Kathmandu

I've made it safely back to Korea after two amazing weeks in Nepal and India.  I'd really like to share some of my thoughts and photos about my trip, but I have so many of both that it may take a bit of time.  I'll piece together some of my journal entries, emails, facebook posts and see what I come up with.  So I'll start from the very beginning, I've heard it's a very good place to start.

After many many flights, (Seoul to Taipai to Bangkok to Delhi to Kathmandu--all to save $500, and actually it was kind of worth it) I arrived in Kathmandu.

Kathmandu is unlike any city I've ever been to.  It appears to be one chaotic mess.  I got a taxi from the airport to my hotel.  The taxi driver let another random guy hitch a ride part of the way.  These guys were very friendly, I chatted with them for awhile.  The driver said he thought most Americans were very quiet and unfriendly but he was happy that I liked to talk.  I didn't see that I had much choice when they were firing a barrage of questions my way.  As the driver was chatting with me he was effectively avoiding cows, school children, buses, and garbage in the road.  When it comes to driving in Nepal, the rules are there are no rules.  (Except that you should blare your horn loudly and frequently.)  

I met my group at the hotel.  Overall they were a great group of people and I was lucky to get to know them over the two weeks.  My roommate was a Londoner named Olivia.  We had a lot of random fun throughout the trip and I was fortunate to be placed with her.  Although anyone on my trip would have made a great roommate.  

On our first day of sightseeing in Kathmandu we visited holy Buddhist and Hindu places.  

Monkeys just hang out in Nepal and India.  Here's a mama and a baby.
Cows also just hang out in Nepal.  Traffic doesn't stop for much else, but it stops for cows.

The holy Hindu place (sorry I forget the name and am too lazy to look it up right now).

An aerial view of a holy man.

Sneaky monkeys.

Hindu people come to this river because it is considered holy.  

Woman in a sari.

They also cremate people at this river.  Not sure if there is an actual body in there or if they're just stoking the fire in preparation.

Some dye.

Nepali schoolchildren.  So cute!

A Buddhist monk doing some drawing.

The Buddhist temple.  The prayer flags are yellow, green, red, white, blue and represent earth, water, fire, cloud (air), and sky respectively.

The Buddhist temple from the front.  Buddha is watching.

Anna Rickert Minnesota