The 430,000 square foot (40,000 m²) museum is made up of interlocking discs that create cavities to protect visitors from the desert heat. …
Time Magazine named it one of the World’s Greatest Places to Visit in 2019, citing the integration of “immersive video screens and dioramas” into Jean Nouvel’s architectural design.
In 2019 I ended up staying in Kathmandu two days at the end of my trip as the departure was out of the city.
As always, I visited my favourite attraction — the Monkey Temple.
Swoyambhunath is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley … It is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living (there) …
The Swayambhunath complex consists of a stupa, a variety of shrines and temples, some dating back to the Licchavi period. A Tibetan monastery, museum and library are more recent additions. …
The stupa consists of a dome at the base, above which is a cubical structure painted with eyes of Buddha looking in all four directions with the word “unity” in the main Nepali dialect between them …
The second night I went, as usual, to the Great Stupa. Had dinner on one of the rooftop restaurants.
The ancient Stupa is one of the largest in the world. The influx of large populations of refugees from Tibet has seen the construction of over 50 Tibetan Gompas (Monasteries) around Boudhanath. As of 1979, Boudhanath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. …
Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many decided to live around Boudhanath. …
Here are a few other random photos from my last days in Nepal.
Sizzler at Rum Doodle (new location)
unique and excellent donair Nepali-style
I’ll be back. There’s no better way to hike the Himalayas than from Nepal.
This is 25-year-old College dropout Ritesh Agarwal. He’s worth $365 million.
In 2013 Ritesh founded Oyo Rooms (stylised as OYO), also known as Oyo Homes & Hotels, is an Indian hotel chain …
OYO initially consisted mainly of budget hotels. Over a span of six years, the startup expanded globally with thousands of hotels, vacation homes and millions of rooms in hundreds of cities in India, Malaysia, UAE, Nepal, China, Brazil, UK, Philippines, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, …
In August 2019, Oyo made its first major investment in the United States by purchasing the Hooters Casino Hotel, near the Las Vegas Strip.
The company is currently valued at $10 billion dollars …
I stayed in one inexpensive Nepal OYO hotel for 3 nights. Couldn’t see any difference between it and the non-OYO competitors. OYO hotels have very nice signage, however. And there could be some loyalty program networking.
Nepal is still one of the poorest nations in the world.
While there in 2019 I attended a fund-raiser called Warm Clothes & Warm Hearts.
Loved the simplicity of this project. They deliver Nepali-made down jackets to children in high, cold, remote parts of the country. Some years they deliver shoes / socks also.
100% of your donation goes directly to purchasing children’s clothing. Overhead and administration costs are covered by a separate fund.
I ended up getting a Cantilevered Bridge. That’s not ideal. The fake teeth are only attached to a retainer at one side. It will (hopefully) last 5-7 years. Next would come implants, something I’m trying to avoid. Or possible an old school partial denture.
I liked the dentist so much that I went back after my trekking. He did some cosmetic work on my lower teeth. Cost was $100. No Canadian dentist would be willing to do that at any price. They’d insist on expensive veneers.
As I like Nepalin November, I’ve been here for the Diwali festival a number of times. Even Buddhists celebrate a version.
On day 2 dogs are fancied up. Other days it’s crows and holy cows.
Families clean, renovate, and decorate their homes in advance of the holiday.
The main purpose is to invite Lakshmi – the Goddess of Wealth – to visit their homes and bless them for the coming year.
oil lamp or diya with crackers, sweet or mithai, dry fruits, indian currency notes, marigold flower and statue of Goddess Laxmi on diwali night
Nepalis illuminate the interior and exterior of their homes with diyas (oil lamps or candles), electric lights, and offer puja (worship).
Family gets together for feasts. Many goats are slaughtered.
Diwali is expensive!
The highest quality goat come from high up in the Himalaya. We felt honoured to have the chance to buy dried, smoked, spicy Mustang goat.
They call it Sukuti. The tastiest thing I’d eaten so far in Nepal.
Groups of children arrive at your door singing and dancing for money. It’s a bit like Halloween.
Adults arrive doing the same, but they will be collecting money for local charitable causes.
Diwali also known as Deepavali and the “festival of lights“, is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year.
The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair.
The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. …
Rick McCharles 