After the noisy, bustling atmosphere of Kathmandu, my stay in Bhaktapur was bliss from the very start. Bhaktapur is one of three Newari medieval cities in the Kathmandu Valley, but it is the most well-preserved with its ancient temples of incredibly beautiful architecture and wood carvings. The 2015 earthquake destroyed several traditional houses and a few pagodas were cracked and scarred as a result. Thankfully many of the old temples, including the stunning Nyatapola temple, were largely unharmed as they were built with impressively deep foundations dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, and some much older. The citizens of Bhaktapur, however, are diligently rebuilding their cultural gem of a city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with many projects underway at almost every corner. Even in post-disaster Nepal, Bhaktapur is truly an incredible place with an impressively rich culture.

The small streets leading to Taumadhi Square featured above were lined with stands selling fresh vegetables, live chickens, hand-carved wood statues, Buddhist and Hindu art, as well as cheap merchandise imported from China. As you enter the square you are immediately in awe of your surroundings with the Nyatapola temple towering before you, flanked by equally impressive pagodas of immaculate detail. Also prominently featured in the square is a huge wood chariot being built by the town’s people ahead of next week’s Nepali New Year (their 2074 is our 2017). Each year, to celebrate the occasion they hold Bisket Jatra, a lively festival where the massive chariot is pulled in two directions by opposing sides. The winning team then brings it to their quarters, after which they join drunken holy men to erect a huge pole in the middle of the square. I’m sure there is much more cultural significance, but that is the gist of it from what I remember. Frankly, I’m probably not doing it justice.

After walking around town – always in awe of the architecture and people – I suddenly happened upon a big cistern where local kids were washing their clothes. I walked up to them and asked what it was like to grow up in Bhaktapur and how they enjoyed spending their youth. After talking for a bit, one of the kids mentioned that their one and only football was recently punctured and they had nothing to play with. So, I suggested that we go buy one together. Needless to say they were ecstatic and overjoyed. I was also told that the youngest of the bunch, who was quite shy and reserved, was keen to learn English. That being said, I decided to throw in a Nepali-English dictionary to help him along in his studies.

Further along my walk I decided to stop in at one of the many coffeeshops serving Nepali-style coffee (which is excellent, by the way) and began a long conversation with a local guy in his mid-twenties who was born and raised in Bhaktapur, but was currently studying commerce at Kathmandu University. Aasish and I hit it off and he then brought me to one of his local haunts to meet his friends and enjoy several rounds of homemade rice beer. The “beer” was actually quite refreshing and, although it is apparently only 3-4%, after three bottles I felt rather intoxicated. Funny story: he and his friends love “Summer of 69” by Bryan Adams. Apparently Nepali youth go nuts when the song plays at bars.

Aasish suggested we meet the following day to visit a few temples and sights in the surroundings areas of Bahaktapur. Obviously I agreed and jumped at the opportunity. The next morning we drove out to Chagu Narayan to stroll around a 4th century temple dedicated to Vishnu, the God of Protection. It was a surreal experience to visit such an ancient temple, made all the more special because Aasish knew so much about Hindu culture and the history of the Newari community. Following that we drove out Nagarkot on a stupidly narrow, harrowing dirt road high in the mountains. Admittedly I was gripping the armrest tightly a few times as I looked the steep cliff about a metre to the right of the van. Once in Nagarkot we hiked up to a lookout where we could see the far off mountain ranges of Annapurna, Langtang, and Everest. Unfortunately visibility was low due to a distant fog, but at least the upper peaks were visible. Truly, a sight to behold.

Now I sit at the North Face Inn in Pokhara, Nepal’s second-largest city which features the beautiful Phewa Lake. Yesterday I took a 6am morning bus from Bhaktapur to get here and it took 10 hours to drive approximately 220 km because of the winding roads and the terrible state of some highways. Honestly, I thought I was going to die a few times when the bus was passing other tourist busses the very narrow mountains roads. Sometimes trucks and busses pass each other within inches, literally. Otherwise the trip was quite enjoyable with beautiful sights to behold such as rice terraces with grazing water buffaloes, stellar vistas of the mountains, and a few villages along the way.

My new Argentinian friend Jeronimo met up with me in Pokhara and we’re both staying here for three nights. In a twist of serendipitous luck we ran into with a Dutch couple, Luke and Rose, whom we met during a walking tour in Kathmandu. Last night the four of us when to the Movie Garden, an outdoor theatre with a tiki-style lounge service cocktails, beers and pizza. They were showing Gandhi, the 1982 award-winning classic starring Ben Kingsley. Surprisingly I had never seen the film and really enjoyed it. Indeed, it is required viewing in this part of the world.

By and large, I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to visit this far flung place and the amazing landscape and culture that it offers. Not to mention the awesome series of coincidences that have introduced me to such cool people.

Later this week on Saturday I will begin the Annapurna Base Camp trek, an 11-day hike in the Annapurna mountain range, the 10th highest mountain in the world. I hired on a guide and porter through a local Nepali trekking company. It was expensive, but it will be totally worth it (hopefully the valley’s fog lifts so I can see the bloody mountain!). In any case, I prefer to give money to a local company over a foreign agency operating in country. That said, I probably won’t write for awhile. But I promise the next blog post will be EPIC.

Below are a few more photos from Bhaktapur and its surroundings: