Streets of Silver,Streets of Gold

Ten easy walks among the Gods, Legends and Bazaars of Kathmandu John Child's book of walks in the old cities of the Kathmandu Valley is much more than a description of the millennia of history and culture in Kathmandu, and much more comprehensive than a sightseeing guide. Child uses the format of a walking tour to tell the rich story of Nepal's high culture, weaving stories of the monuments and palaces together with history, myth and legend. Publication date: December 2006 From the review in the Nepali Times, 23 Feb. 2007: "He stands alone, seemingly neglected at first glance, if you notice him at all. The traffic and people bustle past, the small shops conduct theirbusiness as usual. A small, crude, tiled concrete arch gives him some protection from the elements and human encroachment. The knee-high Buddha has stood there for 2,000 years. ‘There’ is now the Bangemudha Square, just in from the lively Asan Tol. 'Who quarried the stone, who carved him, who put him there, what has he witnessed?’ These are not questions we normally stop to consider as we rush about our daily lives. But it is exactly the kind of pause John Child encourages in his new book, Streets of Silver, Streets of Gold: Ten Easy Walks among the Gods, Legends and Bazaars of Kathmandu. "This excellent guide is written by a person who clearly loves the Valley and knows a lot about its history, its people, and its places. His passion is infectious.The walks are not long grueling treks, but strolls through the past alive in the present, through the spiritual manifest in the everyday. Child alternates between the minutiae in front of you and more thorough informational digressions. It is a good balance. He does not overburden the reader with information, but does a commendable job ofgiving the average person an initial taste, or perhaps a reminder, of the political and cultural history of the Valley and of the different but intertwined religious practices."