“Oh my god! SLOW DOWN!”
We were shouting/laughing/(kinda crying)… and hanging on for dear life as our cycle rickshaw hurtled through the narrow streets of Kathmandu.
Our driver was pedalling like a man possessed, weaving between motorbikes, market stalls, pedestrians and the occasional startled cow (yes, cow), missing every one of them by what felt like millimetres.
My sister and I were clinging to the sides, (and occasionally to each other), as we careered through the old city, certain we were about to take someone out.
The crazy thing was that the old guy who’d convinced us to take a ride had seemed like the gentlest soul….
To be honest, that rickshaw ride summed up Kathmandu. Colourful, chaotic, surprising & completely magical.
A City That Makes No Sense
My sister and I arrived not knowing what to expect. First off I’d been told the plane landing was terrifying. 😳
As we approached the city over the mountains, I waited for the pilot to perform whatever death-defying manoeuvre I’d been promised, but we landed without incident. In fact I remember feeling immediately awe struck as the mountains parted and the city appeared beneath us.
It was a thing of beauty!
It was only later that I discovered my doomsayer had confused Kathmandu with Lukla, the tiny airport near Everest Base Camp that frequently appears on lists of the most dangerous airports in the world.
Reassuring if not a little late. 🙄
As we weaved our way through sporadic traffic to our hotel, our awe was undiminished by monkeys outside the airport, cows in the middle of the road, and the chaos that was Kathmandu.
Within a few blocks, we were in love. ❤️
I can’t put my finger on exactly why. Something about the atmosphere, the people, the colours, the crazy streets, the golden monasteries that appeared out of nowhere, and the bundles of electrical wires that looked like the entire place would blackout at any second. (And I thought Thailand was electrically unsafe! 😳)
But I think much of it was because everywhere we went we were greeted by a smile and the word - ‘Namaste’. 🙏
The same word I associate with laying flat on my back after I’ve tried to stretch my body out of all proportion and then sit there awkwardly cross legged, (yet sanctimonious that I’m ’on the mat’) thanking the lithe young yoga teacher for the pain they just put me through! 😂
It’s a word of peace, of calm, of breath. And by any reasonable measure, Kathmandu should have felt frantic, but somehow it didn’t.
The traffic honked, the cows wandered, the wires threatened public safety and our gentle rickshaw driver revealed the soul of Aryton Senna, but through all of it came that same calm greeting.
Namaste. 🙏
Kathmandu made no sense whatsoever, which is probably why we loved it. 🥰
The Monkeys Were In Charge
We discovered the local hierarchy while climbing the 365 steps to Swayambhunath, better known as the Monkey Temple.
The name isn’t a cute piece of tourism marketing. There were monkeys everywhere! In the trees, on the walls, across the temples, and flying between branches and flags above your head!
At first, we thought they were adorable.
Then there were too many!
Suddenly, the camera straps were tightened, the bags were clutched to our bodies, and the heads were down.
Above us, the Buddha eyes looked serenely across Kathmandu while the monkeys ran riot across all the temples and stupas. It seemed another very Kathmandu combination: spiritual calm, extraordinary beauty and the slight possibility of being mugged by wildlife.
Away from the monkeys, we spent hours wandering without much idea where we were going, which is absolutely my favourite way to experience a city.
We found tiny stupas squeezed between buildings, market squares packed with people, the Garden of Dreams, (a beautiful walled oasis within the city), kids singing near temples, even a concert of sorts in a little bar as we walked home one evening.
Every time we thought we’d seen the city, something else popped up and took us by surprise.
Climbing Everest (Not)
One of the big highlights was of course seeing Everest!
No I didn’t go trekking to Base Camp or attempt any such nonsense. There’s a plane! 😎
Why climb when you can fly? 🤷🏻♀️
We booked Buddha Air, which takes you on a small plane, along the Himalayan range to see Everest & all its brothers and sisters.
Our first attempt was unfortunately cancelled because there was too much cloud, and with only a couple of days there, we were understandably nervous when we returned the next morning, but Lady Luck (and the sun) shined upon us and it was glorious!
Peaks stretched across the horizon, including of course, Everest.
The cabin crew were amazing, pointing out each mountain and telling us its name, and we each got a quick visit to the cockpit to look out the front of the plane! Fan-bloody-tastic!
Why I’m Writing This Post & Thinking About Nepal Today
We were only in Kathmandu for three days, but some places don’t need long to find their way into your heart.
The warmth of the people, the food, the colour, the chaos, the calm, the Namastes, the madcap rickshaw ride, and the mountains that took our breath away.
Which is why my heart is so heavy right now.
As I write this, Nepal is reeling from a catastrophic disaster. Flash floods triggered by a glacial collapse in the Himalayas have swept through the valleys along the Nepal–Tibet border, destroying homes, bridges and whole communities.
Hundreds of people have died, thousands remain missing and tens of thousands have been affected. Rescue teams are still trying to reach communities cut off by the destruction, and the true scale of the disaster is still unfolding.
If, like me, Nepal holds a place in your heart, or even if you’ve never been but simply want to help, the Nepal Red Cross is on the ground coordinating rescue and relief. Even a small donation goes a long way in a country like this.
To the people of Nepal, to the shopkeepers and the singers, the rickshaw riders and the monks, the women selling tomatoes & flowers, and the forever beautiful Namaste’s, thank you for welcoming us so warmly and for giving my sister and I memories that still make us laugh all these years later.
Today, we see you, we’re thinking of you, and we’re sending our love.
Namaste. 🙏