     There can be few destinations more appealing and exotic than Nepal's 
Kathmandu Valley.  A fertile plain, ringed by mist-shrouded mountains, set 
in the flanks of the snowy Himalayas, the valley encompasses three royal 
cities of unworldly beauty.  Here, in the only Hindu kingdom on-earth, the 
cultural traditions of South and Central Asia meet and merge in a rich, 
fascinating and uniquely Nepalese whole.
     Most travelers to Nepal arrive by air at the bright, new terminus of 
Tribhuwan International Airport, just five kilometers east of Kathmandu 
city center.  But you can choose to make the harder (and more adventurous) 
journey overland from the Indian border at Birganj.  In either case, your 
first experience of the country--before starting on a trek into the steep 
mountain valleys, or heading west to relax by Pokhara's Lake Phewa--is 
likely to be of Kathmandu Valley.
     This is as it should be; Kathmandu is more than just a point of 
arrival; it is an experience in its own right, a destination few visitors 
can ever forget.
     According to legend, Kathmandu Valley was once a holy lake, encircled 
by mountains.  To this body of sacred water, inhabited by giant serpents 
and nags, came the first Buddha who threw a lotus seed into the lake.  The 
seed sprouted and burst into a lotus flower with a thousand petals.  When 
the Buddha saw the beauty of the flower, he caused the hills to part, 
draining the lake and forming a valley, so that the lotus would always be 
protected by a rim of mountains.
     Many years later a Buddhist monk came to settle in the valley, where 
he built a tall pagoda with a gilded spire.  This became the central stupa 
of Swayambhunath, which stands on a hill just west of the city of 
Katmandu, marking the site where the first lotus flower bloomed.  To this 
day, the people of Kathmandu believe, the spire of Swayambhunath radiates 
a sacred light that protects the entire valley.
     Swayambhunath, set on a conical hill, provides a fine vantage to see 
the expanse of Kathmandu Valley.  From its sacred steps, looking east and 
south, you can see broad valley vistas, from the snaking Bagmati River to 
the pagodas of distant Bhaktapur.
     Kathmandu is an enigma.  It seems caught in mediaeval times, yet it 
offers a wide variety of regional and international cuisine.  First-class 
hotels compete with an array of mid-priced guest houses in the popular 
tourist district of Thamel--yet if you walk five minutes in any direction 
you'll find yourself in another city, rich in the smell of spices and as 
old as time.  This is the real Kathmandu:  an unexpected, extravagant mix-
ture of people and religion, child goddesses, barefoot porters and sacred 
cows.
     The Kathmandu most people come to see is the "Old City", a tangled 
network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central durbar 
square.  The rambling Hanuman Dhoka, or royal palace, takes up most of the 
eastern side of the square.  It was built almost four centuries ago by 
Nepal's Malla kings; today only a small part of the complex is open to the 
general public.
     At the left of the entrance stands a statue of Hanuman, the monkey god 
of Hindu mythology, after which the palace is named.  Just within the main 
courtyard is a likeness of Narasimha, the half-man, half-lion incarnation 
of Vishnu, disemboweling a demon.  Directly in front of the gates stands a 
large, tiered pagoda dedicated to Jagannath, a manifestation of Vishnu as 
Lord of the Universe, bearing an inscription dated "1564".  Clearly, you 
are within the royal precincts of a Hindu kingdom.
     On the southern side of the square you'll find the ornate doorway to 
the Kumari Bahal.  This entrance leads to one of the loveliest and most 
elegant courtyards in the capital.  All four sides are lavishly decorated 
with wooden fretwork windows, ornamental brackets and carved doorways.
     This is the home of Nepal's living goddess, the Kumari.  According to 
tradition, a virgin female child of the Shakya community, carrying appro-
priate auspicious signs, is chosen to become the Kumari and carried in 
state to her new home at the Kumari Bahal.  Here she remains as a living 
goddess, appearing in state to bless the people of Kathmandu and the royal 
family on festive occasions or at important religious ceremonies.
     As soon as she reaches puberty, she ceases to be considered divine, 
and is returned to normal life.  Meanwhile, another little girl will have 
been chosen to become the Kumari, extending continuing protection and 
blessing over the Kingdom of Nepal.
     Passing back into Durbar Square, directly opposite the Kumari Bahal, 
is a gorgeous temple dedicated to the lovers Shiva and Parvati.  Statues 
of the divine couple stand at a first-floor window, gazing down onto the 
crowded square as though watching those passing by.
     Nearby stands the huge Kasthamandap, the oldest building in Kathmandu, 
from which the name of the city is derived.  Other Hindu elements closely 
associated with this central area are an octagonal temple dedicated to 
Krishna, and--of abiding interest--a four-metre-high figure of Kalabhairab, 
a manifestation of Shiva as the terrifying "Lord of Time".  This figure is 
renowned throughout Kathmandu Valley as a true test of honesty:  Local 
people are convinced that its is impossible to tell a lie in Kalabhairab's 
presence.
     Before leaving the durbar square, take note of a stone inscription 
set in the outer wall of the royal palace just to the side of the main 
entrance.  Carved in 1664 by King Pratap Malla, who was clearly something 
of a linguist, the text includes 15 languages (including two words in 
French and one in English), and is supposed to be a poem to the goddess 
Kali.  According to legend, should anyone manage to translate the entire 
poem correctly, milk will gush from the spout in the middle of the 
inscription.
     However, intoxicating though the durbar square may be, Kathmandu's 
appeal is not limited to palaces and religious monuments.  Immediately 
south of the square, lying behind the Kasthamandap, lies the quarter known 
to the Nepalese as Jhochhen, and to a generation of young western 
travelers as "Freak Street".  Once the haunt of wide-eyed hippies high on 
a strange mixture of marijuana and mysticism, the area has been cleaned up 
since King Birendra came to the throne in 1972, and "sightings" of genuine, 
old-fashioned hippies have become rare indeed.  Still, a walk through 
Jhochhen is a stroll down memory lane, where designer cafes and "pie shops" 
strive to recreate the atmosphere of the late '60s.
     Ganga Path is the place to go for shopping. Fine handicrafts are on 
sale everywhere, including statues of deities, cast in brass and bronze or 
carved in scented woods.  Thanka, Tibetan religious paintings, are endur-
ingly popular--though genuinely antique specimens are hard to find.  Hand-
woven textiles in linen, cotton and silk are everywhere, piled high on 
counters, and Tibetan, Chinese and Nepalese carpets hang from walls and 
doors.  The Nepalese are renowned for their jewellery-making skills, and 
the gold and silver rings, necklaces and bracelets of the Patan smiths 
carry intricate traceries that shown a complete mastery of the art.
     Kathmandu may be the largest town in Nepal and capital of the realm, 
but it is only one of three "royal cities" clustered at the heart of 
Kathmandu Valley.  Just to the south of the capital directly across the 
Bagmati River, Patan--also known as "Lalitpur", or "city of beauty"--is the 
second largest town in the valley.  While Kathmandu provides a unique com-
bination of Hinduism and Buddhism both in its architecture and in its daily 
life, Patan has a distinctly Buddhist flavour.
     Easily reached by taxi, bicycle or on foot, Patan is best visited on 
day trips from Kathmandu; hotels here are markedly inferior to those of the 
capital.  Accommodation aside, Patan is a treat for the senses--visual, 
spiritual and (in the spice market, at least) olfactory.  It's literally 
packed with historical monuments.
    Where Patan is Buddhist, Bhaktapur--"city of the pious"--is predomi-
nantly Hindu.  Located about 16 km east of Kathmandu on the old trade route 
between India and Tibet, Bhaktapur is the least modernised of the three 
royal cities.  Strict controls ensure that new buildings are rarely con-
structed, and then only in an appropriate style.  Motor traffic rarely 
enters Bhaktapur.
     The city was devastated by a powerful earthquake in 1934; since that 
time dedicated work by the Nepalese-German Bhaktapur Development Project 
has restored much that was damaged or destroyed, and at the same time pro-
tected the city from unrestrained development.  Bhaktapur is an essential 
experience--a trip back to mediaeval Nepal.
     Finally, no visit to Kathmandu Valley would be complete without a 
visit to Bodhnath, also known as Bauha, the largest and most important 
Tibetan Buddhist monument outside Tibet.  Set squarely in the siddhi--a 
zone of supernatural power where guardian deities dwell and wishes are 
granted--Bodhnath is just 6 km east of Kathmandu, along the old trade road 
to Lhasa. Known to the Tibetans as Chorten Chempo, or "Great Stupa", it has 
been the Mecca of Tibetans in exile since the occupation of their homeland 
in 1950.