Thanks to a blockade from India, the price of gasoline has tripled and the price for most other items has doubled. Nepal is a landlocked country with India to the south and China to the north. Unfortunately, with Himalayas also along the northern border there is really only easy way for goods to reach Nepal - through India.
Given the embargo people are doing anything to stay warm and cook. Oil has been replaced by wood or anything that will burn. The result? Very polluted air. Add to that just above freezing lows (with no heated hotel rooms in the city). To get us to see as much as possible on short visit I planned for us to visit the Hindu temple on our way to the airport on our first morning in Nepal. What is best for time is not always best for morale.
First stop of the day:
I hesitate to post this picture; this is a family grieving at a funeral. The priest(?) is washing the head and feet of the dead. Near the center of the picture is a block of cement where they will build the funeral pyre. It is a very solemn ceremony.
Meanwhile, in another part of the temple are guys dressed like this:
