Kathmandu - Gateway to Heaven

Can I come, huh? Packed and ready to go. I took a backpack and duffle bag. A kit bag was provided by the trekking guide for our trip into the Himalayas.

Arrival at Kathmandu's International Airport on a 777-200. Yes, Airbuses can carry heaps of people, but they do tend to crash an awful lot.

The largest Buddha stuppa in Nepal. It is customary to move clockwise around stuppas and prayer poles and, likewise, to spin prayer wheels deosil.

Brightly-coloured prayer flags flapping at the stuppa. The colours represent water, Earth, air, fire, and iron. See note below about quality of the photos.

Monks studying at the stuppa. They were as interested in us, as us in them.

Teaching prayers to passing children. This photo was taken on the steps of the stuppa.

Hindu funeral pyres. Bodies burn for several hours and are then thrown into the sacred river. On the other side of the bridge there are altars for the cremation of members of the royal family.

Eleven doorways. This seemed to be part of an old Hindu temple. We were not permitted to enter some of the temples.

Entrance to Durbar Square. The traffic in Kathmandu is suicidal and this picture doesn't quite convey that sense of madness on the streets.

The sacred Peepal Tree in Durbar Square. Homeless people sometimes live under the tree.

Everest premium lager beer was created in 2003 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first successful summit expedition on Mt Everest. The label depicts Tenzing Norgay. Everest beer comes in 750ml bottles and it is advisable to remain seated whilst consuming and for some time thereafter (see Trip Notes).

A busy street in the Thamel district. This is where the tourists flock. Cows are sacred and, really, they can do what they want.

Kathmandu is an easy city to comes to terms with however it is crowded, noisy and polluted. Even though these photos have been computer-enhanced to make the light brighter and the details clearer, some are still not as sharp as I would have liked. I took five rolls of film and you are welcome to look at the photo album (assuming you live where I live).