A little bit of this and that …
… and anything else in between …
View from the roof cafe
Waiting for fares
Last evening sunset in Kathmandu
Swayambhunath Temple, one of the oldest religious sites in Nepal. Because of the numerous (holy) monkeys living in the temple, it is also known as the ‘Monkey Temple’. The monkeys are called ‘holy’ because of the legend that Majusri, the bodhisattva of wisdom and learning was raising the hill which the Swayambhunath Temple stands on. He was supposed to leave his hair short but he made it grow long and head lice grew. It is said that the head lice had transformed into these monkeys (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swayambhunath).
The eastern stairs, taken from the top
Bodhnath is the largest Buddhist stupa, or shrine, in Nepal, and is one of the UNESCO cultural heritage sites in Nepal. It’s a major pilgrimage site for Buddhists, and one of the most important holy places in Nepal.
The all-seeing eyes of Buddha
Praying and making an offering
Walk clockwise around the stupa. 
Making the rounds on the prayer wheels
The main prayer room 
The main ‘altar’
Horns, drums, and cymbals used during the prayers
Butter lamps 
On Friday, 17 October 2008, I took part in the Stand Up Against Poverty event, held at the UN House, in Pulchowk, Nepal.
” 17 October, 2008 Kathmandu— More than three hundred people including school children and disabled gathered at the United Nations office in Kathmandu this morning to remind world leaders about their commitment to end extreme poverty by 2015, and to join millions of people around the world attempt to set an official Guinness World Record for the most number of people to STAND UP Against Poverty. People gathered at the United Nations Office in Nepal were invited to literally STAND UP while UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Robert Piper, read a pledge against poverty: “We are standing because we refuse to accept more excuses in a world where 50,000 people die every day as a result of extreme poverty and the gap between the rich and poor is getting wider,” he said.” Read more at http://www.undp.org.np/news/latestnews.php?NewsID=1125&showNews=1
Had the pleasure of meeting other Filipinos living here in Nepal. After filling up on good Filipino food at the house of Dr. Marlyn, we had a lively round of picture-taking.
‘Is that the groom?’
