Today was the first day on our own in Kathmandu between tours. We slept in & had a leisurely breakfast, enjoying the free time with no set agenda for the rest of the day.

After breakfast we returned to our room. Catherine had a nap & I updated the blog with details of our trip back to Kathmandu & our flight to Mount Everest.

Shortly after 12 noon we headed out to find The Garden of Dreams, which as luck would have it was only about a 15 minute walk from our hotel.

Photo below: Fuji Hotel

Photo below: one of the side streets close to our hotel on the way to The Garden of Dreams

The biggest challenge was getting across multiple lanes of traffic. We tried to catch up with a couple of maroon robed monks who were also crossing the road but they were too quick for us! We managed to find a break in the traffic and scooted across.

Entering the walled garden was like taking a deep breath – so peaceful and serene. The garden, built in the 1920’s was originally 1.6 hectares. It fell into disrepair until being restored by an Austrian financed team. It took 6 years to complete the now half a hectare space which was reopened in 2007.

We enjoyed a light lunch overlooking the garden and wandered around the many ponds, fountains and pathways.

There were several varieties of chrysanthemums in full bloom as well as bougainvilleas and tropical greenery.

There were many tourists as well as young Nepalese couples. Public displays of affection between men and women such as hand holding or embracing are not encouraged in this culture so young people use the garden as a romantic spot to cozy up to each other. There are large mats to set up on the grass as well as several benches.

It was a short walk back to the hotel where we had a restful evening.

We sat outside on our hotel rooftop patio & enjoyed the sunset & a snack.

While we were sitting there a flock of small sparrows came to the flower pots along the patio railing to eat the seeds of the flowering plants.

Cheers!