Bakhtapur
The medieval town of Bakhtapur is the third UNESCO world heritage site we have visited in Kathmandu Valley. It’s a stunning, compact collection of temples and pavilions. Our guide described each temple and monument, but little of the detail sunk in. No matter, it was all impressive. Bakhtapur was the capital of Kathmandu Valley from the 12th century through the 15th, when the valley divided into three kingdoms. Most of the temples date from the 1700’s. (Pur, in Nepalese, is a suffix for town or city.) As has become customary for me this trip, I’ll throw a lot of pictures into this posting in lieu of helpful dialogue.
Dhulikhel
Our rest day has arrived. Our resort is another Dwarika property, featuring extraordinarily huge sites built on a mountain hillside and with views of the Himalayas. The resort features Buddhist, new age, and non-traditional medicines and wellness. The skies were too cloudy for viewing the high Himalayan peaks but the weather was otherwise perfect for relaxing. Besides meals and a late afternoon get-together, the day was ours. Frances and I opted for massages and relaxing. I caught up with my blog posts.
We will pay the price tomorrow for this restful day with an early morning departure and a scheduled arrival at our next destination, Agra, 9:00 p.m. or later that night.