The famous pagoda with the eyes on top offers the best views of the Kathmandu valley. Down in the city, life pulsates in the narrow streets, wooden temples with detailed carved windows are wedged between tiny shops. And the erotic depictions on the roof supports of some temples always make me smile.
The end of monsoon celebrations drag on for days, thousands of goats, buffaloes and chickens are sacrificed. In front of a temple in the city centre, the carcasses of two buffaloes lie in the sun all day… In a procession, the living goddess passes me by, an eight-year-old girl who lives in one of the temples. As soon as she gets her first period, she turns into a normal mortal and another little girl is put into the temple….