Know your city
Few cities in the world can evoke such mysticism and excitement as Kathmandu, capital of Nepal and gateway to the highest mountains in the world. Once a shrine of the 60s ‘hippie’ generation, Kathmandu has maintained its exoticism. But these days it is a bustling capital city, home to international businesses, NGOs and a thriving tourist industry.
With a population of around 700,000, and constantly growing due to the inward migration of rural peoples, the city is in danger from both general air pollution and road paralysis. This is caused by the volume of traffic in the medieval street of this historic town which now have to cope with everything from rickshaws to buses and freight transport.
Thamel, the tourist centre, is a mass of small streets, garlanded with boutique shops selling handicrafts and with tourist ‘touts’ offering treks throughout Nepal. There are small hotels and guesthouses on every street corner, many offer a good basic quality.
Within Thamel there are Western-style bakeries and coffee shops a-plenty, and even an Italian Pizza specialist. They fight for tourist attention with delicious Tibetan, Indian and Nepali restaurants.
Travel in and out of Kathmandu is by air from India or from other international destination, but also increasingly from internal locations such as Pokhara, Jomson and Namche Bazaar. There are also bus communications to and from India.
There is a flourishing private education sector in the City, although the state sector is variable and often poorly equipped. The need for good English language skills is paramount. Nepal’s only University, Tribhuvan, is expanding fast and developing international links.
History of the city
Founded in 723 AD at the confluence of two important rivers, the Bagmati and the Vishnumati. The name Kathmandu came from the Kastamanadap temple which was built at this important crossroads. During the 14th century, the three towns of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur were unified and Kathmandu became the main administrative centre.
Following the Gorkha unification of the kingdom by King Prithvi Narayan Shah in the 17th Century, Kathmandu became the capital. Much of its medieval splendour remains but this was added to in the 19th century by the ruling Rana family, whose extensive travels abroad brought a European influence into the city’s buildings. The Singha Durba palace, for example, with its 1500 rooms, was reputed to be the largest building in Asia when it was built in 19001.
History of the city
Business has tended to be focussed on the tourist sector; hotel building and management, trekking and mountain climbing organisations. Brick building, clothing and furniture are important sectors and there is a large carpet making industry, frequently run by Tibetan immigrants. There are signs of some outsourcing businesses moving to Kathmandu, although poor telecommunications within the City are hampering growth of this sector.
Around Kathmandu
Kathmandu avoids the extremes of weather that are found in other parts of Nepal. The valley is protected and the relatively low altitude enable temperatures to be more temperate than might be expected.
Winter months are from December to February and snow can sometimes fall during this period. Warm clothing is a must, particularly at night.
Summer months are from March to May. This is a beautiful time as the Kathmandu valley is filled with exquisite and exotic flowers. Rhododendrons (the national flower of Nepal) are in full bloom. Temperatures can rise during the day to 25 Celsius, but evenings can e cooler and a fleece is a welcome item of clothing.
The Monsoon lasts from June to August. Rain tends to fall for a period almost every day but not the downpours associated with monsoon in parts of India.
The Autumn months are from September to November and they are the best time of year to go trekking as the mountains are seen at their best. From Kathmandu, views can be had of many of the great Himalayan peaks, including Annapurna, off to the west.
The Kathmandu valley offers different terrains and activities and Nepal generally, with the majestic Himalayas, offers probably the best trekking in the world. Some of the more popular areas are the Mount Everest region, the Annapurna region and the Solukhumbu. Trekking in the Mount Everest region starts at Jiri and reaches the base camp at an altitude of 5,450 mts. While September to October is excellent for trekking anywhere in Nepal, December to February is ideal for trekking up to 3000mts.
White Water River Rafting and Adventure Biking are popular sporting activities for tourists. A popular biking route is the Kathamndu-Bhaktpur-Patan itinerary.
Culture and Customs
During the major festival period of October/November many cultural events are held with displays of traditional music and dancing celebrating the traditions of the various local communities. The dancers will often be dressed in elaborate costumes and bedecked with jewelry and make up in the colourful tradition of their particular origins.
There are modern cinemas in Kathmandu which show Western Films as well as a plentiful supply of Bollywood from neighbouring India.
The culture and traditions of Nepal have evolved many centuries. The influences of customs and cultural practices from India, Tibet and China can be clearly seen in the Nepalese traditions. However, with time they have been infused with their own traditions.
Hinduism and Buddhism are the two predominant religions of Nepal and their influence is markedly present in Kathmandu. The diversified culture of the city is reflected in its music, dance, art and craft and folklore and folktales.
Folklore, Folktales and most importantly dance have very ancient origins in Nepal. The folk dances reflect the local culture and depict scenes of harvesting of crops, war stories or even marriages. The art and craft take their inspiration from Hinduism and Buddhism. The handicraft industry is a very important cottage industry generating good revenues. Handicrafts from Lalitpur and Bhaktapur are quite popular both among the local population and the tourists.
There are approximately 92 different languages which are spoken in Nepal and most have a presence in the capital. However, Nepali is the official national language and serves as a common language for all the different linguistic communities.
The culture and tradition of Nepal is reflected in the festivals and celebration, art and craft and religion and languages.
Hinduism and Buddhism are well represented in the Kathmandu region and the major festivals celebrated are Dussera in October, Diwali in October/November, Christmas in December and Holi in March.
Dussehra is regarded as the biggest festival and is celebrated by both Hindu as well as non-Hindu. It commemorates the victory of the forces of Good over Evil and is considered an auspicious time to begin new ventures in life. It is marked by elaborate temporary shrines containing life size figures of the goddess of power, Durga, large colourful parades and feasting.
Diwali is the festival of lights and is characterized by garlands and fairy lights everywhere, fireworks and crackers each evening for three days, elaborate temporary shrines (pandals) set up in honour of the Goddess Lakshimi, troupes of girls and boys going round local houses carrolling and again much feasting.
Nepal being a multi-cultural and multi-religious country offers a variety of cuisines. A number of restaurants and cafes can be found in the tourist quarters of Kathmandu. They include American coffee shops and French bistros as well as traditional Chinese, Indian and Tibetan food. Even Japanese, Thai and Mexican food is available in some speciality restaurants.
The traditional Nepali and Newari food is of course readily available. The most frequently found dish throughout Nepal is ‘daal-bhaat’, basically a combination of rice with lentil and curry vegetables. Chapattis, spiced vegetables and sweets like jalebi, laddu and mukdas are popular too.
Though the traditional method of cooking Nepali food is simple, the special spices used give a unique flavor to the dishes. Spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, clitandro and scallions, along with a combination of mustard oil and yak butter for seasoning, give the Nepali dishes their authentic local flavor.
Special drinks and traditional drinks like Tongba are quite popular and they are served along with traditional Nepali and Newari food. These drinks are customarily had with the help of a traditional bamboo straw.
