After staying in the heart of the tourist center of Kathmandu–an area called Thamel–I needed an escape from the westernization and searched for a more authentic city in the Kathmandu Valley and I arrived in Patan. Patan is the second largest city in the Kathmandu valley, yet it somehow escaped the influx of tourists that filled many of the streets in Kathmandu. Patan is traditionally a metal workers’ city and almost all of the metal statues, sculptures, and door handles that you see anywhere in India and Nepal come from Patan. While walking through some of the smaller streets, you could hear the sound of metal being worked at all hours of the day.

Aside from the metalworking, Patan also has a beautiful grouping of temples in its own Durbar Square (which rivals the Durbar Square of Kathmandu). This Durbar Square was much quieter with more locals sitting and chatting on the steps of the temples surrounded by beautiful architecture. While spending the afternoon here, I made friends with some of the local children who use the temples as their playground and had an opportunity to photograph them with wonderful smiles painted across their faces. One of the youngest even acted as a junior tour guide to me, showing me some of the more special areas of the square. Patan is a wonderful city not far from Kathmandu, and I urge everyone traveling in Nepal to visit this magical place.

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