Walk 146

Swayambhu to Tergar Osel Ling
Pilgrimage and sacred sites all over the place. There is so much I don't know about these ancient streets I'm walking on. Past that one air conditioned cafe. Around Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple. Through Buddha park, where golden statues of Padmasambhava, Shakyamuni and Chenrezig gaze across the crowded and noisy Ring Road. Across the Ring Road, somehow.  Up the windy road, up the pathway, up the stairs. Cheerful monks coming down say I'm almost there. Views expanding, Kathmandu creeping up the sides of the surrounding mountains. Up to the top of the hill, where Tergar Osel Ling monastery sits in unfinished splendour, the monks debating in the courtyard while students drink buffalo milk tea and contemplate the nature of mind.
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
Length: 4 km
Companions: none
Date: 31 May, 2024