Nepal: Chaotic Kathmandu and Peaceful Pokhara

While traveling in Nepal, we explored the chaotic city of Kathmandu, enjoyed the peaceful lakeside city of Pokhara, and hiked through tiny villages to Annapurna Base Camp. This post shares our time in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Kathmandu provided Hindu and Buddhist religious sites and the UNESCO world heritage site of Bhaktapur. Pokhara was relaxing, offering restaurants with views of the picturesque lake, good food, and a few sights. The perfect recovery after a long hike.

Kathmandu:

Exiting the Kathmandu airport, we were met by the dusty, smoggy streets of Kathmandu.  Honking cars, motorbikes, rickshaws, bicycles and pedestrians were all finding their way in every direction at once.  A cow occasionally joined the functional chaos.  Like in India, the cow is sacred and always has the right of way. 

We had a meeting with the company we would hike the Annapurna Base Camp trek with then checked into our hotel for the night. Despite our jet-lag, we planned to jam-pack our first day in Nepal with sight-seeing. We would visit Boudhanath Stupa, Bhaktipur, and end the day at Pashupatinath Temple.

Boudhanath Stupa

Early in the morning we wandered the handful of blocks from our hotel in central Kathmandu to the Boudhanath Stupa.  Passing through a small alley, we were transported to the tranquility of worshippers circumnavigating the wide white base of the stupa in a clockwise direction.  (Always walk clockwise around any stupa). A few devotees would go to their knees and hands.  They then slid their hands with small wood plates covering their palms out to lay their body flat on the ground.  Getting back up, they took a few steps and repeated over and over.  Incense loomed in the air as the blue eyes resting at the top of the stupa gazed over the scene.  The shops and cafes surrounding the stupa provided a nice resting area to observe the tradition. 

Bhaktapur:

A short cab ride brought us from central Kathmandu to the UNESCO site of Bhaktapur Durbar Square. There are actually 3 Durbar Squares (Durbar means palace in Nepali) to visit in the Kathmandu Valley: Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, and Bkahtapur Durbar Square. The one in Kathmandu was majorly damaged during the 2015 earthquake and is still as of 2022 being rebuilt. While also being damaged by the earthquake, Bhaktapur Durbar Square is in much better condition and is supposed to be the best preserved of all three. The city of Bhaktapur is just around 12 km east of Kathmandu. Bhaktapur was founded in the 12th century by King Malla. Tickets cost 1,000 Nepalese rupees for access (as of 2022).  We wandered through the old temples, most which are from before the 15th century and into the surrounding community.  

Many of the temples have statues lining the stairs up. Humans, elephants, lions, horses are among a wide array of figures that lead the way up to the temple doors.

When our stomachs began to rumble, we chose a Newari restaurant and blindly ordered items we had never heard of.  The Newer people are the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding area. It was a great experience, with spicy variations of veggies that left our mouths burning. While the veggies were delicious, we were not a fan of the beaten rice that came with them. Beaten rice is dried white rice that has been beaten into a flat flake, it’s very hard. 

After lunch we wandered through more narrow town streets, weaving between brick building, wood doors, and a few small step wells. Vehicles are not allowed in the town, making the streets much easier to wander. However motor-bikes are allowed, so you still need to keep an eye out.

Pashupatinath Temple:

Despite how tired we already were, we hopped in another cab to Pashupatinath temple (entrance 1,000 npr).  A quiet walk along the small holy Bagmati River brought us past a number of cremation sites just on the other side.  The temples of the complex created a sacred backdrop to the emotional end of loved family members’ journeys in this life. 

We accepted the offer for a tip based tour around the grounds. Our guide discussed Hinduism, the process and significance of the cremations, and the structures surrounding us.  Pashupatinath is the most important Hindu temple in Nepal. It is dedicated to Shiva and many Hindus wish to be cremated here at the end of their lives. It is believed that being cremated at Pashupatinath will ensure being reincarnated as a human being.

While walking around the eastern bank, we came across 3 sadhus. Sadhus are religious men that have renounced worldly attachments. They are trying to escape the cycle of rebirth by meditation. They are easy to recognize as they have yellow paint on their faces. Our guide told us they are willing to be photographed for a small donation of money which they use to survive.

Our tour concluded as the aarti ceremony began. The aarti is a Hindu spiritual ceremony led by priests each evening. They chant Vedic mantras, ring bells, light oil lamps, and burn incense. We watched the priests chant on the banks of the river until our exhaustion won out and bed called. 

Thamel and Old Town

After our Annapurna Basecamp Trek and time in Pokhara, we returned to Kathmandu. Staying in the tourist district of Thamel this time was a very different experience. Thamel is packed full of souvenir shops, hiking equipment stores, tour offices, and restaurants.  The tangle of streets mostly have no sidewalks, so you must brave the narrow roads filled with honking traffic passing by close enough to touch.  To be honest, I really didn’t like Thamel.

We joined a Free Walking Tour by a man named Shiva.   He walked us out from Thamel, around the nearby Old town, through a lower class neighborhood, and all the way to Swayambhunath (also known as Monkey Temple).  We saw small hindu temples along the streets, stopped at a buddhist stupa surrounded by a monastery, walked by shops selling traditional Nepali outfits, and walked up to the outer edge of Kathmandu Dubar Square. He discussed the caste system, religions of Nepal, the earthquake of 2015, and so much more. We even saw young monks accepting their morning donations in a Newari square which was still being repaired after the huge 2015 earthquake. I recommend joining his tour which can be found on Facebook: Free Walking Tour Kathmandu. Just send him a FB message to schedule.

Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple):

The final stop on the walking tour was Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple). A bunch of tiny white stupas and 2 golden colored buddhas rest at its base. Monkey temple is on top of a tall hill and to reach the top, you must climb a tall set of stairs. A great view over Kathmandu from Monkey Temple awaited us at the top.

Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) is a place of worship for both Buddhists and Hindus. The complex consists of a buddhist stupa and a variety of Hindu temples and shrines. Prayer wheels surround the base of the white stupa and school children spun them as they walked around it. The stupa’s sleepy eyes looked over a busy troupe of monkeys that run the area. They chased each other, climbed all over the stone structures, and stuck their hands in the mouths of metal lions… 🙂   If you love monkeys, it’s a required stop in the city. 

Pokhara

To get to and from the city of Pokhara… our options were a 7 (or more) hour bus ride or a 25 minute flight.  We took the flight and were rewarded with clear skies and awesome views of the Himalayas out the window!  Both our flight there and back were delayed over an hour. Flight delays in Nepal are common due to weather. Knowing this, we made sure our schedule was flexible and choose an early flight. Later ones are more likely to be cancelled.

Pokhara is Nepal’s 2nd largest city (by population). It is 120 miles from Kathmandu and near the Annapurna Mountain Range. Many trekkers stay in Pokhara before and after hiking in this area, which is also why we were here. Time in Pokhara is a welcome contrast to time in the big city of Kathmandu. Pokhara is much more laid back, with a beautiful lake and surrounded by mountains.

Phewa Lake

Once in the city, we walked along the shore walk of tranquil Phewa Lake. Colorful rowboats rested near the shore, waiting for the chance to explore the green hills at the other side. These boats are available to rent at multiple locations along the path. Restaurants line the city side edge of the lake, offering up many Nepali dishes.  There’s a small theme park near one end with a Ferris wheel that lights up the sky at night. This area is great for a relaxing stroll or an early morning run before many people get out.

A block up from the lakeside shore, the main street is full of tourist shops selling hiking gear and souvenirs, restaurants, coffee shops, yoga and massage businesses.

Statue of Lord Shiva

At the top of a high hill on the south side of Lake Phewa, sits a large statue of Lord Shiva. The statue was completed in 2021. A cab drove us nearby in less than 30 minutes.. then we hiked up some steep stone stars to reach the statue.  Shiva is a Hindu god known as “the destroyer” and is one of the 3 main gods. Here he is shown as a blue man-like figure with a snake around his neck and sitting on a tiger.  He holds a trident in one hand and has his other palm facing out showing the om symbol. While visiting the statue, we enjoyed the view back down over the city and lake behind Shiva.

Most of our time in Pokhara was spent relaxing, recovering from the hike and enjoying the lake. Therefore, I don’t have a lot of tourist activities/sights to recommend in the area. There is plenty to do if you feel more adventurous (like paragliding, zip lining, bungee jumping, caves, waterfalls, hiking and nearby lakes).

Pokhara shoutouts: There’s just a couple places I want to mention in Pokhara that I really enjoyed. The Crazy Gecko and Pokhara Java coffeehouse.

At the far end… a bit past the lakeshore walk’s end, the Krazy Gecko offers up great lake views, delicious food and cocktails, and a swing. This place does have a higher cost than a lot of local restaurants in the area, but worth it for one evening I think. 

My absolute favorite coffee shop I found was Pokhara Java coffeehouse.  They had comfy seats and maybe the best mocha I’ve ever had!  I went back multiple days in a row. Yum!

That’s it for our time in the cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal. I really enjoyed how friendly most of the people in the country were to us. The food was great and being able to observe the buddhist and hindu culture were highlights. And to recovering from a 8 day hike in lovely Pokhara was perfect!