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  Similarly to Bhaktapur, and even more so, Patan is part of greater Kathmandu. Renamed for its historic name, it is now called Lalitpur. From Thamel, where most visitors stay, it's about 5.5 kilometres to Patan's Durbar Square, so it is a walkable distance. Back I took a microbus, but on the last day to the airport, which is about 6 kilometres from Thamel, I walked through the suburbs. 

  Nagarkot is a village on a hilltop near Kathmandu from where, weather permitting, you can see the long ranges of the Himalayas. There are several similar hill stations in the area and I stayed in one of them in 2001. That time, the air was clear and I could get  nice views of the snow-covered peaks . This time I didn't have such luck; there were clowds and the air was hazy, and the Himalayas remained hidden from view. I'm not disappointed. I saw the peaks in the past (plus this time from the airplane), and the views of the steep valleys and long ridges are also spectacular. And anyhow, the main reason of my visit was to get away from the city for a couple of days, to relax in a beautiful natural setting. 

  Bhaktapur is a city very close to Kathmandu, you could even view it as one of its suburbs. It can be reached with possibly the world's slowest bus service - the 13-km distance takes one hour! (I took this bus four times and it was always the same.) Bhaktapur's Durbar square is similar to the Durbar Square in Kathmandu, but here the old town around it takes up a larger area with many other beautiful buildings. Bhaktapur was also badly hit by the earthquake and there was a lot of damage, but the main structures have been nicely renovated and work is ongoing all around town. The whole center is part of the tourist zone where you need a ticket (1800 rupees / 15 USD) but it seems the proceeds are spent well. 

  In a Kathmandu suburb stands one of largest stupas in the world, Boudhanath, also known by tourists as the "Buddha Stupa". You can walk there from Thamel, or back from there, in about 1.5 hrs (about 6.5 kms), but it is perhaps too much both ways. A taxi from Kathmandu centre should cost around 600 rupees to Boudhanath, and from there on the way back you could visit the temple complex and burning ghats around the Pashupatinath Temple. I also discovered a little gem, or at least something that I like much, the Krishna Temple that looks like the temples in Angkor Wat, with the roots of a "strangler" tree overgrowing the structure. 

  Swayambhunath is an ancient religious complex atop a hill with the characteristic stupa, west of Kathmandu city centre. It's around 2.5 kms from Thamel, so it is an easy and pleasant walk. The hill is overrun with monkeys, and so the site is also known by tourists as the "Monkey Temple". It was here, in 1991, when I first vitnessed someone being robbed by monkeys. This time, one of the monkeys managed to get hold of a cone of ice cream. 

  After a short flight, but with a delay of 4 hours in Varanasi, I arrived in Kathmandu. It's my third visit, and the first by plane. Coming up from India by bus is very scenic with the drive winding along dramatic cliffs, but flying in offered a beautiful view of the long and rugged, snow-covered ranges of the Himalayas. My first visit was in 1991 while the second visit in 2001 , and it is interesting to see Kathmandu 10 and 23 years apart. I loved this city for the first sight and still do, but I have mixed feelings this time. 

This was my secound visit to Nepal in 2001, having visited Kathmandu previously in 1991. The city became much more western, and the Thamel area was almost like Bangkok with all its sins - something that didn't exist 10 years earlier. The other striking change was that everywhere there were communist flags. The ancient architecture of central Kathmandu is stunning, even ordinary people live in beautiful old places, but many were in a very bad shape - the earthquake in 2015 probably demolished most of them. The trip also included a visit to a mountain ridge outside Kathmandu and to Pokhara.

We loved Kathmandu for the first sight - in many ways Nepal is similar to India, but different in other significant ways. Kathmandu and its outer districts (or nearby towns) Bhaktapur and Patan are amazing. It still had a bit of a hippie feeling, and in 1991 even the centre of Kathmandu was pleasantly undeveloped.