Bhaktapur

Early in the morning, we had a lovely walk along the mountain side. After 45 minutes we reached some homes, we then walked back to the hotel. All the way up the stairs -- as we prepared for the trek to Base Camp, i.e., practicing walking uphill.

After breakfast, we headed to Bhaktapur with our driver. Bhaktapur is the third of the medieval city states in the Kathmandu Valley. It is also the best preserved. Many Nepalis still use the old name of Bhadgaon or the Newari name Khwopa, meaning City of Devotees.

Bhaktapur grew up to service the old trade route from India to Tibet. Baktapu has not one but three major squares full of towering temples that comprise some of the finest religious architecture in the country. In the backdrop of the architectural grandeur, many locals still make a living farming the fields around the city and the streets are full of drying crops and farmers winnowing rice and wheat using wicker baskets and electric fans. Narrow cobblestone streets wind between the red-brick houses, joining a series of squares and courtyards that are peppered with temples, statues, cisterns
and wells, while the occassional tractor hauls in crops from the surrounding fields.




The morning that we arrived in Bhaktapur the city and its residents were celebrating their religious beliefs with various rituals, i.e., dressing up in their Nepali wear, walking in processions to the temples, carrying food to the temples and playing music. It was wonderful to walk along the back streets of the city and see the various people sitting on their door stoops, talking with each other and enjoying the special day.



After a very enjoyable day of touring Bhaktapur, we headed to Nagarkot to a higher altitude to acclimatize ourselves in preparation for our trek to Base Camp.