Kathmandu and Around
We woke up and helped out in the yard in the morning. Had a little breakfast made by one of the volunteers and began prepping for lunch/dinner for Mama. Finished that up, and headed out for our first trek into Kathmandu!
First stop, Monkey Temple. We walked with Lucy, one of the volunteers who was meeting up with friends, and split off.
Monkeys everywhere. So darn sophisticated, and cerebral those monkeys are. Perhaps, it's because they're viewed as holy. This was one of many sites that was damaged by the 2015 earthquake. The temple itself remains in good condition, but the surrounded steps up to the temple, and some of the buildings around are still being worked on.
We then headed to Thamel. Thamel is about 1.5 miles away, so we had some distance to take on. Thamel is filled with easy going, money spending, and touristy places. Fun to walk around and view. They have a Starbucks'esque coffee shop, travel trekking agencies up the wazzoo, tons of backpacking North Face, Marmot gear, and pizza, burgers, french fries...
We took the walk Lonely Planet told us to take, which took us around some fun local temples. Had an unbelievable lunch at an unmarked restaurant. The guy was serving two things: Momos (dumplings) and chop mein. Both really spicy, and really good. Stopped in to a sweets store, and picked up some local delicacies. Ended the walk at a rooftop cafe over looking Durbar Square, with an espresso.
Took a different way back, and stopped to rest just past the Monkey Temple at Buddha Park. Decided we could make the trek up to Red Monastery, but first stopped at our freshly made small juice stand we stopped at every day. No idea how we made it up, but it was totally worth it.
The monastery was closed, but you can still walk on the property. They have a 360 view of the mountains, sunset, and city. Best part about the visit was the stray dog that popped up randomly, and sat next to Breanne while we overlooked the city. Just one of those moments you wish you could wrap up and keep forever.
