Kathmandu

Nepal is bordered to the North by China, and to the South, East, and West by India. Kathmandu is it's capital city. This is my account of my magical visit here. I flew into Kathmandu from Delhi and we traipsed ourselves out of the airport to wait at the side of the road for our coach. I was a bit tired and stood gazing into the distance at some extraordinary clouds and wondering why they were such strange shapes. Suddenly the strange shapes completed a gestalt in my head and I realised that I was staring at the Himalayas. They were so big that I hadn't been able to 'see' them at first. What an amazing sight they were! The white tops touched the ...  Read the complete review

If you have half a day to kill in Kathmandu you must take this trip! Buddah Air are a domestic Nepali airline operating from Kathmandu airport. Their bread and butter work is the shuttle between Kathmandu and Lukla. In addition to this they operate the best sight-seeing flight in the world. For about $150 you get a guaranteed window seat for the flight around Mount Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Pumori and Ama Dablam (the mountain in my profile picture.) The aircraft are well maintained Dorniers and are flown by very skilled pilots. If you have experienced the landing on the airstrip at Lukla, you would trust these guys with anything. ...  Read the complete review

What a lovely place, the smell of woodsmoke always takes me back to Kathmandu. It is a busy city but quite unlike other Asian cities I have visited, with a mix of old and modern but few huge skyscrapers or department stores. It has a feeling of remoteness, you know you are off the beaten track, it is difficult to get many western comforts, but some things are imported from India, like Cadbury’s chocolate. The city has several beautiful parks, and interesting temples etc in the centre, although many of these are in a state of disrepair. The main roads have to be seen to be believed they are very wide eight lane in some places, with a interesting mix of ...  Read the complete review

During our first week in Kathmandu, we did manage to do some sightseeing in spite of our daily ritual of changing guest houses (four times -a trip record.) In the end, we found ourselves at the famous and very clean (but more expensive) Kathmandu Guest House, home to many world-renowned authors, journalists and mountain climbers during their stay here. We made a little pilgrimage to Swayambunath, the famous "monkey temple" on top of a hill overlooking the valley. It serves as a holy stupa to both Buddhists and Hindus alike. People of all sorts make the climb up to spin the prayer wheels and send their prayers up to heaven. Everyone is in a reverent semi-trance ...  Read the complete review

A city of contrasts – serenity and chaos, poverty and spiritual richness, beauty and squalor - How could one even try to begin to describe Kathmandu? For many people, travel to Nepal means the opportunity to trek in the Himalayas. Kathmandu is perceived as an unpleasant stop-over on the journey north, rather than a destination in its own right. Although things have certainly changed since the ‘60’s, this city still has much to offer. I spent several months living and working here, and grew to love it. There are frustrations, as there would be in any Asian city of this scale, but these are more than compensated by the richness ...  Read the complete review