Bungamati      Bungamati is a beautiful little Newar village that still retains its age-old character. The compact village consists of rows of brick houses with intricately carved wooden windows lining the quaint streets, which are paved with flagstones. The residents of Bungamati socialize in the streets, using the pavements to winnow grain and to dry their laundry. People sit in the sun outside their doorways, massaging their babies, weaving straw mats, and spinning wool. The village has some of the most distinct culture in all Nepal. It is also famous for its accomplished wood-carvers.      Bungamati is where Red Macchendranath, the God of Rain, spends his winter months before being brought to Patan for the chariot festival in summer. The deity is also known as Bunga Deo. The deity is usually carried on a palanquin to his winter residence, a tradition that has continued since the 16th century, but once in every 12 years, he is pulled in a chariot all the way from Bungamati to Patan. The shrine is a large open square with a 10-meter shikara temple in the middle.   Khokana      Khokana, near Bungamati, is a small village with a wide main street which was rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1934. In the middle of the main street is the Sikali Mai, Khokana's local mother goddess. Khokana has long been famous as an oil-pressing center where mustard seeds are pressed using traditional wooden beams.      Besides these two, there are hundreds of very old small Newari villages, such as Thasi, Lubu, Jala (Harisiddhi), Thaiba, Badegaon, Sunguthi and Wa, within 10 km of Patan. All these villages give the feeling of going back to the medieval period, since people still follow the ancient way of life and their brick houses are unchanged from ages past. All these villages can be reached by taxi, by bicycle, or even on foot, walking through fields from Sanu's House.