I went to Nepal in December with some friends! I loved every minute of it. Here are some photos of our experiences.
Cooking class
We joined a cooking class. It’s a good way to be acquainted with the food culture. You know exactly what ingredients go into each dish and where to buy them. Book a cooking class on Klook. The tour includes a quick tour of the market to buy the ingredients. You can also choose which dishes you want to cook for the day. After the class, the recipes of the dishes you cooked and more will be sent to your email.
Swayambhunath
We took a taxi to Swayambhunath. There are a lot of monkeys there but they mostly keep to themselves.
Nagarkot
We went on a tour to see the sunrise over the Himalayas and went on a short hike. Waking up early was worth it. Book this experience on Klook!
Woke up absurdly early to witness the sun rise over the Himalayas. I endured the cold this morning of being 2100 meters above sea level wearing a hoodie and masala tea in hand. Sure enough, the sun rose. It was like a time lapse video but in real life. Surreal. It looks much better in real life. Makes me wanna go check out the Everest base camp. After that, we had breakfast with a view of the Himalayas and took a short hike to see the countryside.
Bhaktapur
We got a guide in Bhaktapur Durbar Square to explain the historical background of this ancient city. It isn’t uncommon for the guides to speak several languages. Our guide spoke 12 languages. In between attractions, the guides may bring you to some shops. However, the shops he brought us to didn’t really feel scammy and still offered a glimpse into Nepali culture.
You will see a lot of temples getting rebuilt. These were destroyed during the 2015 earthquake. Some temples are easier to rebuild than others. Some require a lot of time.
Patan
Pashupatinath
The Hindus cremate their relatives here by the river. I knew what I was gonna be witnessing but I was unprepared to see it when I did. I involuntarily let out a slightly audible “Oh my God” before I composed myself to try to be respectful to the family and the deceased. Don’t take pictures here and don’t bother the locals about their business. Watching the funeral is fine since it’s supposed to be a public event.
Boudhanath
Check out my slow journey in Southeast Asia here.