Last time I visited Nepal, it welcomed me by giving me a broken ancle and crutches. Kathmandu is definitely not the place to wander around with one leg, so when the travels for 2014 was planned, Nepals crazy capital had to be on the list.
Kathmandu is a bipolar city. It´s packed with trekkers and backpackers in yoga pants - and along with that come the commercialization of the city. Thamel is the "backpacker district", filled with western bakeries, fancy restaurants, colorful shops and travelers looking for a good WiFi connection to update their instagram. It´s both good and bad. Bad because it washes away the soul of the city, and good because it offers a "time-out" zone for those who are traveling in more rural parts of Nepal.
If you walk outside the streets of Thamel, Kathmandu shows its real face. The streets are still noisy and crazy, but the shops are a bit less touristy and the people definitely less annoying. The contrast from Thamel is huge, and it is obviously worth stepping out of the comfort zone to explore these streets.
Apart from strolling around in the streets of Kathmandu we had the pleasure of visiting some Nepalese friends and to make home-made food with this awesome family living in the suburbs. Nepals capital gave me a better impression this time, and even though the time spent in this wonderful Himalayan country was too short, it made me want to come back for more adventures in the future.
Kathmandu is a bipolar city. It´s packed with trekkers and backpackers in yoga pants - and along with that come the commercialization of the city. Thamel is the "backpacker district", filled with western bakeries, fancy restaurants, colorful shops and travelers looking for a good WiFi connection to update their instagram. It´s both good and bad. Bad because it washes away the soul of the city, and good because it offers a "time-out" zone for those who are traveling in more rural parts of Nepal.
If you walk outside the streets of Thamel, Kathmandu shows its real face. The streets are still noisy and crazy, but the shops are a bit less touristy and the people definitely less annoying. The contrast from Thamel is huge, and it is obviously worth stepping out of the comfort zone to explore these streets.
Apart from strolling around in the streets of Kathmandu we had the pleasure of visiting some Nepalese friends and to make home-made food with this awesome family living in the suburbs. Nepals capital gave me a better impression this time, and even though the time spent in this wonderful Himalayan country was too short, it made me want to come back for more adventures in the future.
The adventure continues in Bhutan, the land of the thunder dragon and gross national happiness.
"You think the only people who are people,
are the people who look and think like you,
but if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,
you´ll learn things you never knew you never knew"
- Pocahontas
Klem, AK
1 kommentar:
ååh så mange fine farger på tingene:) alt passer perfekt hjemme hos meg, må nok dra dit selv. kos dere <3 hilsen blomen
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