AngharadS

After our day in Agra, we stopped at Fahtepur Sikri on our way back to Delhi. I'd heard bad things about the vendors/wannabe tour guides, and they were a bit of a pain. But we managed to find an honest guide and had a look around. It was a really great complex and as we'd found the day before, there were not many tourists. The palaces for the three different queens of Akbar - a Christian, Muslim and Hindu to support his multifaith ideas - were really beautiful and all very varied from each other. After looking around the palaces, we moved on to the mosque. The mosque was nice enough though I didn't find it incredibly striking, with a small marble fronted tomb and the usual red sandstone construction. We headed on to Delhi, which ... read more

We headed to Boudhanath hot on the tails of Bhaktapur, which plays host to many, many Tibetan exiles who left Tibet during the Chinese involvement. That means that there are seemingly hundreds of maroon clad monks perambulating the stupa, the largest in Nepal I believe, as well as lots of colourful monasteries in the surrounding area. We had already visited Swambunath stupa, and I possibly thought that the Boudha stupa paled in comparison. True it is bigger than its counterpart, but it also enjoys a much less idyllic location, on ground level flanked by tourist shops and hemmed in by rooftop restaurants. The commercial vibe gave it a less spiritual feel than I had been expecting. That being said, there were far more people there to pray and worship than tourists, and there was an atmospheric ... read more

25.05.09 - We got a taxi early from Kathmandu to Patan and checked into Cafe de Patan, well placed about ten seconds from Durbar Square. Unfortunately we arrived in some pretty persistent rain, which we thought in the usual Nepalese style would settle down after a while. It didn't. Therefore after going to our room (and killing a cockroach, which I swear are following us - we killed three in Bandipur!), we headed out to the square in the rain. Sans raincoats or umbrellas. Pretty soon we were harassed by a "student" who didn't want to be a guide but only to practise his English, which seemed to consist of an incredibly well rehearsed guide-like patter. To rid ourselves from him, we headed into the amazing Patan Museum. We spent about five hours there, including time ... read more

We took a bus from Pokhara to Dumre, where we caught a jeep up the hill to Bandipur. It was pretty cool making the effort to Bandipur. Although there are tourists there, it is hardly a touristy place. The main street in town is pedestrianised, and the Newari style architecture has been beautifully preserved. As its high up in the hills, there are views aplenty. If it were clearer we would have had stunning views of the Himalayas; the weather being what it was they were cloud obstructed, but still there in the distance. We spent the day seeing the few sights, such as small temples and hilltop viewing spots, and I think it was a day well spent, and also broke up the horrible journey back to Kathmandu!... read more

11.05.09 - We had decided to do a five day trek to Poon Hill on the basis that the weather isn't that great at the moment (very changeable) and that would leave us with more time to sightsee elsewhere in Nepal. First day started bright and early with a transfer to Nayapul. We were soon walking - something I haven't done outside of a city concept in a while. We stopped for breakfast in Birepani - a really gorgeous town, all cobbled streets and stone houses. During breakfast our porter stopped to consult a yogi - on his way to the breakfast stop, he had been attacked by a bad spirit. Hmmm. Quite a pickle, you might say. Never worry, the yogi chanted, threw water at him and tied a pink ribbon around his neck, then ... read more