July 1st: bhaktapur city tour

bhaktapur city tour with zenith

Sujan's family owns a resort on the outskirts of Bhaktapur. Zenith's family also owns a resort in the heart of Bhaktapur. This morning I drove into town with Sujan, his father, sister and driver to be dropped off at Zenith's resort. Today Zenith was going to show me the famous temples of the city and the ruins of the earthquake. After the earthquake devastated the city, the government started to charge tourists $1,500 Nepalese Rupee or $15USD to see the city. This money will help rebuild the houses that fell during the earthquake. I was more than willing to pay the charge to see the city and to contribute the rebuilding. We entered the city by walking over bridge. Once we entered I saw this (see photos below):

Many of the buildings in the area were completely destroyed. Locals were cleaning up all day. Once Zenith and I walked into the heart of the city, I witnessed all the temples and monument that made Bhaktapur a touristy area. 700-900 year old temples lined the streets.

Nameless temples

I couldn't find the name to this temple

Bhairab Nath Temple

Nyatapola Temple

Krishna Mandir Temple

Dattatraya Temple

After checking out the temples and monuments, we went to see the destruction caused by the recent earthquakes. It was an eye opener for me in many ways (see photos below): 

Seeing Bhaktapur took up the majority of the day. I went back to Zenith's hotel and waited for Sujan to pick me up. Without a cellphone number, I can't get around in Nepal. Not many people speak english, which makes travelling around difficult. 

We came back to a home cooked meal by Sujan's mother. Another incredibly tasty dinner. 

The Wifi in Nepal is really slow. My posts will come later than usual.