Touring Kathmandu

With the addition of Julie and our friendly neighbors to the North our group of 23 is finally complete. We jumped on a bus that took us on a tour of the city. The tour included a stop at a sacred temple of Shiva. This temple is where people bring the dead to be cremated. The ceremony happens right on the river and is preformed by the oldest son. Next stop on the tour was the Bouddhanath Stupa. This huge white structure is solid and is a sacred place of prayer. The prayer flags that adorn the stupa are said to represent the five elements, or the five different postures of Buddha: space (blue), water (white), fire (red), air (green) and earth (yellow).