To the west of Kathmandu is the Swayambhunath Stupa, which us foreigners call 'the Monkey Temple', as actual monkeys live there, chasing each other around, stealing food from religious pilgrims and tourists, and generally just being themselves. The trek up to the temple is 365 steps (as I heard someone's guide informing them), and by the time we reached the top we were really feeling it.
Just starting out...
Yes, those stairs are as steep as they look; it must be daunting to religious pilgrims who have already traveled far to encounter them.
Getting there...
The resident monkey masseuse in action.
More local monkeys, on the lookout for a tourist ripping open a Snickers.
Made it!
View from the top of the stupa. You can see the horizon line of the foothills of the Himalayans, somewhat obscured by the smog.
On the way back we passed over this river, which, as you might guess from all the garbage, smelled pretty putrid.
On the other side of the river, Matt spotted these woman farming. There don't seem to be many empty lots of land like this in Kathmandu.
