Foto: The pottery exhibition in Bhaktapur (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Nepal - Bhaktapur is similar to Durbar Square in Kathmandu, but Bhaktapur is less touristy and much more extensive. At the entrance gate, we buy a ticket and are immediately swarmed by guides and students claiming they want to practice their English. We’re not in the mood for a guide today and turn them down (which isn’t easy). We explore the complex. We stroll across the squares, climb the temples, and enjoy the view. We also wander through the city’s streets. It’s over thirty degrees Celsius, and we can definitely feel it. In the narrow streets, daily life simply continues, even though we paid for a ticket to be here. Families sit on the stoops of their homes, children are being washed on the street, fruit is sold from the back of bicycles, and woodworkers build cabinets right on the sidewalk. At the central square, we have lunch in a former temple. From here, we have a view over the souvenir stalls and the square. In the afternoon, we walk out of the neighborhood and look for a taxi. The driver takes us back to Kathmandu. The distance is only twelve kilometers, but the streets are very crowded. The driver honks constantly (even when traffic is at a standstill) and takes small backroads through the city. Fifty minutes later, we’re back in the busy Thamel district.
Durbar Square in Kathmandu
Nepal - We walk through the narrow streets toward Durbar Square, the main attraction of Kathmandu. When we arrive at the square, it is already two o’clock. We decide to have lunch first on a rooftop terrace overlooking the temples of Durbar Square. Back at ...
Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu
Nepal - After breakfast, we take a taxi to Pashupatinath. This is a Hindu cremation site where funerals take place on the banks of the Bagmati River. The taxi ride itself is an experience. Cars weave through the city, grabbing every free centimeter to move forward. ...