Bhaktapur - India Jones eat your heart out!!! (7th October)

After our lunch at Dwarika's and a game of Bagha-Chall (traditional Nepalese board game, with tigers and goats) our driver took us to Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur is a heritage list town about 20km east of Kathmandu on the old trade route to Tibet. The ancient city is filled with Hindu and Buddhist religious sites and art.

It was like walking onto the set of an Indiana Jones movie. Temples and palaces of all shapes and sizes dating as far back as 15th century are crammed within the city walls.

We wandered around the narrow streets and amongst the temples for a couple of hours. The whole town was awash with vibrant colours, as the people celebrated the local festival. Our driver, who also became our guide (as he thought the local guides would have all been celebrating and under the weather with too much rice wine) informed us that this was the day of the festival when the men buy a new outfit and jewellery for their wives. (again he lamented at the cost!!). We were convinced the reason he was happy to drive us around on a public holiday was so that he could escape away from the stresses of family life. Quite a character!!