The Sunday after wandering around Thamel, Tony and I hired a tour guide and car to take us to Bhaktapur. This used to be part of a kingdom and is a very old city with many temples scattered throughout. One of the saddest parts of this city, however, is that many of the temples were destroyed during the earthquake, and it apparently had the highest number of casualties as a result.
Upon entering the city, one of the first things that was explained to us is that the older women all wear red and black saris, these being colors of the city. I instantly noticed tattoos – on the back of the leg, above the ankle – on these same older women. They were extremely intricate and detailed and when I asked what these were, our guide explained they received these tattoos for peace. I couldn’t help but think that these women were supreme badasses, especially with my personal painful experience of getting a tattoo.
After walking only a few meters further, we were upon one of the city squares that was covered in temples. We were shown the very detailed wood carvings on most of these structures, and explained the significance of the gods that were meant for each one. Many of these structures had large, long wooden beams that appeared to be propping them up, and these were found throughout our visit in Bhaktapur.
We viewed temple after temple – many of them destroyed from the earthquake, with large photographs showing their original state placed nearby. As beautiful as the detailing of these buildings was, it was actually a very sobering experience to be here. People begged us to stop in their shops, even though we had no intention of buying anything. We were followed by a few different people asking for money or food or books and my heart ached with every shake of my head.
Moving on to the more positive parts of our visit, the shopping lined alleys were exceptionally colorful, which of course sparked my interest. Even though we didn’t want to buy anything, I took my time looking through all there was to be offered.
We also ran into an entire section of the city where people were creating things out of clay – pots, candle sticks, even “piggy” banks. I really enjoyed watching these amazing artists, and after giving clay making a try in Istanbul, I know first hand how difficult of a skill this is to perfect!
But my favorite part of Bhaktapur? The children. So many adorable children everywhere, so willing to smile and wave at us. The best was seeing the babies, all with their black eyeliner smudged on their faces to keep dust and dirt out of their eyes. Just Google “nepal baby black eyeliner” and you will see exactly what I am talking about. I myself did not take any photos because I was too busy trying to hold and cuddle these little cuties, but after everything the Nepalise have been through, those warm smiles and musical giggles were so reassuring.
Next up, our visit to Pashupati. Prepare yourself, it was one of the saddest things I’ve ever experienced.
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