February 6, 2012 - Patan Durbar Square

After spending the morning in the hospital, I left a bit early to explore Patan Durbar Sqaure with my parents. It was an easy walk, only about 2 kilometers due north of Patan Hospital (and I am finally figuring out how to navigate these crazy streets!!). I had stopped in the Square with Krista on my second day here, but we hadn’t spent much time wandering around. We first had a quick bite to eat in the Patan Museum Café, which was delicious. I highly recommend this for anyone that comes to visit. The café is located in one of the courtyards of the Royal Palace, and it is a quiet, pretty place to get away from the craziness of Patan and Durbar Square and relax for a bit.

After lunch, we explored the Patan Museum. It costs 250 rupees to enter (about $4), and is definitely worth the price. The museum is very informative, describing the different Hindu and Buddhist gods, as well as explaining the different symbols of the gods and other cultural aspects that make Patan Square more understandable to those of us who are non-native Nepalis.

The rest of the afternoon we spent exploring Durbar Square. I acted as the tour guide, navigating through the buildings and reading descriptions of the different temples and statues from the Source of all Knowledge (my trusty Lonely Planet book).

Patan’s Durbar Square is smaller and less congested than that of Kathmandu, so it was less overwhelming. It’s difficult to really capture all of the detail of the Square and the intricate designs of the buildings. I guess you’ll just have to see it for yourself!