Tours - Sunday through Tuesday

By the way, air quality is very poor. Kathmandu is located in a valley that's like a big bowl. There's very little air movement and they're in a time of drought - even more so than normal dry season. So everything is very dusty - dust in the air combined with exhaust fumes. And there are several MAJOR forest fires that are spreading smoke over the country and by 3pm there's 15% less sun due to the haze. We wear breathing masks most of the time we go out but the air burns our eyes.

Just a brief synopsis of what we've done since time is limited: On Sunday we toured 2 Buddhist temples and one Hindu temple. The first temple had 365 steps leading up to it. The followers walk up to earn merit for their travel up to the temple. At the top was a large Buddhist temple and some smaller Hindu temples on the same site. We did not walk up the steps but we walked down (easier). Pam slipped down a few - very gracefully and without injury to herself, praise God! We then visited a larger Buddhist temple. There was a funeral procession carrying what looked like a small child on a platform (funeral pyre) going around the stupa (Buddhist temple Bouddhanath Stupa). The third temple was Pashupatinath and is located on the Bagmati River where one cremation was beginning and two others were in process. Numerous "holy men" were at this location and would let you take their photo for a price. Holy men don't work, don't bathe, don't cut their hair and do smoke hash hish or marijuana.

Later that day we loaded up the van and went to Nagarkot to hopefully see the mountains! It was a WILD ride over crazy switchbacks and turns up the mountain. It dook 2 hours to get to the Hotel Country Villa. Our driver stopped several times for directions and we passed the Hotel End of the Universe and Hotel Space Mountain (among others!) before arriving at ours. They immediately served us tea or coffee in the lobby area then led us to the rooms which were very nice (minimal but nice). Although the beds felt like you were sleeping on the floor - HARD. We (Frank & Peggi) had a balcony outside our door to stand and look over the valley and wait for the mountains in the morning! Dinner was a smorgasbord with fried fish, chicken curry, rice, garlic noodles. Dessert was battered papaya dipped in honey and pudding with fruit. Excellent tea!

We woke up at 5:30 to prepare for the sunrise. Waiting expectantly to see the mountains we saw a beautiful sunrise but mountains? I don't think so - only clouds! It was even too hazy out in Nagarkot! We then had a breakfast buffet on the veranda where we could choose our omelet ingredients and have it made. There were also pancakes (no syrup, but honey), sausage - tasted like kielbasa, fried potatoes, mango juice and toast. Very good!

Now, the 2 hour ride back down the mountain to Kathmandu!! We had lunch with Steve at Higher Grounds, a Christian run coffee shop with sandwiches and dessert (and wireless!!) After lunch we had another temple tour in Kathmandu with Steve - VERY crowded especially as we walked through the bazaar in town - and cars, motorcycles and people everywhere!! We stopped for mo mos near the ex-King's palace (now a museum) and then went to Thorsons for dessert and to hear more about their work here in Nepal.

Tuesday morning we drove up into the hills to visit a very dark temple where animal sacrifices still occur. It reminded me of what the temple may've been like with people selling all kinds of things (including chickens for sacrifice) along the path to the temple. That's where the similarities end. These people come and sacrifice so that Kali won't get them - not to a God of love. There was no love for Kali or sense of being loved by Kali. There's no repentance for sin or sense of forgiveness from sin - it's strictly self-protection. People were in a long line to sacrifice to Kali. They would burn incense and would cut the chicken (and there had just been a goat) and pour the blood on the altar area. Then many would take the animal and cook it. They even made a picnic of it!! A Hindu pot luck??? The whole scene made me so grateful for my own salvation - once and for all!! And, gave me more of a desire for people here to understand God's love for them!!

Following that we went to view a gorge from a high swinging bridge (Tyborg Gorge, I think??) We thought there was a body laying on a rock far below but when zoomed in with a camera you could see it was an effigy someone had made and put there.

Eating lunch at Higher Grounds again (they have wireless!) so hoping to post some photos in a moment! Later today we go to a Christian bead shop and pack for our flight to East Nepal tomorrow. Our flight leaves kathmandu at 12:30 and is only 1/2 hour - maybe we'll see mountains?? Then we drive 2 1/2 hours to the area of the seminar. We start Thursday at 1pm and conclude Saturday at 5pm (more or less),flying back to Kathmandu on Sunday at 4:30. Pray for our time there! We will not have the Thorsons with us so we won't have English speaking help. Pastor Devi does speak Engligh but not as fluent much as Steve, of course!