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Solo Trip to India and Nepal
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Solo Trip to India and Nepal

This is my first solo overseas trip since Mark died earlier this year. I'm excited to return to India and to explore Nepal for the first time, but it will be strange not to have Mark with me to share the experience with. Read more
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    🇳🇵 Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal
    Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Walk around Pokhara

    March 13 in Nepal

    After settling in and freshening up, I went out to explore. I walked around the lake and took too many photos of the colourful boats available to hire, including the biggest pedaloes I've ever seen! The main road around the lake is home to a multitude of restaurants, bars, and tourist shops. It was nice to look around, but I wasn't tempted to buy anything. For dinner, I went to Boomerang Restaurant on the lake. It was recommended in Lonely Planet, but I fail to see why. I ordered lemon chicken. When it came, it looked like it had been cooked and served in lemon curd! It tasted a bit like it, too 😄.

    I didn't hang around after dinner as the weather was closing in and it started to rain.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Chitwan to Pokhara by bus

    March 13 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Unlucky for some! 😊

    I was up early and had showered, packed, and was waiting for breakfast at 7am. This morning, we began with Cornflakes served in hot milk - no, thank you! The omelette and toast that followed were fine, but I passed on the very spicy chickpea curry. After breakfast, I said my goodbyes to Laxman. The driver took me to the bus stop to catch my 8am bus to Pokhara. It was already there, and we left promptly.

    The journey was smooth. The road was much better than the one from Kathmandu to Chitwan. We stopped several times and arrived in Pokhara at around 12.30. It was hot and sunny as I walked to my hotel. 

    The town is the start and finish point for the Annapurna Trail, so many people who come here are trekkers. Those who aren't are attracted by the large lake and the promise of mountain views from wherever you are. All of the photos I'd seen before I got here showed the magnificent Annapurna Mountains reflected in the clear blue still waters of the lake. I'm sad to say that I saw no mountains as I walked. Despite the sunshine, it was far too hazy.

    My hotel came highly recommended, and I wasn't disappointed (unless you count the fact that my 'mountain view' room had no visible view at all!). When I checked in, I praised the owner for his beautiful garden. Before I knew it, he was showing me 'behind the scenes' to see his vegetable garden, his compost heap, his store of potatoes to keep the hotel going until the next crop is ready, and the two cows that he kept in a shed! He also had me holding the ladder while he picked papayas for breakfast tomorrow 😊. It was quite the introduction.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Jeep safari

    March 12 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    After the visit to the breeding centre, we returned to the hotel for lunch. It was very similar to yesterday. It was tasty, but I'm not sure it all belonged on the same plate 😀.

    Following lunch, Laxman took me to the starting point for the jeep safari. He bought my permit and gave me some words of advice before sending me on my way. I would meet up with him and his arrivals for today when my safari was over. I met up with my group, which included a mum and her two adult children from Western Australia. I thought we were going straight in a jeep, but first we had to walk to the river, cross it by rowing boat, and walk across the beach to a jungle clearing where the jeeps were waiting for us.

    We drove through forest and jungle for over four hours. It was enjoyable, but sadly, we didn't see very much. The weather was closing in, so visibility wasn't good. We saw plenty of peacocks, some spotted deer, and a few monkeys, as well as a wide variety of birds. The only rhinos we saw were just specks in the distance, and tigers inevitably proved elusive! At one point, we stopped to visit a crocodile breeding centre, which was interesting.

    As we approached the point where we had got on the jeeps, it started to rain. It was just drizzling at first, so I didn't put my waterproof on as we set off to walk back along the beach. Suddenly, the heavens opened! It was bouncing down! I managed to get my jacket on, so my top half was dry, but the rest of me was soaked. Nobody else had any sort of protection at all! When we reached the jetty, the boat was still on the other side of the river, so we had to wait while the boatman rowed across to pick us up. We all then had to climb into a very slippery, wet boat and sit down in pools of water! As we rowed back across to the far bank, there were sheets of lightning and claps of thunder all around us. It was apocalyptic! When we reached shore, I made my way as fast as I could to the meeting point with Laxman. He was waiting, along with his six new guests, none of whom seemed very impressed with the weather 😂.

    Laxman arranged for a car to come and pick us up. Back at the hotel, we went straight for dinner. It was Dal Bhat again. A bit predictable, but very tasty. After the meal, I went to my room to pack, ready to leave in the morning.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Working elephant breeding centre

    March 12 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Once there, we had 20 minutes before we were leaving again to visit the elephant breeding centre a few kilometres away. I thought this must be a conservation project, but it turned out to be a government-owned centre that breeds elephants specifically to work. In the visitor centre, I learned that Nepal has 216 working elephants in captivity, and only an estimated 112 wild elephants. When I asked Laxman if anything was being done to increase the wild population, he said no.

    The breeding centre was set up by the Nepali government in 1986. Prior to that, working elephants were not bred in captivity because a female in calf had to be laid off from work for between three and four years, which was costly. Also, there were plenty of young elephants available in the wild to capture and train for work. With numbers in the wild dwindling, the breeding centre was established to produce more working elephants. Since its inception, 43 calves have been born at the centre.

    Elephants are herbivorous animals that usually graze in the morning and evening and spend the hottest part of the day resting and playing in the shade. Captive elephants have restricted freedom and no independent grazing time. Mahoots release them from their shackles at around 11am, take them out to forage, and bring them back to the stables at around 5pm, when they are shackled again. The elephants themselves carry the fodder, vines, branches, and grasses collected by the mahouts. These form the basis of their diet. They are given them to eat at night, along with rice, molasses, and salt. 

    We watched the mother and baby elephants in their stables and waited for the mahouts to come and take them out to work. Laxman said it would make me feel better about the way they were treated. It didn't!    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler
    1

    A second jungle walk

    March 12 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    When we got out of the canoe (with a certain amount of difficulty in my case 😀), we set off on another jungle walk. This took us through an abandoned resort formerly owned by the Nepali royal family before they were deposed. This happened less than 20 years ago, but already the once five-star accommodation has been reclaimed by the surrounding nature. 

    At one point, a Red Ghoul Face Stink Bug landed on Laxman's back. He said it was his favourite insect and that it's lucky to have one land on you. I'll take his word for it 😀.

    We walked back to the hotel past the captive working elephants.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Canoeing down the river

    March 12 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    It was an early start on my 61st birthday! I was at breakfast by 7am. They gave us porridge with banana (not for me!) followed by omelette, potatoes, toast, butter, jam, juice, and coffee. I'm certainly not going to go hungry in this place!

    By 7.30, I was waving goodbye to the people I met last night. They were all heading for the bus stop to go back to Kathmandu. When the transport returned a few minutes later, the driver took Laxman and I to the starting point for a canoe trip down the river. Once Laxman had bought my permit, we were joined by a Chinese guy and his guide. We got in our canoe and spent a very pleasant hour and a half pootling along the water. It was so peaceful. All we could hear was bird song and the odd splash as fish came to the surface. The water was crystal clear, so it was easy to see the large crocs beneath our boat 😀.

    We saw lots of bright blue kingfishers and Indian rollers, several stunning yellow and black orioles, a pair of majestic sea eagles, a scarlet woodpecker, and many other species. On the banks, we saw spotted deer and several monkeys. It was delightful.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Thauru Cultural Show

    March 11 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Once there, we had twenty minutes to freshen up before we were in a vehicle to go to see a cultural show performed by local Thauru people. It was a very entertaining hour! We saw a whole range of dances, including a clapping dance, a stick dance, a fire dance, and, the highlight for me, a peacock dance! 😀.

    Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for dinner. It was a bit late for me to be eating, but as it was all prepared for us, it would have been rude to refuse. They served us Dal Bhat, the national dish of Nepal. Similar to a thali in India, it is curry, rice, vegetable sides, pickle, and some sort of bread, followed by yoghurt sweetened with local honey. It was very good.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    The walk continues

    March 11 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    As we walked deeper into the jungle, Laxman pointed out many different bird species. By the water's edge, we saw spotted deer. We watched more working elephants being ridden back to their stables carrying huge loads of vines. We settled down by the water to wait in the hope of seeing rhinos. Unfortunately, the peace was shattered by several groups of Chinese tourists who were quite loud. Laxman was particularly annoyed because many of them were wearing white. This would likely stop any rhino coming within 100 metres. Laxman berated the other guides for not advising their clients on what to wear. I think they had tried, but the guests had chosen to ignore them!

    In the end, we did see one huge male rhino. I could see him clearly through Laxman's binoculars, but he didn't come close enough for me to get a photo. It's on occasions like this that I miss having my big camera and long lens with me, but it's just so heavy to carry and for most situations, my phone is perfectly fine.

    Even though we didn't see many animals, I really enjoyed being out in nature. We ended our walk at a viewpoint where we could see several large crocodiles. We had to wait there for the four guests who were doing the activities today that I will be doing tomorrow. When they finished their jeep safari, they came to the meeting point. They were two friends, one from Ireland and one from Canada, and a couple from the US. They had seen a rhino close up when it crossed the road in front of their vehicle. We chatted as we walked back to the hotel.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    A walk in Chitwan National Park

    March 11 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    There, I discovered that I was the only arrival today, so I would be doing most of the activities by myself with a guide. The very nice guy who served me in the restaurant assured me that this was normal. After a very good lunch of vegetable soup followed by fried chicken, vegetables, rice AND chips (yes, Gill, it's a thing in Nepal, too! 😂), I had a few minutes to myself before meeting my guide at 4pm in reception. 

    Laxman turned out to be a friendly and knowledgeable guide. He was quite happy that I was his only client, and he was very pleased that I wasn't Chinese, Indian, or Nepalese - his least favourite guests, apparently 😂.

    After a short introduction about the activities for today and tomorrow, we set off for a walk in the national park. The entrance is just across the road from Eden Lodge. I was shocked that the first animals we saw were working elephants shackled in ankle chains to wooden posts. Laxman explained that these are government-owned and are used to transport wood and to help the park rangers do their jobs. It still made me feel uncomfortable!    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    From Kathmandu to Chitwan by bus

    March 11 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    I had to leave the hotel by 5.30 this morning to walk for half an hour to catch my bus to Chitwan. I was a bit trepidatious about walking around in the pitch black at that time in the morning. I need not have worried! The streets were busy - full of people cleaning and preparing every shrine and temple on my route (and there were loads!), shopkeepers opening their shops, girls in uniform already on their way to school, and street sweepers clearing away yesterday's rubbish. It was all going on. But unlike in Indian cities, it was quiet. Vehicles were moving around, but there was no hooting. It was just people going about their business without disturbing others who were still sleeping.

    I arrived at Kathmandu bus park in plenty of time. It's not a bus station. Buses simply line up on the side of the road, and passengers walk along the row until they find their bus. I found mine and my allocated window seat about half an hour before we were due to leave. Gradually, the bus filled up. It seemed like I was the only foreigner, but the couple across the aisle, although Nepalese, lived in Australia and were just back for a month visiting family. They were able to translate for me during the journey.

    We left about 15 minutes late, but we were still in Kathmandu over an hour later, having had multiple stops to pick passengers up, to get fuel, and to load 20 cases of bottled water on board! Soon after we did leave the city, we stopped again - for a 30-minute breakfast break! It was 9am before we really got going!

    Progress was slow throughout the rest of the journey, mainly due to roads being under construction. It was certainly a bumpy ride! It felt good to be away from Kathmandu, though, and see more of Nepal, both rural areas (lots of terraced paddy fields) and small towns. We stopped two or three more times for toilets, as well as another 30-minute break for lunch when we were only an hour from our destination! I just had an iced coffee, as I knew I would get lunch when I arrived, as part of my all-inclusive package.

    After many more stops to drop passengers off, we finally arrived at the Chitwan bus park. As arranged, a driver from Eden Lodge, where I would be spending the next two nights, was waiting for me. It was only a five-minute drive to the resort.

    On arrival at around 2.30pm, I was welcomed with an extremely sweet glass of fruit juice, and I checked in. My room was lovely. It was really hot and very humid in Chitwan, especially compared to Kathmandu, so I freshened up before going to lunch.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Kathmandu by night

    March 10 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Yesterday was another work day, so I stayed indoors. It turned out to be quite fortuitous as it rained all afternoon. It was the first rain I'd seen since leaving the UK at the beginning of December!

    This morning, I dropped off my laundry and paid extra to get it back tonight, ready for my trip to Chitwan and Pokhara starting tomorrow.

    I then went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day working.

    Later, I went to collect my washing and took some photos of Kathmandu by night.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    The bazaars of Kathmandu

    March 8 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Afterwards, I wandered the narrow alleyways of the bazaars near Durbar Square. I wanted to buy some sewing thread. I keep seeing fabric shops, but I haven't seen any sewing supplies. I asked someone who directed me down a particularly narrow alley to a hole-in-the-wall shop. There was nothing visible to say what the guy sold, but when I asked him for navy blue sewing thread, he opened one of the hundreds of small drawers behind him and handed me exactly what I wanted! Best of all, it was 8 Nepalese rupees - about 4 pence!! 😂

    I also found the small street that only sells beads. I'd read about it, but hadn't come across it before today. Kathmandu is a city that keeps throwing up surprises!    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Shree Tanadevi Temple

    March 8 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    I visited Shree Tanadevi Temple, a sacred Hindu site where a part of Sati's body fell to earth. It is small, but very well decorated and brightly painted. The central of the three excellent torana (free-standing ornamental or arched gateways for ceremonial purposes) is gilt.Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    More exploration of Durbar Square

    March 8 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I intended to visit Monkey Temple today. It's one of the major attractions here in Kathmandu. There are 365 steps to reach the top. However, it was a very dull and hazy morning. I set off, but I couldn't even see the temple as I was heading towards it. It seemed a bit stupid to climb it if I wouldn't be able to see anything from the top, especially seeing as I have plenty more time here, so I decided not to do it today. Instead, I spent a lot more time exploring Durbar Square and visiting the temples I have only walked past before. There are so many of them 😄.Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Enough biryani for a week 😂

    March 7 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today was a work day. I've really got my writing mojo back, and I'm happy with the content I'm producing.

    Tonight, I cooked myself enough chicken and mushroom biryani to last for a few days 😄. I used some of the biryani masala mix that I bought from the Spice Girls of Rajasthan. I was missing some other ingredients mentioned in their recipe, like turmeric, so it looked a bit wishy-washy, but it tasted great.Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Kathmandu Art House

    March 6 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The 500 rupee ticket price also includes entry to the Kathmandu Art House, a centre in another part of the guest house's grounds, where over 50 exponents of Nepal's vibrant art scene today display their creativity to the public. Some of them have their workshops and studios within the space, so you can watch them work.Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Kathmandu Guest House

    March 6 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    I spent far too long reading news reports and scrolling through social media this morning! The situation in the Middle East is escalating. Scary times are upon us.

    After spending the last couple of days in the hotel working, I decided I'd better get out and about today. After breakfast, I sorted out my laundry. I dropped it off on my way to the Museum of Nepali Art in Thamel. I also browsed lots of souvenir and fabric shops en route.

    The Museum of Nepali Art is privately-owned and is located inside the iconic Kathmandu Guest House, which was one of the first hotels established in Nepal. It opened in 1968 with just four rooms priced at only one dollar a night. Today, it is a landmark, a historic and iconic Nepali institution, renowned around the world for its associations with mountaineers, explorers, anthropologists, and historians. Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet, said, "Kathmandu Guest House, like Istanbul, is a bottleneck that every traveller has to pass through at one point or another." Today, it was my turn 😄.

    The museum opened in 2020. It houses both traditional and contemporary art.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Shopping in Thamel

    March 3 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    After the class, I spent a couple of hours wandering around Thamel. It's an area full of shops, both tourist and local, cafes, and bars. I had a coffee in a French bakery. I don't know what made it French, but the coffee was very good. The sugar-free carrot cake, however, was not! 😂 I came across an entire street of wholesale fabric and dressmaking supplies. There were a number of outlets that only sold buttons - millions of them! I couldn't resist buying a 100-yard roll of cord for my kinchaku bags. It was only 400 Nepali rupees (about £2). I know I'm not supposed to be buying stuff, but in the UK it costs me about that per metre! I also bought a pair of hippy trousers and a hooded top - together they cost £6. Oh, and a cross-body bag to replace the one that got covered in paint during Holi 😀. I spent a long time browsing in a couple of English-language bookshops. I was very restrained and only bought one title 😄.

    On the way back to the hotel, I bought half a ready-roasted chicken and some vegetables for meals over the next couple of days. I'm planning to stay in and get some work done. Most businesses in the city will be shut anyway as it is election day on Thursday.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Nepali cooking class

    March 3 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    I had yoghurt and fruit for breakfast before heading out to the Kathmandu Cooking Academy for a class on Nepali cuisine. It was about a 25-minute walk from my accommodation, and I arrived in plenty of time. Nish, who was leading the class, was very friendly. There were 7 of us taking the class this morning - a Dutch family of four, two French guys, and me. It was good to be doing an activity with other people. We had a thoroughly enjoyable morning.

    Much of the initial conversation was about the USA and Israel launching attacks on Iran on Sunday and killing their leader. Retaliatory strikes have hit several Middle Eastern countries, closing the airspace over busy international hubs like Dubai and Doha. The French guys were only at the class because their flight back to Paris yesterday was cancelled. They have rebooked and will now return home on Thursday via Bangkok, Seoul, and Munich! There are fears that we are on the precipice of World War Three - God forbid!

    Firstly in the class, we had to decide what we wanted to cook from a limited menu. Fortunately, there were no vegetarians or fussy eaters in the group. We decided on aloo chop to start with. These are flavoursome potato cakes served with a spicy tomato sauce. For the main course, we chose to make chicken momos. These were accompanied by the same sauce, but we all wanted to learn how to make this classic Nepali dish. For dessert (not for me 😄), the group elected to make carrot halva.

    Before starting the cooking, we went down the road to buy vegetables and chicken from the local shops. Back in the kitchen, Nish and her commis chef (I didn't get his name) were very good at delegating tasks, so that we were all involved in preparing the food. The results of our efforts were delicious. I wasn't tempted by the Big Master Mix Fruit Wine to accompany our meal, though! We came away feeling full and with a whole stack of Nepali recipes to recreate at home.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Holi Festival

    March 2 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I had an easy morning and then ventured into nearby Durbar Square to join the Holi celebrations. I had heard drumming and the screams of children playing since around 7.30am. The square was a riot of people, noise, and colour as powder paint was being thrown everywhere and revellers were shooting each other with water pistols and throwing water-filled balloons. The atmosphere was incredible. Everyone was having a great time. Of course, I joined in. You can't not. Once you're in the thick of it, people just come up to you, wish you Happy Holi, and smear paint all over your face 😂. Some tourists with their big cameras and smart clothes were clearly trying to stay out of the way, but once you're there, you can't avoid the paint! I had deliberately worn clothes that were going straight in the bin afterwards, so it wasn't a worry for me.

    I sat for a while just to watch the shenanigans and got talking to a Chinese girl. She was loving it. She said she never has this much fun in China. I stayed for a couple of hours and then went back to the hotel to shower and get the pink and purple paint out of my hair 😂. Sandip messaged to see if I wanted to meet up with him and his friends, but I definitely wasn't going to go out again.

    I spent the rest of the day writing. And I did finally have my leftovers for dinner 😄.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Meeting the Kumari

    March 1 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    From the palace, we went round the corner to visit the Kumari Ghar, also known as the Kumari Bahal, a magnificent townhouse that serves as the sacred dwelling of the living goddess. It was built in 1757 by King Jay Prakash Malla and showcases exquisite wooden carvings and craftsmanship of the highest calibre.

    Kumari (Sanskrit for "young girl" or "unmarried") is a unique Hindu practice, primarily observed in Nepal and parts of India, which centres on the worship of a prepubescent girl as a living goddess and a manifestation of the divine feminine energy, Shakti. The girl is selected from the Shakya clan of the Nepali Newari Buddhist community. It is believed that the girl is possessed by the goddess Taleju or Durga. The chosen female child is typically worshipped from a pre-pubescent age, with her tenure as the divine vessel concluding with her first menstruation or a significant loss of blood (for example, from an accident), signifying the departure of the goddess's spirit. While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu.

    Every day, at moments between 9am and 11am and between 4pm and 5pm, the Kumari appears at the middle window of the third floor of the Kumari Ghar to wave to pilgrims and tourists gathered in the courtyard below. To me, it is a very bizarre ritual. The current Kumari, Aryatara Shakya, was chosen in September 2025 to replace her predecessor, who had reached puberty. She was only two years old when she was selected. She has recently had her third birthday. It doesn't seem like much of a life for her. She is not allowed to leave the house, except on ceremonial occasions. When she does go out, her feet are not allowed to touch the ground. She must be carried everywhere. The power of the Kumari is perceived to be so strong that even a glimpse of her is believed to bring good fortune. Even though her irregular appearances last only a few seconds, the atmosphere in the courtyard is charged with devotion and awe when they do occur. Certainly, people in the crowd when I was there were visibly moved when she did appear, crying and wailing and appearing to pray to her, a three-year-old child!

    Visitors are not allowed to take photos of the Kumari. Indeed, guards in the courtyard make sure that all phones and cameras are put away in bags and pockets before they will allow her to appear.

    This was the end of what had been a fascinating walking tour. Sandip and I went for lunch together at a rooftop restaurant next door to where I went yesterday. I had chicken momos and buffalo meatballs. I couldn't finish either of them, so got the leftovers packed up to have later. During our conversation, Sandip mentioned that Holi is celebrated here tomorrow, unlike in India, where it is on Tuesday. I have booked a cooking class for tomorrow, but I really want to see Holi, so I quickly messaged the cooking school and moved my class to Tuesday.

    After lunch, Sandip and I parted company. I went to buy some bits and pieces, and then went back to the hotel. I didn't need to eat anything else, so yesterday's and today's leftovers will have to roll over to tomorrow 😄.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Gaddhi Bhaitak

    March 1 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    While repairs are happening, visitors exit the complex through the stucco-fronted Gaddhi Bhaitak, which was constructed during Nepal's early 20th-century love affair with all things European. Opened in 1908, the grand ballroom-style great hall was reputedly modelled on London's National Gallery after Prime Minister Jung Bahadur's diplomatic tour of Europe. Inside, the interior drips with Belgian crystal chandeliers and ornamental painted plaster.Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Hanuman Dhoka

    March 1 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We paused to look at several more shrines and temples before entering Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu's spectacular royal palace. Sadly, the complex was severely damaged in the 2015 earthquake. A China-funded restoration project is ongoing, so some areas are out of bounds, and many of the treasures usually on display in the museum have been relocated elsewhere. Nevertheless, it is still a really interesting visit. The lavishly carved window and door frames are a sight to behold, and the views from the top of the nine-storey Basatapur Tower are spectacular.Read more

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