Namo Buddha

Saturday we took a rest day and arranged to go to Namo Buddha, a sacred buddhist site and monastery about 40 km from Patan. We arranged for Tony to drive us there and for Khadga, a local guide, to accompany us.

We left early in the morning to avoid the "the rush" or morning traffic. It still took us 2 hours to drive there. It was a nice treat to get out of the city and into the fresher air of the hills.

It was raining as we left Kathmandu but it soon cleared up. We drove past the newly erected 144 foot tall statue of Shiva. You can see it in the photo below.

Once we got to the original shrine we stopped for milk tea or dudh chai. The woman also sold homemade wine.

The stupa is beautiful.

After we spun the prayer wheels we walked up the steep steps to the monastery.

It was a bit hazy at the top but still stunning.

We saw the cave where Buddha in his previous form is said to have sacrificed his flesh to feed a starving tiger and her cubs.

We left the monastery and walked down to meet Tony. It was lovely to see the countryside. Along the way we came across a large family picnic. The women were dancing together as we walked by. They insisted we join them and we did. We had so much fun!