It is not always you get to see the valley with its surrounds. Most of the times it is clouds and mists that obscure the view of the mountains. I was pretty amazed for it was more than just a rare glimpse of the snowy mountains. Yeap, Chobar is the place. Almost time for the sun to set and the view was spectacular. While I was busy taking a couple of panoramic photos, mom and dad went inside a nearby local cafe, which also had the view. The cafe had some amazing collection of old photos of Kathmandu which could be dated way back to 1901 AD. Adinath Lokeshwar Temple was just a couple of minutes walk up hill. The first thing I noticed was these metal plates and cups and vessels nailed onto the walls of the temple and the surrounds/courtyard. The myth is newlyweds do such to ensure a happy married life. I didn't have my camera with me again but here's more:
My idea was to wait patiently an entire day for some fish to drive into my net but that wasnt a trick. The trick was to chase them into one corner of the pool and Voila! He, the keeper didnt take more than few seconds to grab a kilo of them. Glad there were not many watching besides mom and dad. Here's more on what we did -
Saturday again, I didnt have much plan but moms did. Our first pit stop, Santaneshwor Mahadev not that we planned for but Dad took the turn. Santaneshwor Mahadev is one of the famous Hindu temples located at the south-east of Kathmandu Valley. This Shiva temple is located in Jharuwarasi, Lalitpur and is about 6 km away from the valley. The name Shantaneshwor, meaning boon for having a baby. Thus the myth is people without children come to please the Lord. Mom had a trouble walking up the stairs which should be around 300-400 stairs in total. From the top, we could see the concrete jungle of entire valley. Well, it went 360 degrees around.
Next, was Naag daha of Dhapakhel which was about 10-15 mins drive away. With few boats on the run it looked like Fewa lake of Pokhara. Although peaceful as it seemed we could see people around the lake busy washing. We then headed to Bajrabrahi Temple. The temple is 8 kilometres from Lalitpur, it took us about another 10-15 mins from Naag daha. The temple is famous for bird watching and is a wonderful picnic spot. We saw a lot of visitors in and around the temple. The temple is surrounded by a huge forest. I noticed that the temple didnt have a gajur (pinnacle). The myth says, the priest of the temple had a nightmare the night before it was supposed to go on. He saw that whoever tries to put on gajur would die. Thus the idea of gajur was abandoned and the temple remained without.
Finally Godawari, destined place, famous for its picnic spots and the Royal Botanical Garden. Godavari is a village situated at the foot of Phulchoki (the highest hill in the valley-2715 metres) and 14 km southeast of Kathmandu. First, we went to "Naudhara". We paid around Rs25 entry free. People were busy picnicking, it was crowded and loud. Next, Godavari Kunda where water flows from within the temple. The Godavari Kunda (Spring) was fascinating as the water flows out the courtyard and to the lake like site where people were busy boating around. The Royal Botanical Garden attracts many local residents and visitors but unfortunately it didn't us. Well, we didn't have much time to go around. The garden is popular for plants, trees, ferns, flowers, orchids and for birds and butterflies. It is one of the beautiful places just a few kilometres away to enjoy the nature, also proven to be a great picnic spot.
By then, we were starving. As we passed through small scenic Newari town of Harisiddhi, Thaibu and Badegaon, we had to stop by. One of the locals in Badegaon served us absolute delights. Choyla, kachila, batman, bara etc, a very typical Newari khaja and the taste was amazing. Although burning hot, we absolutely loved it. It was the best bara (O). It sure beats 'Honacha', another popular place for Newari khaja in Patan.
Let's take it this way, it was a pilgrimage tour. It took me a while to get out of the bed. It was the coldest morning by far. We were out by eight. Dad had to drive with the headlights on. While mom and dad went out in search of duck, aunty and I stayed warm inside. I was sleep deprived. Our first pit, Swamyambhu. The monkeys were cheeky even in the cold foggy morning, perhaps to do with the crowd, more the people more naughty they become. Puja's done dad handed me a warm cup of tea look like to drink. I took a sip and Yuck! Apparently, it's a good stuff. Yeap, everything good in life has to be sour, ugly or hard to accomplish. Second, Bijeshwori Temple. A newly wed couple were behind us, lined up for puja. They seemed to be in hurry, so did we. Win! moms didn't let them go in even with their humble request. Next was Bhatbhateni Temple where I enjoyed feeding pigeons while moms busy on puja. Gyneshwor, the final temple for the day. Kids at the temple surrounded me when they heard squeaking sound of duckling. I lied and said I wasn't carrying one. Garden of dreams, the final pit for lunch and a nap.
