Eight Days in Nepal
I just got back from a two-week trip to the Himalayan countries of Nepal and Bhutan! For the first leg of my trip I spent eight days in Nepal, visiting Kathmandu, Gorkha, and Pokhara. Nepal is and Adventure with the capital A, even if you don’t go trekking. I had a fantastic time, and I’m very glad I went. It was also more stressful than I anticipated, and I’m a very experienced traveler. It was just A Lot. Anyways, without further ado, here is the great, the meh, and the bad of my trip to Nepal!
The Great
Patan Museum
Before I went to Kathmandu, everything I read said that the Patan Museum, which is in the Patan Durbar Square, is the best museum in the country and I fully believe it. The museum is fantastic – small enough to be manageable, but with excellent signage and a great deal information. The museum covers - for the most part - Buddhism and Hinduism in Nepal, rather than the history of the country, so keep that in mind when visiting. I found the explanations of the various poses and symbols of the different deities particularly interesting and helpful for the rest of the trip. If you only visit on museum, make it this one.
The Kathmandu Valley Durbar Squares
The Kathmandu Valley is home to three former city states that were conquered to become part of modern Nepal: Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. Each of the city states has a Durbar, or palace, square with fantastic Malla-era architecture. And you absolutely have to go to all three, as they all have different flavors. Kathmandu’s Durbar Square is the most lived in on a daily basis – I saw more Nepali then tourists in the morning when I got there, doing everything from a praying to hanging to a professional photo shoot. Bhaktapur had a few different styles of temple architecture and felt the most well preserved. And Patan had the fantastic museum, and also was the most accessible to appreciate as a tourist. You could in theory visit all of them in a day, but I’d highly recommend giving at least a ½ day to each.
Sunset from my hotel in Gorkha
Gorkha
Gorkha is hands down the most beautiful area I saw while I was in Nepal. The town of Gorkha is set about 45 minutes up and off the main highway between Kathmandu and Pokhara and it is the perfect spot to break up the journey into two days (which you absolutely need to do). The area is up in the mountains with fantastic views. My favorite was in the morning where the fog hangs in the lower valleys and you would descend into it. The only real site is the fort/palace perched on top of one of the hills above the town, which was built in the 16th century and home to the Prithvi Narayan Shah, who is the conqueror/unifier of modern Nepal. Overall, the area is the perfect atmosphere for a wellness retreat/resort – although maybe cause it’s in the middle of nowhere there didn’t seem to be any. Just give it five years.
The Meh
Food
Food is an important part of every country and culture, and honestly, I found Nepali food to be, fine. Nothing bad, also nothing terribly exciting. Momos are great in concept, but even then, most of those were just fine. I had some perfectly good food too, so it’s not bad. I would not stay that Nepal is a foodie destination though.
The Bad
Drivers
Ok, Nepali drivers are insane. That is the only conclusion I can draw. And the worst of it is within Kathmandu. Sometimes there are sidewalks, and that’s helpful, but when there aren’t you’re just battling it out with the cars and motorcycles which all seem to just drive in the middle of narrow streets and then move to one side or the other if traffic is coming at them. The inconsistent quality of even the major highways does not help the matters at all. That said, people were fairly careful, and the speed limit on the windy highways is still only like 35 mph, which is quite comforting.
The Caste System
The government and guidebooks might say it’s been abolished, but caste beliefs and importance is still alive and well from what I saw. And part of how I know is because one of my tour guides was a “brahmin caste” Newari and the side comments he made were, just, gross. I was the equivalent of talking to a very well-meaning and earnest and also very racist American. And while that guide and his attitude and commentary is just one guy, the ethnography gallery in the National Museum of Nepal was also extremely sketchy and messed up. It wasn’t super pervasive or anything, and there are laws in place preventing legal discrimination. It was definitely there though
Conclusion
Nepal is totally worth visiting – particularly the Kathmandu Valley if you are interested in history and Nepali (particularly Newari culture). Some places that I also visited that get honorable mentions are the Swayambhunath Stupa and Complex in Kathmandu, and the Gurkha Museum in Pokhara (although that is really for if you’re a military or history nerd). You don’t need to be interested in, or go trekking to have a good, meaningful trip to Nepal. That said, it’s not a breezy “lalala” place to visit, particularly if you’re traveling alone. So go, but also know what you’re getting yourself into.
