Drying rice and corn on the city streets

Housing

These interesting vehicles are found all over Nepal and Bhutan. Perhaps they are more maneuverable on the interesting streets and roads of both countries.

Temple in Bhaktapur's Durbar Square

Temple in Bhaktapur's Durbar Square

Temple entry bell

Carved facade

Sculpture of the flag of Nepal

Bhaktapur's Durbar Square

Royal Palace with a 55 windows on the second floor - one for each wife of the king

National Art Gallery

Royal Palace entry on Durbar Square

Bath in Royal Palace

Wooden wheels for the cart used to transport the Living Goddess at festival times

Nepalese musical instruments for sale

Nepalese musical instruments for sale

Store front

Taumadhi Square in Bhaktapur

We walked around the three city squares, ate lunch at the Cafe Nuatapola overlooking the Taumadhi Square and two large temples, one with a five-tiered roof.  We roamed and window-shopped.  It was a pleasant day.

Cafe Nuatapola

The kitchen at Cafe Nuatapola

Remains of a festival sacrifice mounted over a doorway

Hindu women in Durbar Square

Separating chaff from the rice

Lighting some incense

Pictures taken while driving through the streets of Kathmandu. There are thousands of motor scoters and small motor bikes, often with two or three people aboard.

All aboard!

Typical street in Kathmandu

Interesting artwork on a wall - not exactly graffiti

            Back at the hotel we listened to a presentation by a local Newar woman, Susmita Maskey, who has climbed Mt. Everest three times, reaching the summit twice.  She trained and got funding for the first climb wanting to be the first woman from Nepal to summit Everest.  In 2005 her sherpa forced her to stop 90 feet from the summit because he didn't believe a non-sherpa woman should reach the summit.  Later a Nepali woman who married a sherpa reached the summit.  In 2008 Susmita organized a team of ten women from different ethnic groups and got funding from women's organizations around the globe.  It costs Nepali climbers $20,000 to make the two-month hike and foreigners pay around $90,000.   All ten of the women safely reached the top and returned.  She made a third climb in 2011 at age 31.  Base camp is at 17,500 feet, they use oxygen above 23,000 feet and the summit is at 29,029 feet.