The flights from Los Angeles to Bangkok were quite pleasant, packed to capacity. Stayed over night in Bangkok and flew Thai Air to Kathmandu. Did get to see Mt. Everest from the plane because it was so clear.

Kedar met us at the airport and gave each of us beautiful mum lei. He also had with him, Tendi Sherpa, who was to be our trekking Sherpa guide for the next ten days. The Manang Hotel was very nice, modern and located right in the heart of the main shopping area. After we unpacked, we walked the streets, so to speak, absorbing all of the activity from the chaos of the pedestrian, rickshaw, bike and car traffic to the street vendors selling food and wares. The odors were a mixture of incense, cabbage cooking, cow dung and grease frying.

The next morning, we had a tour of Kathmandu scheduled. It is a very large city and we were somewhat limited by time. Explored the famous Durbar Square, which was filled with people. In the 60's, it was a very popular place to go to find one's self as it was very inexpensive to live there and drugs were quite cheap. Freak Street still exists but not with the same caliber that was found in the 60's and 70's.

We visited a number of the many Buddhist stupas and the Hindu temples. Probably the most famous temple is the Pashupatinath and Monkey Temple. Yes, monkeys were all over and are highly revered. There were two public cremations taking place that day. The family prepares the body, places it on a huge ghat (concrete platform), which just into the river. Then they pile the wood and straw around the body and then start the fire. Family members keep some of the ashes and the rest are sprinkled into the river. Not sure what they will do when they run out of wood to cremate. In Eastern Nepal and Tibet, they perform sky burials where selected towns people take the body to the mountaintop, there is a ceremony and then they smash the flesh and bones for the vultures to

Kathy and Don with Tendi, Sagar and Nawang.

eat. The thinking is that the spirit has left the body and it is but a shell to be given back to the environment.

We also experienced the sadhus who are the wandering Hindu holy men. These are self-proclaimed holy men who practice celibacy, meditation and yoga. Most wear only a loincloth; have never cut their matted hair. Their bodies do not have an ounce of fat on them, they can wrap their legs behind their necks and they sustain themselves on donations given for taking pictures of them. Some spend their days smoking hashish and marijuana to help them gain greater spiritual attainment. Looked a little boring to do everyday of one's life.

The following morning, Kedar and Tendi met us in the hotel lobby at 7:00 am. We packed our things into the van and waved goodbye to Kedar as we left for a five-hour drive to Pokhara. The two-lane mountain road was well maintained but very winding and very busy in both directions. Passing on the no passing curves kept us quite awake! Stopped in Pokhara for lunch at a beautiful restaurant on the lake. We then met our two porters, Sagar and Nawang,