How Beautiful is the Oldest: Changunarayan, Kathmandu
Monday, October 06, 2014 Nepal 0 Comments

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How Beautiful is the Oldest: Changunarayan, Kathmandu

First pit stop on the Nepal wander series is Nepal’s oldest Hindu Temple, the Changunarayan. After a little less than ten hours of travel from Singapore city to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, I braised myself for some throwback city travel.

The three star hotel in which I was staying had no electricity on yet, same with the rest of the city, so all that’s left to do was to travel elsewhere where light was prevailing. What better way than to start off in a village that’s 20 miles from Kathmandu, surrounded by mountains, valleys, and luxuriant green fields? Yes, right?

As I stepped out of our beat-up car, I was greeted by bighearted stares from locals. It’s a small beautiful village, and the people here aren’t accustomed to Asian travelers who don’t exactly fit the Chinese, Japanese, or Korean look. I could sense they think I’m an extraterrestrial!

But even with this, they are extra-friendly, all smiles and offerings. Yes, they’re the friendliest bunch in Asia, and everyone should visit Nepal to see the real and raw quality of Asian friendliness – move over Japanese, Filipinos, and Koreans, yes Nepali folks are as friendly, or maybe even better!

The Temple de Changu Narayan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, part of the Kathmandu Valley. It’s dedicated to Lord Vishnu and it dates back to as early as 464 AD. Though visibly looks like a pagoda style temple, the structure looks rich in history and artistry. The stone pillars, statues, and inscriptions are quite distinctive compared to the ones you can find in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, or Thailand. I like this a lot, I think you will too!

Walking around this Nepali temple, I couldn’t help but wonder, it sure would be a good deal to work as a UNSESCO World Heritage Site correspondent. Sure wouldn’t mind playing like Indiana Jones and go all Nat Geo on the explorations like these things. I volunteer, pick me please? #wishfulthinking Old is beautiful, yes?