Day 3: Bhaktapur & Nagarkot

We have about an hour and a half’s drive to our first stop and Kishor tells us about some of the political and royal history (it was good to reinforce what I had read up about yesterday). I was surprised to hear that the main revenue for Nepal (approx 30%) is foreign remittance (people working abroad and sending money home), followed by a rapidly growing tourism industry (currently at around 20-25%).

Although the big cities all merge into each other, there is a point that we suddenly realise that we are in a much more agricultural area and have entered Bhaktapur. We turn off the main highway and drive through some delightful rural countryside where the rice is just about to be harvested. The fields have been drained and the crop is starting to yellow and dry off. In some areas we can see they have started to harvest (by hand) and the crop is laid down in neat bunches. Along the roadsides we see rice grains laid out on sacks to dry out further. It is stored in this state in sacks and then just milled as required.

Adding to the rustic feel are the cobs of corn hanging out to dry from people’s windows and even hanging from the roofs of restaurants. We see people carrying all sorts of loads on their person, by bicycle or motorcycle, and their peculiar tractors. Everything is transported – we even see a tractor-load of eggs.

Another main industry for the area is the manufacture of bricks. We can see tall chimneys of the kilns in the distance and piles of bricks stacked up. All the houses in this area are made of bricks and there is a lot of construction going on, both earthquake repairs and new builds. As well as the multi-storey dwellings, there are a lot of long low buildings in the fields that house both animals and some of the poorer families. These families will fetch water daily from the village well.

Our reason for coming out here is to visit the UNESCO world heritage site of Changu Nayaran. This is one of the most ancient pilgrimage sites in the area and boasts a temple to Vishnu that dates from the 4th-5th centuries. There are carvings and sculptures from across the centuries all existing together in harmony in this fascinating area. It looks somewhat rundown but the monks are all in residence and supported by the local villagers. They have stalls up the sides of the steps up to the temple selling their wares. Many are making them as we watch and are very friendly. I spend some time watching a man carving masks and buy one from him for my ‘mask wall‘ at home. I am also invited in to a place where they are painting mandalas to see how they prepare the cotton canvases for painting (and longevity). I don’t stay long because Kishor has promised more of this later.

Then we are back on the bus to Bhaktapur; walking up the steep steps to the main heart of the city – running the gauntlet of the people determined to sell us everything from jewellery to ceremonial knives. Bhaktapur dates from the early 8th century and was the capital of Nepal in 12th -15th centuries. Along with the ancient kingdoms of Kathmandu and Patan it has a large central Durbar Square surrounded by various palaces, temples and stupas. The earthquake damage is very visible and there are piles of rubble, buildings propped up with wooden beams, some surrounded with bamboo scaffolding and others that have already been repaired. One of the old temples is decorated karma sutra style.

Our first main stop here is to have lunch at a little restaurant with a very welcome shaded terrace. I can’t go past my favourite fresh lemon soda and momos (dumplings) again. There are all sorts of different types including in a chilli sauce or sizzling with capsicums and onions. Jenny and I decide to share some Chicken Kothey Momos and some Vegetable noodles.

After lunch Kishor takes us for a tour of the square and many little alleyways pointing out key features and history. The city has a veritable maze of little alleyways connecting up a multitude of smaller squares. Not all of them are open to us but we see some beautiful ancient courtyards, traditional water ponds, and public shelters that are still well used by locals – groups of old men chatting and in the evening gathering for music. We are only allowed to take photos in some of the areas.

Bhaktapur is also known as the cultural capital of Nepal and under its World Heritage status operates as a living museum for the Newari culture. There are traditional crafts of every nature all around and Kishor takes us to see and hear about how some of the quality products are made.

First stop is a demonstration of the traditional Nepalese singing bowls. Good quality ones are made of seven different types of metal and are more than just a work of art. If the bowls are tapped or stroked they start a vibration that is in tune with chanting Om. We are shown a bowl filled with water that when the stick is rubbed around the rim, the vibrations are so strong that water droplets jump into the air. Next up I am a volunteer to demonstrate the use of the bowls to help with calming headaches: a large bowl is upended on my head and he strikes it repeatedly with the stick – it is in fact surprisingly calming. But wait there is more! You can also use the bowl for therapeutic healing of backache: again I volunteer for the demonstration – the base of the bowl is placed against the back and struck. As it vibrates they move it up and down. I like the idea of this but think it would be best if the bowl came with a cute guy to perform the therapy!

Next stop is at the oldest painting school where the meanings of the various images are explained to us. The mandalas are amazingly intricate: we learn that painting them takes great concentration and devotion. The basic format is the same, representing overcoming various obstacles to reach the different levels of enlightenment and eventually Nirvana, but the artist chooses the colours/decoration. We are also shown other designs such as the Circle of Life – that I really like. The guy is trying the hard sell to get people to pick their favourite mandalas to buy but nobody was interested. I said that I liked the Circle of Life with a navy background and he brought out an absolutely beautiful piece that I fell in love with on the spot. It turns out that I have very good taste as this one was painted by a Grand Master and the details are exquisite. Of course it is expensive but I decide to purchase it particularly as all the proceeds go back to support the painting school so is a ‘donation’ I am happy to make.

By this stage we are all hot and sick of standing around, and the touts are getting annoying with their persistence. We head for the bus and then face an hour’s ‘free massage’ as we bump and sway over a crazily rough and potholed road that zigzags its way up to our evening’s accommodation at Nagarkot. This area is renowned for 360 views of the mountains and spectacular sunrises. It is getting dark as we arrive. We are shown to our rooms – a very strange arrangement like spokes of a wheel and we all go down staircases to get to our rooms – mine is partway down. It is very nice but we won’t have long to enjoy it as we have another early start in the morning. I have dinner with Jenny, Dennis and Kishor in the dining room where you can choose a la carte or buffet, then off to bed.

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For this and other similar tours see:

Explore Asia with Intrepid Travel (a range of different travel styles – see my post on travel styles)

Peregrine Adventures (Comfort tours)

Geckos Adventures (for 18 to 30s)

Note: After people telling me they had booked an Intrepid Tour on my recommendation, I now have affiliate links with the Intrepid Travel group of companies and may receive a commission if you book a tour online within a couple of months after clicking through to these sites.  So if you are enjoying my tips and stories and finding them useful in choosing your own travel, please click on these links and help me to bring you more .

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