Solo in Kathmandu - NOT What I Expected | This is what Kathmandu is REALLY LIKE

Since I'm from India, I never thought that I would find any city overwhelming. But then I reached Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. And at first sight, it is hectic, chaotic and dusty. But as soon as you look beyond, you find the layers of culture, history, tradition and amazing food. Combine it with some friendly locals and you get an unforgettable trip. So let me show you the different shades of Kathmandu. Today's guide is Swetha. Swetha is my friend's cousin, a local of Kathmandu and was nice enough to show me around. It's always amazing to go on tours and see things from a historical and information perspective. But the experiences that you get by spending just a day with a local is so different. And that is why although she met me in Darbar Square, which is the main tourist attraction in the city, we did not stay there. We jumped on a local bus and headed to Bhaktapur. I don't need to say that it was a bumpy ride. Took us two hours to get there. I paid 500 rupees and entered the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bhaktapur. Now if you're thinking what's so special about it, well, Bhaktapur is like an open-air museum and it feels like you have travelled back in time. I'm a history nerd, so this place was like a goldmine for me. While we were walking towards the main square, Swetha spotted a tiny almost hidden shop with simple wooden bench outside serving momo. There was no fancy decor, no menu board. We went in and ordered my first plate of real Nepalese momo. We ordered a plate of Jhol momo, which is a staple of Nepal and you absolutely have to try if you're going there. This is my soul food. I was dying to try this. And yes, honestly, you don't get this taste in India. I was absolutely mind-blown by how good it was and I did not know this was just the beginning of Nepalese cuisine blowing my mind. After our tummy and hearts full, we walked over to explore the Bhaktapur Darbar Square. As we went deeper, I realised that Bhaktapur is not just another stop in the Kathmandu Valley. It's one of the three great medieval cities built by the Nevar people, who were the indigenous community that's called this valley home for over 2,000 years. The Nevars were master builders, artists, and traders. The people behind the valley's iconic pagoda temples, intricate wood carvings, and vibrant festivals. And I did not miss a chance to try some street food. Starting off with some pani puri, which was not too different from what we have in India. And a plate of chatpate. This literally means king of yogurts and Jujudhau is a speciality of Bhaktapur. Day two in Kathmandu, Nepal and starting off my day with a temple visit. This is Swembu temple, which is also known as monkey temple. And as soon as you walk into this complex, it's like you leave the city behind and there's no more noise and this area is so peaceful. Seriously thought that the temple is just that and these two, that's it. But the complex is much bigger than that. This place gives you some kind of peace. It's hard to find anywhere else. I don't know, I'm just so happy from inside and I don't feel like leaving this place. I thought maybe like people are just like overhyping Swembu temple, but it's worth it. It's beautiful. And I can tell why Doctor Strange was filmed here as well. Okay, and from Shambunath, this is what you get. This view. I met a fellow YouTuber. He does like railway vlogs and I think I saw his video where I was planning to come to Nepal because I thought I want to come here by train, but the train route was a little too difficult to take. So I was like, okay, I'll just catch a flight. But yeah, I have seen his videos and they were very informative. So you can check it out if you want to come to Nepal by train or do train journeys in India. He does only train vlogs. So that's pretty cool. Found one of these. This is the public transport in Kathmandu and it's called micro. So cool. Okay, let's see where I can find another micro to go to Patan. I think all the main areas are connected from Ratna Park. So if you come to Ratna Park from anywhere, you can find buses to almost every single place. But okay, let's find out. Let me ask people. Patan, Lalitpur? Back side. I think after I came to Nepal, I realized how less aware I am of Nepali cuisine and there's so much to try. I've been taking notes and asking other Nepali people what should I try and I got a recommendation to try Newari Khaja set which is, Newari is a different culture and they have their own khali kind of bread where they have two different dishes. I found a restaurant, Babulal Neva Khaja Ghar in Patan. This is like a very, very local restaurant. It's someone's home. It's like straight out of your mom's kitchen. It's the most not so fancy restaurant you will find here. It's not fancy but it is something very authentic, very local. Okay, so this is the Newari Khaja set. This is something we call chidwa in Hindi but these are rice flakes, some kind of meat, mixed veggies, chana, achari, aloo and dal. I think there's some kind of meat, slightly spicy. Every single thing is so good. I haven't estimated the spice level. F**k. It was a lot of food and I just paid 280 for the whole plate and a drink. I think it's time to walk this, all the food off. Okay, and after getting lost a little bit, I am here at Patan Darbar Square. This is another place in Kathmandu, just like five kilometers from Tamil in Lalitpur. And this is one of the oldest cities in Nepal. Some evidences date back to like 3rd century BC. This place was pretty much devastated by earthquake in 2015 but they are working to restore it. So 250 rupees for Indians and you get this pass to go in here, which is the Royal Palace and the National Museum. I just keep stopping and taking pictures because these carvings and this architecture is so stunning. I mean each of these columns have something going on in them and like every single column, nothing's plain. Oh my gosh, definitely go inside, it's beautiful. The carvings and the museum and the artifacts, they are stunning. It was one of those places that just makes you want to stay longer. I personally did not want to leave. I was there just sitting, looking at things go by and lucky me, I also saw a cultural procession where people were just gathering together and they danced over there. I have no idea what the festival was but seeing these people just enjoying themselves in a communal place was so beautiful. It was almost sunset, the crowd started getting bigger and I decided it was time to hop on a motorbike and head to my last spot which was Pashupatinath Temple, which is the very very big temple in Kathmandu. There are a lot of monkeys here, I'm kind of scared. If you're an Indian, if you're a Hindu, you can just come in here, it's no ticket. But if you're a foreigner, you have to pay 1000 rupees. I didn't have to pay anything, I'm from India so they just asked me where I'm from. The main temple is behind me but I'm going to go and check out up here. This is a huge pilgrimage site for Hindus. Okay, you need to take your shoes off and there are lockers here. This is the main temple, not everyone can go in and photos and everything are restricted so I'm leaving everything inside. It is a very old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered as one of the holiest places on earth for Hindus. Inside the temple, it can get a little chaotic. I truly appreciate the fact that no electronics are allowed inside. So you go inside just to seek blessings and pray and there are no external factors interrupting your thoughts. The most peculiar thing about this place is that just outside the temple is open air cremation site where according to Hinduism, the last rites of the dead is performed and you will see bodies burning every day. I was recommended to attend the evening aarti but unfortunately, I was getting late so I could not attend it. However, this is how it looked like. I just got to see a little bit of it. But if you can time it right and if you have got enough time, then I definitely recommend you sit through the evening aarti. After all this time in Kathmandu valley, I can tell you that the chaos is real but so are the courtyards, the crafts, the food, the festivals. Kathmandu has layers and you decide which ones to peel back. If you pause, you'll hear temple bells beneath the traffic, taste centuries in a spoon of yogurt and find kindness in a tiny momo shop with no signboard. In the city, you see what you choose to see. The flaws are part of the frame, not the picture. So you have to look closer. Thanks for exploring Kathmandu with me. I hope I changed your perspective and if this helped you see the valley differently, hit subscribe and save this video for your trip. And if you're planning a trip to Nepal, check out this other video where I have explained every single thing you need to know to plan your own trip without any issues. I'll see you in the next one.