Kathmandu (Nepal)

We woke up early in the morning and hiked back from Australian camps to Kande. We were at the base by 9 AM and drove straight to Kathmandu. I remember as a kid that everyone I knew who was getting married went to Kathmandu for their Honeymoon. My expectations from Kathmandu were very high, I pictured it to be one of the most beautiful places in Nepal.
Well, to my disappointment, Kathmandu was just the opposite. The earthquake in April 2015 did some real damage to the city. Nepal being not so rich as a country has not been able to recover from it just yet. There were broken roads in and around the city and the traffic was just unmanageable.

Having said that, although the city itself is not anything close to beautiful, there are multiple tourist attractions which make the city visit worthwhile. Swayambhunath, Boudhnath and one of the most well-known places Pashupatinath temple are quite amazing. One of the most interesting fact at the Pashupatinath temple was the co-existence of monkeys and humans. There were innumerable monkeys all around the temple, jumping around on the rooftops but not one was even close to doing any mischief with the people around. ​

Kathmandu was once ruled by a Hindu king. His sons developed different parts of the city in Darbar squares, the areas where they setup there palaces. These Darbar squares have beautiful pieces of architecture. Some of them got destroyed in the earthquake in 2015, and are getting repaired. Some structures however, withstood the tremors and are still standing strong. These could be found at the Bhaktapur Darbar square.

Basantpur Darbar Square, Patan Darbar Square, Bhaktapur Darbar Square and the Kathmandu Darbar Sqaure are all located within a span of 20 kms are have a great visual appeal. They are the best amalgamation of the Hindu and Tibetan culture when it comes to architecture.

I rarely give food recommendations, but two of the places in Kathmandu were to die for. One of them was the Blueberry kitchen & Coffee Shop (Rated 5 on TripAdvisor) and the other being Dwarikas (another 5 rated hotel on Tripadvisor). A visit to these two eateries can make your visit to Kathmandu worthwhile.

The Juice:
1. Do not expect a smooth ride in and around the town. The roads and the traffic are definitely going to play a spoilsport in your vacation. Go prepared!
2. Do not gamble in Kathmandu. Their casinos are the not at all tastefully done and the dealers are not fun either. You want to gamble, go to Sri Lanka!
3. Tripadvisor suggests great places to eat here. The ratings are quite genuine. Make your trip to Kathmandu a treat for your tastebuds, if you don’t end up enjoying anything else. This might actually happen!