Swayambunath

The day of the Monkey Temple had arrived! We were excited to see the temple grounds, the view from it's hilltop perch, and of course it's monkey inhabitants. We had heard that the monkeys artfully slide down the staircase handrails and have been known to rob guests of their food. Lonely Planet described these creatures as "thuggish hoodlums."

We walked from Thamel to the East entrance. From here, we would ascend the long, steep staircase. Sadly, the only beings cruising down the stairs were dirty little children asking for handouts. It seemed the monkeys were people watching as they sat on ledges above and to the side, eying us curiously. Even still, there were monkeys of every age!

At the top, people circled the stupa in he typical clockwise fashion. Right arm extended, they spun prayer wheels in stride pausing only to pray at the four golden shrines. The square was large and terraced. We looked in amazement at the sprawling city that constitutes Kathmandu. It is so large I took five photos to capture it all. We toured the uppermost site, observing as Buddists made offerings to Hanuman - the monkey God. I'm not a religious person but I understand that each person is passionate about something. I can understand and appreciate these people's devotion to what they believe and love. If it makes them happy and isn't hurting anyone, then why not? Believers lit candles, burnt things, and chanted prayers. It was beautiful.

We walked to a lower area. There was a monkey swimming pool complete with a ladder, but sadly no diving board. There was a larger pond with Hanuman statue and golden pot. People tried to lob rupee coins into the container. Kevin bounced his first attempt off the side but made his second shot. My aim and trajectory were all kinds of skewed and I sunk two deep into the green waters.

While on our way back up, we saw what those agile, excessively hairy thugs are capable. A group ahead of us had cotton candy. Three monkeys spotted and charged at them. One girl screamed and began waving her umbrella like she was part of a mighty duel. Another yelled and threw the fluorescent, sugary goodness into the air. The mugging was a success! Happily, the monkeys took large bites of cotton candy while leaning against a wall. The umbrella, inside out from vigorous shaking was still being swung about. The monkey bandits ignored this as it was obvious the girl was too scared to move any closer to the knee high hoodlums (yes I have video and will post it in a week for your viewing pleasure).

Back in Thamel, Kevin bought a chess set. These long afternoons require some entertainment and mental stimulation. The sales man told us he wouldn't be open the next day, so it was wise to buy it today. Closed? Really? We asked why. "The people are going on strike," he said, "all businesses closed tomorrow."
"The constitution didn't get written?" we asked.
"No. Very bad time for Nepal and the people. Good day for walking though cause there will be no traffic."
"Ah, good thing we have chess then."

The constitution assembly got a six month extension. Probably won't resolve anything in that time, and I'm glad I'll be long gone by then.