An insight into the rich Nepalese history and culture

Having returned from our Everest trek a day earlier we (my friends and I) decided to explore a bit of the city. Since we were interested in learning more about life in the Nepali villages we decided to explore two ancient villages in Kathmandu valley- Khokana and Bungamati. We booked our village tour with Third Rock Adventures (the same company which had organized our EBC Trek). The tour began after breakfast. Our guide, Deepa, was friendly and good natured. Her knowledge about the local history, people and places were exceptional. We visited the old royal square in Patan as well as Newari Buddhist monasteries known as ‘Viharas’. We were fascinated with the carvings on the wooden beam and pillars and Deepa was kind enough to take us to a nearby woodcarving worskshop where we got to witness craftsmen chipping on wooden slabs, carving exquisite figures on the plain wooden surfaces. 

We then went to Bungamati and Khokana. These were pretty old villages and walking along the streets felt like going back to the past. Much of Kathmandu valley must have been like this in the days gone by. We thoroughly enjoyed the village walks. I would suggest this tour to everybody who wants to see the old side of Kathmandu and experience Newari culture.