Naipablaak: 11.02.2017
Today I took a trip to Bhaktapur. A small town outside of Kathmandu.
Originally, I wanted to go alone, but Santosh said that the bus ride is very complicated. That's why Ajid - a friend of Santosh and Subash - took me there by moped and then showed me around the old town. He told me about the main buildings and a bit of history about the city. After that, he gave me some time to explore the city on my own - I enjoyed that a bit more.
The old town of Bhaktapur is a bit like a journey into the past and is known for its brick buildings and craftsmanship. The city is the main producer of pottery for the entire Kathmandu Valley. There are numerous brick kilns around Bhaktapur (they look similar to the old brick kilns here). The streets of the old town are also paved with bricks. The dust there is not brown like in Kathmandu, but reddish - what a change! But it's not as crowded as the city center of Kathmandu and it was much cozier.
Unfortunately, Bhaktapur was heavily damaged by the 2015 earthquake, and many old houses and temples collapsed. The reconstruction is still not complete. The Nepalese are great craftsmen and the historical, detailed wood and stone works are very impressive. Unfortunately, these are things that cannot be easily rebuilt after the earthquake. That's why they are trying to reuse the better-preserved parts as much as possible.
After a long walk alone and a big coffee, it was time to go back to Kathmandu. I think I even got a bit of a tan today because it was pretty warm in the last few days.
The long moped ride there and back left its marks - my neck is completely tense. No wonder with all the potholes... I hate speed bumps the most. As if you need them on such uneven roads. It almost lifts you off the moped every time you drive over one.