After five nights in Kathmandu, we still hadn’t walked around Durbar Square yet. The weather was dull but dry so we made our way there after dropping laundry off (NPR50 per kg) and having breakfast.
The destruction at Durbar Square was really bad. Key stupas are gone; the wooden structures have fallen leaving leaving behind only their brick bases. The white colonial buildings had cracked badly. Kathmandu has definitely lost more of its key historic buildings compared to Bhaktapur and Lalitpur.
Many buildings that were still standing had been cordoned off for safety. We walked around twice as we didn’t want to pay a hefty NPR750 to come back and see “not very much left” another day.
I find it strange that buildings that have withstood time have collapsed (or were they built after the 1934 quake?) but very shonky ones have survived.
We continued to do a couple of walking tours suggested in our guidebook. Like yesterday, they were more to give a feel of the area and its minor sights; nothing was especially significant. Through the walk, Kim got rather grumpy and agitated. I think the third world had gotten to him; the streets and alleys were like obstacle course with dogs, puddles, mud from yesterday’s rain, dog pooh, bicycles, motorcycles, small cars and people.
We returned to the hotel briefly before walking out with an umbrella to grab lunch. We had a relaxing massage afterwards. In the evening, despite the drizzle, we went out for dinner again.
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- Kathmandu’s Durbar Square has many damaged buidings.
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- Kumari Bahal’s home in Durbar Square.
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- Kathmandu’s Durbar Square.
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- Kathmandu’s Durbar Square.
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- Kathmandu’s Durbar Square.
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- Kathmandu’s Durbar Square.
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- Kathmandu’s Durbar Square.
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- Kathmandu’s Durbar Square.
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- Around our neighbourhood.
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- Our street in wet weather turns muddy.
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- Around our neighbourhood; Chhetrapati.
