Kathmandu is now one of my favorite cities in the world. Super chaotic, super rustic, so super charismatic, that I’m in love!😍

A wonderful walk in the area surrounding Durbar Square, distinguished by its narrow alleys crowded with various shops and vendors. Dozens of temples and shrines pepper the area. The ‘architecture’ if you can call it that, is like nothing we’ve ever seen anywhere in the world.
I can’t wait to see more of this mystical place tomorrow.

Everest, the highest peak in our planet. We weren’t about to attempt to climb it of course, but the best next thing is to fly next to it.
Also known as Sagarmāthā in Nepal and Chomolungma in China, Earth’s highest mountain is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level.
We woke up at 4:30 am to go catch our 90 minute flight to the top of the world.
The small propeller plane seats 16 and everyone gets a window seat. During the flight everyone is called one by one to go to the cockpit and get the pilots’ view of the Himalayan Mountain Range and Everest in all it’s splendour.
The mountains next to Everest are huge themselves so the whole range is really breathtaking and nothing short of spectacular.
We had a small celebration here, on top of the world since Nepal is the 40th country we visit together.
I’m not going to lie, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Seeing my boys wide eyed looking out the window at freaking Mount Everest is just crazy y’all!

And that was just our morning outing. Nepal had so much more in store for us…

After the Everest flight we visited UNESCO World Heritage Site- Pashupatinath Temple, the most sacred Hindu place in Nepal. Pashupati is an incarnation of the Hindu god Shiva as “lord of the animals”. He is revered throughout the Hindu world, but especially in Nepal, where he is unofficially regarded as a national deity. The mythology holds that Lord Pashupatinath started living in Nepal in the form of a deer, when he saw the Kathmandu Valley and was overwhelmed by its beauty.
I knew there were rows of crematory ghats or platforms in the complex but I really thought they would be empty. The guy that took our tickets unceremoniously told us: “Go up the balcony so you can see temple” which we obliged. Instead of a temple, the boys and I were hit with the sight of a dead body for the first time in our lives and a dude actually setting it on fire right before our eyes. 🙊 No warning, no time to look away…
Then, another body being prepared by an incredibly rich ceremony, to then be placed in another one of the dozens of platforms next to the river and be lit up. Yup, 2 dead bodies today including full cremation in our itinerary. We have dead body smoke in our clothes. 👍

I’ll tell you what, we went from shock to being mesmerized by the whole thing to talking about the inevitable end of the time ticking beings that we are. The boys were pretty mature about it but nonetheless taken aback by it.

So we saw the top of the world and our first 2 dead bodies (the boys and I since Wayne has seen hundreds… 😕) and it was only 9:30am…

Bruh…I need a beer for breakfast…

So this is what I look like now…
After seeing Everest and dead bodies we went to a Buddhist temple and a monkey temple. A sweet nepalese girl sold me some wool/dread hair ties and told me I looked beautiful. 😍 The boys thought I look like a marihuana smoking hippie mom…😒

Whatevs… when in Rome…

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 1600 year old Bouddhanath stupa is 100 ft in diameter and 141 ft tall. One of the largest and most significant Buddhist monuments in the world. Surrounded by monasteries, shrines, shops and restaurants, it was the perfect spot to finally have breakfast. (I did have an Everest beer for breakfast because… just because).
Then we finished our day at the monkey temple or Swayambhunath stupa.

Both stupas feature a large pair of eyes on each of the four sides which represent Wisdom and Compassion. Above each pair of eyes is another eye, the third eye. It is said that when Buddha preaches, cosmic rays emanate from the third eye which act as messages to heavenly beings, so that those interested can come down to earth to listen to the Buddha. The hellish beings and beings below the human realm cannot come to earth to listen to the Buddha’s teaching, however, the cosmic rays relieve their suffering when Buddha preaches. Between the two eyes (also called Wisdom Eyes), a curly symbol, symbolizing the nose, looks like a question mark, which is a Nepali sign of the number one. This sign represents the unity of all things existing in the world as well as the only path to enlightenment though the teachings of Buddha (Nirvana).

One of the craziest days we’ve ever had and I ended up looking crazy as well. I’m in my element though and I love it!

Morning walk with Wayne. Kathmandu has captured my heart. ❤ There is so much going on at all times that your eyes don’t know where to look. The ancient buildings? The time-stood-still way of living? The chaos and noises? The beautiful people? The gorgeous arts and crafts? The religious ceremonies in every corner? The unbelievable shrines? The animals roaming the streets? The markets full of fresh vegetables and open air laying meats?
The rustic feel is overwhelming and I am in love!
Kathmandu and the surrounding areas are still recovering from the devastating 2015 earthquake. Some shrines and temples are still half destroyed. It is not a dirt cheap destination though. But we know some of this money goes into the restoration of these centuries old treasures. Simply put, Nepal is totally worth it!
Nepal is a place I’m sure I will come back to in the future. The goodness of its people gives me hope and makes me grateful.
Now off to Korea after a short 2 day stop in Kuala Lumpur. Can’t wait to go eat where I ate last year. I’ve been dreaming about it!

Namaste Nepal!