Today started off at another stupa - Boudhanath - which is the most important Buddhist site in Nepal and an area where a large number of Tibetan refugees live. After being in Tibet it was sad to see the Tibetans as refugees and a reminder of their difficult past.
On the way to this site we witnessed the "blessing" of cows with thikas, garlands around their necks, and the braiding of their tails as this is the Diwali festival day of the cow. The Diwali celebrations are really picking up with many businesses and homes stringing marigold garlands and lights and making colourful mandalas or decorations on the sidewalks in front of their shops.
Our last stop of the day was one of the most fascinating things we have seen - Nepal's ghat or cremation site. It is a large area along a river (which eventually runs into the Ganges) with many concrete pyres where dead bodies are burned. In the Hindu religion dead bodies must be cremated within 24 hours of death. There were several burning when we arrived and we watched as more bodies were carried to the site and prepared to be cremated. The bodies are placed over a pile of large logs and then straw is placed on top of them to keep in the heat (it also means that you don't see the body burning). We learned that a man's body takes 3 hours to burn, but a woman's takes 4 as women have heavier bones in their lower backs and pelvic areas. The smell of smoke was everywhere, but it was largely the smell if burning wood and not of burning flesh. Once the bodies are burned, the remaining ashes are swept into the river where there are scavenging boys scouring the river bed for any valuables that may not have been burned. It was an amazing cultural ritual to witness and not nearly as ghoulish as we would have thought, just a very public way of dealing with death.

So... our assessment of Kathmandu - it's a smoggy, dusty, garbage-ridden, traffic-clogged, huge city, but it is also vibrant, fascinating and invigorating with lots to see and do. We loved it despite its flaws.