Kathmandu’s Medieval Wonders

Durbar Square – the Royal Quarters host the Indra Jatra Festival and are a feast in any other day of the year as well. Its medieval ambience was kept even after the reconstruction that followed the 1933 earthquake. Some of its most interesting sights are open to the public only during that event.

Boudhanat – one of the largest stupas in the world offers one of the best known sights and a look into the life of the Tibetan refugees life in Nepal. Patan – a city across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu, just 5km away from its center, offers a much richer Durbar Square than its bigger sister.

Bhaktapur – the third largest town in the valley has the best Durbar Square of the three, with the biggest pagodas in the country.

Thamel – the backpackers’ center of Kathmandu is a sight in itself; it is about a 20-minute walk north of Durbar Square and has a unique ambience. The place is an excellent shopping center for your trekking gear and used books, as well as offers food in adapted styles from around the world.

Quick Tips:

September to November, the start of the dry season, is the best time of year for a visit since the climate is the most comfortable. Contributing to the selection of this timing is the Indra Jatra Festival – in September – that offers the most incredible spectacle. While in Thamel, shop around; there is a huge variety of deals for every product, especially in the shops away from its main axis. This is particularly true in the case of guesthouses and hotels; the best strategy would be to rest a little after your arrival to the area – a fresh mango juice may do the trick – and then start a serious survey before choosing a place.

Best Way To Get Around:

Arriving to Kathmandu by air is very economical from Bangkok; return tickets are sold there for around . Otherwise, India makes a good entry point by air and by bus. If you enter by bus, consider stopping at the Chitwan National Park before getting to the capital. Internal flights are available to Lukla, for the Everest Trek, and to Pokhara for the Annapouna Trek. Sightseeing flights to the Everest and back are available from the tourism agencies in Thamel. Tours to mysterious Bhutan can be bought – at a substantial price – and with the limitation that the entry or the exit from that country must be done through air. Hence, flying there from Kathmandu and leaving by bus to India is a reasonable choice.

On a more local level, small buses span the 14km to Bhaktapur (10NPR), but the Thai-style tuk-tuks will take you in a more private fashion (250NRP). The town itself is small, and it is actually faster to walk along its narrow alleys than to try to use the various tuk-tuks and rickshaws available as local transport.

Certain peculiarities of cultures may make them difficult for the traveler. Strange languages written in unknown alphabets are one of them. Other relate to different conventions. In Thailand and Laos, a province, a district and a city may feature the same name. Locals would refer to them just using the words: "province," "district" and "city." That makes a lot of sense of you are a denizen, but unluckily, regardless the place in the country the traveler is, the locals would claim he is in the "muang." Confusing.

Hardly surprising is the fact that Nepal has a local equivalent called "Durbar." Every one of the Kathmandu’s valley three cities (Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur) has a Durbar Square. All three of them were recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Board a taxi in Kathmandu and say: "to Durbar Square." "Which one?" would be the answer in the best case. "The UNESCO World Heritage Site" would be another wrong statement uttered by the traveler. A short trip to Bakhtapur – the farthest one from downtown Kathmandu - would be the result in the worst case.

Simply, Durbar Square is the generic name for the plaza opposite the former royal palaces on each one of these cities; "durbar" is the name for a royal palace.

Why bother visiting them? Simply, these squares are surrounded by temples which are the epitome of Nepali architecture and Newari wood carving. This is where strikingly beautiful pagodas transfer the traveler to another world, where statues are gods and living persons are sometimes recognized as such. Durbar Square(s) is the reason many visit Kathmandu, even if they do not know its name, or its meaning.

Most of the buildings date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, though older ones exist. The original palace – which does not exist anymore – was built circa 1000 AD. Until the 19th century the palace next to the square was the royal residence. Even now, the square is the stage of important religious ceremonies, like Indra Jatra (see this journal).

In fact, Durbar Square is a compund of three small squares and the streets connecting them. It has a definite medieval ambience, with no signs of an underlying plan, nor any modern touches.

Access

The area is better visited during the early morning or the evening; guides should be avoided, if wishing one, contract him through the tickets office. Despite the area being open and well connected to the town, tourists are supposed to buy a visiting ticket; policemen in the compound may ask to see it. Several types of tickets are offered, beginning with a daily one and ending with the monthly option. The last is the best fore those planning a trek, in such a way they can visit the square – the major attraction in the city – before and after the trek. A passport sized picture is needed for getting this card.

A good timing for the visit is the Indra Jatra festival, especially if planning a trek in the Everest region just before the end of the season.

Taleju Temple

These two towers at the center of the main square and in front of the palace is the best known landmark of the complex. Atop pyramid shaped bases, are two three-tiered temples (the tallest of this type is five tiered and in Bhaktapur).

Sitting on the pyramidal bases is best for enjoying events on the square. If planning to witness Indra Jatra from there, arriving a few hours early is recommended.

Hanuman Dhoka

This is the palace’s side entry. At its gate is a Hanuman – a monkey god – covered with so much mustard oil and vermilion that its features cannot be elucidated anymore.

Kumari Chowk

Kumari is the name of a living goddess, a girl that holds the position until she touches the ground or loses blood. Her palace is perpendicular to the royal one and sections of it can be visited. The goddess is one of the participants of the Indra Jatra festival, when she is carried on a hand held carriage along the square. Her house windows features what is may be the best sample of Newari wood carving.

Sweta Bhairab

Behind a heavy door, this statue is shown only for three days a year during the Indra Jatra festival, see picture. During the last evening of the festival beer is spilled through a small tube placed in the statue’s mouth, to the joy of the denizens.

Kala Bhairab

Similar to the former, but accessible at all times, is this image in which Kala Bhairab steps on a human corpse, symbolizing ignorance. "Kala" means "black," as in Kala Pattar. Bhairab is Shiva in its most fearful incarnation, with six arms holding various weapons, and a headdress and belt of skulls. Completing the theme, nearby is the Saraswati Temple which belongs to the goddess of knowledge and learning.

Shiva Parvati

This complex is on the northern side of the square and includes a long building with shrines to Shiva and Parvati. Next to it is the Manju Deval, probably the most beautiful temple in the whole area. This three tiered temple is similar to the Taleju Temple, but its base is more beautiful, looking like an inverse image of the temple’s roof tiers. It is also dedicated to Shiva.

Jagannath

This temple features wood carvings of Hindu gods on its doors, windows and roof. When built it was dedicated to Vishnu, but later Jagannath won the honor.

Nasal Chowk

Named after the statue of a dancing Krishna, this temple was the Shah kings crowning place.

Mul Chowk

This temple is open once a year during the Dashain Festival (I left the town for a trek one day after Indra Jatra and returned in time for Dashain), when buffaloes and goats are sacrificed to the goddess Taleju.

Kasthamandap

Literally meaning "Wood House," this is the structure that gave Kathmandu its name, though it is usually referred to as Maru Sattal. The building was supposedly built from a single tree, again featuring a three-tiered roof. Originally it was a gathering place, later it became a shrine for Gorakhnath, whose image is at its center.

This is not all

Reviewing all the temples, structures and work arts in the complex would be the theme for a book and beyond the scope of such an entry.

Yet, there is a very definite medieval ambience to the place that cannot be attributed to any single structure; it is the result of their relative setup. There is no better way of experiencing this than walking from Thamel to the square. In such a way, the last would be accessed through the north, from Makhan Tole. A narrow street with no sidewalks, but with cows, rikshas and monkeys connects both through a swaying path that definitely belongs to medieval times – the smell of incense seems to be the result of the last camels’ caravan that crossed the city – and makes the perfect prelude for a visit to Kathmandu’s heart.

Even if not exactly remembering where did you go to sleep last night, that's not a problem while in Asia. Take a look out of the window and locate the nearest stuppa. Its shape and ornaments would tell at least in which country you are.

Thai stuppas – called "cheddi" – narrow gracefully toward a conceptual Nirvana, while a Cambodian "prang" is more cilindrical in shape, wider, and often features complex ornaments. Square stupas are rare in Southeast Asia and characterize areas with a substantial Indian influence. Finally, some stuppas are unique. That’s the case with Pha That Luang in Vientiane and Boudhanath in Kathmandu.

Boudhanath is not special in its shape. Many similar stuppas can be seen elsewhere. It can be divided in three parts representing different aspects of Buddhism, or – in a simpler interpretation – the Buddha belongings. Its base resembles a folded monk garment; atop it is what looks like an inverted spherical bowl representing the alms recipient. Finally, atop the bowl is a narrowing column representing his walking stick; or in a more spiritual tone the approach to Nirvana. Boudhanat display a couple of attractive eyes painted at the bowl’s base, but also that doesn’t make it unique. The point is that this is one of the largest stuppas in the world.

It is so special, that it was nominated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Its origin is unclear. Nepali chronicles mention several dates between 450 and 600 AD, while Tibetan sources mention two dates, one from the beginning of the seventh century and the second from the end of the eigth one. In addition various Tibetan and Nepali legends surround its construction. Ask the monks in the area, and you’ll get even more explanations. But, that’s the nature of Nepal, Shangri-La and other magical places.

Reaching Boudhanath

If arriving at Kathmandu during the day and from a favorable angle, Boudhanath is large enough to be clearly seen from the aircraft. Once in town the situation is different. Kathmandu is so crowded and its street so narrow that seldom the traveler can see anything beyond the next block. Moreover, since Boudhanath is far from downtown, walking there by seeking its peculiar shape and then heading there is not possible.

The stuppa is well over ten kilometers from downtown, thus planning a special visit is recommended. Since it is located between the airport and the town, it is worth scheduling it as a stopover between these two places, especially since in its immediate surroundings are a few guesthouses and hotels. Rikshas and taxis would connect all these points; the things to remember are to agree on a fee before boarding the vehicle and to ask for the "Buddha Gate," the main access point to the compound, otherwise the access is complicated.

The area is a minor center for travelers and thus features guesthouses, hotels and restaurants though not in the same profusion as Thamel (see that entry).

More Peculiarities

The stuppa location is not random, but on the ancient path connecting Kathmandu with Tibet. That’s maybe the reason why it has been chosen as final destination by so many Tibetan refugees. Over fifty gompas – Tibetan monasteries – surround the stuppa; many of their monks can be seen in the area. The monks’ garments and features are unmistakably Tibetan. Moreover, many of the people visiting it are also Tibetan. Those visitors planning to trek in the Everest region, would meet similar sights and dressing styles near the border, on the mountains.

Stuppas usually contain Buddha – or Buddha related – relics. Boudhanath is said to entomb the remains of a Kasyapa sage venered by Buddhists and Hindus as one.

Visiting

Despite its simplicity, the stuppa is an exciting palce to visit. Few other places offer a close view of a large refugees’ population and an important religious landmark. The constant offerings by the pilgrims – light offerings, flowers, the turning of Om Mani prayers’ wheels surrounding the stuppa – create an ever changing view.

If attempting to walk arround the stuppa along the special path habilitated around it, remember to do that clockwise; the same rule applies for mani walls (squarish, low walls covered with prayers and scatered all along mountainous roads in Nepal).

Nepal offer many festivals during the year in a kaleidoscope created by its different ethnic groups that have each kept its traditions. The most colorful one is Indra Jatra, which occurs in late September. The central event takes place in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, which is completely packed; to get a good place, you should arrive a couple of hours earlier.

It is a celebration of various events that coincide in date. The event giving its name to the festival is the release of Indra from its captivity. Indra was the ancient Aryan god of rain who was allegedly captured in the valley by its inhabitants while searching for flowers. His mother, Dagini, rescued him with promises of heaven to the captors. This legend marks the transition from the rainy monsoon season to the fine months and gives a strong hint regarding how to plan your trip to Nepal. The short autumn following the monsoon is the best season for trekking; I began my trek there the day following Indra Jatra. A second reason for the festival is giving homage to Bahirab, which is a manifestation of Shiva as the destroyer of human ignorance and evil.

The impressive Seto (White) Bahirab face statue, in the northern outskirts of the square, is open only 3 days each year during the festival. For the joy of the locals, free beer flows from a tube emerging from its mouth in the evening of the first festival day. Kumari, the girl goddess, appears in an adorned chariot, with which she travels to the old palace and the old city. She is forbidden to touch the ground. Hence all her movements are somewhat cumbersome, and servants carry the little girl on their hands whenever she needs to move. Before the main event in the afternoon, you can visit her palace by the square’s main entrance at its southern side. The living quarters are closed but the inner yard is a masterpiece of Newari woodcarving.

The third event commemorated is the conquest of the valley by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768. Unlike other festivals in the country, this one has a central event in which the king participates from the old palace on the eastern part of the square. Kumari salutes the king from her chariot and a ritual dance of the god Kali, in which he fights an elephant, takes place just below the king’s balcony. The setup of the event within that fabulous medieval square, among the colorful temples, the surreal chariot and the goddess on it, the red-haired Kali and the cloth elephant, creates a fantastic sight that will not fade from your memory in the years to come.

The True Base Camp

Many visit Nepal for the sake of trekking or climbing. Few countries offer a better infrastructure; none offers higher mountains. Among the various areas available for such activities, the Sagarmatha Park is the most prestigious due to the simple fact it houses the highest mountain on earth. Few of the park visitors plan reaching its summit; most of them just want to reach Kalla Pattar or the adjacent Everest Base Camp. Mount Everest is so high that its base camp is higher than most mountains.

Under such uncommon reality, the name Base Camp is misleading. The true base camp all trekkers and climbers have in common is much lower, in Kathmandu, to be more specific, in Thamel.

Cultural Shock

Cultural shock means more than arriving at a place where the language and letters used for writing it are unknown; nowadays, most relevant signs are at least bilingual. Cultural shock means walking in a narrow street without sidewalks and suddenly finding it blocked by an apathetic cow. It means following a whiff of incense for its source, only to find the whole place smells of it. It means that technically you could read the bilingual signs, but that a myriad of them compete for your attention, blocking each other and the view of the wonderful Newari carved windows. Cultural shock means spotting a monkey intently looking at your snack from one of the partially seen windows. It means Thamel.

Is Thamel Shangri-La?

My main concern while planning the visit to Beijing's Purple Forbidden City was getting trapped amidst a million visitors and unable to enjoy the place. The planned strategy was simple: arriving early in the morning and then rushing to the main sights, while keeping those next to the entrance for the end. This seemed to be a foolproof plan.

Next day I bought a ticket and run into the forbidden grounds. I crossed a typical Chinese gate and saw another one ahead of me; "First the palace," I told myself and run through the second gate. And through the third one. At the fifth one I became worried but kept pushing forward; funky designed gates could not stop me now. Having reached the Imperial Garden at the northern edge of the compound, I finally got the message: the Purple Forbidden City was designed a series of gates with nothing that could be defined as a European style palace at the compound's center.

I retraced my steps until I reached the emperor's quarters and took a close look. The most astounding part of his living quarters was their relative smallness and lack of facilities; he didn’t have even proper toilets. The head of the largest empire on earth didn’t live in Shangri-La. The last was elsewhere.

Thamel is definitely more crowded, and less spacious than the Purple Forbidden City, but it definitely provides a more comfortable, varied and interesting environment, and the gives the backpacker the invigorating knowledge that he enjoys better conditions than the Son of Heaven ever knew.

Where is Shangri-La?

Arriving at Kathmandu by air is very economical from Bangkok; return tickets are sold there for around 200 dollars. Otherwise, India makes a good entry point by air and by bus. If entering by bus, consider stopping at the Chitwan National Park before getting to the capital. Internal flights are available to Lukla, for the Everest Trek, and to Pokhara for the Annapouna Trek; Bhaktapur and Nagarkot are near Kathmandu allowing awesome looks into the local culture and landscape. Sightseeing flights to the Everest and back are also available from Kathmandu. Tours to mysterious Bhutan can be bought – at a substantial price – and with the limitation that the entry or the exit from that country must be done through air; hence flying there from Kathmandu and leaving by bus to India is a reasonable choice.

Despite its humble surroundings, Thamel occupies a premium spot in Kathmandu, just west of the Royal Palace, north of the Durbar Square and south of Bouddhanat.

Thamel’s layout is definitely complex; many alleys connect between the main roads, others are just dead ends. The maze is three dimensional, many establishments’ are located on upper floors; reaching them may demand from the traveler quite a substantial amount of ingenuity.

The best way of finding one’s way is relating to the central "T" junction, not far from "Himalayan Encounters;" the Kathmandu Guesthouse – one of the hotels that transformed the area into a travelers’ haven – is a few meters north of the junction. Here, the horizontal bar of the "T" is one of the two main north-to-south roads composing Thamel. The vertical line of the "T" is the short road connecting the longitudinal roads. Despite the superficial similarity to Khaosan Road in Bangkok, the visitor will soon find Thamel is vastly larger.

What’s in Shangri-La

Restaurants, guesthouses, convenience stores, travel agencies, trekking and climbing services companies, souvenirs and T-shirts stalls; on each of these categories Thamel provides an incredible variety of options. It may seem unappealing, but this eclectic reality is a powerful magnet even for the most resilient snobs.

The road is spectacular. Here, travelers can settle down and still live under the illusion they are moving fast across vast distances. A face from a different corner of the planet appears every few meters; sounds in different languages create destructive interferences among the sound waves and mimic a modern Babel Tower. Nobody completely understands his alien conversation partners and yet everything seems to function properly in a modern version of the Biblical "Speaking in Tongues."

Such diversity is irresistible for most travelers; few other places provide the opportunity to imagine he is everywhere – and nowhere – at once. The more a traveler stays here, the better he realizes he had hardly scratched the surface of this complex place. Many – nobody knows the exact number – cultures coexist there in perfect harmony showing thus that such a reality is a feasible future.

Western Food and Coffee Shops

There are literally hundreds of restaurants and coffee shops serving hybrid Nepali-Western dishes and among them a few coffee shops and restaurants attempting to be faithful to the originals. The danger of food poisoning – especially due to polluted water – in Nepal is real, thus cheap joints are better avoided, and asking if boiled water is used in the food preparation is recommended before taking a seat. "Tashi Delek" – next to the main junction - turned out being a friendly Tibetan restaurant serving many of the dishes I found later on the Everest slopes.

Bookstores

Thamel houses a significant number of second-hand English bookstores – definitely more than Khaosan Road in Bangkok – and is the recommended place for stocking up and exchanging these oddities. The usual deals offered are "two-for-one" or "one-for-one-plus-an-exchange-fee." Prices depend on the books quality and conditions.

As always in Asia, names should be taken with a pinch of salt, pepper and copious amounts of chili. The "Barnes and Noble Book House" in Thamel is a good example of that.

Travel Agencies, Climbing and Trekking Equipment

Despite the ubiquitous travel agencies offering special treks and climbing expeditions, the trekker should remember that trekking is basically an independent activity and that the Nepali teahouses scattered along all the main routes make the activity an easy and friendly one. However anything classified as "Trekking Peak" and upwards demands special permits and local guides. That’s when the agencies become handy.

Many of the shops in the area sell equipment related to climbing and trekking. They can be easily categorized into those selling inexpensive equipment produced in Nepal or in nearby China and those selling equipment brought from Europe – mainly from Germany. The merchandise in the last is substantially more expensive than in Europe, while the merchandise sold in the first would barely last one trek.

Souvenirs

Newari carved windows are wonderful, but difficult to take home as souvenirs. Gurkha swords are equally interesting, but probably the traveler would face certain difficulties at the airport. Buddha statues are interesting but essentially similar to those found elsewhere in Asia. Luckily, Thamel has more than that to offer. What Thamel really excels in are thanka paintings.

These painted Buddhist banners originated in Tibet and are used in Buddhist monasteries or in home-altars as a worshipping or studying medium. Most of them are rectangular and can be scrolled. The most popular motifs depicted in them are the Life of Buddha and the Wheel of Life. Theologically, they are related to Mahayana and Vajrayana schools of Buddhism (and thus cannot be found in countries like Thailand, since its people practice Theravada – also called Hinayana - Buddhism). Even for the non-Buddhist traveler, thankas are fascinating works of art, with extraordinarily rich images and vivid colors which sometimes include gold in their preparation.

Probably, KEEP chose the mot misleading name possible. The acronym of Kathmandu Environmental Education Project refers not to a school but to the best place in the city for getting information and advice regarding trekking in Nepal and related issues.

Moreover, to make things worse, they chose an addressless location in Thamel. The spell-checker just marked with red this word "addressless," but taking into account the establishment’s grounds I had no choice but coining up this new word.

I could say it is next to Kilroy’s of Kathmandu. Despite this restaurant being a main landmark in Thamel, few newcomers would find it. A better way of explaining its location would be describing the access path from a main landmark. The large and massive Kathmandu Guesthouse is the main reference point in Thamel. From there advance along the vertical bar of this T-junction for two blocks (note that the first intersection draws an "s"). Then turn right into Jyatha Street; Kilroy’s is one block along this alley/street on the left side. After it, there is an alley turning leftwards. Take it, and then take the first alley to the right. KEEP is just there, just next to the Dynasty Hotel. As said, an addressless spot. In any case, everybody there knows where Kilroy’s is, just ask at any shop. The main Kantipath Road is very close – it is parallel to Jyatha Street – but from there is no direct access to the alley where KEEP is. By the way, many travel agencies along these alleys specialize in trips to Bhutan.

Located within a cozy traditional house, KEEP specializes in providing services to trekkers in Nepal within an extra-comfortable environment; much better than sitting within a cold travel agency next to the noisy street – customers are attended on the first floor. The main information services available are on the most popular trekking routes and on how to trek responsibly, giving the last issue a heavy environmental focus. They call this "minimum impact trekking." Featuring several programs aimed at helping porters, KEEP also shows the BBC film "Bearing the Burden" about Nepalese porters.
Many porters have participated in KEEP’s English teaching program and have become qualified Trekking Guides. Those can be contacted through the Kathmandu office of KEEP and met at the trek’s departure point. Usually, a trekking guide would not carry around the trekker’s backpack; porters doing that can be contacted through KEEP or directly at the departure point of the trek; the second option allows negotiating the price and is substantially less expensive. I do understand the need to help the local population, but making a trek with a guide or a porter takes out half the fun from the experience. However, it is important to remark that guides and porters approved by KEEP have been trained not only in English, but also in mountain safety and first aid.

Along the trek, the KEEP logo would be seen from time to time since the organization supports many projects in the trekking areas, including lodge management, sanitation, re-forestation and others. Moreover the travelers’ information centers in Namche Bazaar and Lukla – both along the Everest trek – get support from KEEP.

The most interesting information service provided is the colorful trekkers’ books, where trekking experiences are recorded by the trekkers themselves upon return to Kathmandu. The books are rather basic, but do provide updated information on what’s going on in the mountains. That means that finally – especially trekkers interested in reaching Kala Pattar – do not need to read my journal Trekking in the Everest Region anymore. Good riddance!

Related events offered by KEEP are specific lectures advertised at the office notice board and taking place in the late afternoon. Popular talks include nature conservation tips, trekking and mountain health and safety, deforestation, ecotourism, as well as topics related to the Nepalese society. Eco-friendly trekkers' items and handicrafts are on sale, including iodine pills for water purification while trekking. The use of the last is described in the Trekking in the Everest Region journal.

The most unusual service provided by KEEP is water bottle refill at inexpensive price; this may seem unusual, but since there is no safe tap water in Nepal, they attempt in such a way to tempt thirsty would-be trekkers. A related and tastier option is offered by the Green Café, which sells snacks and hot drinks that can transform the useful lectures into even friendlier.

What could be simpler? A bag with a trillion items surrounding it; just throw everything in and go trekking. Mountains, skies, freedom. A few days later it becomes clear most of the items were not necessary, and that the extra towel left behind was essential. Moreover, your back is in pain because the items were distributed in the wrong way. Bag packing is an unusual form of art, but it is one nonetheless.

I do recommend splitting the equipment in two backpacks. The big one should be carried on the back and would contain items not needed on a short notice. The second should be small and contain items that may be needed in a hurry. The best is if the small one can be attached to the bigger one or carried on the chest, allowing the trekker more flexibility.

What to Take

The list of items to take for a trek is tricky. It depends on its length, path and season; each one of these parameters defines different needs. Yet, some items and principles are common to all options.

A sleeping bag is one of the most important items, especially during the last days of the trip when the temperatures drop quickly. The beds provided by most guesthouses along the way are rather basic and not suited for cold weather. A convenient solution is to reach Namche Bazaar without a sleeping bag and to rent one there before climbing any higher.

A thin fleece is another very important item, it would provide a very important protection from the weather once the 4000m line is crossed and yet it is light and can be fold really small. A related item is a waterproof and windproof jacket. Its lack of inner insulating layers is important; the trekker would generate enough heat while walking. Moreover, the smaller it folds the better. Both items can be purchased in Thamel (see that entry).

Take enough clothes to change in the case of a disaster (like getting wet to the bone, or slipping on a muddy surface) but neither too much nor too fancy. Nobody expects a trekker to dress up for a high tea at a Nepali teahouse or a gala dinner at the nearest village.

A well-insulated, one liter plastic bottle and iodine tablets are essential. The last can be purchased at KEEP (see that entry). An insulating sleeve that allows attaching the bottle to the small backpack is recommended.

Maps, guides and compass should all go in the small backpack. The same goes for a small knife, spoon and torch; basic sanitary items are a must. LED based torches are more energy efficient and thus better suited for a long trek in isolated areas. Paper items should be protected so that they don’t get wet. The best is to find a small backpack with pockets near – or in – its bottom and to wrap the items with plastic in such a way that they can be easily retrieved.

Sunglasses, sun hat and a protecting hat for cold weather are essential. Make sure the sunglasses are fit for a high solar radiation environment.

How to Bag Pack

The order in which certain items are put in the backpack is important, even crucial. Heavy items should be placed as low as possible in the big backpack. otherwise this would cause back pains and instability while walking on difficult terrain. What are heavy items? Few people realize this, but paper is relatively dense when compared with other items a trekker carries. Books should be put first and at the very bottom of the backpack.

A real problem is how to deal with a rainy path. The event would occur almost for certain, and the trekker must be ready to deal with a couple of hours under the rain until a shelter is reached. Most important is to have plastic protectors for the backpacks. If they came without covers, those can be easily purchased in Thamel. Second, walking with rain dropping on the head is unpleasant, at least after a while. Carrying an umbrella is on the verge of ridiculous and extremely uncomfortable because the shoulders are strained under the backpacks. Covering oneself with a plastic sheet is a big error; the micro-climate created within the plastic would nearly cook the trekker. The best solution I found is covering the head - but not the face - with an extra towel carried especially for that purpose around the neck.

Laundry is a problem. If arriving to the village where the night is spent after dark, then doing laundry and expecting to leave the next morning with dry clothes is unreal. The solution is to carry enough clothes for a few days of walking and then doing laundry at the villages where an altitude acclimatization stopover is taken. Another point strengthening this recommendation is that in all the popular stopovers there are laundry services offered. See the Altitude Trekking entry in my Everest journal for details on these stops.

What are all those straps on the big backpack for? Depending on the model, the backpacks would feature an array of straps at sometimes strange places. Get acquainted with their use. The point is to get the backpack attached as tightly as possible to the body so that it doesn't move while walking. If it moves it would unbalance the trekker and may even cause accidents. These types of activities are what evenings at a guesthouse in the mountains were made for.

On Altitude Navigation

Navigating on mountainous terrain is very different from doing so on flat ground. In the last, a compass is very important because usually few landmarks are visible. Knowing the path, directions and distances becomes then crucial. On the mountains, the situation is different. Navigation in the Everest region is not very difficult. The trekker can always climb to the nearest ridge and get views of vast territories that would usually contain many landmarks. The higher the trekker is, the higher peaks he’ll see; most of these have very well known features. This makes finding the correct path a breeze.

Direction and distances are less important and less reliable while on the mountains. Slopes should be accounted for while calculating distances, and that’s difficult while on the windy field. Terrain may change and demand making lengthy detours that would transform any planned path into obsolete.

While navigating on the mountains, the important thing is the landmarks. Note which mountains are to be seen and from which side; which rivers are to be crossed; are they white water streams?. Check out if any of these has special characteristics (Mount Ama Dablam has a very distinctive shoulder, a glacier wall is near the Pyramid and so on). Villages and monasteries are easy to identify. Nepal is densely populated; on a territory which is roughly a third of the Bolivian one (Bolivia shares many geographical features with Nepal) live roughly three times as many people. That means that even in remote mountainous regions villages appear at least every few hours allowing an easy verification of the location.

On the Everest region, most days can be easily walked without the help of a compass. At the strategic level things are clear. However at the tactic one things can get complicated. On some spots there is no clear path and the trekker must take decisions. "I’m on this saddle and must reach that summit – what’s the best path?" is the most typical dilemma the trekker would face. It demands more common sense than navigation experience. Good shoes are more important here than a sophisticated GPS attached to a specially dedicated satellite. A sturdy walking stick is sometimes better than an electronic altimeter.

Under such conditions, the best approach is making a general plan for the walk planned for the next day – when the expected weather can be reliably guessed – but considering the plan just as a good base for changes. That’s an integral part of the freedom experienced in a trek; attempting to walk according to a rigid plan is unreliable. Instead, learning the areas’ main features and attractions is the key for enjoying the experience.

At high altitudes things can change fast. The day I reached Kala Pattar it began snowing before I left. At first the snow was sporadic, but that was enough to hide the path, especially since the last crossed a glacier and frozen ground. For these situations having a map and a compass is essential, though nothing replaces a good understanding of the terrain being crossed. I knew there was a glacier between the Pyramid and Kala Pattar, thus when I reached its edge I just crossed it without checking the exact location and although the path seemed to advance along the glacier’s side. Knowing where I was going was the single most important fact for the successful navigation.

On Gadgets

The temptation to take GPS devices is big, yet probably misplaced. Relying on gadgets that may malfunction (bad batteries, no recharging facilities, lost satellite contact, etc.) instead of on one’s skills is an error. Simply, trusting GPS and maps is not always possible. The terrain may have changed since the map was drawn: small streams may change course, old paths may be covered by vegetation or landslides, other unpredictable events may occur. Nice paths on the map may not be visible on the terrain; the trekker must be prepared to find the correct path relying on alternative methods.

One of the favorite topics among trekkers in the Everest Region is what’s Kala Pattar’s exact altitude. There are as many answers as sources. Moreover, all the trekkers equipped with measurement devices get even new answers. Consider this before buying an expensive gadget and becoming totally dependant on it for finding your path.

Part of the problem is that extreme weather conditions affect the function of these devices and in the low pressure conditions of the Everest region the weather is extreme at all times. Sudden winds can change air pressure quickly and significantly and lead to fluctuations in the measurements. (That’s way many reports state they are an average of x measurements on given conditions.)

Now it’s time for the trek.

Reaching Nepal

A relatively secondary destination in Asia, Nepal is not very well connected with the world. I find it convenient reaching it from Bangkok Index for two reasons: the tickets are competitively priced and the frequency of the flights is high, allowing flexibility in the planning of the trip.

There aren’t many choices while traveling to Nepal; Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu is the only international airport in the country. That means crowds, especially since both terminals – the domestic and the international – are small; arriving early before departure is important.

Build with bare bricks, the terminal building is a good prelude to those in Kathmandu, where this is the preferred style. A few duty free shops are within the international terminal area but it is recommended to buy souvenirs while in the city since the choices at the airport are lean and the prices almost as high as Mount Everest.

Landing Views

It is worth reaching Kathmandu during the day and sitting next to a window, since the Kathmandu Valley and the nearby mountains offer spectacular views. If arriving from the right direction, the Buddhanat Stupa (sometimes spelled out Bodhnat) – an iconic view of Kathmandu – can be seen from above.

Reaching Kathmandu

The airport is a few kilometers away from the city; just outside its doors are many motorized rickshaws waiting for customers. They can be rented for about eighty Nepali rupees (about an American dollar), but most drivers would ask for twice or thrice that. Agreeing on the price before boarding is imperative; moreover, it is recommended to ask for a well known address in a central spot in town and then taking another rickshaw or taxi if desiring to reach another place. In such away a long – and expensive – detour in search of the address is avoided.

Time

"Kathmandu is in Nepal, not in India;" Nepalese want us – unperceptive travelers – to remember this complex fact. To facilitate the task they have defined their own time zone for the country: Kathmandu is fifteen minutes ahead of Delhi. Make sure to travel with an easy to set watch.

Security

Many countries impose strange security measures (shhh... it’s a secret). Nepal has a tight currency control and does not allow taking out of the country more than $2000, even if that’s money that the traveler owns.

The sum is ridiculous; when traveling in countries with little access to ATMs and credit cards transactions, that’s the very minimum needed to allow buying an air ticket out of the country and other basic needs in case of an emergency.

In my last departure from the country, the guard checking out my luggage before boarding asked to see my wallet and counted the cash there making sure it was below the allowed limit. The thought that the cash could be stored in various places didn’t cross his mind.

Main Destinations in Nepal

The domestic terminal serves various destinations; some of them are very popular with foreigners; here is a short list.

Everest Flight

For those shy of a long trek in the mountains, several companies offer flights to the Everest and back. The trip longs about an hour and reaches the colossus vicinity; it does not fly around it since it is not an international flight.

Pokhara

The most popular trekking area in the country is not the Sagarmatha National Park – where the Everest is – but Pokhara. The town is near the Fishtail Mountain and treks surrounding it are very popular. The town can be reach by bus and plane from Kathmandu.

Lukla

Lukla is where most trekkers begin the way to the Everest Base Camp; the path between this village and the Base Camp is known as the "Everest Highway." I made the way from Jiri to the Base Camp (the historical path) by foot, but returned to Kathmandu by flight from Lukla.

This airport is worth mentioning because its runway is only seventy meters long; on one end is a steep stone wall and in the other the land drops forever. After the departure, I had the feeling of dropping faster than the small airplane when the last jumped into the void right after beginning to move; this was a truly unforgettable experience.

Special International Destinations

Kathmandu’s airport is the main one serving Bhutan. Many travel agencies in the city sell tours to this country which include also the flight; it is impossible to tour Bhutan independently. A point to keep in mind is that such tours are expensive; Bhutan is one of the most expensive countries on Asia.

Nagarkot is to Kathmandu what Sarangkot is to Pokhara, the closest place to the city from where you can see the whole range of mountains surrounding it. The village is at 2,200m and offers good views of the Langtang Range of the Himalayas, just to the north. The highest peaks there are the Langtang Liru (7,245m) and the Lunpo Lang (7,064m), and the area is the third most popular trekking site in Nepal. Everest can be seen in the northeast, but you will need an exceptionally clear day for that. If you arrived to Nepal overnight or from an angle in which the mountains were obstructed, a visit to Nagarkot will give you the drive needed to leave a comfortable guesthouse for a demanding trek.

To reach it is simple; the best is to travel first to Bhaktapur (see that entry in this journal) and then to take one of the buses climbing the rest of the narrow and steep way (20NRP for the way up and 12NRP while descending). Bhaktapur’s bus terminal is small, and finding the right bus is no trouble.

Nagarkot is a vacation resort, and all of its small population is dedicated to the tourism industry; few of its buildings are private, and almost each one of them hosts a guesthouse or a restaurant. Accordingly, the prices are roughly threefold those of Kathmandu, but considering that the stays here are limited in time, this is a secondary issue. The steep topography of Nagarkot creates unforgettable sights; in Gantabya, the restaurant at the entrance of the village, you can see the tops of grown-up pines just centimeters away from the window of the ground floor.

Nagarkot exhibits a strong version of a Nepali climate characteristic: huge quantities of dew accumulate on the ground during the night and evaporate in the early hours of the morning, creating a fog that hides the mountains. Hence, to get a crystal-clear sight of the Himalayas, you should stay in the village overnight.

The surrounding area is not an attractive trekking place, unless you are interested in wandering around Kathmandu Valley's plains, and its terrain is different from the one in the more popular trekking areas; thus it is not an ideal location for checking your walking equipment. Yet in the hyperactive Nepali reality, Nagarkot is the perfect place for a relaxed weekend watching mountains.

Patan, or Lalitpur as it is usually called, is the second-largest city in the valley and lies just across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu. The town is much quieter, and its main sights can be covered in an easy day's walk. It is located just 5km south from Thamel, and you can reach it by bicycle, taxi, bus, tuk-tuk, or foot. The last option is the most appealing, since along the way are many attractions you will cross: Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, colorful temples, and nice local coffee shops.

The main attraction of Lalitpur is its Durbar Square; wise planning will allow a very early visit there, because later in the morning, the place crowds up. The square has the major display of Newari woodcarving-architecture in Nepal and includes the Royal Palace and two-tiered brick Jagannarayan Temple; just below the roofs are carvings of very active couples. The Patan Museum is located there as well, but as usual in Nepal, the building is more interesting than its collection.

North of the square is the Golden Temple, a Buddhist monastery watched over by tortoises and the Kumbeshawar, the oldest temple in Patan (1392). South of the square is Mangal Bazaar, an area of narrow streets lined with many of the artisans the town is so proud of.

Four stupas delimit the historical city, and they are called the northern, estern, southern, and western stupas. Finding them is a little tedious: the eastern one is on the very outskirts, the western and the southern are within densely constructed areas (the last is very close to the bus terminal), and the northern one is off the way to Kathmandu, just before a secondary bridge.

Lalitpur has a small zoo in its eastern part, but if you just came back from the Chitwan National Park, you can skip it in favor of Jawalalkhel, a huge Tibetan Refugee Centre just south of the zoo. There you can buy colorful carpets and help in their precarious economy.

On your way back to Kathmandu, give some attention to the Bagmati River. It is shallow and wide and its rocky riverbed and riverside does not invite for a splash or a picnic, but you may spot cremation rites performed by the local Nepali/Hindu population within an adjacent temple in its northern shore. Unless you are Hindu, your participation or even visit to the site is not allowed, hence a camera with a good zoom is recommended.

The third largest town in the Kathmandu Valley is 14km southeast from the capital and has the best Durbar Squre, and the best-conserved temples, the most beautiful stone-monsters, the highest pagodas in the country, and the highest entry fee as well – that is, if you are not local. The fee is roughly five times higher than in Kathmandu or Patan, and it equals a local month's salary. I understand that there are different views in the issue of discriminating between tourists and locals, and I will not use this space for a debate on the subject: I just will describe a legal way of seeing the wonders without paying the fee.

Reaching the town is easy. From the Clock Tower in downtown Kathmandu, there are frequent buses that cost 10NRP, or you can take a tuk-tuk there for 250 to 300NRP. The buses terminal in Bhaktapur is outside the area enclosed for tourists, and that is very convenient for finding a guesthouse. The Nepali authorities separated the medieval center of the town from the rest of the city, and tourists willing to enter there between 8am and 6pm need to pay an entrance fee of 1000NRP, the same amount you pay for a 1-month permit for trekking in the Everest area. The regular tourists’ guesthouses and hotels are all within that area, and thus most visitors surrender to the imposed policy without thinking twice. However, there is another choice. Hotels and guesthouses catering for locals will happily accept you, and they are scattered all over the place. Many restaurants are the front of these, and you can ask while eating a tasty local dish. Maybe they are of lower quality of the guesthouses in the center, but they are better than most options you find during a trek in Nepal. For the night or two you will spend here, they are perfect – and you will be directly contributing to the economy of local people: the guesthouses in the centre belong usually to government officers from Kathmandu.

The best thing of such a strategy is that it will leave the medieval parts of the city open to you before 8am and after 6pm. Before 8am, you will have the town for yourself: the crowded temples that hosts thousands of tourists during the day, will provide, at this hour, beautiful, unobstructed pictures. From sunrise until the official opening, you will have a couple of hours, more than enough for visiting the whole site. After 6pm, you can join the crowds in the colorful night markets of the place.

The 10 hours in between are not wasted; you can used them for a visit to Nagarkot (see separate entry) or to wander around the other parts of the town. Bhaktapur is the main center for artisans in the valley, and the tortured alleys of its outskirts hide wonderful sights.

The centre includes three main areas of interest:

Durbar Square

This Durbar Square is much larger than Kathmandu's, and despite the 1934 earthquake, it still has many temples. Just inside the gate on the left, the multi-armed couple Bhairab and Ugrachandi guard another gate, and legend tells that after the sculptor completed them in 1701, his hands were cut off to prevent him from creating masterpieces elsewhere. To the right is a cluster of temples, the largest of which is dedicated to Krishna. The Royal Palace encloses the north side of the square, and like the square itself, it is only a fraction of what it once was. Its west wing houses the National Art Gallery, which displays Newari Paubha and Tibetan Thanka paintings. Next door is the acclaimed Garuda-topped Golden Gate, which was built in the early 18th century by King Bhupatindra Malla, who in golden form himself kneels atop a stone pillar facing the gate. A guard blocks foreigners from entering, but there is plenty to admire from outside the Fifty-Five Windows Palace. Behind the king's pillar is the elephant-flanked stone Vatsala Durga Temple, built in the mid-18th century in the shikhara style.

The small bell next to it is known as the Bell of the Barking Dogs, whose peal is said to make dogs howl. The larger Taleju Bell was used to call humans to prayer. The next temple is the Chyasilin Mandapa, or Octagonal Pavilion, which is a 1990 reconstruction incorporating fragments of the 18th-century original. In the eastern section of the square, around the corner of the palace, are several more temples and temples foundations, the most interesting of which is the 17th-century stone Siddhi Lakshmi Temple, with its procession of animals and people on either side of the stairs. The souvenir shops that surround this part of the square were once dharamshalas (pilgrims' rest houses). In a courtyard to the right, off the far end of the square, is Tadhunchen Bahal, a 15th-century monastery, holy for both Hindus and Buddhists. Back in the southeast corner of the main part of the square, the Pashupatinath Mandir contains a 17th-century reproduction of the linga at Pashupatinath and is the most active of the square temples. Pay attention to the creative couples’ sculpted on the roof struts.

Taumadhi Tole

Taumadhi Tole is a secondary square that features Nyatapola, the highest temple in Nepal, and Til Mahadev Narayan, an important place of pilgrimage. It is connected to Durbar Square by a short shop-lined street. The red five-story pagoda of Nyatapola was built in 1702. Five pairs of stone creatures flank the stairs to the temple. Each pair of guardians is said to be ten times stronger than the one below, starting with a tremendous pair of Malla wrestlers, who themselves are ten times more powerful than the average man. Next are a pair of elephants, followed by lions, giraffes, and finally the goddesses Bahini (the Tigress) and Singhini (the Lioness). The image of the goddess Siddhi Lakshmi, to whom the temple is devoted, is locked inside the temple, accessible only to priests. The eastern side of the square is dominated by the comparably solid Bhairabnath Mandir, which was built as a single story temple in the 17th century. A second story was added during the 18th century, and the entire temple was rebuilt with the existing three stories after the 1934 earthquake. The golden image of Bhairab is miniscule in proportion to the temple as a whole. A doorway in the building at the south side of the square leads to a courtyard filled by the Til Mahadev Narayan Mandir, a 17th-century temple (on an 11th-century temple site) reminiscent of Changu Narayan with its pillar-mounted golden Garuda, chakra, and sankha. Til means "sesame seed," and its use in the temple's name is said to have come from a Thimi merchant who had a vision of Narayan in his stock of sesame seeds. Nearby is Potters' Square, where thousands of clay pots are made and sold.

Tachapal Tole

East from there, a wide, curving street of shops catering to locals links Taumadhi Tole to Tachapal Tole. The oldest square in Bhaktapur is also known as Dattratraya Square. Dattratraya is considered an incarnation of Vishnu, a guru of Shiva and a cousin of the Buddha. The wooden buildings in the square were once maths, residences for priests. The Dattratraya Mandir presides over the square from the eastern end. Built in 1427, it is the oldest surviving building in Bhaktapur and, like other famous structures in the valley, is said to have been built with the wood of just one tree. A pair of colorful Malla wrestlers guards the entrance, creating a contrast to the temple, whose beauty lies in its detailed woodcarvings. A Garuda faces the temple from the top of a stone pillar. At the opposite end of the square is the rectangular Bhimsen Temple, which honors the favorite god of Newari merchants. The ground floor of the temple is open for business, while the shrine is upstairs. Behind the Dattratraya temple are two museums housed in maths. To the left, the Brass and Bronze Museum displays a collection of functional objects such as lamps, cooking pots, hookahs, spittoons, and ritual paraphernalia. Opposite in Pujari Math is the National Art Gallery Woodcarving Museum, worth visiting more for its magnificent courtyard than for its artifacts. Around the corner, on another side of Pujari Math, is the famous Peacock window, which is supposed to be the pinnacle of Bhaktapur woodcarving.