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In the soft, dusty light of evening the old city of Bhaktapur, with its pagoda roofs and its harmonious blend of wood, mud-brick and copper, looked extraordinarily beautiful. It was as though a faded medieval tapestry were tacked on to the pale tea-rose sky. In the foreground a farmhouse was on fire, and orange flames licked like liquescent dragon's tongues across the thatched roof. One thought of Chaucer's England and Rabelais's France; of a world of intense, violent passions and brilliant colour, where sin was plentiful but so were grace and forgiveness &
- Charlie Pye-Smith, Travels in Nepal

Kathmandu's field of gravity weakens somewhere east of the airport; beyond, you fall into the rich atmosphere of BHAKTAPUR (also known as BHADGAUN ). A medieval world unto itself, Bhaktapur is Nepal's most perfectly preserved city. Well clear of the Ring Road, with no industrial zone, no diplomatic enclave and few suburbs, it feels more like a big village than a small city. Every turn of a corner brings a new wonder: a narrow alley, a neighbourhood shrine, a sudden vibrant courtyard, a red-and-gold-skirted pagoda. And everywhere the warm, salmon hue of bricks - streets paved with bricks in herringbone and parquet patterns, houses and temples built of bricks and carved wood - brick and wood, the essential media of Newar city-builders.

Bhaktapur's streets and alleys are all the more suited for wandering thanks to a long-term German-funded restoration and sanitation programme and, more recently, to the sometimes controversial policies of its communist municipal council. Say what you like about the city's entrance fee, this is one Nepalese city that's got its act together. Much of it is pedestrianized or closed to commercial traffic at most times of day, temples and public shelters are being restored (without foreign aid), and new buildings are now required to follow traditional architectural styles. The city's effort to balance heritage and economic development appears to be as successful as any in the world today.

Bhaktapur is no utopia, but compared to other cities of the Kathmandu Valley it's relatively clean, prosperous and orderly. It's touristy, but only in spots, and only for a few hours during the day - after hours, it becomes utterly, authentically Nepali again. Although it's usually regarded as a day trip from Kathmandu, you really ought to spend at least one night to do the place justice. An increasing number of travellers are heading straight from Kathmandu airport to Bhaktapur