Nepal again.

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!  

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Streets of Thamel

Siddhi Pokhari, Bhaktapur

This man-made 15^th 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.