For my final day of exploring, I took a bus to a small town called Bhaktapur. Cars are outlawed from entering the town’s limits, and despite its remarkable architecture, the streets were free of any westerners. The Kathmandu valley was formerly ruled by three royal brothers who competed for power, each from their respective city (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan). Consequently, each city has a distinct set of temples and palaces in an attempt to “outdo” each other in terms of cultural distinction.

I hired a local teenager as a guide for several hours, and he did a terrific job explaining the many sights. The narrative became particularly interesting as he enlightened me to the various statues/carvings of Karmasutra that adorned many of the temples. Apparently, Karmasutra was (and still is) used to educate Hindus on sex, and the various ways it can be performed. It was terrific guidance, to say the least!

I was also shown around a local art school where locals were painting exquisite works of Hindu/Buddhist art. The work was explained in detail (presumably so that I would buy something). I took a strong liking to the embedded idea of reaching Nirvana by giving up all wants and desires (as they are a cause for pain and suffering). It did not escape me that striving for Nirvana is a desire in itself, but I was careful enough to keep my ideas to myself.