The City of Royal Yogurt.

How can you impress a Bulgarian with yogurt? Bulgarians have invented yogurt after all and our yogurt is simply ‘The Best’. Period.

We can’t claim much fame in other departments so please let us monopolize the yogurt at least. Do I check the ingredients on every yogurt container to make sure it has the lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacteria that makes all yogurt possible? You bet. Do I point it proudly to my children? Yap, I do. But when a clay bowl of yogurt with a perfect thick crust and no Bulgarian bacteria lands into my hands, I zip it. And when the yogurt in question is good, delicious actually, I declare defeat and jump into a yogurt tasting campaign to try all the yogurts sold by the different yogurt sellers, who are pretty much at every corner of Bhaktapur.

All right, Bhaktapur’s yogurt is a tiny bit sweet for my taste. If it is up to me I would omit the sugar, but after months in SE Asia I am somewhat accustomed to having things a little sweet. Other than that, it is just right. The kids declare it perfect as well, maybe because of the hint of sweetness. Juju Dhau or King of the Yogurts is made with fresh buffalo milk and served in unglazed clay bowls with cute little wooden spoons, which adds to its taste and charm.

Yogurt is not just a tasty desert for the Nepalese. It is consumed to purify oneself during religious fasting days and is considered a blessed food, eaten before departing from home. Many Nepalese believe that yogurt brings good luck, so a fresh bowl of yogurt is placed in the entrance ways for special occasions, decorated with flowers and swastika signs.

We treated it with the due respect as well and devoured the treat three times a day (It is good that my brother was not with us as he, himself , would have wiped the whole yogurt supply of Bhaktapur). Every time we would finish a bowl of yogurt we would scratch our heads wondering what to do with the used clay containers. The locals told us to toss them in the trash. We discovered that we had a problem with tossing things, a skill that comes so easy for most Asians… So we packed our clay bowls to use for later.

A walk through the city revealed why the locals toss the clay bowls. They have more of them that they know what to do with. An army of potters is constantly making new ones. Check out the Pottery Square ~

    

Because of the delicious yogurt I called Bhaktapur City of Royal Yogurt even though its name actually means City of Devotees. Both names fit the ancient capital of Nepal like a glove. Bhaktapur has three major squares full of temples whose architecture is absolutely stunning! One can actually stumble upon temples on every street. The architectural heritage of this amazing city is truly breathtaking. It was easy to fall in love with the cozy atmosphere of its brick lined alleys which one can stroll aimlessly for hours and discover treasures like the famous peacock window ~

and others, not so famous windows ~

 

giant stone elephant statues guarding a temple ~

cute grandmas spinning cotton right on the street ~

amazing squares and lively streets rich with architectural heritage ~

 

And temples galore! The temples are not just dead architectural monuments but are teaming with activity. Worship is integral part of daily life here. I am humbled by the spirituality of Nepalese, their connection to the divine through simple daily rituals, temple ceremonies, communal chanting and festivals. This is a city alive with prayer and bells ringing, friendly chatting and sounds of children at play.

What won me most about Bhaktapur though was the feeling of community. Locals gather in the ample communal spaces to knit, worship, gossip, bathe and collect water from the numerous city wells. Children are everywhere, playing in the brick courtyards, running around in gangs or just observing life. Men and women hang out together in covered porches on every city corner~

and the whole city is one big open market ~

Bhaktapur was a beautiful ending to our time in Nepal. Tomorrow we depart for India and I am nervous about the journey. I feel that India is going to be the most nerve wrecking and adventurous part of our trip and I am not yet ready to give up the peace of Nepal for the unpredictability of India.

After long discussion on whether to fly or not we voted for a tortuous journey on land. Tickets are being bought and bags are being packed.

India, here we come.

~M.