Nepal > Durbar Square in the Thamel district

I get up early today. We have only one day in Kathmandu and want to make the most of it. After breakfast, we take a taxi to Pashupatinath, a Hindu cremation site where funeral pyres burn along the banks of the Bagmati River. The taxi ride itself is an experience. Cars squeeze through the streets, taking every free inch to move forward. It doesn’t matter if it means using the opposite lane, and everyone makes full use of their horn. After about half an hour, we arrive at the Pashupatinath site. We buy tickets at the counter; entry is free for locals. Immediately, a guide appears beside us, eager to tell us all about the site. We tell him we are not interested, but he persists. The view of the cremations on the other side of the river is a strange experience. I feel more like I’m watching a film. Our guide keeps giving information non-stop, and we realize we are now committed to a tip. Outside, he also shows us an old-age home before we finally say goodbye.

Nepal - The Pashupatinath temple complex in Kathmandu

He strongly disagrees with the tip and, protesting, follows us for a short distance. We walk to the Boudhanath Stupa, one of the largest stupas in the world. We have to ask for directions a few times through the residential streets before we finally see the stupa towering above the houses. We enter the square and walk clockwise around the stupa. Around the square, there are many prayer wheels, and pilgrims spin them as they walk. We also walk over the stupa. From the temple across the square, we have a beautiful view of the plaza. When I ask a monk if I may take a photo, he says yes and walks away. Another monk comes over to ask what’s happening. The first monk doesn’t speak English. Taking photos is not a problem, and he invites me into the temple. An older monk is praying and blesses me during his prayer — a very moving experience.

Nepal - Temples at Durbar Square in Kathmandu

By taxi, we return to the Thamel district. We stroll through the narrow streets toward Durbar Square, the main attraction of Kathmandu. By the time we arrive, it’s already two o’clock. We first have lunch on a rooftop terrace overlooking the temples of Durbar Square. Back on the square, we are approached by guides again. Remembering the morning’s experience, we immediately agree on a price and set a one-hour limit for seeing the main highlights. Our guide, Marten, leads us through the temples and explains the palace, inscriptions, and Buddha statues. After just over an hour, we have explored Durbar Square and walk to the Swayambhunath Temple, the Monkey Temple. Our guide offers to guide us there as well, but we decline. We navigate the streets of Kathmandu to the temple, which lies on the edge of the city. A long staircase leads up to the stupa of Swayambhunath. Halfway up, I already have a great view of the temple, and turning around, I can see Kathmandu spread out below — it’s then that the size of the city becomes clear. From the temple, we take a taxi back to the hotel. We give the driver the hotel card, and he drives through the tiny streets to the front door. The hotel porter opens the taxi door for us. In the evening, we attend a Nepalese dinner and dance night. Several courses are served by a series of waiters, each bringing one dish, while we sit practically on the floor on low chairs. Meanwhile, music and dance complete the evening.