2 Days in Kathmandu

My first day in Nepal and my first day in Kathmandu. I was a bit surprised! It was dark and heavily raining outside. The taxis driving like crazy and your only thought is “How I will survive that drive to my hostel!” But yeah you do and the next day I was waking up from a kiss of the sun in my face. It was early around 7o clock and so quite outside.

My hostel was near the Monkey Temple so further outside of the tourist shopping zone what was really nice.
I was searching the “quietness” after my busy working days in Germany. I have met already the evening before some people in the hostel and together we are exploring Kathmandu for a day. The breakfast was really good, some toasts with eggs and a honey ginger tea.

We are 2 German girls and strolling around the area. We see our first monkeys, they are bathing in the sun, exploring the area and finding here and there some small food. The street dogs and cows are not that much further away. The walk to the first destination should be around 1 hour but as it must come in these busy city we were more lost than on our way. So I remember that we have said no street food and no fruits what we don’t have peeled by ourself. 1 hour later we have already broken these rule. An amazing papaya was waiting to get eaten and its so refreshing in these heat. Kathmandu has a lot of pollution and in the beginning I was quite shocked how destroyed and how sort of dirty it is. A lot of plastic is laying everywhere around but you get used to everything. (Also to the toilets!). The people are amazing friendly and with their help and some help of Maps.Me we have found our first stopover, Patan. It is an area full of temple. At these time most are under construction because of the earthquake a few years ago but what you can see is stunning. It is sooo different from somewhere else I have been. We are walking around trying not to get into a tour (people are starting with talking to you and explaining everything and afterwords they want some money) and walking around the temples. Next stop is Kathmandu Durbar square also some amazing temple and monkeys are sitting before them. I have made a really good photo of a monk, pretty proud of me. I just want to improve also my photography skills in these travel time so first good photo, perfect.

I walk inside of one of the biggest areas and just here the scream of my name. My travel buddy just want to make some photos of the small baby monkeys and the big ones were chasing her around. I was starting hardly with laughing. What a perfect day!

Now its time for the permit what I need to make my biggest adventure so far, trekking the Annapourna circuite.
For that we need to walk through Kathmandu new road but in every store they have amazing camera gear. OK yes we are both woman and when you are travelling camera gear is just like outdoor equipment you can’t have enough from it.

After plenty of stores and a lot of dealing with people we are making finally our way to the permit shelter. Its waaaayyyy too late. The people are there but it is already closed. Shit! But hey we are in Nepal so let’s talk and describe the situation. Around 20 min later I walk with the biggest smile ever out of the building and in my hands I hold my permit. (the permit is around 35 Euros and you need 4 Pictures from you, note also when you want to have a Phonecard you need a Picture. All in all you need a lot of pictures and copies of your passport here)

It starts to get dark already, and we just want to walk shortly to the golden palest. Its sort of the way back. Its soo beautiful no people are there because you can’t make nice photos of it. Just to dark. And now that’s happen what we have tried to avoid the hole time one of the guides send us into a room, and we are stuck into a tour. (we were thinking monks are praying / meditation there, and we can join them). But the guy is really nice, and we are the last tourist in the temple and don’t need to pay entry.

In the evening all the temple areas are for free, and we are strolling around Kathmandu what is just stunning at night. Short some food and one of the first days are already gone.

The second day in Kathmandu is also my last day in Nepal.
I will take it really relaxed and don’t do too much.
I am so used to get up early that at 5.30 I can’t sleep any more. After 45 min rolling around I finally get up make me ready and off we go to the monkey temple. Its nice. The streets are empty and only a few monkeys are already awake. On the stairs I get attacked from 4 small puppies who want to play. I would love to take all of them home because they are so skinny but I can’t. Another guy is coming and feeding them and I make my way up to the temple. A lot of gold is shining in the morning sun. I walk around watch some monkeys playing and make some fantastic photos.

The next place is the burning area of the Buddhism people, the graveyard when you want to see like that. Its so early that the hole area are getting used for morning sport. It is nice to be just on my way no stress, not that many cars and the shops are closed. On the way back I buy 2 papayas, they are amazing here and after days without fruits I am a fruit junky.

Back to the hostel – breakfast – and off we go again.

I try to buy some souvenirs and a Dutch woman is joining me on my shopping tour. We are walking to Thamel the main shopping streets here in Kathmandu. Its interesting and nice but I think I have found my love in the city Pokhara. (Later more). To send stuff back is a bit more complicated than I have expected so from the 10 min what I was thinking I need, is getting 45 min out. I just hope my stuff will arrive in the end. The rest of the day we just stroll around Kathmandu enjoying some curry with honey ginger lemon tea and watching the sunset. Tomorrow already my flight goes to the next adventure.