I
have written about here before but I was fortunate enough to visit again so, let's all swift to Nepal for now.
Since one of the major festivals called Tihar (aka Diwali in India) was upcoming, my parents decided to celebrate with our relatives back home. Let’s be
honest, life in the UK is hectic; everyone is busy pursuing their dreams and in these entire hubbubs, we seldom have the opportunity to spend time with family and
relatives; there is rarely any excitement during Tihar here. So, this time we went to celebrate it in Nepal! After
9 years…. Woop!! Woop! Yes, it's that much fun there.
In the last post, I blabbered a lot but fear not, this post will not be mind numbingly
boring. Before
I headed to my village (Jhapa), I was in Kathmandu for 3 days. Whilst staying
there, I had the opportunity to explore the good-old Kathmandu valley. To be
honest, during all my years in Kathmandu, I had hardly been anywhere there. So this time around in Nepal, I was determined to at
least visit Kathmandu in detail. During my stay there was when I realised that I am exceptionally bad with timing, scheduling and planning. Always trying to
squeeze a list of places in my short duration. Although I did enjoy visiting these sites, I couldn't immerse myself into appreciating them as I wished to.
Nepal
is a small but beautiful country with lots of natural resources and a lot of
temples and shrines. Architectural designs of these temples are definitely to be commended. Within these temples reside many histories and tales. Plus, they act as superb subjects for my photography!
In the three days, I was able to visit Bhaktapur, Patan, Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu Durbar Square and
Baudha; thanks to my friend Kristy. It was magnificent!
.
Streets of Thamel
Siddhi Pokhari, Bhaktapur
This man-made 15th century pond with many legends is a must visit
place in Bhaktapur. It’s a historic pond
where fishing is not allowed except for a single day in a year. Hence the presence of massive obese
fishes, as feeding them is permitted. In fact, locals sell fish food
in every entrance of the pond. I came to know that nowadays, it has become a hot spot for dating, every corner of the rectangular pond were filled with couples laughing, giggling and feeding these already overweight fishes.
Pottery from the best.
Piggy banks! Piggy banks everywhere!!
Authentic Nepalese marionette.
Nyatapola Temple, Bhaktapur
The sun
was at its brightest when this girl in a white dress and hat caught
my eye. I thought hers would be a great shot in an ancient town such as this.
There
is always room for momo in our stomachs… especially sesame jhol momo.. and Kristy bullying a kid in front of his mum in momo pasal.
Shambala Hotel, Chakrapath
After
2 nights of crashing in a relative's house and returning late at nights, I felt like I was
being a nuisance. So Shambala
Hotel in Chakrapath was the pick, since it opened recently and the reviews were
pretty good. Upon enquiring, they quoted Rs. 7000 which is
relatively manageable but next morning when I was checking out I was presented
with the remaining balance of Rs 3000. WTF... so, the 7G was excluding tax and VAT. I was ripped off but at least the view was nice as I was assigned the top floor room, just under the rooftop swimming pool. The complementary
breakfast was delicious too.
Patan Durbar Square, Kathmandu
Dhunge Dhara
Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square
Basantapur
Pote Bazzar (colourful glass beads)
Every corner of the Kathmandu has a hidden surprise. Just like this Pote bazzar I found in an alley way in Basantapur.
Evening stroll in Khichapokhari Kathmandu
Paddy field in Jhapa during sunrise
Infront of my folks' place in Prithivinagar, Jhapa.
Finally,
I would like to give my utmost thanks to Kristy for taking your precious time
to give me a tour of Kathmandu valley. Although it was a short visit, it was an
awesome one and I had loads of fun. But my only regret remains that we forgot to take pictures of us together. We were too much into our photography. Once again, thank you
for this unforgettable time.
