The city center of Kathmandu

Today I was in the center of Kathmandu for the first time.

Santosh took me to Thamel on his moped (which is the tourist hotspot of the city).

For me, the hustle and bustle on the streets was a bit overwhelming upon arrival, but that was nothing compared to the traffic and crowds in the center. And the dust that is stirred up from the streets adds up there.

Then Santosh dropped me off at a hotel where he works. There I had my first coffee in a week - ENJOYMENT!

Afterwards, I ventured into the busy streets. After equipping myself with a face mask against the dust, I went to Durbar Square. The royal palace is located there, surrounded by countless temples. To enter the area, you had to pay 1000RS (about 8€). It was the first time that I really saw the effects of the 2015 earthquake. The historical buildings were all heavily damaged and even after two years, the renovation work is still in full swing. I'm not even sure if all of this can still be repaired.

In the end, it was very touristy there. I was approached on every corner if I needed a guide and everyone wanted to sell something - not really my thing.

After a short walk, which I didn't find that exciting for 1000Rs, I went back out into the streets of Kathmandu. And even though it was sometimes overwhelming, it was very fascinating to experience the pulsating of the city. Sometimes I just had to stop, sit down and observe everything for a while because walking was simply too exhausting for me.

Actually, I also wanted to take photos, but I couldn't concentrate on it or immerse myself in it because something new was constantly appearing. There was something to see everywhere. So many people, hidden side streets with hidden temples and places of worship, smells, sounds, honking ... colorful and hectic.

I then tried to focus on the people a bit and capture a few interesting faces for me. In doing so, I particularly noticed the friendliness and openness of the people here. Almost everyone gives you a smile if you give them one too.

At the end of the day, I was really exhausted and felt like I had a layer of dust on me, like after a day on a construction site. So I really enjoyed the shower today.

By the way, I also took a little break from eating today. In the morning only yogurt and tea and in the evening a small pizza. They eat so much here - Morning: rice with stuff, noon: momos, noodles or something, evening: rice with stuff, in between there are always snacks. It just became too much for me and yesterday my stomach was already so full that I couldn't eat anything today. I definitely need to reduce my food intake, but it's so difficult. You are constantly offered something and then you don't want to be unfriendly and refuse it.

Tomorrow I also have a day off and then I'm going to Bhaktapur, a small town on the outskirts of Kathmandu. I hope it's a bit quieter there. Since the bus ride there is supposedly so complicated, a friend of Santosh will take me there on his moped - an hour of moped riding, with such road conditions?! This could be something...