Bhaktapur is part of the Kathmandu valley, a region at about 4,600 ft in elevation (Philadelphia's highest elevation is ~400 ft), nestled in the Himalayan mountains. These mountains are some of the tallest in the world. You can see Mount Everest, the tallest mountain (~29,000 ft) above sea level, from the Kathmandu Valley on a clear day!
Within Bhaktapur my favorite part of exploring the environment has been seeing how local customs connect with how the city has been built. As you walk through the streets of Bhaktapur you notice that outside every building there is a small shaped stone or figure called a Pikhaalakhu. These stones are meant to represent a god that guards the house. Locals worship these stones/figures to ask for protection for the family living in the home,
Around Bhaktapur there are also 33 human-designed ponds called pokharis scattered throughout the city. These ancient artificial ponds were made to provide a water supply for locals, especially during times of drought when there was little rain. Some of the pokharis have small temples and figurines for worship. You wouldn't want to swim in the ponds but there are lots of fish jumping and swimming too which is fun to watch!
Bhaktapur has two main seasons: the monsoon (rainy) season and dry season. During the rainy season, farmers plant crops like rice and wheat. After the heavy rains stop, everyone harvests the crops. The rice is placed on huge tarps in the streets to dry. Rice is VERY important to Nepali food. It is eaten with pretty much every meal.
