Today we saw the 3-year retreatants come out for a day-holiday, before they go back in for another six months. A lot of their families are here. They came out wearing cotton robes (like Milarepa-- a Tibetan yogi who sang songs) and did kind of a sumo side to side walk around the whole monastery.
Yesterday we went to Thamel, the touristy section of Kathmandou and I got offered pot 3 times (don't worry mom I didn't accept). We also ate pizza at nearly US prices.
Two days ago we were at the opening of a nunnery. The nuns did a dance. This was the first time nuns have practiced lama dancing. It was very beautiful except for the fact that the western woman who choreographed it put herself front and center. This made it seem a little less of a pure spiritual expression and added a bit of political agenda. Then again, with my theater major-ness I can't help but to analyze these things.
Kathmandou is a very holy place with a lot of problems, most of them having gotten much worse quite recently.
This monastery on a hill is like a pureland.