Public cremations and Nepal's first comic book

Prayer bells at the Swayambhunath Stupa, the most ancient and holy site in Kathmandu.


Spire of Swayambhunath Stupa seen through flags.

No wonder Sherpas can climb to such ridiculous heights and carry such loads! They do it every day! This guy was barely four feet tall.

Kathmandu

Priest and prayer bells at Swayambhunath Stupa, also known as The Monkey Temple.

Representation of the phallus of Shiva, seen here at the Pashupatinath. To my immediate right, an outdoor, public cremation was taking place. You see dozens of these phallic symbols (and yes, it is depicted here running through the stone representation of a vagina) in Pashupatinath and throughout Kathmandu.

Monkeys, as one might expect, are everywhere at The Monkey Temple.

I am at the Swayambhunath Stupa. A new friend, from England, took the picture. I forget her name.

This is Abin Shrestha, a political columnist in Nepal who illustrated the country's first comic book, in the foreground.

This nun must be ancient. She seemed so sweet, but then she charged me 100 Nepali rupees for this photo. I really like Buddhist monks. They seem so peaceful and sweet. But I hate to see them in a situation where they feel like they need to beg.

Another funky monkey at The Monkey Temple.

Still at The Monkey Temple.

You have to go up 365 stairs to reach Swayambhunath Stupa. The elevation is high, and I was definitely feeling it by the time I made it to the top. It was quite discouraging to see runners charging up and down these stairs. But even if I were accustomed to the elevation enough to try something like that, it seemed pretty dangerous. The steps are quite narrow, and thousands of years of climbing feet have worn them down so they are slick and mostly tilt downhill.

Playing guitar above the streets of Kathmandu

According to www.tibetanprayerflags.com:

Prayer flags are inscribed with auspicious symbols, invocations, prayers, and mantras. Tibetan Buddhists for centuries have planted these flags outside their homes and places of spiritual practice for the wind to carry the beneficent vibrations across the countryside. Prayer flags are said to bring happiness, long life and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the vicinity.

Kathmandu

People are more relaxed about PDA in Kathmandu than in New Delhi. There were probably half a dozen couples canoodling in this park area.

Spires at Pashupatinath Temple. Below, temple workers are preparing for a cremation.