Sights and Sounds of Kathmandu

In Kathmandu, the area around Durbar Square is the main attraction, but there are a great many other sights further out if you jump aboard a taxi or Tuk Tuk. Busy and hectic though but still the best place to pick up trekking gear or generally get yourself sorted out for the trekking you'll almost certainly do on your trip.

Quick Tips:

Plan to spend a few days here if its your first time in the country, you'll quickly get to know how things tick and appreciate the city so much better as a result, also dont use a local guide until you've spent some time just wandering about on your own - you'll see more of the real life even if you dont find out about the history

Best Way To Get Around:

The West side of town is really only accessible on foot - the roads are so narrow that you can jump from one side to the other. Beware though that the Nepalese still think its perfectly Ok to ride motorbikes and rickshaws around here. For the outlying sights then take a minibus from beside the parade ground or a white Tuk Tuk from the central hospital area. Private Tuk Tuks (Blue)are available with fares of about 200rp for central Kathmandu to Patan - always bargain for your fare.

A good ten minute walk from the centre of town it lies out beyond the national stadium. It’s a fairly posh affair and has a good location hidden behind the Bluebird Supermarket which keeps it insulated from the noise of the city. Rooms are big - our room included balcony, en suite, a double bed, desk & chair, 2-seat sofa and 2 easy chairs and a coffee table and plenty space to move as well -- from speaking to other guests all the rooms are of an equal standard. Dont leave the windows open otherwise you might get a visit from the local monkeys.

The food prices were reasonable and food good but bar prices were on the high side. With the tourist industry being depressed then prices are negotiable - especially if paying in hard currency. The hotel has secure car parking and a pool as well as a small quiet garden area.

Taxis into town cost about 100rp, rickshaws the same price; to Patan - about 70rp.

Definitely the budget travellers hideaway - with prices at the lower end of the scale don’t expect much but you'll get a bed in a secure room and a basic bathroom. The staff are really friendly and can give you access to internet facilities. The reception is on the first floor with rooms on the floors above. There is also a rooftop terrace which gives great views over Thamel.

I'm stressing that the hotel is a basic one - you get what you pay for but the advantage of this is that its just far enough out of the main Thamel street to get a little peace, yet close enough to be handy for the shopping.

To get to the hotel go to the Chettrepati junction then head in along the main route into Thamel, before you reach the main activity the hotel is on the right. The hotel does not have any catering facilities, but theres a good café directly opposite.

This is not for the faint hearted, the temple lies in the hills to the south west of the city of Kathmandu and at best would be best described as a ritual slaughterhouse. Although used all year round - the place comes alive mainly during the Dasain festival in October.

You descend a number of steps to arrive at what at first seems to be a beautiful hollow in the hillside with a river running through, at the far end though is the altar where all year round, and especially at times of festivals people come to make sacrifices - mostly chickens but occasionally goats and other animals get the chop here and their blood is poured over the altar. As I said - not for the faint hearted.

Although its mainly a pure religious thing, throughout Nepal most of the population are still wary of modern medicine - and prefer to make offerings to the gods in order to cure their ailments before resorting to seeing a doctor. Its not unusual for a family to spend so much on butchering every animal they can lay their hands on that they cant then afford to pay for their healthcare. To exit the site retreat back over the bridge and head on up past the very small car park which has stall after stall of potential offerings - mainly plants / fruit and the like, but the occasional worried looking chicken can be spotted under the tables.

Hidden away off the main road is perhaps the best of the Buddhist stupas in town, if not in Nepal. To get there take a taxi otherwise you'll have trouble finding the place.

On the way here from the centre of town, you'll pass the Hyatt hotel and at the nearby junction there's a statue to the first Nepalese lady to climb Everest (she died on the way down though); also look out for the fire station just up the road where they still have a British 1930's fire engine in service alongside some more modern vehicles.

There is an entrance fee to the Boudhanath but this is waived at times of major festivals when there are just too many people about. The booth is on the right as you enter. You should walk around in a clockwise direction and you can walk up onto the Stupa through a gate on the left side. Try to get here early in the morning and you'll get wonderful views out across the city and to the mountains beyond.

Surrounding the temple is an array of shops mainly run by Tibetans who have fled their country. For some reason they seem particularly keen to sell knives to tourists - they're of dubious quality and will probably get confiscated by customs if spotted anyway, even in hold baggage. For better souvenirs delve into the back of the shops and have a good look around. Prices near the entrance to the temple site are higher than those at the far side, but get your bargaining hat on. If you're up for a drink or some food, then about three quarters of the way round, look up and you'll see a range of restaurants / café's on the first floor.

Perched high on a hill to the west of Kathmandu - about a thirty minute walk - is this temple, approached by a long flight of stairs, supposedly 365 stairs, but who counts them as they get steeper and steeper as you near the top. At the bottom of the steps are a whole host of souvenir touts but they don’t bother you too much and leave you alone as you head on upwards.

I was distracted by the monkeys (the temple's other name is the monkey temple) as I headed up and ended up going along a side path to see what I could find and ascended by a separate stairway – in the process of which I avoided the point where you pay a fee to enter the temple and despite descending by the main steps I still didn’t see where you were supposed to pay.

Fare dodging aside, the temple was an excellent place to view the city of Kathmandu as it spreads out on the valley floor, from here you can see the full extent of the city and see it slowly merge into the surrounding countryside. On the southern side you can hire the use of telescopes an binoculars but to be fair its good to be distanced from the frenzy of activity in the city.

In theory you are always meant to walk around a temple in a clockwise direction but this seemed to be ignored by the locals. Within the temple there are numerous souvenir stalls, postcard sellers, etc., but again the pace was fairly relaxed, although it was fairly tacky to have this right inside a place of worship.

Aside from the views and the fairly impressive Stupa and carvings around it it's worth spending a bit of time and heading further west to the rear of the complex (the route is down stairs on the south side) where you will end up in a less developed and fairly well landscaped area - totally free of all salesmen where you can sit under the trees and all the prayer flags and command views out over the Kathmandu valley.

The Kathmandu valley grew up around four towns - each of which had their own Durbar (palace) so be careful when you ask for a taxi as they could take you to any one of the four. The principal Durbar Square is in Kathmandu City and we walked it in the following route. Starting at New Road you need to pay an entrance fee - if you are going to be in town for a while then go up to the conservation office near the Kumari house where you can get your ticket extended for free (you need your passport) and thus saving the entrance fee every time - handy as many roads lead to the square so you could be cutting through it regularly.

Anyway back to the walk - go straight ahead and on your right you have the Old Royal Palace - with four pagoda pillars representing each of the four cities, on the left is Freak Street - once home to the guesthouses and cafes that marked the end of the hippy trail. This is adjacent to a wide open area which usually has a range of craft stalls catering for tourists. At the end of the open area is the Kumari house - home to the living goddess of Nepal - the current Kumari is five years old. As you approach the Kumari House then the square opens up before you and its no surprise that cameras are always out and about here - the place is really impressive - even moreso if this is your first experience of temple architecture in the city.

In the square is a whole array of buildings, including Kathmandsap - the building that gave the city its name, Large drums - and we are talking big here - to ward off evil spirits, various other bells, Hindu temples galore and an array of local people that’s a travellers dream - you know that you've arrived in a different culture that’s for sure.

Most of the tourist touts seem to hang about on the north side of the square so by entering from a southerly direction you are likely to get less hassle as you'll be leaving by the time you meet them. The reason that they are here is that a few minutes to the North is Thamel - the main district where tourist accommodation and shops are, so is where most tourists enter the square.

Also in the square is the Old Royal Palace - the big white building where there's a museum which is hidden away past a series of armed guards, making you think you shouldnt be there or that you're walking into some army barracks!

Terrorism is a fact of life in most of the countries in the world, Nepal is just the same. At the moment there is much talk of a terrorist war but from experience the media may well be sensationalising a few stories at the expense of the image for a normally peaceful nation.

For a number of years there has been tension between the Maoist peoples and the King's government, not made any better by the occasional screw up on the part of the King when it comes to forging relationships with his people and continuing promises from the government about removing corruption. This has led to a much publicised war between the two groups as the Maoists continue to fight for the right so sit around the government table.

In reality it shouldnt stop you from going to Nepal - The "bombs" that have been let off in the capital are little more than overgrown fireworks, their purpose is simply to demonstrate that the maoists have widespread support and are spread throughout teh country - their intentions stop short of deliberately killing people as this would damage support for their cause. Likewise they have made it clear that they will not target tourists or tourist sights as they appreciate how much tourists are essential to the country.

Recently the press ran a story of a mountaineering group being robbed by Maoists - this happened whilst I was in Gorkha - generally regarded as the home of the Maoists and the attitude there was that the Government was blaming every crime it could on the Maoist movement and the event was most likely just run of the mill criminals - the like you will find in any location where tourists flash very large quantities of cash about.

What you should be aware of though is the Bandhs - Nepali word for strike, when these hit it can bring all transport to a halt and many businesses might close up for the day. Likewise its not clever to be following demonstrating groups around - not that you'll likely find one anyway, but the police are poorly trained to deal with such things and localised trouble can erupt.

So for the ordinary tourist - relax, the chances of getting into trouble here are a lot lower than many other places in the world, follow the usual safety precautions that you would in big cities back home and keep an ear out for local advice and you'll have a great time.