Crops like millet and rice are ready for harvesting:
Enormous bamboo swings appear in vacant blocks and public areas during Dashain:
People plant out winter veggies in their garden:
... and there is much dancing in the street:
The Tihar festival lasts 5 days and is a public holiday. It is called the festival of lights since small oil lamps are traditionally lit inside and outside houses to illuminate them at night. Nowadays, strings of small electric bulbs are hung down the sides of buildings.
These are the lights on a hotel I visited in Kathmandu:
... and here I am with more lights suspended in Thamel:
People make patterns on the floor with coloured rice, dry flour, sand and flower petals:
I travelled to Kathmandu during Tihar and caught up with some of the other Australian volunteers there. This was a very enjoyable time for me ... since I hadn't socialised with any other expats for over a month!
I visited two spiritually important and ancient Buddhist temple complexes in Kathmandu.
The first one was Swayambunath. This is also called the Monkey Temple ... coz there are heaps of monkeys there:
It is situated high atop a hill with beautiful views over the city:
The all seeing eyes of Buddha look down from above the large white domed stupa:
Evidence of damage caused by the earthquake that devastated Nepal 3 years ago can be seen in some of the buildings.
This brick pillar still holds up the roof of the building adjacent to where I ate lunch!
The other temple I visited is Boudhanath. It also has the all seeing eyes of Buddha looking over everyone:
... and lots of prayer flags ...
This person is walking along a wall of prayer wheels, spinning each one as he passes, to send blessings out to the world.
Boudhanath is not far from Pashupatinath temple complex that I visited soon after arriving in Nepal (see 17th August post: A Tour of Kathmandu).
I am always amazed by the intricate carvings on the walls
and roof of Hindu temples. Some of these are quite erotic. I overheard one tour
guide explain that Hindu parents don't talk about sex with their children. He
suggested that this is unnecessary since the carvings provide all the sex ed
they need.
I can only assume that Hindus have very active and varied
sex lives!
Namaste!
