Our next stop was one of my favorites for the day…..a Tibetan Refugee camp where they were weaving rugs….from scratch!!!
When we entered, we were bombarded by the whirring of spinning wheels being worked around the room……
Here is the view around the room…..
You can check out the full speed version here…..
We walked into the warehouse where the completed rugs are stored and were very much interested in purchasing one. However, we felt that it would have disrupted the group tour if we had stopped to make a purchase, so we left it. But I am sure that we will regret that decision before it is all over!!!
Back into the tour bus (which had a huge “TOURIST” sign on the front), and down the road.
Traffic on the road was once again slow as more and more vehicles were running out of fuel. Buses, however, were crowded to the gills with people hanging out of doors, windows and even sitting on top…..
Our final stop for the day was to Swayambhunath, also known as the Monkey Temple…..atop a hill on the West side of Kathmandu. It is a Buddhist temple, although it is revered by Hindus as well. It also is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The color of each flag represents a type of prayer and the flags are always displayed in the same order….Blue (space), White (air), Red (fire), Green (water), and Yellow (earth).
The second thing that we noticed were the monkeys, including this Mama who moved down to the fountain for a quick drink…..
This was the main Stupa on the premise although there were numerous smaller worship areas as well……
I love the Buddha eyes and nose painted on the spire.
This white tower is one of two Anantapur shrines, however the other one was destroyed in the April 25th earthquake.
This is all that is left of that tower…..
One of the temples was dedicated to a Goddess who could protect children from Smallpox and many parents used to bring their families there.
My ever watchful husband found this enchanting design in one of the sidewalks…..
One of the other group members pointed out these small sculptures located at the very top of the roofs, apparently decorating the drainage pipes.
….SO much attention to details!!!
On the drive away from the temple I noticed two interesting shop names….. an Aquarium store called “Wet Pets” and a KFC (Kwality Food Center)!!
As we traipsed up the hill returning to our hotel, we encountered a herd of goats heading down the mountain….
Life is SO hard for many of these people…..
We returned to find dinner preparation fully in swing with the fresh ingredients for Momos (Dumplings) displayed proudly in the kitchen…
After dinner, we headed to bed, excited about starting our Trek tomorrow!!!