View of the hill towns.
Oh Nature, how I miss you...
View from the rooftop of the resort we stopped at for lunch in Nagarkot.
My attempt at an artistic shot of the green hills with the prayer flags.
Another beautiful shot. I was a little obsessed with Nagarkot. Or maybe I was just high on all the fresh air I haven't gotten to breath in months (or, let's be honest, ever) in Dubai.
Jared in front of the little stupa in Nagarkot.
Buddhist Stupa.
Prayer Flags! I love this photo. The prayer flags are hung everywhere, and the wind is supposed to carry their prayers into the sky and everywhere.
The Green Hills. To me they look like mountains, but as our guide quickly corrected me, there are three levels of topography in Nepal: The Green Hills, measuring up to 3,000 meters (what would be mountains anywhere else in the world..), The Mountains, anything from 3,000 to 6,000 meters, and then finally Himalaya, the highest, with Mt. Everest capping out at roughly 8,848 meters, the highest peak in the world.
Randomly roaming baby water buffalo, who decided to rush toward me as I was taking his photo. I quickly retreated up the hill to the car.
In front of the Boudhanath Stupa (Buddhist Temple), looking a bit grubby from our day in the Valley.
Another view of the stupa with prayer flags.
A nearby Buddhist monastery, which we found out after the fact we could have gone into. We enjoyed our time in Nepal so much that we really wish we had more time... Since the cost and location are so feasible from Dubai, we are really hoping to be able to go back at some point, and maybe even try some trekking (Everest Base Camp here we come!).
The stupa from below.
Yet another photo at the stupa, as the sun began to set.
Our taxi driver was fantastic, and even stopped along the way at the Buddha Amideva Park so I could check out these three enormous statues of Sakyamuni, Chenresig, and Guru Rinpoche. Although just built in 2003, I thought they were beautiful. The intermingling of Buddhism and Hinduism in Nepal is just fascinating.
Close-up.
Marigolds. Seen sold on the streets everywhere, are symbolic in Hinduism as an offering to the gods.
In front of the small stupa, on the way up to Monkey Temple.
Another view of the small stupas on the way up.
A pretty fountain at the bottom.
The Monkeys!
One of the shrines on the way up... And Jared actually smiled for me, despite the rain.
The area surrounding the stupa is a veritable sculpture garden of religious monuments. We didn't have a guide with us that day, so didn't really have any idea what anything was, especially in the pouring rain..
And at last, we made it to the Monkey Temple...
Buddha Eyes.
Rainy view down over Kathmandu from Swayambhu.
Monkeys, trying to stay dry. At first, the monkeys kind of freak you out, hundreds of them just roaming free, but surprisingly, after a little while, it kind of starts to seem normal. They pretty much just do their own thing. However, if you eat food in front of them, I've heard things change pretty quickly, and a series of rabies shots may then be in your near future.
View from the backside of the stupa.
Huddled Monkeys.
Another view down toward Kathmandu.
Yet another view of the Monkey Temple. It seems I maybe got a little bit carried away with my camera for the entirety of my trip to Nepal.
More monkeys chilling around Swayambhu.
Beautiful prayer flags on the way back down.
And yet a final view.
