Nowhere in the world can one find the same concentration of cultures, art and tradition that exist in the Kathmandu Valley. Although western influence has made its mark on Kathmandu itself, it is easy to walk back into history and become totally immersed in imageries of the medieval period.
The typical visitor arrives, heads directly to his Kathmandu city hotel and explores the western-influence urban center. He will perhaps make excursions to durbar squares of Kathmandu, Patan or Bhaktapur, wonder at the prayer wheels of Swayambhunath or Bodhnath, then depart for his next destination.
But the visitor who really wants to know the Valley, to feel its pulse and get to its spiritual roots, should start his exploration well beyond the city limits.
