On Monday, fellow couchsurfer Bibhu once more took up the challenge of being on the receiving end of my countless questions about Nepali life. We were to check out the village of Kirtipur, just outside of Kathmandu.
As per usual, local public transport was a tad on the rough side and I struggled a bit to find a comfortable standing space in the jam-packed, dated Mercedes van. With a bit of squeezing around and the friendly conductor’s support, I managed to get one foot down on the door steps and that way could at least stand upright.
Walking through Kirtipur, we came by a lot of really old buildings and I’m still amazed that they survived the fatal 2015 earthquake. They really look a bit fragile.
Other structures seemed less fortunate.
First destination of the day was a Hindu temple, the grounds of which offer a splendid view over Kathmandu.
10-15 minutes into our visit, drumbeats announced a procession headed for the holy ground. In tail of the musicians were a group of locals, bringing offerings to the temple.
It wouldn’t be a proper day out without a visit to a local restaurant. Just as the last time, we went for Newari food. This time on a rooftop overlooking the valley, though.
Newari food seems to be a bit on the crunchy side. The dried buffalo with ginger and garlic (?) was an interesting snack and surprisingly good, while the fried intestines with raw onions took a bit of getting used to.
On the way back into town we got seats on the bus right away and rolled into Kathmandu like royalty. Ok, cramped royalty, but still…
From were the bus dropped us of in Lagankhel, I still had to make my way back to Thamel by means of another minibus and a 15 minute walk through the bustling alleys of Ason.
