Day 19 Kathmandu

Relaxing day, visit of Kathmandu and its surroundings in bus.

The eyes of the Buddha see you wherever you are
What a striking difference from the Kathmandu I have known about 40 years ago. Then the few streets were used by bicycles and the temples were busy with pilgrims and worshipers.
Today it is a city of about 2 millions people, massive traffic jams between cars and motorcycles. The temples are sterile from worshipers but taken over by small boutiques selling fake antiques and souvenirs. We are constantly surrounded by a horde of people trying to sell us anything, it is painful. The monuments kept their majesty but lost their souls. Monuments in Patan
This is not the mythic Kathmandu, it is a busy metropolis with some tourist sights.