Walking Tour of Kathmandu

I was up with my alarm at 6.45am, so that I could have a shower and cook myself some eggs for breakfast before I needed to leave to get to the starting point of my walking tour. This was in Thamel, the area of Kathmandu where most tourists stay. It's only a 25-minute walk from where I am, so I think I'm happier to be close to Durbar Square. The square was the focus of the tour, so I was walking away from it, only to come back on myself, but that's OK. I wanted to do a guided tour, so that I didn't miss anything.

As I walked to Thamel, I passed lots of interesting local food shops and stalls. I made a mental note to return there another day to shop for ingredients. Thamel itself had several European cafes and bakeries, so I'll probably go back to one or two of those, too!

My guide, Sandip, arrived on time for the tour. I was the only participant, so we set off straight away. We didn't go directly back to Durbar Square. Instead, we went through back alleys and visited temples I would never have found by myself. Sandip proved to be an excellent guide. He was very knowledgeable about the history and culture of Kathmandu and we got on well from the start.

Our first stop was at the stupa known as Kaathe Swayambhu Shree Gha Chaitya. It is a miniature replica of Swayambhunath, the 'monkey temple' that stands on a hill overlooking Kathmandu. Buddhist pilgrims who are too elderly or infirm to make the trek up to the Swayambhunath Temple can gain the same number of credits by coming here. It was built around 1650, and it is one of the most popular Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Kathmandu. The main stupa is surrounded by smaller chaityas, inscriptions, statues, and an ancient cloister similar to a Tibetan monastery. The spire on top of the stupa has 13 steps to signify the 13 stages to reach Nirvana.

The area around the stupa is full of pigeons. Sandip said it would give me good karma to feed them. I told him to go ahead. I would film him feeding them while trying to avoid being pooped on for the third time in three weeks 😂. In the corner of the courtyard, there is a hot lemon stand which Sandip described as 'historic'. It opened in 1978!! They only sell hot lemon - a concoction of lemon juice, water, sugar, salt, and something sulphurous that makes the whole thing taste of rotten eggs. It's supposed to be very good for you, but I'd rather live without it 😄.

Next, we visited the temple of Seto Machindranath, a deity worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists in Kathmandu. The temple is believed to have been established around the 10th century, making it one of the oldest in the city. It is a place of pilgrimage for people who are grieving.Read more