2011-11-20
The entirety of the town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, which among other things, means that trucks and buses are not allowed in. There were temples and monks seemingly on every block, including a temple at the top of a large hill in the middle of the city. On the hilltop, right next to the temple was a machine gun turret, a striking juxtaposition of the peaceful, contemplative side of the human psyche versus the destructive forces of hate and political ambition.
We biked through beautiful countryside to a series of travertine waterfalls about 30km from town. It resembled Plitvice in Croatia, but the falls were bigger and the water wasn't as intensely colored. Also, unlike Plitvice, they allowed swimming and even had a rope swing!