Trip to Kathmandu flying on Etihad A380 First Apartment and Qatar Airways A380 First Class
Last month, Mike and I traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal for the first time to meet our travel partner Helena, owner of Helena India Travels. We are sending our first group to Nepal in autumn and it was a great opportunity to meet her as well as the owners of the hotels where our group would be staying at. We were offered complimentary five nights stay by Mingma, the Nepalese owner of Chhahari Retreat and needless to say, we enjoyed every single day of our stay not only because of the nice room and excellent food in the restaurant but moreso because each one of them treated us like their own family. As for our flight, Mike and I used our remaining American Airlines Advantage miles to fly in first class from Europe to the Indian Sub continent, just before the devaluation in March, which is 80K miles return per person. Here's the full trip report of our trip to Nepal and I hope that thru this, more people would consider traveling to this wonderful country in the future!
Visiting Nepal is probably not the most popular thing to do among travelers nowadays possibly because of the earthquake that hit the country a year ago. Although there were lots of temples which were destroyed, I think that there are more than enough things that would make you curious as you discover the Nepalese way of life. Of course aside from visiting temples, there are other things to do while here like taking the flight to the Himalayas (which I consider is the best thing I did during my stay in Nepal), visiting some of their National Parks and attending some yoga sessions. Nepal is such an interesting country with very friendly people, tasty cuisine and intriguing culture and I hope that more and more people come and visit this extraordinary land. Here are some of the attractions we visited and which I would recommend to my fellow travelers.
Boudhanath Stupa: I suggest going to the Rooftop Café and just enjoy the view of the stupa from there as you watch the religious (people) make their turns around it.
A video of the Boudhanath Stupa from the Rooftop Café
Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most holiest sites for the Hindu people. Here, we were able to witness a burial ceremony along the Bagmati river.
The "Sadhus" are never to be missed when visiting Nepal.
The Peacock Window in Bhaktapur: There were no nails nor glue used here and it is one of the most popular attractions in Bhaktapur.
Thanka Painting School: A visit to this famous painting school is a must. Make sure you go upstairs to see one of the most expensive paintings on the Life of Buddha which costs about 50,000 USD.
Taumadhi Square in Bhaktapur: There is a very nice Café here where we had our lunch while at the same time having a great view of the square. Highly recommended!
Nyatapola Temple: Built in 1702 AD, this is one of the tallest pagodas in Nepal.
Pottery Square in Bhaktapur
The "Golden Gate" of Bhaktapur is never to be missed. It is regarded as the most beautiful gates in the world and is the entrance to the main courtyard of the Palace of Fifty Five Windows.
Swayambhunath Temple: It is considered as the most ancient of all the holy shrines in the Kathmandu Valley.
Patan Durbar Square: Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I was really amazed to see all the temples and monuments here.
Kumari Ghar: This is the palace where the Royal Kumari (Living Goddess) of Kathmandu lives. According to our guide, the Kumari's reign ends when she gets her first menstruation. It is a sad fact that after being a "Kumari", she returns to her normal life but moreso, it is unlucky for a man to marry an ex-kumari. It is for this reason that the Nepalese are now trying to have a sort of support to all ex-kumaris to live a better life after their reign.
The Old Royal Palace unfortunately has been severely damaged during the 2015 earthquake.
Temples of Kathmandu Durbar Square where you will see the Taleju Temple among others.
Thamel: In case you love shopping, then a visit to this area is a must. There are lots of trekking products and souvenirs in store for you.
Mountain Flight: This was my personal favorite during our trip to Kathmandu: taking a flight over the Himalayas on Yeti Airlines and seeing the world's highest peak, Mount Everest!
A visit to a monastery
Enjoying Nepalese food: Above is a very tasty soup called Thenthuk, a variant of Thukpa. We also loved the momos or dumplings and the Nepalese Thali among others so make sure you indulge yourself into the best of Nepalese cuisine.
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