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 with attractions. The valley in which it is located is located at an altitude of 1360 m above sea level, and impressive Tibetan ridges rise around. Like India, geographically close, Kathmandu abounds in the temples of Hinduism. According to local legend, there are 10 million spirits worshiped by adherents of this polytheistic cult. With numerous idols, sculptures of a philosophically contemplative Buddha peacefully coexist. The Baghmati River, belonging to the basin of the sacred Ganges, cuts the intermountain basin of the Himalayas. On its shores and built over 2000 years ago, the capital of Nepal.
School Geography Spaces
If we were asked in Mayak-style rhymed quiz question: "Kathmandu - the capital of which state is meant?" - not everyone, without hesitation, could give the right answer to it. Vague notions of the administrative division of Indochina and the territories 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.
No less tricky would be the question: "What is 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 objects of world cultural value included in the UNESCO list.
The unique nature, exotic species that can decorate a photo album of the most demanding researcher of remote corners of the world are a good reason to go on a journey. It is certainly worthwhile to independently investigate the question of where Kathmandu is located during the next trip.
By plane to the capital of Nepal
The path on the earth from India is possible, but it is difficult, if not thorny. It is enough to read about the various ways of traveling to Kathmandu the reviews of tourists to understand: it is the plane that will convey 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 to fly to Delhi with Aeroflot airplanes, from the Indian capital it is not difficult to fly to the final destination with local liners. Turkish airlines organize flights for Russians from Vnukovo with a change in their own capital. From Vladivostok it will be easier and cheaper to get through Beijing and Hong Kong. For transit flights, local visas will not be required. Transplants in Delhi, Beijing, and Istanbul are roughly equivalent options, so first of all decide on your trip to Kathmandu, the capital of which country is geographically closer to you.
You can also fly to Nepal via Pakistan (economical option) and Qatar. For those traveling from Indochina, a flight from Bangkok is also possible, it is better to book it in Thai Air, and not in 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 examining the weather forecast for Kathmandu which country surrounds this ancient settlement. First of all, it’s mountainous, which means that when collecting suitcases you need to pack not only shorts and short-sleeved shirts. Comprehensive down jackets will 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, the surprises of the weather typical of the tropics from floods to droughts here are common.
The combination of altitude zones varied in weather conditions and the insidiousness of the tropical atmosphere is 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 even three kilometers below you can freeze in a down jacket.
The rainy season and the most favorable 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 will be most convenient for you to visit Nepal. From the end of spring until mid-autumn, the rainy season continues here. Therefore, tourists prefer to explore the country from October to May. The inconvenience of winter time can be attributed to fog, night frost, low cloud cover. However, the air temperature during the day, even on New Year’s Eve, is not too low and ranges from 18 to 20 degrees Celsius against 23-25 in spring and autumn.
How to move around the country?
What else should be mentioned from the “technical features” for arrivals in Kathmandu? What state capital awaits us? Of course, Asian. From the depths of consciousness of an inexperienced tourist, rickshaws running along the streets between spice shops, exotic fabrics and figurines pop up. However, in Nepal, even a rickshaw is more exotic than a means of transportation. Bargaining with him, you can feel for a while an important colonial nabob. However, in order to quickly and easily get to the destination, for example, from the Tribhuvan airport located 6 km from the capital, to the tourist region of Thamel, you have to take a taxi.
In addition, you can travel around the capital of Nepal by buses, minivans and tuk-tuks. This original hybrid of the usual minibus and motor stroller is able to accommodate up to a dozen passengers. A signal to stop on demand is frequent punching on the roof of an amazing vehicle. Otherwise, the driver will not understand you. Apparently, this gives the tuk-tuk an internationally understandable name. However, the advantage of such a trip around the city is its cheapness. A taxi driver will take you only 400 m for the same fee.
To travel outside the city, it makes sense to rent a car. Necessary requirements: age qualification (21 or 23 years, depending on the company), the presence of 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 on the rental period, on average - from 30 to 120 € per day.
What is 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 the permanent affiliation of Baba Yaga (whose name, by the way, is etymologically close to the name of the scroll of the Yajur Veda, a book about sacrifices, and can be translated as "woman priestess"). In Nepal, grandiose stupas are objects of worship. Bodnath, a semicircular titanic structure with the enlightened eyes 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 and distributor of the philosophical trend of Prince Gautama, rest here.
The ancient rulers of Nepal found their last refuge in the palace square of Durbar in the center of the capital. Entrance to ancient tombs, a palace decorated with elaborate wooden carvings, is paid for foreigners. Hanuman, seated at the Golden Gate, honored by Hindus, a flying monkey, is watching for proper recreation. Krishna and Kumari spread their temples here.
Drowning in green Tundikkhel - the area for various festivals and local parades. People come here for picnics to relax with children. There are golden fountains and a sixty-meter tower of Dharahara with an observation deck.
Exotic attractions of Kathmandu are the safari park located in its vicinity, where the ruling royal dynasty hunts, and the exposition of the National Museum, Museum of Natural History. The park offers tourists elephant rides and other unusual forms of entertainment. The museum halls introduce archaeological finds, historical collections of national weapons, and vivid representatives of the flora and fauna characteristic of various parts of the country.
In the Kathmandu Valley
On the other side of the Baghmati River is Lalitpur. This name translates as "city of beauty" (it was originally named Patan). The main attractions here are four stupas, dotted with inscriptions and the temple of the Thousand Buddhas. The Royal Palace on Durbar Square unites ten courtyards delimited by walls. The city is simply flooded with masterpieces of nevar architects and stone carvers. Here is the winter residence of Shiva - the Kumbeshwar temple (in hot, humid summers, according to popular belief, Shiva is sitting on Mount Kailash in Tibet).
Mahabudda, a terracotta-tiled structure, in fact, does not represent 1000, but as many as nine-odd thousand more Buddhas. Each handmade clay tablet bears the image of one enlightened one. The patron saint of Lalitpur, who brings abundance and rain to the earth, is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus. The building in his honor is called Matsyendranath, from here in April a festival of idols is transported around the city in a chariot. In June, he also leaves for the summer residence, the temple of the neighboring village of Bungamati. Apparently, the idols of Lalitpur love seasonal travel.
The sights of Kathmandu are primarily of cult significance. The name of the ancient capital Bhaktapur in translation means "the city of believers." It is located in the foothills of Tibet on the banks of the Hanumanta River. The settlement was almost wiped off the face of the earthquake 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 local residents, which is worth looking at first. The earthquake and Nyatapola Temple spared in such a way that creates an optical illusion of the building soaring in the air.
In the valley, in addition to the mentioned Buddhist complex Bodnath, there is its "brother" Swayambhunath, as well as the majestic Hindu temples Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan.
Nepalese souvenirs
Seeming elegant trinkets, the gizmos sold here also have a sacred meaning hidden to the European. What character has the image of the god, purchased from local craftsmen, what tricks he had in store for an idle other person who dared to touch him, it’s better not to guess. It is enough to confine oneself to the contemplation of bright rows of cult masks, figures, outlandish objects of a mysterious purpose. For memory, you can make a colorful photo of them, but let the originals remain to contemplate the temples of obscure cults obscure for a foreigner, flooding Kathmandu with painted eyes.
Interesting and practical acquisitions will be pashmina, silk, chiffon and other fabrics, silver jewelry and bronze casting, leather products, woolen carpets, ceramic dishes and imperishable Lokta paper, bags, all kinds of accessories, household items, spices and aromatic oils.
The capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, differs little from the culture of market relations from other countries of the East. It is customary to bargain here, and the prices are lower, the farther from the tourist region of Thamel you are negotiating with the next seller.
Local holidays
Dates of celebrated events are regulated here by astrologers. The Hindu festival of Diwali lights is celebrated on the darkest day of autumn and is considered the beginning of a local new year. The colorful religious mysteries of Indra Jatra with sacrifices on the last day take place on Palace Square in the rainy season. The military parade and the bloody idolatry with the slaughter of animals mark the action of Dugra Puja, called upon by mystical magic to protect residents from accidents related to vehicles, the use of weapons in the coming year. Relatively quietly, the sacred thread feast takes place, associated with the ritual immersion of the Indians in the sacred waters of rivers and the manual spinning of a sacred cotton string.
A mysterious rite of its kind - the choice of the Nepalese "living goddess" Kumari, the embodiment of the spirit of Taleju. For these purposes, on the Central Square, the elders determine the "divinity" of candidates three to five years old, belonging to the Buddhist family of Shakya. Translated, "Kumari" means "virgin", all thirty-two girls strictly selected from hundreds of applicants are doomed to celibacy in the future. The little ones are placed in a room filled with the severed heads of buffaloes, around them begins the demonic dance of men in masks of unclean spirits. Those girls who are least likely to show their fear, and become doomed to bear the title of goddess. Perhaps it is impossible to recall, except for Kathmandu, the capital of which state is systematically, with universal popular approval, inflicting such horror on its own young children.
With all the abundance of golden statues, balconies, spiers, colorfulness, skillful architectural performance of mystical structures and sacrificial content of local cults, it can leave a somewhat painful impression. Therefore, it is worthwhile to think in advance about the advisability of contemplating Nepalese rites, choosing between the tourist's keen curiosity and peace of mind.
Tourist Area Thamel
Having first-hand clarified where Kathmandu is located, first of all it is worth determining: where is it to stay? For these purposes, there is specifically a kind of tourist ghetto with a lot of cafes, guesthouses, travel agencies and mountain equipment stores. In a word, the European will find here for comfortable living and providing sorties into the exotic external environment everything that your heart desires, at the same time at a very reasonable price.
Housing searches are best started from Thamel Chok Square. Do not trust taxi drivers entering into a paid conspiracy with the owners of the "best hotels." A good double room with windows facing the roadway, hot water and a shower can be rented here for 500 local rupees per day.
Hospitable Nepal will definitely not leave you hungry. It is worth trying Nepalese wines and tinctures on the herbs of the Himalayas, and to them - a local analogue of dumplings - mo-mo and a kind of bean soup puree - gave. The cuisine here is not old, spicy seasoning, with an abundance of dry beaten rice and meat. Beer lovers can sample the local varieties Everest and Gorkha. The Thamel area restaurants on the roofs and terraces, with live music in the evenings, are a great place to relax after excursions to the mountains to the distant sights of Nepal.