The Two Stupas

I kept these in a separate entry because they were a highlight, not even just of the trip, of the world.
Two big towers at different ends of the city, Swayambunath and Bodnath, each with the Buddha's eyes painted on all four sides of them. Most things are impressive because of their height or their size, or their architectural cleverness, sometimes their history, but these had all those things and that still wasn't what made them so amazing. I don't even know what it was.
Bodnath is a massive pagoda shape with hundreds of Buddhists making their daily prayer rounds. There was a choice between entering through the front gate for 50rs or through one of about 50 side entrances free of charge. (???) We went right round and spun every single prayer wheel which took a while. Then the power went out and we had dinner on the top of a roof while the Buddha glared at us eating our chow mein.
Swayambunath was my favourite. Supposedly the lice from a holy mans head have evolved into monkeys up there, so thats why it has the title of "monkey temple" This one stood on the top of a hill and the eyes towered over the top of everyone, like they could see everything you couldn't. There wasn't much we coulnd't see though because we were so high up that we had a view of every single colourful house in Kathmandu. We stayed up there till darkness and watched the monkeys.
The Buddha's eyes appear all over Nepal, and you have to see them for real before you properly get it