Swayambhunath Stupa

Along the steps on the both sides there were a lot of stall selling handicraft and religious stuff. Most of them were tibetans. I’ve seen the traditional nepalese game: the lion and the goats. I was interesting to buy it but they asked me for a big price and I’ve changed my mind. Two small boys aproached me, asking my name and a lot of questions. I was sure that either they will try to take me in some place to buy something or they will ask me for money. And in the next one hour they followed me, trying to explain me what is what. I’ve tried to ignore them. I didn’t listen to their explication. I wanted to be alone not followe by those kids but in the same time I didn’t want to be rude with them, so I let them to follow me. At the end of course that they asked me for money.

“I don’t have parents, I’m alone, can you give me some money?” I don’t like this kind of aproach. I didn’t ask them to come with me and now they ask me for money. I gave them a little, 20 rs, that was almost nothing for me, but for a 10 years old kid from Nepal I think it’s something. And he asked me for more.

“You know what, I didn’t ask you to come with me. If is not enough give me the money back”.

Finally they left I could enjoyed alone the last 20 minutes. At the beginning they showed me another entrance from behind, and they told me that if I take that way is for free.

“Here 100 rs, entrance, there no money sir..”

But I didn’t listen to them and I took the main entrance paying 100rs. I don’t know why I didn’t take the other entrance. I guess I wanted to be honest in from of the kinds, not an european who wants to cheat. But in the next days I tool only the behaind entraces and I didn’t pay any ticket.

Swayambhunath stupa was quite impressive for me and something very different from what I’ve seen so far. A huge white dome, with a kind of golden square tower on top of it. On the each side of the square there are painted the eyes of Budha watching in each direction across the valley. The nose is actually a question mark, and is the nepali number one (ek), the symbol of the unity of all life. There is represented also the third eye, the symbol of Budha’s insight. And hundreds or even thousands of multicolour prayer flags are hanged around the stupa in all the directions. These flags, are usually a piece of cloth as big as a A4 or A3 paper written with prayers (mantra) in tibetan. All around the stupa there are prayer wheels, which piligrims spin as they pass by walking around the stupa in a clock-wise direction. On the each prayer wheel is written the sacred budhist mantra om mani padme hum (hail to the jewel in the lotus).

Around the stupa there are some small hindu temples and a lot of stall selling tibetan budhist handicraft. There are also some houses around(tibetan settlements), monasteries, restaurants, and you can see the whole Kathmandu Valley in front of your eyes. And of course… a lot of monkeys. I left the beautiful stupa walking towards Kathmandu just before the dusk.

When I arrived in my room I had the pleasant surprise to find that there was hot water. After the shower I had some fights with some huge cockroaches that invaded my teritory. I hate those huge cockroaches. I’ve killed three with my shoes.