KATHMANDU

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KATHMANDU
The capital of Nepal is busy place indeed. Traffic is probably the worst you will ever see, the air is dusty and polluted. The main tourist area is called Thamel, this is where all the trekkers stay for a few days to relax and sort out the equipment before heading out trekking. You can buy everything you might want for the trip here, but keep in mind that most articles are fake, especially “The North Face” and “Mountain hardware” are very popular to plagiarize. If you are at an organized trip you will probably get a guided tour of the Pashupatinath Temple and the Boudhanath Stupa, both located near the city center.
The Pashupatinath Temple is a sacred Hindu temple located next to the Bagmati River. The Hindus cremate their dead here and then pass their remains into the river. It feels quiet weird to visit a funeral as a tourist, not to mention taking pictures of it. But our local guide assured us it perfectly alright, and explained that Hindus and Buddhist are not very sad when their loved ones passes away anyway since they believe in reincarnation. There are many monkeys in the area and they can be aggressive, we were told not to get eye contact with them.
The Boudhanath Stupa with it’s huge mandala is one of the largest in the world. There are a lot of shops and praying wheels around it. Make sure to walk around it clockwise, according to the Buddhist way.
In Thamel you will find all kinds of restaurants and bars, but be careful with what kind of meat you order, getting an upset stomach in Kathmandu is easy and not desirable on your trek or the flight home. If you're looking for a green and quiet getaway from the busy city, the Garden of Dreams is a nice little park to visit. People come here to relax, watch the squirrels and have a nice (and quite expensive) lunch.

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