Bhaktapur

I always thought the notion of falling in love with a city was kind of silly, but now I get it. I have fallen in love with Bhaktapur! It is a World Heritage Site and the history contained within the city is astounding. Many of the temples date back to the 15th century. Everywhere you look in the city there is beautiful wood-working and pottery, shrines and temples, literally EVERYWHERE. The city is well-known for its collection of wood artisans, weavers, and potters. I was set up in a guesthouse that was right in the old city, close to Durbar Square and other famous sites. When it cooled off in the evening I would just take my camera and go walk around the streets. It is a beautiful city in its own way. Look at these pictures and hopefully you'll understand what I mean. 

Shrine

All brick and carved wood

The guesthouse where I stayed

View from the rooftop

Looking down at the quiet morning streets

5-story temple, a symbol of Bhaktapur

View from the rooftop

The guesthouse where I stayed shared a courtyard with the Til Mahadev Narayan temple. Which was cool...except that worshiping starts as early as 4:00am, and it isn't quiet. There are lots of bells that are continuously being rung. It's very loud and not conducive to sleep to say the least! I had ear plugs and was still woken up by the bells every morning. One morning I went down and walked around the courtyard and snapped these pictures of the temple.

I don't know what it is, but it's pretty.

Such incredible carving

Shrines

Again, don't know what it is, but it's cool

More shrines

Doors on the temple

Close-ups of the carvings

Doors of the guesthouse

This is my roommate. He was so courteous, quiet, and ate all the spiders.

Juju dhau or King Curd

A famous Bhaktapur culinary specialty. It is delicious!

"Juju dhau is a sweetened custard-like yogurt that comes from Bhaktapur, Nepal, and is an important component of all feasts and celebrations. Juju dhau literally means "king of yogurt" in the Newari language. While cow's milk is used to make regular yogurt, fresh buffalo milk is traditionally used for juju dhau, resulting in a richer taste and texture. To make juju dhau, the milk is boiled, sweetened, mixed with culture, and poured into decorative, natural red clay pots called maato ko kataaro. It is then placed in a warm area, on a bed of paddy husks (the papery covering of rice grains), covered with another kataaro on top, and wrapped in several thick cotton blankets to maintain a warm temperature while the yogurt sets. Because the clay pots are porous, the excess liquid from the yogurt slowly evaporate, leaving a delicious, thick, smooth, and creamy yogurt. It is then transported and sold in the market in the same clay pots. A visit to Bhaktapur is not complete without sampling a bowl of Juju dhau." Taken from: 

http://tasteofnepal.blogspot.com/2012/02/juju-dhau-king-of-yogurt-from-bhaktapur.html

The meat market. You can smell these shops from quite a ways down the street. I took this picture at 9am, and it was already 83 degrees F outside, just imagine how this open meat market might smell, you're probably right. Note the smart dogs that are hanging around. I don't buy meat here in Nepal, because the food safety instruction I had in my public health class all comes flooding back to me and I just can't do it...just, nope. I am very careful about what meats I eat when I go out and often time just choose to go for the vegetarian option knowing that this is likely where they purchased their meats. 

Buddhist monks

View of the city from the hillside

Just a big, gorgeous tree

Shrines to Lord Shiva, covered in flowers and tika

Another view from high up on the hill

Some classic Nepali cuisine prepared by Pranav's wife. There's various beans, pickled veggies, buffalo meat, and bean cakes. It was delicious, and also the most spicy food I have ever eaten in my entire life. No joke, I thought I was going to be sick my mouth was so hot. My eyes were watering and I was guzzling water, but I didn't find relief until I ate some juju dhau. Everyone had a good laugh at me. I told her it was delicious, because it was, but I wasn't able to finish it because it was so incredibly spicy.

Looking out my window of the guesthouse at the busy city streets below

Views during dinner on the rooftop cafe

A panoramic view from the roof of the guesthouse

One evening as I was walking home, I was stopped by this festival procession. I don't know what festival it was, but they are carrying around a gold cow and people come up to touch the cow as it passes by. The walked the city streets for the following 2 hours.

I love Bhaktapur!