Like Patan, the town of Bhaktapur was once once a fierce competitor of Kathmandu. The first impressions of Bhaktapur are good: the entrance road to the historical town is virtually traffic-free and packed with old and sometimes beautiful houses. However, the historical charm of Bhaktapur quickly vanished when one dove into a side street: understandably, many inhabitants preferred to rebuild their houses in a bland but earthquake-proof manner, rather than in the authentic but not so shatterproof way. Nevertheless, the town is charming, with beautiful historical sights, top-class and super cheap momo’s (Nepali style dim sums), yummy fresh king curd and - for the very brave - nice home made ice cream.
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Boudhanath is a town in the Kathmandu Valley, renowned for its enormous stupa and many pilgrims. It has a much calmer vibe than Kathmandu (when the Buddhist monks were not praying, that is - their praying sessions are accompanied by very loud trumpet-like sounds and drum sounds; and yes, they also pray at 4am…), and many tourists come to Boudha or the surrounding monasteries for purposes of meditation. The stupa was still in scaffolding due to post-earthquake restoration works, but nevertheless the place had some charm. Much less to my liking were the many beggars which saw the many pilgrims as a welcome source of revenue. That being said, with Nepal not having any notable kind of social security system, many handicapped people may not have that many other options in life… Only twenty minutes walking from Boudha is the site of Pashupatinath, an impressive temple complex and important religious site for both hindus and muslims, where cremations on the shore of the Bagmati river are a very common sight.
My first attempt to escape Thamel brought me on a day-trip to Patan, once an important centre of power competing with Kathmandu. The historic centre is definitely impressive, but the earthquake damage is still very visible.
I arrived in Kathmandu with high hopes - I had heard much good about Nepal from fellow travelers. Once landed, I realised that I did not bring cash dollars for my visa payment. To my relief, a big sign above the cashier’s desk advertised that payment was possible by visa and master card was possible. “No possible sir, machine not working”, the man told me when I got to the counter. Since the French couple before me had just paid by card after a long quarrel with the cashier, I stood my ground, and a couple of minutes later, I received my Nepalese visa. At the luggage pickup, the conveyor belt was literally full of flatscreen TVs - pretty much every Nepali on the plane seemed to have bought one abroad. Outside the airport, a great number of taxi drivers awaited me. I picked one that offered a good rate, and got in the ridiculously small car (apparently the standard size for a taxi, I later discovered). Contrary to my instructions, the driver insisted on passing by the office of a tour agent (“just two minutes sir”) where the manager started a litany about the quality of his touring company. Once he realised that I was unlikely to book a tour with him, I was able to head for my hostel, located in Thamel, the heart of the tourist district of Kathmandu. “Taxi sir?” “Hashiesh? Pollen?” “Sir, where are you from?” “Belgium” “Very nice. How long in Nepal?” “I don’t know yet” “Trekking sir?” “yes but I will go without guide” “Why not go trekking now sir, I am good guide.” “No thank you” “very cheap sir” “No thank you” … Taking a stroll in Thamel is not a quiet experience. Add to that the constant honking of cars, motorcycles and rickshaws, and a great amount of dust, and you will empathize with my wish not to stick around in Thamel for all too long…
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