every description. To have a guided tour provided by Mega Adventures is something that should be mandatory with all treks having layover time in Kathmandu. We could never have experienced so thoroughly visiting the Monkey Temple (Saymbunath) as well as the ancient enclosure of Patan Pashupatinath and Buddhanath without the succinct details from Arjun .

A Hindu festival was nearing completion and he carefully guided us through a gathering of pilgrims to observe a cremation cermony. Our thanks to our driver, Pharkas who masterfully navigated the streets of the city without a single mishap! A day to well remember.