Kathmandu-Chitwan-Lumbini-Pokhara

A concise record of the trip from Kathmandu (Day 2) to Pokhara stopping over a night each at Chitwan National Park(Day 3) and Lumbini(Day 4).

Kathmandu city.

Swayambunath Stupa - Tibetan Buddhism. In Nepal, the dominant religion is Hinduism. However Buddhism and Hinduism has co-existed for centuries and you can see Hindu influences in Buddhist temples and vice versa.

Houses in the grounds of the Swayambunath Stupa.

Prayer wheels.

Making our way to Kathmandu Square. Beautiful wall design.

Teeka powder for sale.

The fringe of Kathmandu Durbur Square. You will not see ancient monuments that

are off-limits to locals and tourists because this is a Heritage site and all are welcome

to be a part of it.

Fresh walnets, very tempting.

Getting nearer to the Kathmandu Durbur Square.

Almost there and if there were no modern vehicles and modern dressing, we could have been back a few hundred years in time.

Kathmandu Durbar Square with the tiered temples representing the history and culture of Nepal.

This is a huge square that was fully occupied by sellers of artefacts and souvenirs.

Bird's eye view.

Swayambunath Stupa was visible from the top of a 4th storey building where we had lunch.

Ancient structures.

Bells that tinkle in the wind. Unfortunately, it was a hot and windless day.

From these windows, the Kumari or Living Goddess will make an appearance at designated times for a few minutes. No photo-taking was allowed.

These are temples whose doors are open only during festivals perculiar to the individual temple.

You emerge from this doorway after seeing the Kumari.

Just cannot get enough of these beautiful roofs.

Even the pigeons like them.

Sun was setting and the light was nice.

A pedestrian bridge, that leads you to 3 locations, one of them was Thamel, the crowded shopping area near the Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Driving to Chitwan National Park on the second day.

Ah, mountains at last.

Traffic jam.

The snow-capped mountains of the Annurpurna Range faintly visible in the distance.

Agriculture land is devoted to rice-growing.

Rice terraces.

The Trisuli river where white-water rafting takes place at certain parts of it.

A river is called a Khola in Nepal.

Chitwan National Park, elephant riding that was 45 minutes in duration.

The thrill of seeing a rhinoceros and its baby.

Sitting ducks for crocodiles on the banks of the river.

A brick-factory. There is much construction of houses going on in the city and in the countryside.

A flock of egrets that caught my attention and got caught by my camera.

The junction of a small town.

Nearing Lumbini.

Inside this building is the marker stone at the exact spot that Buddha was born.

Detailed paintings of Buddha's life in one of the monasteries in Lumbini.

Busy monk.

The golden stupa in the Burmese monastery.

Stupa in the Nepalese monastery.

Window in one of the monasteries.

The most elaborate monastery building is this one built by the Germans.

The main street of Pokhara.

There were many old trees like this one along the street in Pokhara.

 

Woke up at 5am to watch the sunrise and view the majestic Annapurna Range from Sarangkot. 

Waiting, waiting...

See it in our dreams or like this - so disappointing.

They said the weather is unusual for October i.e. bad.

From my hotel room balcony I am supposed to see the Annarpurna Range clearly but...

Only this lone cow made an interesting photographic subject.

Newa Houses under preservation.

Bindhya Basini Temple in Pokhara.

The clear waters of the Seti River channelled above the famous Seti River Gorge.

Seti River Gorge.

Crystal clear water of the Seti River that has its source in the glaciers of the Himalayan mountains.

A street scene in Pokhara. People gathered around a performance by children from the countryside.

These were children of farmers who took part in street performances

that are part of the Deepavali festival to raise funds for their school.

The grounds of the museum where we learned about Nepali culture.

The premises of the museum looking very English.