Collage: The End

The End:

Last Night...

I made a mistake and showed up at the airport for am 7:45 am flight instead of 7:45 pm. I thought about then changed my mind to staying at the airport. I called the Airport Resort Hotel about 10 minutes from airport. They picked me up right away and while the Hotel is far from a “resort” I had a  great relaxing stay in my cabana overlooking the pool.
I came back to the blog to add a comment and a couple of more photos.
The hospitality here of the people at this place is off the charts...What a welcoming staff!

The Other Side of the Rainbow....

Dhaka IV

In Search if Snacks,,,,

Dhaka III

More from this misunderstood place....

Dhaka II

The insanity, the chaos, the tragic, the overcrowding all comes together in a cornucopia of a exotic feast.

Dhaka I

Dhaka what a surprising friendly place. I was happy I made this stop. Everywhere I seem to go people want to take a selfie with me.it must be the Hat. Here are are some of those people:

Bangladesh: Radisson Blue

I wanted to use up some Radisson points so picked this hotel. I was glad I did. Normally, I booked Hilton, Hyatt and Radisson in that order but he I am.  I like the hotel, my only beef with them is you can not squeeze a free breakfast out of them. The room is fine but the prices for food seem high.
The food is great! I had an Australian Rack of Lamb with vegetable and this thick rice that is so good I can’t wait to eat it again,  They have a wonderful cheese nachos snack that is very good as well.

Monkey Shrine: History

Located atop a hill west of Kathmandu city, the Swayambhunath complex has been in use since the 5th century A.D. and consists of a magnificent domed stupa, as well as a variety of shrines and temples. Each temple is extremely ornate and richly decorated with gold and vibrant prayer flags, though it’s not only the spiritual décor that draws visitors.
This sacred pilgrimage site is also home to hundreds of monkeys considered holy to Tibetan Buddhists and Hindus. According to legend, Manjushree, the bodhisattva of wisdom, was in the process of raising the temple hill when the lice in his hair transformed into these monkeys. Swayambhunath means self-arisen and is derived from that legend.

The story alone provides enough inspiration for visitors to struggle through the climb to the temple, and the sights at the summit are worth the trek. From the top of the hill, visitors can see a panorama of the Kathmandu valley, along with playful monkeys swinging from trees and prayer flags hanging around the colorful temple.  Although the monkeys are somewhat active during the day, the stupa truly becomes a monkey temple at night when hundreds of monkeys frolic in the sacred area and even slide down the banister of the primary structure.

Do I ....

Do I go trekking for spiritual enlightenment or do I head to this funky bar, the Raven Saloon?

Patan, Durbar Square: History

The history of the Durbar Square is not clear. Although the Malla Kings of Lalitpur are credited with the establishment of the royal square, it is known that the site is an ancient crossroad. The Pradhanas, who settled around the site before the Mallas, have connections with the Durbar Square. Some chronicles hint that the Thakuri Dynasty built a palace and made reforms to the locality, but there is little evidence of this. Scholars are certain that Patan was a prosperous city since ancient times.

The Malla Kings made important changes to the square. Most of the current architecture is from the 1600s, constructed during the reign of King Siddhi Narsingh Malla and his son Srinivasa Sukriti. Some of the notable Malla Kings who improved the square include Purandarasimha, Sivasimha Malla and Yoganarendra Malla

Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of the city of Lalitpur in Nepal. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of its attraction is the ancient royal palace where the Malla Kings of Lalitpur resided.

The Durbar Square is a marvel of Newar architecture. The square floor is tiled with red bricks. There are many temples and idols in the area. The main temples are aligned opposite of the western face of the palace.^[2] The entrance of the temples faces east, towards the palace. There is also a bell situated in the alignment beside the main temples.^[3] The Square also holds old Newari residential houses. There are other temples and structures in and around Patan Durbar Square built by the Newa People. A center of both Hinduism and Buddhism, Patan Durbar Square has 136 "bahals" (courtyards) and 55 major temples.

Patan II

4 Michael a burger joint..

One of My Best Travel Days

 After the Shine, my driver and I headed to Patan Durbar Square where I ran chatted Terry from Toronto. We exchanged cards as meeting someone new is a wonderful travel experience.

My driver....

Terry from Toronto..

  A rooftop restaurant where I had a hot water, with lots of honey and ginger...

The Monkey Shrine..

I had a wonderful seafood pasta dish at the Hotel yesterday that I had to put here so I didn't forget...
Now onto The Monkey Shrine...

 Today is one of my best travel days ever today! I am in the city of Kathmandu, Nepal.

This is one of holiest sites in all of Nepal. The Monkey Shrine.  Everywhere there are 100’s of monkeys among the religious sites.  I bought some peanuts and all of a sudden it seemed like a hundred monkeys began surrounding me, talking their excited monkey language, even while I started giving them the peanuts. I wish I had a video ☹️. The baby monkeys, that were behind me would tap me on the leg making sure I didn’t forget to include them. I had so much fun.