9-13 December 2010
As the saying goes, “Nepal, once is not enough.” We agree.
We have spent the past few days seeing the sights near Kathmandu, enjoying some great food, and relishing in the peace and quiet (yes, after India, we find Kathmandu quite peaceful).
The Kathmandu Valley is littered with World Heritage cultural sites. During our last visit last visit we were on a strict trekking diet and are now enjoying this different taste of Nepal. Our first stop was the magnificent Bodhnath Stupa-just a short taxi ride from the center of Kathmandu. Surrounded with shops, restaurants, and hotels the magnificent, white and gold Bodhnath Stupa towers over its surroundings. Each day thousands of Buddhist pilgrims visit Bodhnath to pray, walking clockwise around the stupa, fingering their prayer beads, burning juniper incense, prostrating themselves in prayer, spinning prayer wheels, or lighting butter lamps. We joined in the mass of pilgrims making their ritual rounds at Bodhnath and watched as the late afternoon sun bathed this remarkable centerpiece of Buddhist devotion.
In the 17th century three rival city states ruled the Kathmandu Valley. Powerful kings built grand palaces and temples in Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. Each of the town’s centers (all called Durbar Square) showcase similar architecture with intricate stone and wood carvings and grand palaces surrounding wide central squares.
Having already visited Kathmandu’s Durbar Square we set out first to Patan. Patan showcases a myriad of temples of similar appearance and a lively, bustling atmosphere. We wandered the streets and narrow alleyways observing vegetable and souvenir sellers, marveled at the intricate stone and wood carvings and enjoyed some people watching from one of the town’s many rooftop cafes.
From Patan, we made our way to Bhaktapur, widely regarded as the best-preserved of the valley’s medieval cities. Bhaktapur is a wonderful place to explore. In contrast to both Patan and Kathmandu, where you spend half of your time dodging speeding taxis and motorcycles, much of Bhaktapur is closed to vehicle traffic. Here, you are free to roam backstreets, squares, and alleys-all of which are relatively free of traffic.
The architecture of Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square is roughly similar to Patan and Kathmandu, but upon closer inspection the place is truly unique-children hide your eyes. Several of the temples feature detailed carvings of men and women (sometimes many of them) engaged in creative erotic acts. In one famous carving, a woman multi-tasks by washing her hair while, well…Also, Bhaktapur’s erotic carvings are not restricted to humans alone. The Erotic Elephant Temple showcases carvings of elephants and sheep and lions doing what the birds and bees do. What an interesting place!
Wandering around Bhaktapur we stumbled upon dozens of shrines and temples devoted to various Hindu Gods. Fruit and vegetable sellers line the streets next to merchants peddling beads, paintings, and metalwork next to momo (like potstickers) wallahs cooking delicious Tibetan dumplings, clouds of steam wafting into the cool Himalayan winter air. One afternoon we wandered to Potters Square, and watched pottery being thrown on foot pedaled wheels.
The pottery is left in the sun to dry before being layered with straw in huge piles and fired for several days. The same afternoon we stumbled upon the Taduchen Bahal Monastery, with carvings depicting scenes of torture. In medieval times Bhaktapur’s residents would be well advised to be on good behavior and avoid having their teeth pulled, being strangled by a snake or their head rammed (by rams, of course). Bhaktapur is a quirky, beautiful, and a relaxing place.
Tomorrow we head west to Pokhara, Nepal’s third largest city-perched on the shore of Phewa Lake and below the Annapurna mountain range. During the next couple of weeks we will partake in 10 days of yoga and meditation (Ommmmm) and spend the New Year trekking below some of the world’s highest peaks.
We wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season!
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