Around the Valley

We made day trips to Patan and Bhaktapur, not far outside the main city.  Both were previous sites of Newari Kingdoms in the Valley and carried fine examples of the intricate architecture in the central Durbar Squares.  The Patan museum, a former palace displaying countless works of Hindu and Buddhist art, was very well executed. Each place seemed to have more temples than the other, but Patan definitely had more would be guides (but both apparently less hash than Thamel).  

The freshly fried samosas and  steamed buff momos were ready and cheap. We stumbled on a good place for giant masala dosas.  The rice with daal wasn't bad.

I especially liked Bhaktapur for its warm and friendly people and well-retained medieval atmosphere.  Artisans were carving beautiful wooden frames, boxes, and furniture.  The narrow alleys permitted little motorized traffic and I heard “hello, one chocolate, one pen, one rupee” only once in the more commercial central square.  It was a real town with people going about their normal affairs at the market, washing clothes, knitting, and just sitting around.  Approaching the periphery, the river was little more than open sewer trickling with garbage and dark gray septic water, but on the opposite bank a shrouded body was being cremated on a funeral pyre.