It begins anew
Pashupatinath Temple
Pashupatinath Temple is a 5th century temple on the banks of the Bagmati River. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and a major pilgrimage destination.
The most important part of the compound is on the other side of the river from where we started. (Tourists are not allowed in the main temple.) Here, there are numerous shrines to deceased sadhus (holy men). As this is a Shiva temple, each shrine contains a lingam.
On Saturdays, this part of the temple grounds are filled with people exercising and meeting friends.
Also monkeys.
There were cremations going on across the river. Especially during the worst of the pandemic, the funeral pyres were burning all day and night.
Signs, signs, signs
One of the things I like about commercial areas here is the visual clutter.
Urban planning
is not a thing around here. Once you’re off the main avenues, the roads fork and wind haphazardly.
It isn’t just side streets and alleys. In some places, you can’t go 50 yards without having to swerve.
Another thing is that alleys join streets at acute angles. It makes for some buildings that look like ships’ prows. I asked my language instructor if there was a reason for that—for example, whether it’s bad luck to meet a major road at a right angle—but he said no, it’s just that no one bothered to put any rules in place.
Dhando Chaitya stupa
The Dhando Chaitya is considered the oldest stupa (reliquary) in the Kathmandu Valley. Oddly, none of the websites actually say how old it is, but it was said to have been built by the daughter of Emperor Ashoka of India.
Despite its status, it sits in the commercial Chabadil neighborhood, far from the tourist sites in Thamel. The gate to the temple grounds was locked, so all I could do was walk around and take photographs of the site and the vendors outside.
First hill run
There is a trail run in Pokhara, a popular tourist destination, in December, so I decided to start training. Unlike Bangkok, Kathmandu offers lots of hilly terrain for training, so I went up into the hills on the recommendation of a fellow runner. My trail would start at the Kopan Monastery and end at a helipad just 2.2 km away. Easy, right? No.
The start of my trail. 
Part of the monastery complex, I think—no runners allowed inside 
That ended quickly. 
Oh, come on!
I quickly realized that I wasn’t acclimated enough to do hard-core running at 4,600 feet. However, the view was nice.
A passing motorcyclist told me I had taken a wrong turn and my road was going nowhere, so I doubled back and found a nicely paved road leading steeply uphill to the helipad. Courageously, I decided “F*** this” and I took the road downhill which was easier, but messy. The dogs I saw at the end of the run had had the right idea all along.
Oh, really?
It’s hard enough to make good on a claim of New York style bagels in, say, Cleveland; it’s a tall order to pull off that trick in Kathmandu.
First, as to the appearance. It was bagel-shaped, apart from having a very small hole in the middle. The sesame-seed coverage reminded me more of a Greek koulouri than a New York bagel.
A koulouri 
A sesame bagel from New York 
A sesame bagel from Kathmandu
Inside—not quite bagel-like.
With toast and butter, the outside is a little chewy, like a New York style bagel, and the flavor is pretty good. But is it a New York style bagel? I’m reminded of what my late friend, Thom Petty, the owner of Sparky’s Cafe in Chennai, told us: “When you first get to Chennai, my burger’s only okay. After a year in Chennai, it’s the best burger you ever ate.”