Nepal Things to Do Tips by tremendopunto

The BIG ONE - Sagarmatha, Qomolangma or Mt.Everest Mount Everest Review

I had a planned to go on the Everest Trek,all the way via Kala Pattar to The Everest Base Camp....but the change of temperatures from the Indian Thar desrt to Kathmandu during monsoon gave me a bad cold with fever.So I had to cancel my trekking dream.I had everything planned out in detail:

12 days from Lukla to EBC and back with a very conservative and hence safe altitude gain of 300 vetrical meters on average per day to Gorak Shep(5170m).

From Kathmandu you take the plane to Lukla (2850m) to begin with a trek to Monjo(2815m) on the 1st day.On the 2nd day you climb up to Namche Bazaar(3450m),where you take a rest also on the 3rd day to acclimatize to the altitude.Day 4 goes from Namche to Tengboche (3860m) followed by Periche(4280m)on the fifth and Thokla (4620m) on the 6th day. From there you head to Lobuche(4940m)on day 7.On day eight you should reach Gorak Shep,the highest sleeping point with 5170m from Lobuche.From Gorak Shep a sidetrip to Kalla Pattar (5600m),the highest point of the trek and best view on Mt.Everest should be done on the same day,so that you can reach the EBC(5364m)on day nine and have enough time to get back to Lobuche. The following days are long walks back. On day 10 you reach Namche from Lobuche,on day 11 you should be back inLukla to catch the plane back to Kathmandu on the 12th day.Also never plan your trip too close since weather changesclouds and so on can always delay your flight to and from Lukla.

But therefore I had two other opportunities to the one and only Mt.Everest.This pic here was taken on my return flight from Bhutan.The clouds cover all the mountainrange with big names like Lhotse,Makalu and Choy Oyu-except one peak,the peak of the highest mountain of this planet,Mt.Everest.

This view is of course not what you can call watching by "fair means".But my second possibility from Tingri (in my Tibet tips) will show a "fair" view on the mountain,called Qomolangma by Tibetans and Sagarmata by the Nepali people.

KANCHENJUNGA-the 3rd highest mountain in the world

In the far east of Nepal, on the Indian border to Sikkim, you can find the KANCHENJUNGA.
With its 8.586m or 28.169ft this is the third highest mountain on the planet.
I was lucky to catch an amazing view on this beautiful peak on my flight to Bhutan.
On the pics you can see the different peaks of the Kanchenjunga - there are five peaks of which four reach above 8.400m.
These mountains really catch you!

Beautiful Bhaktapur Bhaktapur Review

Bhaktapur - or the "City of Devotees" - is one of the three Kingdom Cities, next to Patan and Kathmandu. It is certainly one of the main highlights of the kathmandu Valley you cant afford to miss. Stroll around the alleys and squares full of magnificent monuments and temples with rich woodcarving decorations and inhale the history! The complete town is ONE big museum!

Kumari - the living godess!

She is a sweet little girl - but she never smiles. And every movement of her has a deep meaning. She is a living godess embodying the Taleju godess!

Those girls get choosen by a lengthy and also shocking process - and the one that does not get shocked or does not start to cry when seeing blood and skulls og goats gets chosen. From that time on they live in the house of the Kumari at the Durbar Square. But they are not allowed to smile, laugh or showing any emotions and have to stay inside of the house most of the time. She is said to leave the house only about ten times a year and this is mostly the case for religious celebrations and blessing the king. Not the easiest life for a child.
People come to her to ask for blessings and other help.

This lifestyle suddenly changes, when she turns "impure" - which means she starts to bleed froma wound or the menstruation starts..........and she has to leave her protected home and gets pushed into the common life, which she never got to know. And a new Kumari will be chosen..........

I havent seen her in person, but she is supposed to show up at on the window, now and than. If you are lucky to see her DONT take pictures - this is strictly forbidden. You dont want to mess with the gods, do you?

The Road to Tibet - meet&greet with the Maoists!

On the way fromKathmandu to the Tibetan border you can enjoy a beautiful countryside. The road meanders along the river through the valleys and climbs up higher and higher. During monsoon time there are plenty of landslides that slow down the pace - but this gives you an even better chance to soak up this magnificent landscape.

During my time the clashes between the people and the king´s army were finished, the king gave up his totalitarian power and talks between the democratic parties and the Maoist rebels had started. Because of that there were no strict road blockades by the Maoists anymore, but they still stopped our bus asking for a "good-will" donation for their movement. We were stopped by the students movement of the Maoists - they were actually really friendly. So I gave the smallest amount possible (10Rs) but still got a receipt, in case we get stopped again later on the way.

I think they would get even more money by selling those receipts as souvenirs in a "Maoist Shop" in Thamel ;-)

Other stops were possible due to military checkpoints. In the end we reached the "Friendship Bridge" as the bordercrossing to Tibet. You have to carry your own stuff over the brigde and do the paper work, while your baggage gets smoked with bug-killer.

Swamyambhunath - the best view over the city! Swayambunath Review

The Swayambhunath Stupa is suposed to be the oldest stupa of Nepal and welcomes pilgrims of Hindu belief as well as of Bhuddist belief. Situated on a hill on the outskirts of Kathmandu, gives the best opportunity to enjoy the panorama over the complete city. So it is certainly worth to clim the steep and exhausting long steps all the way up - dont miss it!

BUT be aware of the monkey "gangs". They take what they can get :-)

The Buddhist quarter around the Bodnath Stupa Bodnath Stupa Review

The Bodnath Stupa is the biggest buddhist stupa in the world. Situated in the heart of Bodnath quarter, it is embraced by monasteries and gompas. Compared with Pashupatinath you can feel the much more relaxed atmosphere, with a constant mass of buddhist pilgrims and monks circling the stupa.
It is a nice place to relax for a couple of hours from Kathmandu´s hectic. The best place for that is one of the rooftop cafes.........

Dizzling Pashupatinath Pashupatinath Review

Pashupatinath is the place of the most important Hindu Temple in nepal. Situated on the bank of the Bagmati River it is the place for cremations along the Ghats. Just like in Varanasi the ashes will be put into the Bagmati, which finally leads into the Ganges.
Pashupatinath is a very hectic place with many pilgrims, sadhus, ongoing cremations and tourist touts.
From the opposite side you can follow the rituals with the necessary distance and respect, along the huge number of temples and shrines.

Kathmandu`s Durbar Square Kathmandu Review

The Durbar Square is the heart of the old town of Kathmandu. There you can find the old king´s palace circled by temples with this unique Nepali rooftop archtecture. Besides the vivid market on it, this place is also the cultural and religious center of the city. You can visit the house of a living godess - the Kumari (another tip).

Sadhus - meeting the holy men!

Sadhus are holy men according to Hindu belief. They give up all common needs and go on a constant pilgrimage. By doing so, they already seperate their soul from the body during lifetime and can go straight into Nirwana. Because of this lifetime seperation, their bodies dont get cremated after death.

BUT that does not mean they do without everything. In Pashupatinath is a huge painting of one Baba. When I asked for him, someone told me he would be in the USA at the moment, but I could take a look at his house. HOUSE? And yes, I was shown to a small house and through the window you could see a prefectly equiped office with phone, fax and so on.....

PLUS there are also part-time-sadhus, who just dress up like Sadhus and sit in major tourist areas for half a day and earn a good income with that :-)