Swayambhunath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal

On May 18, 2023May 18, 2023 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Nepal3 Comments

One of the last places that we visited during our time in Kathmandu was to Swayambhunath Stupa, which is located on the hillside overlooking the city. It is commonly referred to as “monkey temple” due to the abundance of monkeys that live in the trees that surround the temple grounds. Although there are plenty of monkeys and, as always, you need to be careful around them as they will steel anything that they can get their hands on, we found the nickname to be somewhat derogatory. The temple grounds and the large stupa at the top of the grounds are definitely worth visiting and it is quite busy because it is located on the edge of the city and is a short drive from most of the hotels.

Colorful Buddha Greets You as You Start to Climb Up the Hill

Some of the Many Monkeys that Give the Stupa It’s Nickname

Looking Up at the Architecture of the Stupa

The shape of the Swayambhunath Stupa has very specific meaning as the white, round dome base represents the earth and the 13 golden tiers on the tower of the stupa represent the 13 stages to nirvana. Also, the face of Buddha on the four sides of the tower each face in the directions of west, north, east, and south. There is much more to the temple grounds than just the stupa as there are many different temples and statues surrounding the stupa. There are also the famous prayer wheels that wrap around the base of the stupa and faithful will spin each wheel as they walk around the stupa.

Prayer Wheels and People Walking Around the Stupa

Unique Artwork and the Iconic Prayer Flags

It was the most crowded location of all of the places that we visited while in Kathmandu other than perhaps the Durbar Square in Kathmandu. You will also find plenty of vendors selling goods around the temple grounds and we actually purchased a set of the famous prayer flags before leaving to go back to our hotel. In addition to the stunning architecture, there are also wonderful views of the city from the top of the hill, but it was a little cloudy on the day that we visited, so the views weren’t as dramatic as they might be on a clear day. Especially considering how close it is to the heart of Kathmandu, it is certainly worth taking a couple of hours to visit the Swayambhunath Stupa.

Interesting Features Around Every Corner

These Prayer Displays Were Located Around the Stupa

Helicopter Tour to Base Camp at Mount Everest from Kathmandu

On March 28, 2023March 28, 2023 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Nepal4 Comments

One of the tours that we planned for our visit to Kathmandu was taking a helicopter tour up to the Mount Everest base camp. It was, without a doubt, not only a highlight of the trip to Nepal, but one of the most fascinating experiences that we’ve ever had the privilege to enjoy. Just the time in the helicopter as you travel from Kathmandu over the foothills and then rising ever higher into the Himalayan mountains was a spectacular experience. Then when the helicopter landed and we were able to stand on a peak overlooking base camp at a dizzying altitude of 17,500 feet and look up at the summit of Mount Everest, it was absolutely breathtaking.

Dona with Mount Everest in the Background

Flying to Base Camp

The total tour takes around 4 hours as you fly from Kathmandu to the tiny Lukla Airport where many other helicopters would also land, provisions would be taken to the various hiking camps, and we even saw one plane make the harrowing take-off from the very short runway. After a 10 minute wait at Lukla, we then continued on to the valley at Pheriche, where our group of 5 was split with 2 people continuing on to the Kalapatthar while we enjoyed amazing views of all of the surrounding peaks until the helicopter returned to drop off the other 2 people and the 3 of us were flown to the viewing point. We only had about 10 minutes at the overlook site as we hadn’t had time to acclimatize to the altitude and even after a short amount of time, we felt a little light headed as we breathed in the very thin air.

Helicopter Landing at the Base of the Mountains

After we returned to Pheriche to pick up the other 2 passengers, we continued on to the Hotel Everest where we were able to get breakfast and watch all of the hikers as they made their way up from the valley below before continuing to their campsites. We weren’t initially sure if we were going to be able to go on the tour as the high altitude helicopters only fly when the weather is good and the skies aren’t cloudy as they can’t tell when a cloud might be concealing a mountain peak. On the day that we went, the skies were clear and we had amazing views of Mount Everest. As we sat eating breakfast, however, the conditions changed and the clouds came whipping across the peaks and our tour guide quickly escorted us to our helicopter to fly us back to Kathmandu during a slight snow squall.

When we finally arrived back in Kathmandu and returned to our hotel, we had time to sit with a glass of wine and review the photographs and videos that we had taken. As with anything, as amazing as the photographs might be, there is no way to truly explain how it felt to stand there at the base of such an iconic mountain as Mount Everest and all of the other high Himalayan peaks. It will be a memory that we will truly cherish for the rest of our lives and something that we would recommend to anyone who visits Kathmandu. It isn’t an inexpensive venture, but well worth the cost for the incredible experience that it provides.

Another Video Heading to Base Camp

Helicopters Arriving at Lukla

The City of Devotees, Bhaktapur, in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

On March 23, 2023March 23, 2023 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn NepalLeave a comment

During our first full day in Kathmandu, we took a tour just outside of the city to visit the temples of Bhaktapur. Like many of the locations that we visited throughout the Kathmandu Valley, there was evidence of the devastating earthquake of 2015. There has been a lot of work done to restore these UNESCO World Heritage Sites back to their original states. Bhaktapur is one of the three main cities of the Kathmandu Valley and is home to many of the Newar people, which is one of the oldest cultures in Nepal and also give the city its name as the city of the devotees.

View of the Durbar from the Temple Stairs

There are three styles of temple roofs in Nepal and can be found in the Bhaktapur square, the pagoda style that can be found throughout Asia, the Shikhara style that resembles a mountain peak, and the Stupa style with its dome top. Neapal was made up of many different small kingdoms and each of these palaces had their own squares called a durbar where people gathered, worshipped, and most likely sold goods. The architecture of Bhaktapur is quite stunning, but the effects of the earthquake are quite visible as many of the buildings are being supported by posts to keep them from toppling over until they can be fully repaired.

Another Shikhara Style Temple in the Durbar

Bhaktapur is also known for the clay pots and bricks that are produced in the region and as you drive towards Bhaktapur, you can see the chimneys of the brick factories with plumes of smoke rising towards the sky. In the square, you will find clay pots being painted by the local artisans and awaiting for their time in the kiln to be fired. We spent about two hours in Bhaktapur walking amongst the temples and enjoying the atmosphere. Visiting Bhaktapur is definitely a must for anyone spending time in the Kathmandu Valley.