And finally back in Bakhtapur! Definitely a wonderful village, smaller than Patan, with virtually no traffic (but only virtually since even though there's a ban on cars you will still have to squeeze your big western derriere to the walls in narrow alleys for the occasional Suzuki to pass).
When I had been to this place 3 years ago I got lost and after admitting defeat I had to ask a local kid to help me go back to the car park where our driver was waiting for us impatiently. As a result I had to rush through most of the sights a part from Durbar sq.
The thing is, try and follow the walking tour as it is described in the LP and then we'll see if you DON"T get lost! Maybe at the time it was written the indications were correct but I would like to punish the writers by dropping them off at the starting point with only their guide and wait for them at the end point. It could take a while! The places they're mentioning as landmarks have long since gone, but they were gone even 3 years ago when the guide was written! Anyway, yesterday we ended up doing exactly as we did 3 years ago: we put the guide back in our bag and decided to follow our noses.
We made it to the major sights and took advantage of the lack of deadlines, we sometimes took diversions and dunked into narrow passages only to see the locals busy with their daily activities and a little surprised to see 2 tourists. We were not harassed as much to buy stuff as in KTM or Patan so it was actually nice to stop at the shops and have a look at the nice things they were selling.
Now the debate goes as following: low season now! yes we know! good prices to you because low season! oh really? ok then give me a discount, I can find this pashmina for 3 dollars in a shop in Sydney! 3 dollars??? Nooo, not possible! Low season, I have to charge more! But you just said good prices because of low season! Yes, good prices, low season!............
Well, I bought a pashmina, but only because I felt bad and I will let Steve explain this later.
Anyway, while sipping our afternoon beer on a rooftop terrace we went through the photos and I must say there will be a lot to show when we'll be back home!
Steve has taken a like at calling SNIPER, since the only reason I like to sit on rooftop terraces is because I can take sneak photos without being seen (and consequently without having to hand out rupees for them).
I call him Ganesh, because according to the Hindu iconography this God with the head of an elephant, loves lollies and is always depicted while holding a cup of them in one hand.
After the explanation Steve/Ganesh drinks his beer and waves off flies like in a typical aussie summer afternoon.
When I had been to this place 3 years ago I got lost and after admitting defeat I had to ask a local kid to help me go back to the car park where our driver was waiting for us impatiently. As a result I had to rush through most of the sights a part from Durbar sq.
The thing is, try and follow the walking tour as it is described in the LP and then we'll see if you DON"T get lost! Maybe at the time it was written the indications were correct but I would like to punish the writers by dropping them off at the starting point with only their guide and wait for them at the end point. It could take a while! The places they're mentioning as landmarks have long since gone, but they were gone even 3 years ago when the guide was written! Anyway, yesterday we ended up doing exactly as we did 3 years ago: we put the guide back in our bag and decided to follow our noses.
We made it to the major sights and took advantage of the lack of deadlines, we sometimes took diversions and dunked into narrow passages only to see the locals busy with their daily activities and a little surprised to see 2 tourists. We were not harassed as much to buy stuff as in KTM or Patan so it was actually nice to stop at the shops and have a look at the nice things they were selling.
Now the debate goes as following: low season now! yes we know! good prices to you because low season! oh really? ok then give me a discount, I can find this pashmina for 3 dollars in a shop in Sydney! 3 dollars??? Nooo, not possible! Low season, I have to charge more! But you just said good prices because of low season! Yes, good prices, low season!............
Well, I bought a pashmina, but only because I felt bad and I will let Steve explain this later.
Anyway, while sipping our afternoon beer on a rooftop terrace we went through the photos and I must say there will be a lot to show when we'll be back home!
Steve has taken a like at calling SNIPER, since the only reason I like to sit on rooftop terraces is because I can take sneak photos without being seen (and consequently without having to hand out rupees for them).
I call him Ganesh, because according to the Hindu iconography this God with the head of an elephant, loves lollies and is always depicted while holding a cup of them in one hand.
After the explanation Steve/Ganesh drinks his beer and waves off flies like in a typical aussie summer afternoon.
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