Fall in Kathmandu
After a fair amount of travel through the year, I was presented with another brief hiatus before the grind of the season back home. Rather impulsively, I booked a roundtrip to Kathmandu.
The adventure begins whilst flying into this Himalayan realm. As one crosses the international border, the flat and uninspiring Gangetic plains give way to majestic mountains piercing the upper limits of the sky. Choosing the right seat goes a long way in enhancing your mountain viewing experience. For travellers flying in from New Delhi (or west in general) selecting a window seat on the left of the aircraft (typically seat ‘A’ on an Airbus A320/Boeing 737) gives you a stunning view of the Himalayas.
Approaching the Kathmandu valley, lofty peaks give way to gentle green hills, and finally the urban topography of the city.
The City
Landing in the dusty Himalayan capital is somewhat akin to stepping through a time portal. The city itself comes across as a chaotic whirlwind, with dust billowing across its narrow lanes and vehicles, pedestrians, cycle rickshaws all jostling for space. Streets festooned with Tibetan prayer flags round almost every corner exude a spiritual aura amidst the chaos. Golden street side shrines stand resplendent against crumbling buildings.
Despite appearing incommodious, Kathmandu enthralls you with its old world charm and warm Nepali hospitality.
For most first time travellers, staying in Thamel, the backpacker district makes most sense. Despite getting the bad rep of being a tourist trap, this part of town offers you innumerable conveniences in terms of food and shopping, albeit at tourist prices. The backpacker district puts you within walking distance of many historic buildings. Vendors spill into the streets, selling singing bowls, prayer wheels and Tibetan prayer flags, along with traditional accoutrements and fine cashmere shawls.
Almost every imaginable spice and exotic tea can be found and every conceivable trek or tour can be organised within the narrow lanes of Thamel.
Walking around this bustling part of town entails using all your senses. For the most part, I found myself sharing space with vehicles and a sea of humanity on streets barely wide enough to facilitate the movement of a single large vehicle. After the 2015 earthquake the city has been facing an unprecedented dust pollution problem due to debris and reconstruction activity. I’d recommend using a facemask to counter the severe dust pollution.
Ambling through the winding streets of Thamel, I found myself in the middle of the historic Durbar Square wandering through temples and courtyards. The square attracts an assorted multitude, whiling away time in the shadow of the former palace. The indigenous Newar architecture comes across as a seamless and singular blend of brick and woodwork with elaborate craftsmanship. Damage from the earthquake still imbrues the square, along with the rest of the city. Crumbled ruins lay testament to the destruction unleashed.
Trekking in Nagarkot
With fairly limited time in this Himalayan nation, I confined myself to the Kathmandu valley. To mark my initiation to the world of Himalayan trekking, I decided to undertake a one day trek to the neighbouring hill station of Nagarkot, which offers an unparalleled mountain viewing experience. The journey to Nagarkot is barely 32km. However the roads (rather, the lack of proper roads), makes it quite an off-road adventure. As you move away from the outer limits of the city, aesthetically incongruous dwellings give way to an Arcadian landscape. For most of the journey you’ll be tossed around on your seat whilst taking in the stunning vistas of the valley on the ascent. Road travel in Nepal is definitely not for those with travel sickness, though it can be quite an exhilarating experience for the intrepid: up to a point of course.
After blazing the dusty road to Nagarkot in a 4x4, I was presented with my first glimpse of the Langtang mountain range in the distance. Nothing can quite prepare you for your first encounter with the Himalayas. The sheer immensity and otherworldly aura they seem to exude leaves you mesmerised.
A narrow path embellished with Tibetan prayer flags, marked the beginning of the hike. The dirt path gradually made way to a forest trail lined with regal pine trees on either side. Scaling a rocky hiking trail marked the beginning of the ascent to Nagarkot hill. This jagged ascent was the only real challenge. After four hours of trotting along I found myself with a good company of fellow travellers, replenishing carb reserves with the Nepali staple: dal bhat along with a local brew and a stunning view of snow capped mountains, until clouds eventually obscured them. The food took a significant amount of time, however with an unmatched view of the mountains and surrounding valley from its rooftop, this restaurant made up for the inconvenience. I found myself back in Kathmandu just in time for sunset.
Swayambhunath Temple (Monkey Temple)
Perched on a hill overlooking the city, the temple was a brisk 2.3km trot from my guesthouse. Getting out of Thamel paints a far more authentic view of Kathmandu. The ambulatory excursion to the temple takes you through dusty streets with city inhabitants getting on with the quotidian aspects of life. After crossing the Bishnumati River on one of the many bridges, I found myself meandering through temple courtyards and getting an intimate glimpse of everyday life beyond the curated lanes of Thamel.
Vendors selling religious paraphernalia squat at the base of the hill. Statues depicting the Buddha, and monks immersed in meditation surround you as you climb up. A host of monkeys scamper across as you scale the increasingly narrow and steep flight of stairs to the top.
The omniscient eyes of the white stupa draw you in to this spiritual firmament nestled high above the city.
Quite honestly I wasn’t particularly inclined to visit the temple given that I do not harbour a particular fondness for our primate ancestors. However it did come as a surprise that the monkeys seemed to be fairly decorous, far better than some humans back home. The smell of butter lamps and incense sticks wafts through the air and the sound of prayer wheels being spun provides a soothing accompaniment as you gaze upon a panoramic view of the city.
As you descend, families selling lamps gather together to light the lamps; their faces basking in a warm glow. Upon exiting this spiritual haven I stumbled upon the best momos I’ve ever eaten, in a tiny restaurant lit up with oriental lanterns, a temporary respite from the maddening traffic and dust pollution outside.
Mountain Flight
For any visitor, an Everest flight experience is mandatory. Agencies organising mountain flights abound, though one could do an online booking as well. Depending on your nationality, the average price varies. For Indian citizens the cost is approximately INR7200(NPR 11650). For other nationalities the cost hovers around USD190. A number of other airlines operate flights over Everest, including Buddha Air.
Mountain flights only take off under favourable weather conditions. Planning a trip from late September onwards, after the monsoons, guarantees clear skies.
At the domestic terminal, your destination is displayed as ‘To Mountain’. After a brief while I was whisked away to the awaiting Shree Airlines Bombardier CRJ700. Whilst rather hopeful that I would be flying on an old school propeller plane, I was grateful for the large windows on the modern CRJ700 aircraft. Furthermore, all mountain flights grant you a window seat.
Flights take off at first light and give you a glimpse of the verdant Kathmandu valley. The smaller hills around the valley are soon dwarfed by the first mountain range along the route, the Langtang range. My initial reservations about the flight were immediately allayed as I took in the stunning vistas of what could essentially be construed as the roof of the world. You are given a brief commentary only when deemed absolutely necessary.
One of the highlights of the flight is that every passenger gets invited to the cockpit for a brief while. Fortuitously my cockpit visit coincided at the exact moment we were gliding over Mount Everest. The flight captain encouraged me to compose a perfect photograph before making my way back. After a pleasant interaction with my aviators I proceeded back.
You are presented with an Everest flight certificate, which I thought was rather puerile, though it did seem to please a few.
Boudhanath Stupa
After the fifty five minute mountain flight over Mt. Everest, I hopped in a cab and decided to visit the rather imposing Boudhanath Stupa. Whitewashed and draped in the ubiquitous Tibetan prayer flags, this UNESCO world heritage site dominates the skyline. I was led into this spiritual sphere through a narrow gate.
The stupa basked magnificently in the salubrious morning sunshine whilst the smell of incense sticks and butter lamps wafted through, infusing a transcendental atmosphere. Even for an agnostic, the spiritual energy is almost infectious with devotees, monks and a few odd tourists marching counterclockwise, stopping only to offer deep obeisance.
On the inside, monks and devotees lie prostrate, meditating and immersing themselves in the ‘Mandala’ of the stupa. Prayer wheels and the peals of bells reverberate through the still, solemn air. As I trotted around the stupa savouring the crisp morning weather, a flock of pigeons fluttered by and took over the stupa, resulting in an indelible image of birds in flight against the gleaming white stupa.
Experiencing a Himalayan sunrise
Since I had just four full days essentially, visiting Pokhara was impractical. Instead, I decided to revisit Nagarkot. The hill station town offers you the best sunrise views of the valleys and the mountains in the distance. My affable hotel receptionist suggested that I could do a brief visit to the Pashupatinath Temple complex, another UNESCO world heritage site. A quick shuffle up a stairway carved through a hill gave me an imposing view of the complex, fading away in the gloaming. On the banks of the river, funeral pyres blazed brightly against a Stygian sky.
The night journey to Nagarkot gives you a glimpse of the countryside by nightfall. You are essentially ricocheted over pitch black, unpaved roads, illuminated solely the headlights of your vehicle.
Upon reaching Nagarkot, I received a warm reception at a family run guesthouse. A bonfire was lit up to counter to chilly night. I warmed up with a bowl of Thukpa, a traditional Tibetan noodle soup. Though not particularly fond of rum, I found the Nepali brand ‘Khukri ‘to be remarkably smooth. More so, it was a great option to stay warm as night temperatures plunged to 9˚C. Two lads from Kathmandu invited me to join them for a drink and regaled me with some unadulterated insights into life in the mountain nation. Relatively fresh out of college, they revisited the 2015 quake, reliving the terrifying ordeal from their individual experiences as well as how the quake united a fractious society. It is truly remarkable that despite the limited resources and poor infrastructure, the Nepalese work together and support each other. The fiercely independent Gurkha spirit is apparent when you speak to any Nepali. It comes as no surprise why the nation was never colonised by a foreign power.
After a rather brief snooze I roused myself out of bed at 4 am and armed with a down jacket to counter the frigid conditions outside. My congenial host Caron woke up early to lead me and another solo traveller through the darkness up to the sunrise view point. A brisk four kilometre walk and we were at to the first sighting point. As we waited for the sunrise I met with a Scandinavian traveller who happened to overhear that I was from Goa. Incidentally he spent a great deal of time in Goa back in the late 70’s and had some fond memories to share.
As dawn transitioned to sunrise, the mountains were silhouetted against the imminent daybreak, as first light drew relief of the imposing mountains in the horizon. As the sun rose over the mountains, it was a truly magical experience watching the snow covered peaks gleam in the morning sunshine, taking a myriad different hues with every passing moment.
Thanks to favourable October conditions and clear skies, we were able to sight Mount Everest looming large on the horizon. No photograph can quite capture the colossal scale of the world’s highest mountains. The Langtang mountain range is the nearest range from the hill-station. After savouring the sunrise from the first point we proceeded to explore another location further up with an observation deck. Scaling the ladder presents you with an endless vista of the mountains and the valley below.
Due to commitments, our host bid us farewell, but not before inviting us to his second guesthouse for coffee. I continued exploring the trails with a solo traveler from Lebanon, residing at the same guesthouse. Having recently quit a job as an airhostess, she was on a traveling spree around South Asia and Southeast Asia, having recently flown in from Rishikesh. We had plenty of travel stories to exchange as we ambled along. Rather than taking the paved road to our host’s second guesthouse, we decided to take the long way and explore a forest trail. The dirt road led us down a gentle gradient with majestic pine trees in every direction. The sun filtered through the dense foliage as we traversed down an arduous rocky section. With no Internet or GPS guidance, we relied solely on intuition. After being off the grid for a while we reconnected with civilization via a paved road. A short trot and another descent down a narrow flight of stairs took us to the Everest View Guesthouse for a coffee break.
After sipping on some coffee we headed back to our guesthouse for breakfast. The outdoor kitchen dished out the Nepali interpretation of a masala omelette served piping hot on an iron skillet. My only suggestion for coffee fiends would be to carry beans/grounds and a portable coffee maker like an Aeropress. Options for freshly brewed coffee will be limited outside Kathmandu. After a quick nap, I set off on an afternoon run to make the most of the relatively cooler conditions. My post-run recovery meal consisted of a delicious egg curry, after which I set off back to the dust bowl aka Kathmandu, via Bhatakpur.
Sunrise at Swayambunath Temple
On my final day I decided to revisit the Swayambunath temple at sunrise. Much before hawkers descend on the narrow streets, morning walks give you a glimpse into the ordinary lives of the denizens. The nippy early morning conditions made me totter through the quiet, empty streets until I was sufficiently warmed up. The uninhabited streets present you with the perfect opportunity to switch to flâneur mode, pausing to admire rustic buildings and vendors hawking freshly baked Nepali bread and chai at strategic locations. With comparatively fewer vehicles trudging along and without masses of people stomping through, the dusty lanes of the city seem far less intimidating.
At the base of the temple, monks offer obeisance. Sprinting to the top, I decided to venture beyond the main stupa. The complex is fairly spread out, with multiple stairways, wide courtyards and a monastery. Fitness enthusiasts quite literally overrun the complex in the morning and I spotted more than a couple of amateur athletes engaging in intense step climbing repeats. Delving beyond the main temple stupa, the din of tourists dulls and gives way to a more solemn atmosphere. Ambling though the complex, I found myself climbing a gentle pathway leading to the Whochen Thokjay Choyaling Monastery. The path leading to the monastery presents you with a stunning panorama of the city. In the distance I could spot icy peaks glistening in the bright morning sunshine. This branch of the temple complex is fairly concealed from throngs of tourists, giving you an unsullied peek into hermitic habits.
After spending a good part of the morning in this spiritual abode in the sky, I descended back to the temporal world, after spending the last few hours in the city admiring the tranquillity in the midst of this bustling borough.
Nepal is a land of paradoxes. Despite being touted as a mythical Shangri-La, I found the Nepalese to be incredibly pragmatic. My brief time in Kathmandu gave me some fascinating insights into the eclectic cultures that inhabit the valley amidst immensely difficult conditions.
