Kathmandu in the year 2075

-> RECOMMENDATION: watch a small video from Finn in the desert on his website; finn-nissen.com <-

Pokhara - Chitwan National Park - KATHMANDU - Bhaktapur - Patan

We were told Kathmandu is stressful, we were told Kathmandu is loud, we were told Kathmandu is dirty, and we were told Kathmandu is cheaper.

But we didn't find any of that to be true, maybe we have become numb since India or maybe India is just the most extreme country to travel to. We cannot judge that at the moment.😉

Kathmandu, as mentioned before, is a milder version of India. Sure, there are crowded streets where people honk, smog in the air, and dirty places. However, we both find it bearable.

The city center with its old town and tourist neighborhood called Thamel is very beautiful to look at and at the same time, you are reminded of the 2015 earthquake at many places. The people are still busy reconstructing their city.

Fortunately, their main squares were not further affected or many things have already been rebuilt with foreign aid. So we had the pleasure of visiting their pagodas and, as smart as we are, for free.

In general, you can try to just walk in everywhere here. If no one says anything, you can usually avoid the 8€ entrance fee per person, and otherwise, you have to consider if it's worth it. We were lucky to see the Swayambunath, the Boudhanath, and the Durbar Square for free. 😈

We were able to save a lot of money there, which is not so easy in Kathmandu otherwise. Because the restaurants here are expensive if you don't want to eat the same three dishes all the time or if you want to sit more comfortably.

Thamel is tempting in that regard because it feels like a neighborhood that was only built for tourists. Here you can find everything from restaurants/cafes to German accommodations to one souvenir shop next to the other.

The neighborhood was great for the Nepalese New Year's festival because there was a lot going on. It is celebrated, drink and dance as much as you can, and shortly before midnight, the countdown begins. When it's midnight, there are no fireworks like in our country, but the music stops and the police drive people out of the streets. It was a completely new experience for us and not only that, because in Nepal it is now the year 2075. Well, let Nepal at least be ahead of us in one point 😋

In terms of language and education, they are not ahead of us. Sometimes it's not easy to communicate. Moreover, you should have calculated your bill beforehand to check it and of course the change as well.

The only good thing about the language barrier is that Nepalese men are not as pushy as some Indians. But because of that, it is much more difficult to connect with the people.