Nepal
NEPAL
LOCATION
MUST DO
- Kathmanudu:
- Durbar Square, Kumari “Living Goddess” residence
- Swoyambhunath Stupa aka “Monkey temple”
- Patan Durbar Square
- Bodhnath Stupa- where many Tibetan refugees have settled. Witness pilgrims making the “kora” around the temple
- Visit the medieval city of Bhaktapur & watch clay potters and traditional Thangka painters at work. Check out pagoda style architecture
Trip Details
When: October 2013
Where: Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur
How: Guided Tour
TRAVEL TIPS
- You can either apply for your Nepal tourist visa in advance, or get it when you land at the airport. If you do the latter, you’ll need to have US cash and extra passport photos.
- Do not drink the local water. Drink only bottled water and use it to brush your teeth, as well. Keep anti-diarrheal medicine handy.
- Restaurant recommendation:
- If you’re in Patan Durbar Square around mealtime, I highly recommend the Patan Museum Cafe. They have a buffet and the tables are set in shaded patio areas around a beautiful courtyard and gardens.
- Bhaktapur: I recommend eating at the famous Nyatapola Cafe overlooking the main square for a leisurely afternoon eating and people watching.
NOTES
Kathmandu! It’s a crazy place! I remarked about the congestion of people and traffic in the city, and our guide told us that it’s actually 10x worse but the time of year we were there many people had the left the city to visit their families for their holy celebrations. The architecture is unique and colorful. There are cows roaming around free in the streets as if nothing. There is a lot of noise out on the streets, pollution, and trash everywhere. The sights, sounds, sounds, and tastes are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I loved the flavors of the food. And there were so many interesting things to take pictures of–a photographer’s dream! If you haven’t traveled to a third-world country before, be prepared for a culture shock. It was a jam-packed three days, and I really enjoyed it. However, I was also really glad to move on to the next portion of our trip when we would spend more time out in nature.
The best way to end my time to Nepal was actually on the flight from Kathmandu to Bhutan. I had heard that people travel from all over the world just to fly on this route in order to get a glimpse of Mt. Everest on a clear day, which is actually pretty rare as it is covered in clouds most days of the year. I was fortunate enough to be able to see the tallest peak in the world from my airplane seat, and that’s an incredible experience I will never forget.