Saints in Nepal: New Year's Eve (Day 1 in Nepal)

Hello from Kathmandu, Nepal! We are so excited to finally be settled into our hotel in the busy city of Kathmandu. Our hotel is located in Thamel which is a touristy part of the city with lots of outdoor markets and temples around every corner. We landed this morning around 11...without luggage. All 5 of us are missing our checked bags with all of our warmer clothes but hopefully we will get them back next year...(tomorrow).

The taxi drive from the Kathmandu airport to our hotel was an eye-opening and chaotic experience. First of all, we were driving on the opposite side of the road. Then we continued to weave between cars while dodging pedestrians, dogs, and motorbikes....oh and goats. After checking in to the hotel we had a nice lunch (with lots of coffee) on the sunny rooftop of the hotel and met up with SLU alumi Brijlal Chaudhari '10 and Animesh Giri '08 who will be assisting us in our travels and helping translate while we conduct our research. Taylor Smith '12 who is traveling in Nepal also visited us for lunch.

We then toured around the part of the city called Durbar, visiting numerous temples and monasteries. We toured the Durbar Square where kings of Nepal have historically been crowned during their coronation. Strolling through the streets we saw many outdoor markets where gifts, trekking gear, spices, vegetables and many other goods were sold. We also witnessed an organized Maoist speech being held outside Durbar Square. Students were able to visit monasteries and light ceremonial candles while getting a first hand experience of the local culture.