Where are R&R?

Posted on June 20th, 2008 in Blog, Syria by robjkentjr

Hello Everyone,

Sorry we have not written, our computer finally broke beyond repair.  We have ordered a new one but it will not be here for another week or so.

When I have all of my pictures and software copied to the new computer, I will finally send out the blog of our wedding!

Sorry to keep you waiting (and not answering emails) but now that we are back in California we will finally have time to catch up.

Boudha and Patan

Posted on May 18th, 2008 in Asia, Nepal by robjkentjr
I was going to do only one post for Kathmandu but there are just too many good photos.  I had to add this extra post for the Buddhist stupa of Boudhanath and Durbar Square of Patan.
This is the Boudhanath Stupa.  It is an excellent place to watch the sunset and do some decent shopping.  Here you can see the pilgrims walking around the stupa chanting mantras and spinning the prayer wheels.
With the eyes of Buddha watching, this ancient stupa is one of the largest and most holy in the world.  The ubiquitous Tibetan prayer flags seen everywhere have five colors that represent the elements: blue for sky, white for air, red for fire, green for water, and yellow for earth.
At night, you can see the monks go around the stupa lighting the butter lamps.
Buddhism is such a colorful religion.  Thus, there exists the concept of a rainbow body.  Well, this does not really apply to buildings but I think it says a lot for their approach.
Here is a better example of the traditional widows and doors of Nepal.  This one just happens to be a squatting toilet so the short door does not really matter.
This is Durbar Square of Patan but with more than 1,200 monuments, I just could not get a picture that fully captures it all.
This is a community fountain that UNESCO restored as part of its package for Patan when it joined the World Heritage List.  The funding also supplied this fountain with a safe source of water
(or so I have read).
With our week of relaxation done, it was time to do some fun work.  Next, we are leaving for the Terai region to see the SONO water filter removing arsenic and other heavy metals.
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