Kathmandu, Nepal : part 1

Just 3 days in Singapore and no time for jet lag.

In the back of a packed plane, pilot abhorts the landing twice because the wing flaps won't come down. We redirect to Kolkata which has a longer runway. Engineers fix the problem and we finally land in Kathmandu at 2am.

We stayed in the Manaslu Hotel, a nice heritage style hotel but in need of a bit of a spruce up.

By 10am the next day we'd had breakfast and met our tour guide for the day.

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal.

In the last 30 years population growth and development has meant that the entire Kathmandu Valley has been subject to urban sprawl. The 3 old Newari kingdoms of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur run into each other now. Each of these ancient cities were centred around a Durbar Square and all 3 are now World Heritage Sites.

The huge earthquake of 2015 caused major damage in the valley and most of the historic places are still being renovated or rebuilt. 

Beyond these historic areas Kathmandu is an ugly, densely built up and highly polluted city. 

The restoration of Kathmandu's Durbar Square is a very difficult, delicate and expensive undertaking which is sadly still going to take years to complete. A hallmark of Newari architecture is very intricate carvings in wood or stone.

We really enjoyed wandering through the lanes and alleys of the old city.

Our next stop was the Swayambhunath Buddhist temple, perched on a hill above the city, also known as the Monkey Temple. It's one of the oldest and most sacred temples in Nepal, centred around a large stupa 365 steps up from the carpark.

We tasted Khuwa, a snack made by boiling milk until it forms curds.

We headed off to Patan Durbar Square next. The restoration program here seems much more organised and the town centre is much cleaner.

Since the dethroning of royalty in Nepal, some palaces have been turned into museums. Sundari Chowk is a beautiful palace with the famous  King's Bath and it's golden water spout.