Kathmandu Journals

the ways of Kathmandu

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A December 1998 trip to Kathmandu by allain

Quote: this is my travelogue in Nepal and especially dealing with Kathmandu. It is an amazing city mixing influence of China and India. The spirituality is very strong and you could met a god in every corner !

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the ways of Kathmandu

Overview

Kathmandu's Durbar Square Photo - Kathmandu, Nepal

Quote:

day 1) First contact with the busy streets of the city. Rickshaws, bicycles, cars, scooters, traffic jam , many colours and smells. day 2) The streets of Kathmandu are full of statues. Visit Durbar Square, a large plaza full of Hinduism temples. Visit of the hill of Swayambunath. On the top, stood a huge stupa day 3) Visit of Pashupatinath, near Bagmati river. Holy place for Hindu. Afternoon we walked to Bodnath, the biggest stupa of the valley. The coloured praying flags floated in the air. day 4) We went to imperial city of Bakthapur. Atmosphere is different from Kathmandu. It is calm; modernity seems to stay out of this city. Visit of Nyatapola, an impressive temple. day ...Read More

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Marco Polo Guest House

Hotel

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For $6-8 you could have a double bed accomodation. The Marco Polo guest house (don't confuse with Marco Polo Hotel) is located in Thamel (the tourist districtof Kathmandu)in front of the immigration office. It is clean. There is hot water and no central heating but they provide blankets. Perfect for budget travellers.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on September 21, 2000

Marco Polo Guest House
Tridevy marg
Kathmandu, Nepal

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Golden Gate

Hotel

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This hotel is located in Bhatapur, the imperial city, 15km from Kathmandu. It is for the budget traveller, it costs 350-450 rupees (USD 7-10) for a double bedroom. Hotel is not specially nice but safe and clean. The interest to sleep in Bhaktapur is that the city is far less polluted than Kathmandu and you have time to enjoy the marvelous Durbar Square.

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on September 26, 2000

Golden Gate
Durabar Square
Kathmandu, Nepal

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Swayambunath

Attraction

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In the afternoon (weather is better no mist) you could visit the hill of Swayambunath, 3 km outside the city. On the hill's top, a huge stupa looks after the valley. There is a stairway with 365 steps (one per day of the year). A stupa is a kind of cairn on the summit of which are painted the eyes of Buddha. You could feel a great atmosphere of peace among the Buddhist monks with red dresses. Some funny monkeys play all over the monument. Fine view of Kathmandu.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 21, 2000

Swayambunath

Kathmandu, Nepal

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Durbar Square

Attraction

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The streets of Kathmandu are full of tiny statues of god especially Ganesh (the god with the elephant head). If you have a half day free you should visit Durbar Square, a large plaza full of Hinduism temples. Nice statues of Ganesh, Garuda, and Hanuman. The most representative temples are those of Krishna, Vishnu and Taleju. Temples are made in red bricks; the number of roof varies from one to seven. Animal also inhabit this place: the range from holy cow, monkeys, dogs and birds.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 21, 2000

Durbar Square

Kathmandu, Nepal

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Thamel district

Attraction | "shopping in Thamel"

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Kathmandu is a wonderful place for shopping. Most of the shops are in the Thamel area. You could bring back : Carpets, more in silk than wool. The decoration of these carpets are inspired by Tibetan mythology. Gurkha knife, Gurkha is a Nepalese tribe, they use to be great soldiers of in the British army. Tibetan art is also fine, you could find nice tanka and mandala (religious paints) or cooper statue of deities and gods. Clothes also are cheap and of good qualities, many silk items with many colors.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on October 1, 2000

Thamel district

Kathmandu, Nepal

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Bodhnath

Attraction | "Bodnath"

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The stupa of Bodnath is the highest of the Kathmandu valley. It is 40 m high. It is located in the Tibetan district of Kathmandu. Many refugees live there, so the atmosphere is really interestin. The eyes of the stupa look in the four directions. All around praying rolls help pilgrims find wisdom. Small colored praying flags float in the air. It is said that the wind read these prayers.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 1, 2000

Bodhnath
Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu, Nepal

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Ancient Town of Bhaktapur

Attraction | "Bhaktapur"

Quote:

Bhaktapur is one the three imperial cities of Kathmandu's valley. Cars are forbidden inside the walls of the old center. Atmosphere is very different from Kathmandu. It is very calm; modernity seems to stay out of this city. Before nightfall we visited the Nyatapola, an impressive five-roof Hindu temple. At the foot of the stair case are 2 huge statues of warriors that are ten times stronger than humans. At the upper level stand 2 elephants, which are ten times stronger than the fighter. On the following level we can appreciate lions, griffons and finally tantric gods. On the foggy morning, we visit Durbar Square, a lot of erotic works on the wooden parts of temple (including a very funny image showin...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 1, 2000

Ancient Town of Bhaktapur
Newar
Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

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Pashupatinath Temple

Attraction | "Pashupatinath"

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On a foggy morning I visited Pashupatinath, on the banks of Bagmati river. This is a holy place for Hindus. This is a sanctuary devoted to Shiva. Shiva along with Vishnu and Brahma are the most important gods. A lot of Nandi (Nandi is the messenger of Shiva, it is always represented as a bull) statues decorate a large avenue which lead to the top of a wooden hill. Here you could find a temple inhabited by monkeys. Near the river stand the gaths where the bodies of dead are burned, ashes follow the flood until the holy Gange. During the funeral ceremony I met a strange Sadhu who proposed to lift a 50 kg stone with his you know what! I declined his proposal so I didn't know if he was able to do s...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on November 4, 2000

Pashupatinath Temple
Banks of the Bagmati River
Kathmandu, Nepal

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the Kumari, the goddess of Nepal

Story/Tip

Quote:

One morning we tried to rediscover Kathmandu Durbar square. We had the chance to see the Kumari, the goddess of Nepal. She is a young girl, who was chosen by very strict criterias. She is the reincarnation of a god. She lived as a queen in her palace until the end of her childhood. After that she became a girl like any other, only she was rich. It is sad because she would have a hard time trying to find a husband ( a curse will strike the man who married her). It is forbidden to take her picture. She is said to have divine skills and she always offers good advice to people. To see her you should go to Kathmandu Durbar Square in the Kumari Chwonk. She appears from time to time on the balcony. To increa...Read More

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Monkey Temple

Story/Tip

Quote:

One amazing thing when you have a walk in Katmandu is the presence of monkeys. As you know, Hindus believe in reincarnation and Buddhists respect the life of every god''s creatures. Holy cow is a classic snapshot in India, a monkey playing on the roof of a temple could be the Nepalese typical picture. These small grey animals are rhesus macaques. Very friendly. Sometimes they look like clowns, sometimes like beggars. Even if it seems like a charming child, never feed it, otherwise a group of fierce monkeys will steal all your food! The population is concentrated in Pashupatinath. Their comportment is very funny, always playing or screaming. It is a real spectacle of its own. These animals on a temple ...Read More