Nepal – November 2024
When I arrive in Nepal a mere week after booking my flight from Hanoi to Kathmandu, I am severely underprepared for the trekking adventure ahead. So I give myself a couple of days in the capital to ease into the new culture, gather some last-minute things for the Annapurna Circuit and, most importantly, try some local food. But let’s start at the beginning. At the airport, the accountant graciously lets me pay for the 30-day tourist visa in Japanese Yen, the only cash I have. The process is smooth and I’m in the arrival hall within minutes, reading ads for helicopter rescue insurance and phone plans. Thanks to my friend Julianne’s recommendation, I opt for a physical SIM from NTC, which has me covered up to 4000 metres. The next hurdle is getting to my accommodation in Thamel. Online, there is some information about local buses running between the airport and the city centre, but as expected, the touts in the parking lot aren’t too eager to help and offer their taxi services instead.
I finally follow a guy with a large red backpack who seems to know what he’s doing. Turns out, he thought the same about me. It’s a case of the blind leading the blind, and while we make it out of the airport, at the main street we have no choice but to hail a cab. At least we can split the bill, and the friendly Spaniard, who has been to the Himalaya multiple times before, gives me some helpful tips for trekking shops. So, once I check in at Planet Nomad Hostel, I already feel a little more prepared. That afternoon I walk around the backpacker hub for a while and have some momos at an overpriced restaurant. It’s Halloween night, and when I return to the rooftop of my hostel with a fresh mango juice in hand, it’s filled with guests from all around the world. It’s one of those places where you can easily strike up a conversation with the next person sitting at the low table. A Chinese guy living here for a while to learn English, an Italian backpacker on his way to Australia, a Dutch entrepreneur.
Over the next few evenings, whenever I head up to the rooftop, there is a group of people gathering to head out to a local restaurant for dinner, followed by a stop at the slightly too fancy corner store to buy some beers to drink while playing cards. Here are some of my favourite places we go to: Tip Top Samosa is perfect for a quick bite before sightseeing and some delicious desserts, while Aambo Momo serves, to this day, some of the best momos I’ve had. Pumpernickel Bakery becomes my go-to for a European-style breakfast, Kizuna satisfies my craving for Japanese food, and Laphing Center & Mongolian House offers noodles and laphing. There is also kulfi from streetside vendors and, around Boudhha, plenty of Tibetan snacks and thukpa to discover. The list goes on, reflecting the different people from all walks of life and corners of the world coming together in Kathmandu. Everyone is happy to share their experiences and research findings for treks and other excursions around the country.
Eventually, I buddy up with Hendra from Indonesia, who joins me for the Annapurna Circuit. Together we sort out the remaining preparations for the trek, including a visit to Discover Altitude Treks and a few runs to trekking shops. For the full story and all the practical details, check out my backpacker’s guide to the Annapurna Circuit Trek. Between preparations, we take some time for sightseeing and to get a feel for Nepali culture. Before the trek, we head to Patan on motorbike taxis. We explore Durbar Square and are lured into the museum, which showcases Nepalese Hindu and Buddhist art as well as smaller exhibits on tourism history and wildlife. After a quick chai stop, we return to southern Thamel, where we get lost in the vendor-lined maze of alleys. Then it’s already the last evening before leaving for the mountains. It happens to be a Monday, the day when the traditional burning ceremonies are held at Pashupatinath Temple.
Together with Hendra and a Swiss mountaineer, we hop on motorbike taxis to the eastern outskirts of the city. It’s evening rush hour and the streets are packed. Our drivers weave through the traffic as much as possible, but it still takes about 20 minutes longer than expected before we arrive at the temple gate. The cremation ceremonies along the river running through the temple complex last for a couple of hours, so we still get to witness the incredible energy of the place. People chant and perform puja on either side of the Bagmati river, creating an atmosphere that makes even me feel connected to the rituals and the people being remembered. In between ceremonies, the dogs and monkeys living on the ancient holy site fight loudly between the tombs and shrines. It’s an intense experience for all the senses. Kathmandu captures me in a special way, and I make sure to leave a couple more days to explore the capital at the end of my stay in Nepal.
On my first day back, I finally climb up to the “Monkey Temple”, known by locals as Swayambhu. The impressive stupa sits on top of a hill a little outside the city centre. But before I can enjoy the view, I have to climb a seemingly endless number of steps. They are lined by trees with prayer flags tied to the branches, where cheeky monkeys perform their morning acrobatics. The stupa seems to be frequented more by tourists than local believers, and it doesn’t take long for a friendly old man to come up to me and, completely unprompted, explain the meanings of the different colours of the prayer flags and the basics of Nepali Buddhism. The next day I’m up for a more artistic and cultural tour, so I take the local bus to Bhaktapur. Getting off at Kamal Binayak Pond, I avoid the tourist fee charged at the main gate and explore some of the quieter side streets on the way to the Peacock Window. Many buildings feature intricate wood carvings and impressive artisan statues. I can’t help stopping every couple of metres to take another photo.
At the square near the Peacock Window, the main vendor street begins. I chat with a painter specialising in thangka, Tibetan Buddhist paintings featuring intricate religious imagery. He tells me that they export large amounts of their work to China. It seems a bit absurd to me at the time, but a couple of months later in Shangri-La, I remember his words when I find the same type of thangka advertised in small handicraft shops. Aimlessly wandering leads me to Bhaktapur Durbar Square, where a wedding procession seems to be taking place. I can’t see the crowd yet, but the drumming and trumpet sounds promise a lively party. And really, only a short while later I see them from the upper floor of a Newari restaurant near Pottery Square. The bride and groom walk up front, followed by family members and their parents riding in a fancy convertible. In the back comes the wedding band. A marvelous sight to accompany my meal.
In the afternoon, I do some souvenir shopping at small stationery shops. Then I’m suddenly lured into a traditional musical instrument store. I originally stop to ask some questions about the long brass trumpets I’ve seen in temples, but the shop owner insists on showing me the magic of a Buddhist healing sound bowl. The vibrations of the deep sound definitely feel special, but I don’t know how I’d store a 10-kilogram metal bowl in my backpack. I finally return to Thamel for dinner at a Bangladeshi restaurant with my new roommate, Alpona. With her and Hendra, I also spend my last day in Nepal exploring the neighbourhood of Boudhha. The heart of the Tibetan quarter is the large Boudhanath Stupa. Compared to the “Monkey Temple”, this stupa is frequented largely by pilgrims, who circle the white dome clockwise while reciting the mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum”.
We pass the square multiple times during our quest to find some hidden local spots in the small side streets. We finally strike gold near the “Zambala Thukpa and Noodle Factory”. After devouring momos at a small local tea room, we are invited to try traditional Tibetan wine by the lady who runs it and her friends. We kindly decline and walk further down the street, lined with open-door workshops focusing on noodles and metal crafts. Past multiple monasteries and more small eateries, we finally return to the stupa in time for sunset. Hendra and I pay the small entrance fee, while Alpona gets in for free as a Bangladeshi, and we drop our shoes on the pile near the gate. However, the person responsible for the cloak section quickly identifies us as tourists and puts our shoes in a numbered bag to make sure they don’t get lost. We are then free to go and do a couple of laps around the dome. We watch young Nepalis do their tiktoks next to older women quietly tending to rows of silver offering bowls.
The colourful prayer flags dancing under the pink clouds are a magnificent sight, and I end up staying until after Alpona and Hendra leave for the airport to catch their respective flights. I eat a final thukpa at one of the restaurants surrounding the square and then hop on a shared taxi back to Thamel. The next morning, it’s my turn to head to the airport. I watch the sunrise on the tarmac while boarding the Buddha Air flight to Varanasi and catch a last glimpse of the Boudhanath Stupa and the himalayas as the plane turns south to India.
3 thoughts on “A week in Kathmandu”