Eastern Valley
The Kathmandu Valley's eastern arm maintains a discreet cultural, as well as geographical, distance from Kathmandu. Perhaps because it lay off the main India-Tibet trade route all those years, its Hinduism has scarcely been diluted by Buddhism. Creeping Westernization has been slower to take root here, too, and concrete has made fewer inroads against native brick. Fashions at this end of the valley remain conservative, especially among Jyapu women: most still wear the traditional black and red-trimmed pataasi, wrapped around the waist in tiers, giving the effect of a flamenco skirt. Hitched up in back, these often reveal tattoos above the ankles, believed to be necessary for a woman to enter heaven. Bhaktapur makes an excellent base from which to explore this part of the valley. Roads and trails radiate from there in several directions, the temple complex of Changu Narayan making an immensely rewarding excursion, particularly for fans of Nepali sculpture. Bhaktapur is also a staging post for Nagarkot, and can serve as a springboard for trips up the Arniko Highway to Dhulikhel and beyond.
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