So Kathmandu continues to provide us with an intoxicating travel experience. (You may need to Google some of the names of things to understand what they are!)

Firstly we visited Swayambhunath aka Monkey Temple.

This is an ancient religious sight full of dated architecture which has stood as a hallmark of faith and harmony for centuries. It is one of the holiest Buddhist Temples in Nepal.

The complex consists of a Stupa, and a variety of shrines and temples. It is quite an intoxicating experience with ancient carvings jammed into every spare inch of space and the smell of incense and butter hanging heavily in the air.

Mobbed by monkeys, Monkey Temple has amazing panoramic city views and is a fascinating, chaotic jumble of Buddhist and Hindu illustrations.

Next we visited Boudhanath which is a stupa in Kathmandu.

The stupas massive Mandel makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal and in fact the world. For hundreds of years, the Boudhanath Stupa has stood as a beacon of Buddhist belief towering over the surrounding town as a giant mandala of peace and beauty which keeps an eye out in every direction.

Lastly we went to Pashupatinath Temple which is a famous sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupatinath and is located on the banks of the Bagmati River.

In religious terms, this is a powerhouse of Hindu spiritual energy. Many Nepalis choose to be cremated on the banks of the holy river.

It is a temple with special atmosphere. Whilst there we witnessed several open air cremations, the only place in the world where this happens, which for me felt unsettling and unusual. The smell of cremated bodies was in the air.

It’s a beautiful, unsettling place.

So here is where Kathmandu ends for now and tomorrow our trek to Everest Base Camp begins.