After a long lie-in, I caught a taxi to the nearby city of Patan, home of another of the ancient kingdoms who ruled the strategic (and rare!) flat Kathmandu valley. It always amazing just how densely packed the area is – from people to yaks to ancient temples, you can keep exploring for weeks and never repeat yourself.
But for me at least, it was a somewhat crazy 3km taxicab ride to Patan's own Durbar Square. After getting a ticket, I just sat back and enjoyed the moment – a massive plaza was there in front of me, with temples both large and small stretching out in the distance.
The other key difference with Kathmandu? The quiet. Cars and vehicles aren't allowed, so it's much easier to just merge with the pilgrims who come to pray.
I still don't have that good a grasp on all of the details of the Nepali relgion – but basically, it combines varying levels of Hinduism (Shiva, Gamesh, and other aspects of the larger creator of the universe) with Buddhist flavors as well. Beyond that, I just generally just sat back and just enjoyed the spectacle.
Again, I had to chuckle at the Nepalis' matter-of-fact attitude towards sexuality – the dozens of erotic carvings in their various temples are eye-opening, to say the least...
It was a great way to spend an afternoon – I just explored the surrounding neighborhoods, including a women's collective that manufactured their own woolen goods for the tourist market. Unfortunately, as it was 95 degrees – I couldn't muster up the enthusiasm to buy any!
But, on the winding walk back to Thamel, I did end up finding some fair trade shops that represent various villages. Their selection was amazing, with two stores being 4 floors each – and they cut out the middlemen so that most of the money gets back to these communities, a growing positive trend that seems to be popping up in most tourist areas I've been on this trip.
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