9 June 2010 9:31am Kathmandu
Yesterday we were up early for another lecture hosted by USEF/Fulbright in Nepal. It was another discussion on contemporary politics, this time with writers and commentators that were a little less biased than our last speakers. This lecture was equally excellent- as working academics, researchers, and writers, they each had a great perspective on the issue.
After the lecture we departed for our field trip to Bhaktapur, which lies a little ways outside of Kathmandu. It seems to be much smaller than Kathmandu, and is apparently still very much a farming town. We at lunch right after we got there in what appeared to be a former temple-type building, converted into a restaurant. We received lots of food, which was when some people finally got to use the word ‘pugyo!’ There was also a special yogurt served that used to be made for the kings in Bhaktapur, while there were still kings there. Apparently it was really good, but I don’t do yogurt.
After we were done, we continued on our tour of the city. We saw the various temples around the city and also learned a lot about the people living there, as well as the history of the city and Kathmandu Valley in general. We also went to another temple, the Changunarayan Temple, which had its own interesting history. Like many of the other temples we’ve visited, this one also had a structure that was apparently discovered, not built. It was a giant stone pillar, which was destroyed during a Muslim invasion of Bhaktapur and now rests in separate pieces.
After a long day in Bhaktapur we headed back to Kathmandu, were I went shopping briefly (I had no clean clothes, and besides, I brought too many jeans) and then headed out with a few people for dinner.
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