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Today, I take a taxi and head for Bhaktapur.

It is 16 kms from Kathmandu and supposed to be the most beautiful city of the valley of Kathmandu.

As we arrive there, I am met with the unpleasant and unfortunately recurrent feeling: tourist rip-off.
In Kathmandu and other cities, the kind tourists must pay a tax to have the privilege of entering the old city and the Durbar square. In Kathmandu, it was 200Rps - which were easily avoided by going round the side streets. Here they asked for 1000Rps, about 20USD, a fortune here, an average monthly salary.

Bhaktapur and its erotic temples

Degrubenc
2006-08-12 15:01:27

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Today, I take a taxi and head for Bhaktapur.

It is 16 kms from Kathmandu and supposed to be the most beautiful city of the valley of Kathmandu.

As we arrive there, I am met with the unpleasant and unfortunately recurrent feeling: tourist rip-off.
In Kathmandu and other cities, the kind tourists must pay a tax to have the privilege of entering the old city and the Durbar square. In Kathmandu, it was 200Rps - which were easily avoided by going round the side streets. Here they asked for 1000Rps, about 20USD, a fortune here, an average monthly salary.

I refused on principle (and because I was short of cash) to pay such a ridiculous sum. I wandered, hands in my pockets, in the opposite direction and soon found out that, to my greatest delight, the city was a labyrinth. It seems to have changed little since the middle ages, no tarmac, no cars, just small streets, connecting courtyards, little squares with fountains. I took a childs' pleasure turning every which way, taking tiny tunnels, ending up disturbing or witnessing (depending on the point of view) the local life.

Fairly soon, I had a mob of kids following me everywhere and hanging on to my rucksack.
I had the rare pleasure in Nepal to spend a few hours without hearing a single car horn. The city was a delight, the narrow streets made it fresh, every house was full of history and dignity, every window was made of finely carved wood, every door looked liked it was guarding a temple of great beauty. Kids were washing themselves in puddles, daughters knitting in groups and no doubt talking about the husband their parents chose for them. After a long walk around, constantly being miss-guided by 20 kids pointing in every direction and trying to be helpful, I arrived at one of the main squares and was faced by what my guide book describes as the highest temple in Nepal. It stood 5 floors high with a majestic staircase leading up to the first floor. Great animals and ...

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I'm local people of Bhaktapur. It's made me so unfair and unpleseant reading your article or feelings. That khowing that you are being cheated by the normal people, you should called the police to rescue. But I don't know how you react over. But if you are writing about some other entrance fee. that every body has to pay. So you must be clear about this? Other wise please it would better to modify the such types of words that makes people unpleaseant.

Thanks

Bal Mukund Prajapati [ b13_prajapati@yahoo.com ], 2007-10-07 08:11:02