Sunday, March 25- Boudhanath Stupa, Nepalese Singing Bowls

I was hoping Nepal would be different from India- not because I didn't like India- I do!- but because I was hoping to see another corner of the world.  I was not disappointed.  Nepal seemed calmer and, even though the main road from our resort to everything else was under construction and made for very bumpy trips, traffic was also less-chaotic.

Sign on the sliding glass door of my hotel room,  I have been warned.

We made a visit to a local family our guide knew and were invited into the house- a rare view of what everyday life is like.  The house was over 200 years old.  The family graciously offered us food, including "beaten rice", which had been dried and flattened.  It was all delicious!

One stop was the Boudhanath Stupa, a temple in the Tibetan section of Kathmandu.  It's a pilgrimage site but also includes many interesting shops.  We explored many of them before heading to lunch.

After lunch, enjoyed from the rooftop of a restaurant where we were able to see nearby families on their rooftops enjoying the beautiful weather, Mary Beth and I went to a shop selling Nepalese Singing Bowls.  They are used for music and meditation but are also considered to have medicinal properties- one large enough to invert on the head may alleviate migraines and back pains.  Here's a link with more information.

Mary Beth chose an extraordinary large bowl, made on the night of a full moon.  That got my interest but I chose a smaller one.  From there we went into a jewelry store.  If the Nepalese economy showed improvement during the month of March, we helped!  My smaller version is shown below.  You start the ringing tone by running the wooden mallet along the edge of the bowl.  It takes some practice.