Namaste!
I am laying over in Kathmandu
the capital of Nepal to experience Thamel
the heart of its tourist industry and commercial centre
visit many of its UNESCO World Heritage Sites
ancient holy Buddhist temples
and one of the oldest Hindu temple in the country
and witness its traditional funeral ritual
and to see the recovery progress from 2015 earthquake
Not to forget trying out lots of inexpensive and tasty street food
All in 14 hours
Under $60
All done safety, inexpensive and easily
anything I can do
you can do
Oh right, welcome to Kathmandu
the largest and centre of Nepal's history, art, culture and economy
Especially tourism
being the gateway to the Nepalese Himalayas
it is an important part of the city’s economy
Today, its home to a multiethnic population of 1.5 million within Hindu and Buddhist being the majority
So, to start off you have passport ready and let’s through the immigrations quickly…
if possible...
I have to find the transit visa form
I hope I find it
I haven't seen it yet
So...
Wish me lucky!
Actually no...
you need be prepared to face the artificial intelligence
the computer that is…
next thing is I need to pay the VISA fees
If you are transit...
one day VISA will cost you $5 US Dollars
because I am doing transit I go to the transit section
now I am going to collect my bags
Shall we continue?
let's go!
Since there is no locker storage in this airport
I suggest you either check your bags to the final destination
But I am a true genius
and came up with a alternative for you
Why not hire a full day driver
or drop it off at local hostel for safe keeping
especially for a overnight layover
This is exactly what I did…
next... customs inspections
I don't have anything to clear
so its fine!
there is quite a lineup and I hope it clear up soon!
Kathmandu is really not expensive
and you don’t need that much for day
like $50 or about $80 with overnight accommodations
Now comes the bad news,
the ATM in the arrival hall is frustratingly useless
To save time...
I decide to get the exchange of $50 USD
Always demand a receipt
I recommend you exchange just enough for taxi and exchange rest when you get the city
Oh that is my driver right here
I am really excited!
thanks for giving me a ride!
The taxi price are fixed
and posted on the arrival hall costing about $7.50 to Thamel
and extra dollar after 9:30 pm
So, do not allow the driver be taken you for a ride
So right now I am in Kathmandu Sunny Hotel
I like to thank my sponsor Kathmandu Sunny Hotel
for providing me with accommodation for the overnight filming of this episode
They offer clean and comfort rooms with beautiful rooftop patio
centrally located right at the heart of city for a great price!
Thanks guys!
After checking to my hotel
there is no time to waste...
I hopped a taxi again
and heading to the famous Monkey Temple and nothing going to stop me…
other than traffic jam!
It can get pretty bad at times
Right now we are at the entrance of the Monkey Temple
and this is after ten minutes of taxi ride
the driver wants five hundred
we bargain down to three hundred
so always bargain and bargain hard in this city
If you come later afternoon
the admission is free
so get ready for some exercise with or without your bags
oh yeah!
Almost there!!!
There is even more hiking
the air quality here is really hurting my throat
but I will make it thru to the top!
Oh my god!!!
Okay...
I finally made it!
it's crazy!!!
I had such a great hike
but I think it's totally worth it
you are a nice panorama view of the city
but I hope next temple won't be this difficult
Located at the west of Kathmandu and atop the Kathmandu Valley
Tibetan name Swayambhunath for the site means 'Sublime Trees'
and is ancient religious complex consists of a variety of shrines and temples
some dating back to the fifteen century
Also known as the Monkey Temple
as there are holy monkeys living in the northwestern parts of the complex
as you can see there is no shortage of monkey here in the temple
but just remember one thing
please do not feed them!
please do not interact with them
because...
when you feed them they get use to human giving them food
when then people don't come with food
they will become aggressive and will take people's purse
things like that...
Although the site is considered Buddhist
this temple is also revered by Hindus
The stupa was completely renovated in May 2010
its first major renovation since 1921
and its 15th in the nearly 1,500 years since it was built
with the dome re-gilded using 20 kg of gold
After conquering the summit
you deserve it Olympic gold medal
maybe not…
but certain a cheap eat
There is no shortage of delicious street food cart waiting for you at the base
Don’t expect to lose weight here
especially if you like deep fried food
Including Nepalese style, freshly fried chicken, fish and meat
But the most famous is buffalo shapale
which is a Tibetan Nepali meat pie
filled with minced buffalo and onions
Also, aloo chop
which is basically a deep fried potato cutlet
a ball of spicy mashed potatoes that were crispy on the outside and flavoured so wonderfully inside
mmmm....
But if you health conscious, then try out the Nepalese steamed dumplings call Momo
commonly consist of pork, chicken, goat and buffalo meat mixed with onions, garlic, and ginger
After fully fuelled up
it’s time to headed off to the heart of the centre of the tourist industry in Kathmandu for over four decades
It’s about half hour walk or 15 minutes if you are taking taxi
but beware of traffic
and make sure to bargain
the ride shouldn’t more than $2.00 to $3.00
so after the surviving the temple climb
I arrived here in Thamel
this is the heart of Kathmandu's tourist district
Thamel is pretty overcrowded
and it has been used by westerners since the 1970's when hippies in the region discovered it
The area is distinguished by its narrow alleys crowded with various money exchanges, hostels and eateries
So this is Thamel Chowk
it is where all the nightlife is concentrated
and you can also come here to pick up some souvenirs
lots of gift shop around here
This is your shopping Mecca in Nepal
You can buy almost anything here
Some favourite are the incense
sold almost everywhere
prayer flags, and Kukri swords
There are also a number of bookstores, outdoor outfitters, and gift shops
Especially with wide selection of handmade souvenirs by locals
But once again...!
Make sure you bargain and bargain hard!
it's a part of local culture
Next we’ll visit the Kathmandu Durbar Square
it’s a nice 20 minutes walk or few minutes away by bicycle rickshaw
The Durbar Square is the generic name used to describe plazas and areas opposite in front of the old royal palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom.
Sadly...
many ancient buildings and palaces listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites collapsed or badly damaged during the 2015 earthquake
So this is Kathmandu Durbar Square
it's in front of the royal palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom
now its surrounded by the magnificent architectures
many of them are very ancient
and all of them are UNESCO World Heritage Site
but sadly many gotten destroyed in the 2015 earthquake
This is also the location of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace Complex
which was the royal Nepalese residence until the 19th century
and where important ceremonies, such as the coronation of the Nepalese monarch took place
The palace is decorated with elaborately-carved wooden windows and panels
nd houses the King Tribhuwan Memorial Museum
It consists of temples, idols, open courts, water fountains and more
Before the Unification of Nepal
it consisted of small kingdoms
and Durbar Squares are most prominent remnants of those old kingdoms in Nepal
And this is last place we’ll visit before calling a night
Next morning, thanks to Kathmandu Sunny Hotel
a traditional Nepalese breakfast awaits me
This is a amazing little breakfast we have...
it's porridge with amazing looking egg omelette
and off course...
and you can't forget about the tea with some sugar
so with that being said I am going to quickly eat
But the breakfast had to be quick
since we need to visit two more historical sites
but the good news, they are both located near the airport
The first, Boudhanath Stupa
a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated 11 kilometers from the centre
and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu
This is the Boudhanath Temple
it's a major temple here in Kathmandu
but its also a World Heritage Site
because its sacred to buddhist all over the world
It’s Buddhist stupa dominates the skyline
it is one of the largest in the world
Built some time around the 14th century
the huge meditative monument is said to have been created just after the passing of the Buddha
Today it is one of the most popular tourist sites in Kathmandu
After the construction of this huge complex
it quickly become an focal point of worship and offering in the area
The structure of the building consists of a giant dome
on the top which sits a Buddhist pyramid tower
Originally the stupa’s spot was on an important trade route from Tibet
which allowed for a steady stream of possible converts
Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries
When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s
many decided to live around Boudhanath
The Stupa is said to entomb the remains of Kassapa Buddha
This temple was badly, badly damaged in the April 2015 earthquake
and destroyed most part of the structure
but the reconstruction started shortly after in May
and by 2016 November it was completely rebuilt
at the cost 230 million rupees
those bell are something that worshippers because it brings the inner peace within
The concept of the prayer wheel is a physical manifestation of the phrase
"turning the wheel of Dharma"
according to the lineage texts on prayer wheels
it is used to accumulate wisdom and merit in the form of good karma
and to purify negativities from the bad karma
bring good job and successful...
The last destinations is about 20 minutes walk away or 10 minutes ride
the famous and sacred Pashupatinath Hindu Temple complex is located on the banks of the Bagmati River
and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979
we can't go thru here because this entrance is only reserved for Hindus
but we can go thru the other side
to get a full view of the temple
so this temple is very sacred to Hindus
not only here in Nepal
but all over the world
as you can see the lineup here
the existing structure is actually build in the 17th century
and was restored by multiple kings and dynasties
Now...
within the structure...
there is a very ancient Jyotirlinga
it is believe not built by humans
that is why it is so sacred
not even president or the king or anyone allowed to touch it
except for the high priest
Although, it is not known for certain when the Temple was built
But Pashupatinath Temple's existence dates back to 400 B.C.
The richly ornamented pagoda houses the sacred holy symbol of Lord Shiva
There are many legends describing as to how the temple came to existence here
The current temple was erected anew in the 15th century by Lichhavi King
after the previous building was consumed by termites
There is a famous legend
where it describes that every day a cow used to visit this specific spot and offer her milk to the ground
The owner of the cow saw her one day and got suspicious
So, he dug up the place and found the Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva
Slowly more and more people gathered around this existing spot to worship
and Lord Pashupatinath got popular while THIS place became a pilgrimage centre
There are many uniquely artistic paintings and sculptures in different parts of the temple
and the smaller temple within.
Like this one…
So one of the most interest temple and the old is the Kamasutra temple built in 6th century
and it has different sexual poses
so the reason its called Kamasutra
is because it protects the temple from the natural disaster by blocking the lighting
At the both sides of each door of the temple
there are images of many Gods and Goddesses and Apsaras
Almost all these paintings are done in gold
Each and every beam which supports the roof of the temple is also sculpted with pictures depicting different types of sexual poses.
Death is something none of us looking forward to
but one must eventually face regardless of religion
and Hinduism is no exception
So there is a cremation going on right now over on that side
it's a tradition for Hinduism and Buddhism for the body to be cremated after one pass away
in fact they do that quickly and not wait for long period of time
the reason is...
our body contains five elements
sky...
earth...
water...
air and fire...
and we have to return that back to the nature
it's also important to cremate ourselves in order to get rip of any impurities
such as desire,
lust,
and others...
However...
in a positive ways
witness death can reminds us of our limited time here
and motivates us to pursuit goals
find happiness
and the realty that we are born with nothing
and leaves with nothing
so few things to keep in mind...
babies are never cremated because they are already pure
for the rest of the deceased
the first process is actually cleaning the body by washing it
they don't wash the whole body
only the feet
which is the dirtiest part of the body
also the face...
which is the most beautifulest part of the body
My clocking is ticking
and its time for our taxi to take me back to the airport
Remember to always allocate two hours prior to your check in
and this is why…
I am heading back to the airport for my departure to Istanbul
and I have to tell you please come really early
because...
it's really chaotic here
the lineup outside stretches 45 minutes
and we haven't even got to the security checks yet
another reason you should come early is you have to fill these nuisance departure forms
So...
that is a example how it looks like
so please if you are going to do a layover
don't be late!
here is a another security screening
and the...
it's pretty irritating actually because this is after the lounge
so if you go into the lounge and you came here late
you may missed your flight
this airport is very inefficient
Oh yeah...
you not only have go through security and metal scanner into the airport
but also multiple checks inside
So, let’s speed things up by always having your passport ready
With that being said...
I hope you are able to make the most of your time here
have safe and amazing layover here in Kathmandu
See you next time and have pleasant flight!
Namaste!