After a delicious breakfast, we met the others and walked to Durbar Square, where there are lots of old (read: mostly collapsed) temples, and a museum too. On the way we passed street markets where animal parts were being sold (like brains on the sidewalk - good name for a band by the way) as well as vegetables like corn and beans. The temples at the square itself were really interesting. Partly because of failed restoration attempts in the past and partly due to their age, when the 2015 earthquake struck Nepal, they suffered a lot of damage and the main 7-storey temple completely collapsed. The smell of incense was everywhere we turned, as well as people making offerings to the different deities portrayed on each of the temples. It was really interesting being in a place entrenched in very old traditions, the picture of the tree growing through the old shrine really emphasises this.
After the temples and the museum (which explained the temples), many of them were used for the royal courts/treasury/etc, we walked back to the hotel. This was mostly to avoid the rain, but we also had a great game of cheat (read: I won it) and very interesting discussions about all kinds of things, from movies to same-sex marriage to dangerous Australian animals. This was at Trekker's Home, a hotel some others are staying before EWB begins, and the view from the balcony was just fantastic, the balcony lined with potted plants, with the cramped city stretching out before the foothills of one of the mountain ranges in the distance.
We ducked out and back to get some falafel and chips for lunch, which was very tasty, then we left for the market stalls that line all the streets in the Thamel locale. This was roughly 6 hours of walking, but passing by the hundreds of stores made it fly by. That said, there was a repeating pattern of shops: Trekking gear, trek bookings, restaurant, scarf shop, clothes shop, knickknacks, hotel, repeat. Some streets were vehicle free, which removed the majority of the stress factors I was facing in the city.
We had an hours break then went for dinner and got mo-mos, which are simply dumplings under a different name. They were delicious. We then went to get some drinks at the Cafe with No Name, a not-for-profit cafe that spends all of the money it makes on helping educate children on the street. Got to know some of the EWB participants very well, which was a great way to wind-down a hectic day.