Boudhanath and Dinner With the Thapas.

After leaving Awantika at the Mitini offices, Adärsh, Chantale and I got back in the car for the short drive back to Adärsh's office. There, we said our thank you's and goodbye's before Sonam whisked us off to our final sightseeing destination for the day - one of my favorite spots in the Kathmandu Valley - Boudhanath. Like Swayambhunath, Boudhanath is a Tibetan Buddhist stupa.

Lunch With Adärsh, Awantika, and a Visit to Mitini.

From left to right:  Lakshmi Ghalan (founder of Mitini), Awantika, and Chantale.

We had a very nice lunch today with Adärsh and a young woman who works in his office named Awantika.  We met them both at Adärsh's office which is housed in the same building as one of his father's offices. 

Bhaktapur. Part 2.

There's not much I remember about Bhaktapur from my 2007 visit but the one thing that does stick out in my memory is pottery square. But I only recalled it when I saw the sign posted on the wall pointing in the direction of the square. I told Chantale we had to go check it out.

Bhaktapur. Part 1.

Nyatapola Temple, Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

We began our day today with breakfast with the lovely host and hostess of the home we're staying in.  It was quite the spread of food.  I'm certain that Sumina awoke early to help her servant get all the food ready for us.  Bindu was there to keep the conversation going and before we knew it, all the food was gone and it was time for Chantale and I to begin another day of sightseeing in Kathmandu.  On the top of today's itinerary was Bhaktapur.

Kathmandu. Budhanikantha Temple.

The statue of Lord Vishnu in the pool at Budhanikantha Temple.

From Swayambhunath, Sonam drove us to the home of his employer - Arun Ji.  It was rush hour traffic and the already congested roads of Kathmandu are even more congested.  It was another short drive that would take at least 45 minutes!

Stupa on the Hill. Swayambhunath.

From Patan Durbar Square, Sonam drove us to Swayambhunath.  In 2007, I visited Boudhanath on my first day and came here on my second day.  When I suggested that to Bindu, he replied that Swayambhunath is closer to Patan so it's better for us to come here today so that's what we did.

Patan. Kumbeshwor Temple.

After our visit to the Golden Temple, it was time to head to Kumbeshwor Temple which is located a short walk down the same street from the Golden Temple.  Not that I remember this from my previous visit but because the posted signs pointed me that way.  So far, Chantale has just be following me and thankfully, I have a good enough memory to remember the names of these places!

Patan. The Golden Temple.

The Golden Temple was a place that I fell in love with on my 2007 visit to Patan.  I was completely mesmerized by all the beautiful statues and statuettes and carvings that I saw here.  Back then, I had yet to visit any Buddhist temples so I had nothing to compare Kwa Bahal and now, after having visited more Buddhist monasteries, pagodas, and temples than I can easily recall, this place still holds a special place in my travel heart. 

Return to Patan Durbar Square.

Chantale along with a group of local men sitting out front of Patan Museum.

With our meeting with the mayor of Lalitpur out of the way, we could now just focus on seeing the sights of Kathmandu. When I was here in 2007, I fell in love with Patan so on this trip, I decided it was the first place I wanted to take Chantale to visit.

A Meeting With the Mayor of Lalitpur.

It's not everyday that you get to meet an elected official for no reason other than someone thought you should meet them and they went ahead and set up a meeting for you.  That's exactly what happened today.

Back in Kathmandu!

I'm back in Kathmandu!  It's been 9 years since I was first here.  I fell in love with Kathmandu the moment I set foot here and it's been a wish of mine ever since then to one day return.  I had to admit that part of me wanted to come back to see how the place has been since the devastating earthquake in 2015.  I will found out shortly.

Packing List. India and Nepal.

Our suitcases are in those sacks!

On my first adventure trip, which was to Peru in 2006, I was traveling with a backpack. Fully packed, it weighed just under 8 kilos. By the time I went to Mali in Senegal in September 2010, I had decided to switch over to wheeled luggage so I bought an Eagle Creek wheeled duffle that I still use to day. I love that suitcase!  Considering how many countries I have dragged that thing through, it has last incredibly well.

India and Nepal. A Happy Return.

Hemis Festival.
(Photo by rajkumar1220. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) license).

My first trip to India and Nepal was back in 2007.  I had signed up for a 10 day overland tour of Tibet.  The starting point was Kathmandu, Nepal.  In researching flight options to Kathmandu, I came across flights leaving from Delhi.  That got me thinking that I could tack on a few days at the front end of my trip to visit Delhi and of course, Agra.  I also added a couple of days to Kathmandu so I could explore the city both ahead and after the tour.