Dubai Post 54: The Ancient City of Bhaktapur

The ancient city of Bhaktapur was one of my favorite stops during our “tourist” day in Nepal.  It is one of the three ancient cities of Kathmandu Valley and is home to historical monuments, traditional artwork and a number of ancient temples. It also provides tourists with a number of different vendors to bargain with as different types of shops line the street.

One of the main temples in the square. 

A view of Durbar square, the tea house we stopped in is straight ahead.

One of my favorite parts about Bhaktapur is that you can walk to all the places.  In Kathmandu we had to drive from place to place which can be annoying and scary.  However, cars are not allowed on some of the streets and in Durbar square giving tourists the ability to walk throughout the main area of the city. It was within Bhaktapur that I finally felt like I was in Asia.  The architecture of the buildings are what I would think of when picturing far east Asia.

The three of us walking the streets of Bhaktapur. 

One of the monuments in a square. 

A golden gate to one of the temples. 

Excluding bungee jumping, my favorite moment in Nepal came in an old tea house in Bhaktapur’s Durbar square.  Andy, Sumit and I sat in the tea house overlooking the square enjoying the ancient buildings.  We also tried out some of the local beers within Nepal including the renowned Everest beer.  Throughout my travels and in Dubai I am constantly on the go.  Being able to sit down, converse and enjoy a beer for an hour is a welcome pleasure I have learned to really enjoy. 

The artwork above the door to an active temple.  Sumit
went in to say quick prayer while Andy and I waited outside. 

A view overlooking one of the larger squares in Bhaktapur. 

After our pitstop, we spent a little time haggling with some of the local vendors.  Similar to Istanbul, I was with someone who spoke the native language.  Sumit was ruthless when trying to get our desired price.  He would not take no for an answer and anyone wishing to learn to bargain should spend an hour with Sumit.  Once again, I did not have time to see everything in Bhaktapur.  Yet, I know it was enough to say it is a must see destination when in Kathmandu. 

A view of my favorite temple from the tea house. 

The menu from the tea house, looked about 100 years old. 

The three of us enjoying Everest beers. 

Some guy Sumit ended up bargaining with twice throughout the day.