BHAKTAPUR, Nepal — It seems that the more things change, the more things stay the same.

Bhaktapur felt like antiquity itself, and the resilient city has triumphed over devastating earthquakes throughout its history.

Yet it was still a surprise to see advertising — as in Bodhgaya, India — for a major soft-drink brand amid the 18th-century structures. Still, it didn’t make me thirsty.