kathmandu crazy |
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The moment I touched down at Tribruvan airport in Kathmandu I knew I had reached somewhere special. It took only a few hours to realise that i had landed myself in the most amazing place on the planet.
Nepal is so obviously a country of much poverty and civil war. The army is visible from the airport and beyond and the poverty hits you straight away as the taxi drivers line up in their beaten up motors to beg for your business.
If you can get over the culture shock and see past the facade you will find a country and people so deep that even my 6 months there could barely scratch the surface.
Kathmandu is a vibrant city with many elements making way for all tastes and desires. Kathmandu was once 3 kingdoms with 3 royal palaces and 3 cultural squares. This has now been divided into Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. The result? - 3 fantastic cultural places to visit each with a different vibe providing you with a thirst of desire needing to be overwhelmingly quenched!
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| Favourite spots: |
Boudannath is the largest Buddhist Stupa in Nepal and despite being a major tourist attraction (comparative in a city with few tourists) it can be the most peaceful and serene place on the planet.
You can walk around the stupa (always clockwise) alongside those who have come to give praise. Spin the prayer wheels and ask for good luck and listen to the chants of 'Ohm mani padme hum' echoing from the stalls tyhat surround you. Climbing onto the stupa itself and sitting for hours watching the world pass by is the most harmonious thing you can do, and you CAN do it for hours.
There are lots of hotels in this area and it's just a short walk to Pashputinath (the Hindu cremation Temple). For an extra bonus enquire at a local monestry about volunteering in Tibetean refugee camps, they should be able to point you in the right direction.
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| What's really great: |
Kathmandu is a gateway to the world. Every desire you have can be catered for here. If you want culture then Durbar square and even more temples than you can shake a monkey at are all right on your doorstep.
If you want adventure then you can book anything from a 10 day white water rafting expedition in the far west to a days mountain biking around the Kathmandu valley. If you want to be amazed then catch a flight to Lukla and dare to trek as close to Everest as you can, you'll be amazed at what you find!
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| Sights: |
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Swyanbunath (aka. Monkey Temple). Climb the steps in the exhaustive heat to find religions living side by side in harmony. Celebrations and festivals can be closely observed here and if that's not enough then the views over kathmandu are spectacular! Monkeys are 10 a rupee (figuratively speaking) and cute newborn sweeties can be seen clinging to the stomachs of their over protective mothers.
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| Accommodations: |
The kathmandu guest house is the most famous of all. Every taxi knows where it is and it has rooms to suit all budgets.
To be honest though, I love the Student Guest House. I spent most of my time there. The guys were like family. I had late night movie sessions in the lobby, passed out drunk on the roof terrace, danced with the family during festivals and ran around it as it became a river during Holi, the festival of colour and water fighting! Even the owners mother managed to plant a water bomb on my face, i got her back by emptying a bucket over her though.
The rooms can be a little dark (perfect when you are hung over) and noises echo, but it's wonderful, i'd live there if i could!
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| Nightlife: |
The yak and yeti casino. Great place to go if you're poor! Yes, that's right. Change some money for chips, take a bet and get a token for all you can eat free food! Rices, breads, salads, noodles and curry. Free beer, free fags, free whiskey! What more can you ask for after a night down Tom and Jerry's! Live life in luxury!
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| Hangouts: |
Racing rickshaws! One night we had a rickshaw pub crawl, about 30 volunteers from the city, all trying to race through the list of bars in the heat of a rickshaw frenzy. For those of you never had the joy, cycling rickshaws whilst heavily drunk is not for the faint hearted... especially after one crazy drinking session i got challenged to a race through Thamel, cycling the rickshaw, wearing a blindfold.. AND STILL BEAT MY COMPONENTS SORRY BUTTS, one of who is now my partner!
Tom and Jerry's pub can see paties galore! A fantastic place with lots of charm and amazing staff! Sign your flag, put your tunes on the dukebox, get your picture taken behind the bar and arm wrestle them for free vodka! If I didn't turn up for a few nights they'd come to my hotel to see if i was OK! The pool tables are uneven, the continuous free popcorn makes you fat but stay for a late one and eat Dal Bhaat in the back with all the guys.. my second home and what makes time in Kathmandu even more perfect!
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| Restaurants: |
There are some amazing places for food. The best of course is to make friends with the locals and get invites to their houses for dinner. You can't beat home cooked Dal Bhaat and Takari!
If you want a change though the Maya Cocktail bar does wonderful mexican and you can even get free cocktails! The mango daquari is to die for! after a 16 day trek around Everest base camp this was the 1st place we wanted to eat in!
Fire and Ice pizza restaurent is a little bit pricey for kathmandu but does amazing pizza! They even do takeouts!
The new Orleans is a fantastic all rounder... beware of the baileys cocktails though, they can really sneak up on you!
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Published on Tuesday September 23th, 2003 by kathmandukitten
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