“Tiger balm, sir? You want Tiger balm?” holler the Nepalese touts who pace the streets of Kathmandu, pushing this Chinese medical ointment as if it were crack. Other guys offer trekking tours, hotels or rickshaws for a hefty commission – at night, hash and weed is their focus. Kathmandu has been a well-worn hippie and adventure travelers destination since the 60’s. After the chaos of India, it’s nice to be somewhere with a mature and established (albeit overwhelming) tourist infrastructure. Everything in the travelers area of Thamel is geared towards Western tastes – You want organic buckwheat noodle soup? No problem. Maybe you’d like a pint at a British style pub while listening to rock cover bands. Got it covered. There’s even free wifi at most cafes, bars and restaurants to lure in paying customers, for fucks sake! It’s very, very easy to travel in Kathmandu.
Outside the endless trekking outfitters and hippie clothing stores, Kathmandu has to be one of the most ancient and beautiful cities we’ve seen. We loved getting lost in the old city, ducking under tiny doorways lining the streets and following narrow passages. Inevitably, we stumbled upon a hidden courtyard, flanked by ancient wood detailed buildings, with a Buddhist shrine in the center. There are literally hundreds of temples and shrines hidden all over the city – it’s basically a living art gallery. In Durbar Square, you might see a hawker selling mangoes on a tarp, which is held down with a broken statue that could be in any museum.
Atop a hill overlooking Kathmandu is Swayambhunath, more commonly known as monkey temple. The walk from Thamel only takes about 40 min and you pass gorgeous scenery, like small plots of farmland where people grow rice and vegetables interspersed with apartment buildings. After ascending about a million stairs, we explored the temples and watched people giving alms and praying. And yes, it does live up to it’s name – there are tons of mischievous monkeys about, playing in the trees, hanging out in groups or snatching food from people.
So after a week in Kathmandu, we’ve stuffed our faces, heard the same 15 songs covered over and over again and are on a first-name basis with out neighborhood street hustlers. A move to Pokhara is long overdue.
<> Clearly, y’all are in vacation mode. I just stressed out that I had to take a break from work to run across the street for a 5-minute errand. But of course I’m jealous!
“The walk from Thamel only takes about 40 min…” Clearly, y’all are in vacation mode. I just stressed out that I had to take a break from work to run across the street for a 5-minute errand. But of course I’m jealous!