Oh, the Places We'll Go

While in Kathmandu, Ted set up a couple of work-related meetings for himself, one of which resulted in us getting a driver and tour guide for a full day of sight-seeing. With our guide, Soneil, we drove out into the Kathmandu Valley and saw some amazing sites and people. While many people dismiss Kathmandu as a dirty, smoggy big city worth only the time required to pass through, we disagree – there are some beautiful and fascinating stops throughout the valley, showcasing the rich Nepali culture, religion, cuisine, and history.

Our first stop was the city of Bhaktapur, which along with Kathmandu and Patan, was one of the three medieval kingdoms that once competed for power in governing the area. Eventually, Kathmandu won that battle. The Newari architecture is particularly impressive.

Bhaktapur entrance

Soneil, our guide, teaches us the history of Bhaktapur

Newari architecture

Bhaktapur

While in the neighborhood, we headed to Changu Narayan Temple. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the oldest temple in the Kathmandu Valley has carvings dating back from the 4^th-9^th centuries.

Changu Narayan Temple

This piece dates back to the 4th century!

After a quick lunch, we visited one of Nepal’s largest and most impressive stupas – Bodhnath Stupa. Stupas are sites of religious significance to Buddhists. The day we were there just happened to corresponded with Buddha’s birthday so we got to see quite the celebration. There were thousands of people, hundreds of prayer flags and lots of excitement. It was a pretty wonderful experience.

Bodhnath Stupa - once the biggest stupa in the world

Special celebrations for the holiday

A Tibetan Monestary near Bodhnath

Bodhnath

The day ended back in Kathmandu proper at the famous Durbar Square. Though hard to describe, the Lonely Planet calls it “the traditional heart of the old town and Kathmandu’s most spectacular legacy of traditional architecture.” Definitely a must see for any visitor.

Durbar Square

Guard, Durbar Square

Durbar Square

Taxi stand, Durbar Square

We were very grateful to our excellent guide and driver, and Ted’s friend Pawan, who arranged the action-packed day for us. We loved our day in the Kathmandu Valley, and appreciated the opportunity to get out of the middle of the tourist ghetto and learn a little about Nepal’s history.

Wow, the tourist area of Kathmandu is insane! After spending weeks in the wilderness and small, somewhat sleepier towns, Kathmandu is a slap in the face. Cruising down the road in Thamel (the tourist ghetto), you are bombarded with hanging signs, and even walking becomes an obstacle course, choosing where to eat is overwhelming, and avoiding tour operators trying to sell you Everest Base Camp hikes requires athletic ability.

Tourist ghetto - Thamel

Bombardment by sign!

A little shopping

Most people arrive into Nepal through Kathmandu however, we were doing just the opposite. It is an excellent spot to arrange trekking, stock up on fake North Face gear and get ready to head into the wilderness, but we had already done that.

So for us, Kathmandu was a place to do laundry, catch up on email and eat yummy food. We overlapped with Dave and Jesse again for a few days, visiting the famous Monkey Temple which is an impressive stupa overlooking the whole city, and splurging on gigantic servings of dal bhat (typical Nepali food), for their last meal in the country. We also had a great meal with Ted’s friend and former boss John Watson from Colorado, who happened to be passing through at the same time (we actually planned to overlap for a night in Bandipur, but those damn strikes got in the way!). All and all, a nice and easy way to spend our last few days in Nepal.

The very long staircase to the Monkey Temple

Jesse low-fives a buddha

The only friggin monkey we saw at the "Monkey Temple"!

Swayambhunath - aka the Monkey Temple

The Kathmandu Valley, from Swayambhunath

Favorite picture from Swayambhunath