We visited this iconic religious site today. Swayambhunath is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. It is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are a lot of holy monkeys living in/on it. I loved the atmosphere up there, it was such a hustle and bustle of people worshipping - there was something to see everywhere! Butter lamps being lit by a woman kneeling on the floor, a father was ringing a big bell while his young daughter was looking on with amazement, a holy man in a fake northface jacket was performing some kind of ceremony, a lot of ladies dressed in beautiful red saris were walking around the stupa turning all the prayer wheels as they went and everywhere were monkeys munching on some snack they had somehow secured - one had a couple of grapes, another a biscuit and a third a juice box. We tried our best to take it all in :)
