I was mugged by a monkey...

In today's headlines! Monkey mugging thwarted by mild mannered maiden!

Well, there is so very much to say about today's activities, but I'm going to keep it short because I'm exhausted! It was an amazing day and we got to see lots of great sights!

We had a great breakfast in the hotel and even tried some of the local dishes.
Then we were off to explore more of Kathmandu.

First we hit a local market area. Every inch was a picture! The top floors of the building were rich with texture and color and style while the shops below were filled with beautiful brass and spices and clothes and...well...just about anything you could imagine!

We hired a car and driver for the day (Alhamdullilah)! Unfortunately, he was new to Kathmandu so really struggled to find his way around. In his defense, we didn't hire him as a tour guide, just a driver.

Our first stop was Swayambhunith, or The Monkey Temple, an ancient monument so called because of the sacred monkeys that roam freely there.

The Swayambhunath complex consists of a stupa, a variety of shrines and temples, some dating back to the Licchavi period. The stupa has Buddha's eyes and eyebrows painted on and is impressively large and golden.

We were surprised to find monkeys munching on wrapped candies that are left for them.

As long as you are cool about it, they will leave you alone. You must simply stand there and pretend not to notice them and they will come quite close, but make eye contact and you are on the naughty list!

On the temple grounds you will find huge Hindu Prayer wheels. Devotees spin them as part of their prayers. There was even one Giant one inside a building!

If you feel brave and decide to climb the 365 steps (one for each day of the year) you will find an incredible view of Kathmandu, but you will also find some truly incredible architecture. There are pillars and dozens of Hindu and Buddhist statues as well as a huge white dome with a large golden spire. And monkeys. Always the monkeys!

They are everywhere and they have the run of the place, though some of the locals are less enamoured of them than we were. One woman selling beautiful strawberries was clearly fed up with monkeys stealing her fruit. As I watched her, a large monkey edged closer and closer to her wares until she suddenly snatched a sturdy looking sling shot out of the folds of her skirt and let loose with a barrage of something that had the monkeys scattering.

I found a beautiful singing bowl that I had decided to buy and as I wandered amongst the Stupa, I dangled the blue plastic bag that held my bowl from my fingers. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a monkey hiding behind one of the statues. And YES! He was definitely hiding! As I passed, he reached out and grabbed my bag! Luckily, I had a firm grasp on the bag and his mugging attempt turned into a tug of war. I practically had to wrestle the little devil to the ground! Sacred monkey my...anyway. I won. I gave him a good scolding and told him stealing was bad. He looked quite indignant and with what was undoubtedly a slur against Americans squawked his discontent and ran off.

I thought we were done but I eventually caught on to the fact that he was following me! I would turn quickly around and there he would be, hand reaching for my bag. Of course as soon as I turned he would look away, all innocent like, but I was on to his game. Derek suggested that scolding a monkey that could potentially rip my throat out along with 60 or 70 of his pals was probably not a good idea, but I felt it was the principal of the thing really.

I saw another visitor get ambushed too. A monkey jumped him from above, swiped his bottle of water and bolted. The really impressive thing was that the monkey knew how to unscrew the cap.

There at the top of the hill it was beautiful. We were at about 5,000 ft and the view was incredible. Cool mountain breezes kept us cool and comfortable as we wandered. As always, there were vendors by the dozens selling everything you could imagine.

We spent quite a bit of time there and then found a great loval restaurant with amazing food and bottle soda pop.

After a very late lunch (can you even count it as lunch at 4:00?), we made our way through wicked traffic to Durbur Square, a part of town with a large temple where there was a considerable amount of damage from the earthquake. I was in a significant amount of discomfort because of bursitis but we had forgotten to bring Motrin.

As we sat in heavy traffic, Derek noticed a small pharmacy across from us and impulsively risked his life by leaping out of the car into traffic and darting between cars to the pharmacy, much to the confusion of our driver. We watched in awe as he purchased Motrin, otherwise know in 50+ circles as The Elixer of Life.

Standing at the outdoor counter of the tiny shop, he had to hunk to avoid hitting his head. I'm sure the staff were thinking "Even Yeti get aches and pains once in a while! I beamed at my Knight in Shining Armor and popped some Motrin. 

We finally arrived at our destination and jumped out for a look around.  It was clear that there had been terrible damage done by the earthquake. Even hear there were vendors selling their wares. Keya is the queen of the bargain and got us pretty amazing prices on some great souvenirs and then it was time to head home. We're calling it an early night as we are completely worn out from high altitude, lots of walking and having way too much fun!