We began the day with a team meeting over breakfast.  The intention was to get everybody squared away on the details of preparing for our Gokyo trek.  But the coffee was good and plentiful, so our business meeting just turned into a story-telling session as caffeine levels rose.  At 10 AM we set out with Naraj for a tour of the city.  During the ride through busy streets, Naraj explained the mix of Hindu and Buddhist religions and the various ethnic groups making up Nepali Society. 

Our first stop was the Swayambhu Temple -known as the monkey temple for the great number of monkeys scaling the stupas and Buddha statues.  We  were lucky -on this partly cloudy day- to get great views of the city from the hilltop temple.  Next stop was Boudinath Stupa.  We made a circuit and then visited a school for artists constructing mandalas.  We finished our outing with a relaxing lunch on a rooftop overlooking the giant stupa. 

Back at the Yak and Yeti, we used the afternoon to finish organizing gear for an early trip to the airport tomorrow morning.  With all preparations complete we set out in a downpour bound for dinner.  Luckily the walk was only 5-10 minutes.  An impressive amount of monsoon rain fell while we were eating.  And an even more impressive amount fell as we were walking back to the hotel afterward. 

Best Regards

RMI Guides Dave Hahn