Wednesday 7 November 2012

All good things come to an end - Part 2

Bhaktapur







Bhaktapur, the last of the 3 royal cities in the Kathmandu Valley for us to visit, is about 20 km east of Kathmandu in the Kathmandu Valley.  The city, once part of the ancient trade route between India and Tibet, is surrounded by mountains and provides a magnificent view of the Himalayas.

It is known by many names - 'City of Devotees', the 'City of Culture', the 'Living Heritage', and 'Nepal's Cultural Gem'.
I don’t know which one I would choose but it is certainly all of those and more, such a beautiful place to spend a day. Should we return I would love to stay in the old part of the town for a few days. There were some beautiful guest houses in the old city area. Traffic is not allowed in the heritage area where some of the guest houses can be found - it is calm and peaceful. With it being the Dashain Festival the town and its inhabitants were in holiday mode.
Soaking up the beautiful morning sun!

Enjoying ice-creams and ice-blocks


The locals were decked out in their best clothes,





small bands were parading through the streets, the atmosphere was happy. A beautiful day to be visiting.






The old town is filled with monuments, carved wood columns, open courtyards, palaces and temples. Buildings are decorated with elaborate carvings and the rooves are fancy.




It's always worthwhile to study the carvings and not just give a passing glance!






Chariot wheels used during festivals
and the sleepers they roll along.

Once we had visitied the tourist sites we spent hours wandering up and down the narrow lanes, enjoying the friendly, happy, relaxed vibe of the town.










 
Catch anything?



Kite flying.


 

 




 

 

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