New Totes and Travel Bags Available

PTT21

 

Here are some new totes and travel bags.  These two new totes feature hand-embroidered panels from Santiago, Atitlan on the front pockets. See the Purses for Sale page for more information and photos.

PTT23

PTZ54

PTZ51

PTB26

Kathmandu - Bodhnath Temple

 

From Varanassi we flew to Kathmandu, Nepal.  One of the highlights of Kathmandu is the Bodhnath Stupa.  It is the largest stupa in Nepal.  It is ringed with a pedestrian walkway where many vendors display jewelry, beads, spices, clothing and other traditional Nepalese and Tibetan wares.  There are restaurants, hotels, and craft workshops.

 

Kathmandu is a bead-lover's paradise.  All that turquoise in the photo above are large plastic bags brimming with turquoise beads.

Varanassi

 

We only spent a short time in Varanassi, but those hours were very interesting and full.  When we got off the plane it was 110 degrees F!  We wanted to get down to the ghats for the evening ceremony.  It was too crowded for the bus to get there, so we piled out and all got in rickshaws and made our way to the Ganges.

 

The rickshaws dropped us off and we had a short walk to the river where we boarded a boat and set out on the river.

 

The fires on the shore are from the cremations that take place along the river 24/7.

 

The next morning, before dawn, we headed back down to the ghats.  We took another boat ride and watched the sunrise.  People were bathing in the river, and some young monks were making offerings to begin their day.