Days 1-5 in Kathmandu (Jan 24-Jan.27)
I arrived in Kathmandu late afternoon and de-boarded the plane on the tarmac. I instantly noticed how much warmer it was here than in China or in Japan. A complete deception, though. Yes, the highs are about 65F/18C, but the lows are 35F/2C, and the highs last about 2 hours. The rest of the time, I've been wearing my light down coat, even while sleeping. Feeling cold has become the norm. At $12/night, the guesthouse is not heated, though I was provided with four extra blankets in the closet. I put one extra on the bed the first night but woke up in the middle of the night and threw the remainder of them on as well, and FINALLY felt warm enough to sleep.
The first day I pretty much just walked around Thamel, soaking up the vibe. It's quite crazy--lots of touts--for everything from tiger balm to hashish to wooden musical instruments--and LOADS of shopping, even more than Khao San Rd and Chatuchak market. Since I'm not much of a shopper (especially at the beginning of a twelve week journey!) the shopping doesn't appeal to me too much, but, I must admit, I love the international food scene! Japanese food is hard to beat, but having muesli/yogurt/fresh fruit for breakfast with milk tea, well, that's a pretty good attempt. I'm sure I'll be missing miso soup and the world's freshest fish soon enough, but for now, I'm enjoying the cheap international eats. I also found a family-run Tibetan restaurant and have eaten there a couple of times now. Excellent food and a very warm reception. Every time I've been there, I've been the only Westerner. The boy that has waited on me a couple of times saw me walking on the street one day and yelled, "Hello, miss!" like we were now friends. The Tibetans are easy to love, I must say! And one cannot negate the fact that buffalo momos and sizzling veggie stir-fry are truly wonderful fare.
Electricity is extremely inconsistent in Kathmandu and throughout Nepal. A headlamp is most necessary here. I have traveled many places in Asia where I rarely take it out of my pack, but here I have it constantly nearby, and often it is on. I am definitely going to need the extra batteries that I packed, and probably will need to buy additional ones. While my guesthouse is supposed to have hot water, most of my showers have been freezing cold. Daily showers are going to be quickly forgotten, that is for sure! On a positive note, though, I am ever so happy that I decided to pack my yoga mat. Waking up and doing several rounds of sun salutations is a great way to warm up and meet the day!
Besides walking around Thamel, I have also walked down to Chhetrapati and Durbar Square. I found a local Buddhist temple at Chhetrapati and another one on the way to Durbar Square. At the temple in Chhetrapati, the locals were enjoying just sitting in the sun, playing soccer (football), and for the young children w/o a ball at their disposal, kicking around a plastic bottle and chasing the pigeons. (Side note: Kathmandu has LOADS of pigeons. I've never seen such a healthy amount of pigeons! I'm not sure why they thrive so well here, but they certainly do!) Durbar Square was quite interesting, but the touts for guides and to buy tacky souvenirs gets to be a bit much. Personally, I enjoyed the walk to Durbar Square more than the actual Square. The walk down to Durbar Square was filled with market scenes (the local sort, not the tourist variety) and the regular bustle of a city in a developing nation, albeit with a distinct Kathmandu flavor. I was so mesmerized by it, I had to do walk the same path again the next day and in so doing, decided to just get my Durbar Square pass for the duration of my visit. I'm not sure I'll visit again, but the pass for the duration of one's visa is free after paying for the first daily pass, so I figured why not?
On Monday morning I woke up and had my last bowl of muesli/yogurt/and fresh fruit and pot of milk tea before heaiding to Nepal Mary Child Home, an orphange where I will volunteer for four weeks. Excited and nervous all at the same time!
Lessons learned:
Check the low temperatures as well as the highs, and prepare for both! Fortunately, clothing is very cheap in Kathmandu so picking up an extra sweater won't be cost prohibitive.
The locals enjoy seeing foreigners properly engaging in their cultural and religious traditions. It pays to read up on these before visiting any country. I received many smiles when engaging in turning prayer wheels and walking clockwise around the stuppa, buying a candle and bowing respectfully. This costs very little money and demonstrates much respect for the local culture, nor do I believe it compromises your own faith.
Touts are a part of life when being a tourist in a developing nation. It is always best to meet these touts with a smile and friendly "Namaste" (or whatever the greeting is in the particular country one happens to be in). There is no reason to be nasty. These are simply people trying to make a living in a country where jobs and economic resources are at a premium. Occasionally a firmer no is sometimes needed to shake a particularly insistent salesperson, but I have found all that is needed is matched insistence.
Walking around with a smile and meeting the eyes of the locals costs nothing and pays loads in dividends of returned smiles.
The first day I pretty much just walked around Thamel, soaking up the vibe. It's quite crazy--lots of touts--for everything from tiger balm to hashish to wooden musical instruments--and LOADS of shopping, even more than Khao San Rd and Chatuchak market. Since I'm not much of a shopper (especially at the beginning of a twelve week journey!) the shopping doesn't appeal to me too much, but, I must admit, I love the international food scene! Japanese food is hard to beat, but having muesli/yogurt/fresh fruit for breakfast with milk tea, well, that's a pretty good attempt. I'm sure I'll be missing miso soup and the world's freshest fish soon enough, but for now, I'm enjoying the cheap international eats. I also found a family-run Tibetan restaurant and have eaten there a couple of times now. Excellent food and a very warm reception. Every time I've been there, I've been the only Westerner. The boy that has waited on me a couple of times saw me walking on the street one day and yelled, "Hello, miss!" like we were now friends. The Tibetans are easy to love, I must say! And one cannot negate the fact that buffalo momos and sizzling veggie stir-fry are truly wonderful fare.
Electricity is extremely inconsistent in Kathmandu and throughout Nepal. A headlamp is most necessary here. I have traveled many places in Asia where I rarely take it out of my pack, but here I have it constantly nearby, and often it is on. I am definitely going to need the extra batteries that I packed, and probably will need to buy additional ones. While my guesthouse is supposed to have hot water, most of my showers have been freezing cold. Daily showers are going to be quickly forgotten, that is for sure! On a positive note, though, I am ever so happy that I decided to pack my yoga mat. Waking up and doing several rounds of sun salutations is a great way to warm up and meet the day!
Besides walking around Thamel, I have also walked down to Chhetrapati and Durbar Square. I found a local Buddhist temple at Chhetrapati and another one on the way to Durbar Square. At the temple in Chhetrapati, the locals were enjoying just sitting in the sun, playing soccer (football), and for the young children w/o a ball at their disposal, kicking around a plastic bottle and chasing the pigeons. (Side note: Kathmandu has LOADS of pigeons. I've never seen such a healthy amount of pigeons! I'm not sure why they thrive so well here, but they certainly do!) Durbar Square was quite interesting, but the touts for guides and to buy tacky souvenirs gets to be a bit much. Personally, I enjoyed the walk to Durbar Square more than the actual Square. The walk down to Durbar Square was filled with market scenes (the local sort, not the tourist variety) and the regular bustle of a city in a developing nation, albeit with a distinct Kathmandu flavor. I was so mesmerized by it, I had to do walk the same path again the next day and in so doing, decided to just get my Durbar Square pass for the duration of my visit. I'm not sure I'll visit again, but the pass for the duration of one's visa is free after paying for the first daily pass, so I figured why not?
On Monday morning I woke up and had my last bowl of muesli/yogurt/and fresh fruit and pot of milk tea before heaiding to Nepal Mary Child Home, an orphange where I will volunteer for four weeks. Excited and nervous all at the same time!
Lessons learned:
Check the low temperatures as well as the highs, and prepare for both! Fortunately, clothing is very cheap in Kathmandu so picking up an extra sweater won't be cost prohibitive.
The locals enjoy seeing foreigners properly engaging in their cultural and religious traditions. It pays to read up on these before visiting any country. I received many smiles when engaging in turning prayer wheels and walking clockwise around the stuppa, buying a candle and bowing respectfully. This costs very little money and demonstrates much respect for the local culture, nor do I believe it compromises your own faith.
Touts are a part of life when being a tourist in a developing nation. It is always best to meet these touts with a smile and friendly "Namaste" (or whatever the greeting is in the particular country one happens to be in). There is no reason to be nasty. These are simply people trying to make a living in a country where jobs and economic resources are at a premium. Occasionally a firmer no is sometimes needed to shake a particularly insistent salesperson, but I have found all that is needed is matched insistence.
Walking around with a smile and meeting the eyes of the locals costs nothing and pays loads in dividends of returned smiles.
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| View from my guesthouse |
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| Temple in Chhetrapati , Kathmandu |
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| Temple in Chhetrapati , Kathmandu |
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| Temple in Chhetrapati , Kathmandu |
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| Temple in Chhetrapati , Kathmandu |
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| Temple in Chhetrapati , Kathmandu |
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| Temple in Chhetrapati , Kathmandu |
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| Temple in Chhetrapati , Kathmandu |
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| The four very color blankets I've used to keep me warm at night at my guesthouse |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Temple in Chhetrapati , Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Only used once, I'm sure! |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| You have got to adore a monk with socks (polka-dotted, no less) and flip-flops! |
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| Add caption |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Street scene, Kathmandu |
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| Neighborhood temple, Kathmandu |
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| Neighborhood temple, Kathmandu |
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| Neighborhood temple, Kathmandu |
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| Neighborhood temple, Kathmandu |
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| The name says everything |
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| No customers, might as well chat Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Puts my izakaya bike to shame! |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Durbar Square, Kathmandu |
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| Freak Street, near Durbar Square |
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| Freak Street, near Durbar Square |
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| Freak Street, near Durbar Square |
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| Freak Street, near Durbar Square |
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| Kathmandu, on walk from Thamel To Durbar Square |
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| Kathmandu, on walk from Thamel To Durbar Square |
| Kathmandu, on walk from Thamel To Durbar Square tion |
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| Kathmandu, on walk from Thamel To Durbar Square |
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| The birds don't each much! |
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| Nepalese-style brooms being hand-made and sold at the market |
