Kathmandu area, Kathmandu

2 more images

Our very first white water rafting.....and it was amazing. One of the rapid almost usurp me....but thank God, Allah swt was there with us. Anyway, had the most memorable water rafting adventure in life....

And trust me.....the guides are superb. Strong, friendly and full of assurance! Rest assured, you will get the best of it....

1 more image

Well, any strong willed person must not miss this while on their trip in Kathmandu...what else, Bungy Jumping...

Located 3 hours drive away from Kathmandu, Last Resort is just the place to go to when you need that additional adrenaline rush...

Hubby had his.......and very contented.

2 more images

Crowded backstreets of the old town - Take a walk in the backstreets, and the amazing cultural and artistic heritage reveals itself in hidden temples overflowing with marigolds, courtyards full of drying chills and rice, and many hobbit sized workshops largely unchanged since the middle ages.
A stroll around Kathmandu’s backstreets will lead the casual wanderer to many intriguing sights, especially in the crowded maze of streets and courtyards in the area north to Durbar sq. There are temples, shrines and sculptures hidden away in the most unlikely of places. Something that would be a priced possession in many European museums is here used as a plaything or a washing line.

Freak street – focus of KTM overland scene during the hippie era, little remains to testify of the good old days,

Thamel – bursting with dozens of hotels restaurants, internet cafes, travel agencies and shops, tourist ghetto or backpacker district. Kathmandu maybe a travellers Mecca since the 60’s, but these days you are less likely to see a tie/dyed hippy in search of enlightenment than a well-heeled Gore-Tex-clad tourist in search for a good espresso.

1 more image

The large fenced tank is said to have been built by king Pratap Malla in 1667 to console his queen over the death of their sun (who was trampled by an elephant).the pool was apparently used during the Malla era for trials by ordeal and latter became a favourite suicide spot. Perhaps because of the high suicide rate, the gate to the tank and its central Shiva Temple is unlocked only one day each year, during the festival of Tihar.

The footbridge over the nearby chowk has the best views over the whole complex.

4 more images

Kathesimbhu stupa is the most popular Tibetan pilgrimage site in the old town. In fact a small copy of the great Swayambhunath complex – a two storey pagoda to the Goddess of Smallpox (Harti), right behind the main stupa. The entrance is flanked by metal lions atop red ochre concrete pillars. Various statues and a few smaller stupas (chaityas) stand around the temple.

Some fine mandhala shops ca be found around the square and on the nearby streets, including mandhala schools where you can watch teenagers while painting them.

4 more images

Southwest of the Asan tole, this temple attracts both Hindus and Buddhists – Buddhists consider Seto (White) Mechhendranath to be a form of Avalokiteshvara, while to the Hindus he is the rain bringing incarnation of Shiva. The temple’s age is not known but it was restored during the 17th century. The arched entrance to the temple is marked by a small Buddha figure on a highstone pillar in front of two metal lions.

In the courtyard there are lots of small shrines, stupas and statues, including a mysteriously European-looking female figure surrounded by candles who faces the temple. It may well have been an import from Europe that has simply been accepted into the pantheon of gods. Facing the other way, just in front of the temple, are 2 graceful bronze figures of the Taras seated atop tall pillars. Buy some grain to feed the pigeons and boost your karma.

1 more image

The Durbar square area is actually made of two sub-areas. The outer complex is renowned for numerous interesting temples as Kumari Ghar, Kasthmandap, Shiv-Parbati Temple, Jagannath Temple, Big Bell, etc., while the inner complex comprises the old palace area, Hanuman-dhoka and its courtyards as Nasal Chowk, Mul Chowk, Sundari Chowk, Lohan Chowk, Mohan Chowk, Basantapur Durbar and others. There are many temples in the inner complex also, most notable being the Taleju Temple dedicated to female royal deity.

The Hanuman-dhoka Durbar is included in the UNESCO list of Protected World Heritage Sites.

Patan is the second largest city in Nepal, after Kathmandu.
It is separated from Kathmandu by Bagmati river.
In ancient times, it was named Lalitpur, the city of the beauty.
Its map is a mandala: in the centre there is the Royal Palace, from which four road branch out in all the cardinal points.
Owing to the amounts of its big temples, Patan is undoubtedly the cradle of the arts and of the architecture of the Nepal.
Patan Durbar Square is one of the seven world heritage sites all over the Kathmandu valley.