Cooked our own breakfast. It was difficult to do toast as the bread kept breaking. Still it was better than yesterday.
We walked to the Swayambhunath Stupa, the so called Monkey Temple, but we didn't see hundreds of monkeys; just a few. It is a Budhist temple on the top of a hill. The buildings, with their striking gold roofs looked gaudy to me and I was interested, but not impressed; not like I was when I first saw the Taj Mahal. Maybe I shouldn't have gone to the Taj Mahal first. It is a hard act to follow.
Ben couldn't afford the Tibetan rugs that he liked. They were between Rs1200/- and Rs1500/- (£60-75). If he'd bought one it would have meant that he, and Jane, would be broke. Uncharacteristically Jane told him he "must cut his garment according to his cloth". I don't think she wanted to be poor. I can't say I blame her. I saw more musical instruments (why was I so interested in them?) but they were too expensive. Maybe there will be cheaper ones back in India (why was I so bothered? Did I want one for a present? Must have!).
Jane and Ben returned to the hotel for lunch. I continued to explore alone, mainly taking photographs, but also looking at Saris for one of my friends back home who had expressed an interest. The costs of the saris varied enormously and all were quite nice, but she had specific requirements and none of these matched them.
I posted the mugshots to the immigration post.
We hired bicycles and set off for Patan. The first part of our journey took us onto the Kathmandu ring road, a wide and relatively well surfaced road. There was little traffic; our journey was leisurely and the surroundings remarkably tranquil after the hustle and bustle of the city. Hard to believe this was only a few Kilometers from the centre of Kathmandu.
Cycling from Kathmandu to Patan
Raining! But we hired the bicycles again and set out for the Budhanilkantha temple which is about 5 or 6 miles North of the city and the foot of the Shivapuri mountains. Our route took us past the Royal Palace, on the same road I had taken yesterday, but all we could see were the walls.
The cycle ride was pleasant although a constant and gradual up hill. The country side was very green, and the terraced hillsides dotted here and there with people working. Their tools appeared to be little other than scythes and baskets.
Raining again. Our last full day in Nepal. Time for a last look around the town; a last opportunity for souvenirs and photographs. I bought a couple of rice paper notebooks for my dairy. I'll write it up from these notes when I get home (I didn't, this is the first transcript after 25 years!!!!).
Still fascinated by the daily life. Wandering around more back streets I saw animals "waiting" outside the grimy butchers' shops. Did they know what was in store for them, they must be able to smell the blood and carcasses. Apparently the meat keeps only a few hours after it is slaughtered. Someone told me that any left at the end of the day is thrown away. That probably explains the many dogs; it must be a feast for them.
Got up early, very misty, and went for breakfast at a pie shop. Porridge and toast; very nice. We needed a good breakfast to sustain us on our journey back to India. Just to be sure we ordered sandwiches and cake to take away. We were worried about returning to the food (or lack of it) we had eaten in India after "pigging" ourselves on the cakes and pies.
Taxi to the airport, only to be told there was a two and half hour delay. The airport was closed to allow for the arrival of the king (or so we were told). But the airport staff were friendly and made us welcome handing out vouchers for food to compensate for the delay. No need for the sandwiches yet then!
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