Nepal is an exotic country that invariably attracts tourists from all over the world. The capital - Kathmandu - is not only the largest, but also the richest city in sights. The valley in which it is located is located at an altitude of 1360 m above sea level, and the impressive ranges of Tibet rise around. Like geographically close India, Kathmandu is replete with temples of Hinduism. According to local beliefs, 10 million spirits live here, which are worshiped by adherents of this polytheistic cult. Statues of the philosophically contemplative Buddha peacefully coexist with numerous idols. The intermountain basin of the Himalayas is cut through by the Baghmati River, which belongs to the basin of the sacred Ganges. On its banks, the capital of Nepal was built over 2000 years ago.
Gaps in school geography
If we were offered a Mayakovsky rhyming quiz question: "Kathmandu - the capital of which state do you mean?" - not everyone, without hesitation, could give the correct answer to it. Vague ideas about the administrative division of Indochina and territories to the northwest of it give rise to the most unexpected answers. If we omit the mention of the capital, some of the former schoolchildren might even attribute this exotic name not to the geographical region of Tibet, but to the African, Australian or South American continent.
The question would be no less tricky: "What is located in the Kathmandu valley - the capital of which state and what is its name?" Meanwhile, on the territory of this Himalayan intermountain there are seven sites of global cultural value included in the UNESCO list.
Unique nature, exotic species that can decorate the photo album of the most demanding explorer of remote corners of the world - a sufficient reason to hit the road. It is definitely worth exploring the question of where Kathmandu is on your next trip.
By plane to the capital of Nepal
The way across the land from India is possible, but it is difficult, if not thorny. It is enough to read about the various ways to travel to Kathmandu reviews of tourists to understand: it is the plane that will bring you the best and most comfortable way to the promised land surrounded by mountains.
For the European part of the Russian Federation, perhaps the most common advice is a flight to Delhi by Aeroflot aircraft, from the Indian capital it is not difficult to fly to the final destination by local liners. Turkish Airlines organize flights for Russians from Vnukovo with a transfer in their owncapital. From Vladivostok it will be easier and cheaper to get through Beijing and Hong Kong. For transit flights, local visas are not required. Transfers in Delhi, Beijing, Istanbul are approximately equivalent options, so first of all, when going to Kathmandu, decide which country's capital is geographically closer to you.
You can also fly to Nepal via Pakistan (economy option) and Qatar. For travelers from Indochina, a flight from Bangkok is also possible; it is better to book it at Thai Air, and not at Nepal Air. You can fly to Kathmandu from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore with Air Asia flights.
Count on unpredictable weather
One should always consider when researching the weather forecast for Kathmandu which country surrounds this ancient settlement. First of all, mountainous, which means that when packing your bags for the journey, you need to pack not only shorts and short-sleeved shirts. Solid down jackets will also come in handy, and even thermal underwear will be useful for them, because with the rise of every thousand meters in the mountains, the air temperature drops by 6-8 degrees. Secondly, Nepal is still a country much closer to the equator, tropical weather surprises from floods to droughts are common here.
Combination of altitudinal zones varied by weather conditions with the insidiousness of the tropical atmosphere - a kind of "lottery", or "Russian roulette". In sunny weather, even at an altitude of 5000 m above sea level, heat is felt, in cloudy and windy weather, even threekilometers below you can freeze in a down jacket.
The rainy season and the best time to visit
Having decided for yourself the question of how to get to Kathmandu and how to equip yourself for the upcoming trip, you should consider when it would be most convenient for you to visit Nepal. From late spring to mid-autumn, the rainy season continues here. Therefore, tourists prefer to explore the country from October to May. The inconveniences of winter time include fogs, night frosts, low clouds. However, the air temperature during the day, even before the New Year, is not too low here and ranges from 18 to 20 degrees Celsius versus 23-25 in spring and autumn.
How to get around within the country?
What else should be mentioned about the "technical features" for those arriving in Kathmandu? The capital of which state awaits us? Of course, Asian. From the depths of consciousness of an inexperienced tourist, rickshaws running along the streets between shops with spices, exotic fabrics and figurines emerge. However, in Nepal, even a cycle rickshaw is more exotic than a means of transportation. Having bargained with him, you can feel like an important colonial nabob for a while. However, in order to quickly and easily get to your destination, for example, from Tribhuvan Airport, located 6 km from the capital, to the tourist area of Thamel, you will have to take a taxi.
In addition, you can move around the capital of Nepal by buses, minivans and tuk-tuks. This original hybrid of the familiar to usminibuses and motorized carriages can accommodate up to a dozen passengers. Signal to stop on demand - frequent punches on the roof of an amazing vehicle. Otherwise, the driver will not understand you. Apparently, hence the internationally understandable name given to tuk-tuks. However, the advantage of such a trip around the city is its cheapness. The taxi driver will take you for the same fee only 400 m.
To travel outside the city, it makes sense to rent a car. Required requirements: age limit (21 or 23 years, depending on the company), an international driver's license, at least one credit card and, of course, a passport. The price of the issue will depend on the brand of car and the rental period, on average - from 30 to 120 € per day.
Worth seeing?
When planning a trip in advance, Kathmandu should be combined into a single excursion route with the nearby cities of Lalitpur and Bhatakpur, which was the capital until the 15th century. UNESCO perceives them as a single cultural complex of the Kathmandu Valley.
In Russian fairy tales, the stupa is an invariable affiliation of Baba Yaga (whose name, by the way, is etymologically close to the name of the Yajur Veda scroll, a book about sacrifices, and can be translated as "woman priestess"). In Nepal, grandiose stupas are objects of worship. Boudhanath, a semicircular titanic structure with the eyes of the Enlightened One depicted on it, watching the world, is the center of Tibetan Buddhism. According to legend, the ashes of the unknown Buddha, the predecessor of the founder, lie here.and distributor of the philosophical direction of Prince Gautama.
The ancient rulers of Nepal found their last refuge in the Durbar Palace Square in the center of the capital. The entrance to the ancient tombs, the palace, decorated with skillful wooden carvings, is paid for foreigners. Hanuman, a flying monkey revered by the Hindus, who sits on the Golden Gate, monitors the proper retribution. Krishna and Kumari have also spread their temples here.
Tundikhel, immersed in greenery, is an area where various festivals and local parades take place. People come here for picnics, for families with children. There are golden fountains and a sixty-meter Dharahara tower with an observation deck.
Exotic sights of Kathmandu - this is a safari park located in its vicinity, where the ruling royal dynasty hunts, and expositions of the National Museum, the Museum of Natural History. In the park, tourists are offered elephant rides and other unusual types of entertainment. Museum halls introduce archaeological finds, historical collections of national weapons, bright representatives of flora and fauna, typical for different parts of the country.
Through Kathmandu Valley
On the other side of the Baghmati River lies Lalitpur. This name translates as "city of beauty" (originally it was called Patan). The main attractions here are the four inscribed stupas and the temple of the Thousand Buddhas. The Royal Palace on Durbar Square comprises ten courtyards delimited by walls. The city is just flooded with masterpiecesNewar architects and stone carvers. Here is the winter residence of Shiva - the temple of Kumbeshwar (in the hot, humid summer, according to legend, Shiva sits out on Mount Kailash in Tibet).
Mahabuddha, a structure lined with terracotta tiles, actually depicts not 1,000, but more than nine thousand buddhas. Each handmade clay tablet bears the image of one enlightened person. The patron saint of Lalitpur, who brings abundance and rain down to earth, is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus. The building in his honor is called Matsyendranath, from here in April the festival procession of the idol is carried around the city on a chariot. In June, he also goes to the summer residence, the temple of the neighboring village of Bungamati. Apparently, the idols of Lalitpur love seasonal travel.
The sights of Kathmandu are predominantly of cult significance. The name of the ancient capital of Bhaktapur in translation means "city of believers". It is located in the foothills of Tibet on the banks of the Hanumanta River. The settlement was practically wiped off the face of the earth by the strongest earthquake of 1934, all the destroyed monuments of antiquity were subsequently carefully restored. The natural disaster, however, did not destroy the measured, centuries-old feudal way of life of the locals, which is worth seeing first of all. The earthquake also spared the temple of Nyatapola, built in such a way that an optical illusion of the building floating in the air is created.
In the valley, in addition to the aforementioned Buddhist complex of Boudhanath, its "brother" Swayambhunath is located, as well asmajestic Hindu temples of Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan.
Nepalese souvenirs
Seemingly elegant trinkets, the gizmos sold here also have a sacred meaning hidden for the European. What character the image of a god, acquired from local craftsmen, has, what tricks it has in store for an idle Gentile who dared to touch it, it is better not to guess. It is enough to confine ourselves to the contemplation of the bright rows of cult masks, figurines, outlandish objects of a mysterious purpose. For memory, you can take a colorful photo of them, but let the originals remain to contemplate with painted eyes the temples of cults incomprehensible to a foreigner flooding Kathmandu.
Pashmina, silk, chiffon and other fabrics, silver jewelry and bronze casting, leather goods, woolen carpets, ceramic dishes and imperishable Lokta paper, bags, all kinds of accessories, household items, spices will be interesting and practical acquisitions and aromatic oils.
The capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, differs little in the culture of market relations from other countries of the East. It is customary to bargain here, and prices get lower the farther from the tourist area of Thamel you are negotiating with the next seller.
Local holidays
Dates of celebrated events are regulated here by astrologers. The Hindu festival of lights Diwali is celebrated on the darkest day of autumn and is considered the beginning of the local new year. Colorful religious mysteries of Indra Jatra with sacrifices on the last day take place on the Palace Square inrain season. A military parade and a bloody idolatry with the slaughter of animals mark the action of Dugra Puja, designed by mystical sorcery to protect residents from accidents related to vehicles, the use of weapons in the coming year. The festival of the sacred thread is relatively calm, associated with the ritual immersion of the Hindus in the sacred waters of the rivers and the hand spinning of a sacred cotton cord.
A sad mystical rite of its kind - the choice of the Nepalese "living goddess" Kumari, the embodiment of the spirit of Taleju. For these purposes, in the Central Square, the elders determine the "divinity" of candidates three to five years old, belonging to the Buddhist Shakya clan. In the translation "Kumari" means "virgin", all thirty-two girls strictly selected from hundreds of applicants are doomed to celibacy in the future. The babies are placed in a room filled with severed buffalo heads, around them a demonic dance of men in masks of unclean spirits begins. Those girls who show their fear to the least extent become doomed to bear the title of goddess. Perhaps it is impossible to remember, except for Kathmandu, the capital of which state systematically, with universal popular approval, instills such horror in its own young children.
With all the abundance of golden statues, balconies, spiers, brilliance, skillful architectural performance of mystical structures, the idolatrous content of local cults can leave a somewhat painful impression. Therefore, it is worth thinking in advance about the appropriateness of contemplation. Nepalese rituals, choosing between the sharp curiosity of a tourist and peace of mind.
Thamel tourist area
Having explained from my own experience where Kathmandu is located, first of all it is worth deciding: where to stay in it? For these purposes, there is a kind of tourist ghetto with a mass of cafes, guesthouses, travel agencies and mountain equipment stores. In a word, a European will find here everything that his heart desires for a comfortable stay and forays into an exotic environment, while at a very reasonable price.
Search for housing is best to start with Thamel Chok Square. Do not trust taxi drivers who enter into a paid collusion with the owners of the "best hotels". A good double room with windows that do not face the road, hot water and a shower can be rented here for 500 local rupees per night.
Hospitable Nepal will definitely not leave you hungry. It is worth trying Nepalese wines and herbal tinctures of the Himalayas, and to them - a local analogue of dumplings - mo-mo and a kind of bean soup - dal. The cuisine here is Newar, spicy seasoned, with an abundance of dry broken rice and meat. Beer lovers can taste the local varieties of Everest and Gorkha. Thamel restaurants on rooftops and terraces, with live music playing in the evenings, are a great place to relax after excursions to the mountains to distant sights of Nepal.
