This weekend we had the opportunity to
go off on our own and explore the Kathmandu area. Some of us went to the spa
and others traveled to Jhamel for a relaxing dinner. Sunday we had the opportunity
to go on a local tour to a variety of temples and stupa’s. The first stop we
made was at the Boudananth Stupa. We were given the opportunity to visit a school
of art. Many of us were able to purchase some of the amazing art that the students
and teachers have completed over the years. We then were given the opportunity
to go to the top of the Monastery and view the stupa. After learning about the
Buddhist religion we then proceed to Pashupatinath. We were able to walk around
the outside of the Hindu temple and witnessed a variety of different Hindu
traditions. Our last stop was at Bhaktapur, Nepal. We visited four different
squares. From our amazing tour guide we learned that each square includes
water, a temple, a rest house, bell, statue of the king, and a palace. As we
walked around the Bhaktapur area we witnessed some of the devastating destruction
that was caused by the earthquake. Although the earthquake destroyed many
temples the people of Bhaktapur and the volunteers have done a great job
preserving the ancient architecture. Also, we were able to see a variety of
different cultural practices that still exist today that include pottery and
farming. Nepal has very rich cultural influences and our tour really helped a
lot of us put context to what we have been seeing the last couple of weeks.
The top the of Monastery with the Boudanath Stupa in the background.
Local wildlife at Pashupatinath
Overlooking the Pashupatinath
Entrance of Bhaktapur
Standing in front of the five tiered temple (India
influence)
This is a 500 year old window carving of a peacock
on the side of a palace.
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