Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur, the third of the royal towns, is the jewel in the crown, or at least that's what we thought. The town is well outside the city limits and quite rural - tractors replaced tuk tuks in the local traffic jams! The town boasts three squares as must-see destinations. The first is, once again, "Durbar Square" filled, of course, with temples and royal palaces:

The second, Pottery Square, is where the local hand made pottery is dried and finished in front of your eyes:

and third, Taumadhi Square, which, according to our guide, has Nepal's tallest temple and a lovely temple-like cafe:

 

We took a wander through narrow streets where corn, chillies and assorted herbs were drying in the midday sun and lastly, we went to the outskirts of the town, a much calmer environment than Kathmandu or Patan and we suspected a more accurate picture of Nepali life.

 

  

After a long day in Bhaktapur, we returned to the hotel in Kathmandu for a late night. Nick had to stay up until after midnight to complete his fantasy (American) football draft and defend his improbable championship from last year. So far success, as he decisively won his week one match-up against his arch nemesis.

Now that we've seen all the royal towns, tomorrow, you guessed it, more temples! This time Bodnath and Pashupatinath!