Our second day started the same as the first: a 90 minute chill yoga session. Speaking of chill, we would start at 6:30 am and the room was cool having not been heated overnight. Gradually it would warm up, but there were just these amazing views of the surrounding mountains which made the session that much more spiritual.
Our breakfast was great each day, with full options. It was too cold to sit outside, but the indoor rooftop restaurant had plenty of windows to see the views. Speaking of, the night before when we returned, many of us went up to have a night cap. It looked like there was an engagement party though - lots of people in fancy traditional clothes. So we went to the little bar to the side and had a drink outside beneath the heaters before going to bed.
After breakfast, we returned to our rooms to shower and pack, then we checked out. From here our shuttle took us to the city of Bhaktapur, another UNESCO World Heritage site. At first, I didnt know what to expect as we walked along the streets from the municipal building... but... WOW. I think
First though, our guide had us stop just by the entrance where we got the King Curd, their staple dish. It was sweet frozen yogurt like. I had a little taste and it was nice. Then when we got inside, he corralled us to go over some of the history first. Some of the group you could see were just itching to get photos! But I was very interested in the history of the site as I knew almost nothing about this place.
Until 1774, Nepal was made up loosely of 54 small countries. Bhaktapur is known as the City of Devotees and was the former capital of Nepal until the country was split into three. It was separate from the other three capitals, Kathmandu and Patan, and is mainly made up of the Newar people. Because of its being somewhat separate, you wont see the types of monuments found here anywhere else. There are three main squares: Durbar, Taumadhi, and Pottery.
in 1701. The king hired the best sculptor in the land to create them and then his hands were cut off so he could not recreate them. Apparently, he was paid well.... A pagoda just inside was our first photo op and was made up of the typical Indian architecture; it had been renovated after the devastating 2015 earthquake. So, we got some individual and group photos within Durbar Square, and had a small amount of free time. I enjoyed seeing so many intricate designs, such as the doors (I love doors apparently!) and wood accents. However, we were in such a hurry because we only had limited time before we had to make our way back to the airport for our rapid PCR tests. It would have been nice to be able to enjoy this beautiful city over a full day!
Anyway, we next made our way to the Taumadhi Square, which was dominated by a beautiful temple. It is one of only 3 temples in Nepal. Again, some of us waited to take pictures while listening to our guide explain some history. The Nyatapola Temple was built in 1701 and survived two massive earthquakes. It
is dedicated to the Siddhi Lakshmi, mother deity of the Newar people. The stairs to the temple are lined with five pairs of guardians, each pair stronger than the pair below. The bottom pair are two wrestlers, Jai and Pratap, who are supposedly the strongest of men. The next pair are elephants, then Singhas (large cats), two Sardulas (griffins), and finally two Tantric deities Simhani and Viyaghrani. There are 330 million gods and goddesses (whoa!). There is a smaller, male temple built adjacent to Nyatapola and built 16 years afterwards. It is original Nepali architecture and has a long highway to heaven as part of its design feature.
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