Day 3 - Bhaktapur, Nepal

On day 3, we ventured to Bhaktapur.  Bhaktapur is a small medieval town that through some miracle has avoided the typical westernization that is commonplace in South East Asia.  We are all too accustomed to seeing Coke, Pepsi and Vodafone signs everywhere that it was refreshing to come across a town that has entirely avoided the commercialization.  Furthermore, traditions such as washing clothes at the town water tanks, acquiring water from wells and lounging in the outdoor huts playing cards are still very much prevalent in the town.  The town infrastructure is almost all made with brick - from the homes, to the roads to the drainage as well!  It truly felt like stepping back in time.

To cap off the evening, I had dinner with a family acquaintance at a Japanese restaurant in Kathmandu.  We talked about some of the challenges that Nepal current faces - a nation that is struggling to be a global presence, considering it's located between two of the world's fastest growing economies in China and India.  At the same time, Nepal is trying to establish political stability within its own borders.

The next morning, we jetted back to New Delhi but not before an inordinate amount of security checks at Kathmandu airport.  It seems like they really don't want anyone to leave - it takes at least 2 X-ray checks, 2 manual luggage checks and being frisked 3 times by security before you're allowed to board the plane!