Kathmandu is a city steeped in culture, religion and epic mountains.
Unfortunately it was dark when I arrived so I was unable to see Mount Everest as we were landing. My flight arrived 2 hours early and the transfer I had arranged hadn’t arrived yet. 
Now I don’t know if you have ever visited a country like Nepal but the last thing you want to be doing is standing aimlessly in the airport carpark with your bags – there were many offers of taxis and rides and “what is your name” “where are you from” “I can take you to where you are going the hotel will pay (no they won’t)” “I know the driver for your transfer I will show you where he is (no they don’t)”. I had a crowd of people around me but security was there watching on…finally my driver turned up with my name on a board. (If you haven’t pre-arranged a transfer from the airport be sure to purchase your taxi ride from inside the airport, there are two different stations to order them from with the last right at the exit doors. Taxis are generally unregulated and it is easy to pay 5 times more than required or be taken to the wrong hotel due to language
barriers.)
There is nothing like Kathmandu traffic. There are no traffic lights or it seems road rules, they use the car horn as a constant form of communication creating a cacophony of noise beep-beep “can I pass?” beep-beep “nope there’s a car coming” beep-beep “what about now “yeah give it a shot why not?” beep-beep “hey I’m here” beep-beep “yeah yeah I see you I’m just not letting you in”…all the beeps sounded the same to me but it seemed to make sense to them. I am not fluent in the language of car-horns! The traffic is just go and hope that you make it. Car coming towards you? Never fear your driver will pull out in-front of them and miss a collision by less than a bees sting. Pedestrians, tuk-tuks, bicycles, cars, busses you name it we nearly collided with it – but then again they were all nearly colliding with each other too, that is just how traffic works here.
We were staying at Kathmandu Guest House and it is an oasis in the middle of the city with 
a beautiful grass courtyard that somehow blocks out the noise of the street outside. The facilities are clean and the location is fantastic being walking distance from almost every tourist location in Kathmandu (walking distance for an Australian that is, we do love to walk, but it at least a short tuk-tuk ride for those not into walking!) After checking into our room we ventured outside. There are no footpaths in Kathmandu, you just have to be aware of your surroundings and walk with confidence…so dodging cars and motorbikes and refusing the offers of tuk-tuk assistance we took to the street…it didn’t take us long to find some dark steep stairs with candles lighting the way to a balcony restaurant. We got stuck into some vegetable soup, garlic naan and vegetable momos (you MUST eat moms when in Nepal!) We asked the waiter for two everest beers. He looked at us strangely and checked several times if we wanted two, we should have taken note as the beers in Nepal are 650ml each…As expected when in Kathmandu the power went out and the candles were lit…this is something you will get used to.
The next day we found a good coffee shop Himalayan Java Coffee has good barista coffee (when the power is working) and you can get a hot breakfast or muesli with fruit. If you are desperate for some Western style food this is a good place to go. We got a seat on the balcony overlooking a laneway covered in prayer flags and watched the city slowly wake up and the stores of singing bowls, clothing and trekking gear come to life.
After breakfast we went for a long long long walk. The traffic was just as haphazard as the night before with several close calls with motorbikes and taxis. There are local stalls selling fruit or flowers for worship and many small monuments along the roadway. We now understand why the majority of locals wear masks. From early in the day the air is dirty and smoggy, there is dust everywhere and the cars kick up even worse…when we got back to the room our noses deposited the smog right back out…nothing that colour should come out of a persons nose!! Wearing face coverings from now on…thank you buffs!
We ended our walk at Dubar Square once upon a time this square was impressive with ancient monuments and buildings of grandeur, then the earthquake kit and these monuments crumbled. Today stand several buildings held up with wood beams and foundations surrounded by broken bricks…it was sad to see the history destroyed but the tourists continue to come and the local people continue to use the spaces for their worship.
Looking up at the powerlines and you can see why the power is constantly breaking down with wires hanging everywhere and monkeys running along them!
Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple) was a great place to watch the sunset over 
Kathmandu. We got our taxi driver to drop us off at the top of the monument and walked around talking to the monkeys, looking at the monument and the amazing view. There is a large staircase to the bottom of the monument and you can walk up them, we chose to just walk down them but it is part of the pilgrimage for the locals to walk up the stairs to worship.
Kathmandu is a fabulous city and completely different to the Western culture I am used to. Be aware of children being used to distract you while pick pockets practice their trade, always know where your belongings are. And as with any city don’t walk up dark laneways alone, on the whole the city is safe and well worth the visit. Before visiting be sure to practice your bargaining skills as they are needed from purchasing items to taxi rides almost everything is negotiable! There aren’t any western laundromats in Kathmandu but you can drop off your washing and pay per kilo, drop off one day and pick up the next. Most people use Kathmandu as a base before trekking in the amazing countryside. Regardless of if you are reeking or just stopping by for the culture you use get out of the tourist centre of Thamel. Even just a short walk out of the tourist centre you will see how the locals truely live. The damage from the earthquake still hasn’t been repaired. Apartment blocks are barely standing with sides of apartments open to the elements and “new roof top terrace” really means the top of the building fell off and there is no no roof. It is a real eye opener and is a stark reminder that what we don’t blink at to spend on a dinner is the entire weekly income for some families here. Shortly I will put up a summary of the Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Treks.
Gypsy Heart Adventures 