Week 55: Visit to Bhaktapur: Bisket Jatra and ladies in red

April 13, 2016

"Move to the back of the bus." We imagine this is what the conductor on the bus is saying to the people squished and standing in the aisle. There's always room for one more. Then when someone in the back wants off, it's like the puzzle game trying to get all the numbers in order, people shuffle around and out of the way making room with only a few seconds to hop off the bus.

We take the local bus to Bhaktapur. A five day Nepali New Year Celebration is underway with main events happening in Bhaktapur. The 12km bus ride takes about an hour. The conductor hangs out the open side door hawking for additional passengers, collecting the fare and making sure the bus is fully loaded at all times. We get off the bus near one of the entrances and pay 1500 rupees each (15 USD) to walk up to Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square and Dattatray Square.

The history of Bhaktapur goes back to the 8th century when it was the capital city of Nepal until the 12th to 15th century. The main square of the city is Durbar Square and is a World Heritage Site. Anyone who visited Bhaktapur before the 2015 earthquake would be sad to see the devastation. Buildings collapsed or are now supported with long poles. Taumadhi Square with the five pagoda temples seemed to have less damage. The oldest square is Dattatraya Square where the buildings have impressive wood carvings.

Mostly we just wandered around watching the local people make a pilgrimage around to all the temples. Women are dressed in red carrying platters with assorted offerings like rice, vegetables, flowers, eggs and chicken heads. All covered with a crocheted doilie until they reach the spot to make the offering. The crowd keeps growing, there are girl drummer groups and boy drummer groups walking the streets contributing to the festive atmoshere.

For lunch, we meet up with Ed Sutton, The Thirsty Cyclist. He has cycled the world for 3 years and this is his final leg of his journey. We have met so few cyclist that this was especially fun to meet up with him and share stories. Finding the bus and getting back to Kathmandu was easier and quicker than the going to Bhaktapur.

We are back in Kathmandu in time for another fine dinner. We have taken the last of the anti-malarial drug larium, laundry is done for 400rupees (4USD) but came back almost as dirty, there was a T-shirt not ours and Patrick's cycling gloves are missing. Rachel goes back to the laundry place and returns the T-shirt also emphasizing strongly the gloves need to be found. By evening, the gloves had been tracked down.

One more day in Kathmandu before we head to Pokhara.

Durbar Square in Bhahtur. Many buildings are held up with 4x4's after the devastating 2015 earthquake.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The main temples seem to have been spared in the 2015 earthquake, but several stupas and many old private houses around the square are either collapsed or severely damaged and shored-up.

Intricate wood carvings on one of the temples.

The five-tiered temple in Bhaktapur. The square slowly fills up with people celebrating the Nepali New Year.

Many women dressed in red are making the rounds of temples and shrines making their offerings.

At one of the small temples chickens and roosters are being sacrificed. The animal is handed to a blood splattered guy inside who quickly removes the head and tosses the animal out a side window. Chickens without a head keep jumping in the air for a while....

The head ends up on a platter with other offerings.

We meet up with Ed Sutton, a British cyclist who has been on the road for three years and ready to head home in a couple of weeks.

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