BY AYESHA BİLAL (PSYC/III)
ayesha@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
I had not known what to expect, though my hopes were high. I had heard many wonderful things about the place, and many concerns as well. However, as the plane landed in the luscious green valley that surrounded the runway, I forgot all that people had told me. I would make the best of the next three weeks in this nature-clad heaven. My boyfriend was at my side; we grinned at each other, excited to begin our journey in the beautiful and truly mystical land of Nepal. This is the first part of a multipart series on my three-week adventure through the mountains, jungles and authentic city life of Nepal.
Love of adventure runs through my veins, and just as I had every summer before, I was intending to have an adventure this year as well. Maybe even the biggest one yet, since it was my last summer before college would finish and I would begin figuring out the next steps in my academic life. After weeks of scouring airline websites and flight deals, we finally came across an exciting offer through Qatar Airlines, which would fly us to the land of some of the highest peaks in the world for an incredibly reasonable price. As the plane landed in Kathmandu, we reminisced about how months ago we had only been booking tickets and making plans, and now here we were. The airport was quaint in itself, but it needed no frills, as it sat in the heart of the breathtaking valley that Kathmandu is, with radiant green trees upon the mountains that towered above all around us.
Driving to Thamel, the neighborhood in the heart of Kathmandu city where our hotel was located, I knew Nepal attracted a specific type of tourist thirsty for adventure, but to my surprise, we saw an abundance of tourists of all ages from all over the world, alone, in couples and as families. Not everyone was eager for daring adventures, but as I learned, Nepal is a place that everyone can enjoy. The activities were plentiful and, most excitingly, quite cheap. Tourists flocked the crowded market streets of Thamel, where we found every type of cuisine, from the traditional to the international in the cafés, restaurants and small bakeries and eateries for quick bites of all sorts, as well as countless souvenirs shops receiving proud endorsements from their owners in the form of personalized sales pitches to passersby. It was an exciting environment, where we mingled with other tourists looking around in wonder, enjoying the aroma of a delightful mix of foods and politely rejecting the occasional drug dealer.
We spent a full week in Kathmandu, over the next couple of days walking over 52 kilometers in total; our first destination was the magnificent Durbar Square, filled with great golden temples and marketplaces. This ancient UNESCO world heritage site was once the center of a kingdom, and so we could see the spectacular palace (which translates to “durbar”) overlooking the square. Traditional architecture surrounded us, and the smell of incense emerged from the stunning temples with their typical Buddhist architecture and décor.
Eager to see more than just the main tourist attractions, we made plans for a full-day trek to visit three towns on the outskirts of Kathmandu. With our Lonely Planet book as our guide, we headed off on a 15-kilometer trip, first to the small village of Kirtipur. Kirtipur boasts a marvelous hilltop temple, the Bagh Bairab temple (one of the oldest in the country), from where we had a breathtaking view of the entire Kathmandu valley. As we walked around the temple, we saw the knives, collected by rulers during the unification of Nepal, that adorned its frame. After this, we passed through the very small and traditional village of Chobar. Here, aside from the ever-present temples, we found a small café, empty due to the lack of tourists in the off-season. The owner lived right above and ran down when he heard us enter; we ordered a few drinks and rested a while. The excited owner made sure to take a photo of us with him, using his old-fashioned Nokia phone. After that, we headed over to Patan, a larger city with many interesting places to see, including a Durbar Square of its own, where we again sat down and had something to drink. After looking at the architecture and temples, we headed back to Thamel.
We spent another day hiking up to the well-known Swayambhunath, popularly known as the monkey temple. And as its nickname promises, there were monkeys everywhere. Ever the animal enthusiast, I made the mistake of getting too close to a baby to take its photo, whereupon the defensive mother came and bit my leg from the back. Here I should say that I’m quite accustomed to animal bites, having grown up with several pets of all sorts, and although my mother didn’t take it so lightly when I told her about it on the phone, I brushed off the incident after deeming the bite merely a surface wound, and continued to explore the temple. Over one hundred steps led up to the site, and the climb was well worth it, given the view and the excitement of being surrounded by adorable monkeys. The temple itself was also remarkable, with detailed adornments and gold coverings.
Finishing up for the day, we went back to Thamel, where we chose to have dinner every day given the wealth of restaurants and cuisines—international, local and from nearby cultures and countries. Hindu, Indian, Tibetan and Chinese foods were the most exciting for us to try, and we did till we could eat no more. Food was never a problem since the choice of cuisines and inexpensive places was plentiful.
In the next couple of days, we made the best of our time in Kathmandu, with one big treat for my boyfriend, which I had planned as a birthday present for him. That and more Nepal adventures will continue in the next installment of the series. Till then, have a great week!