My first trip to Nepal happened almost by accident. Back in 2009, I was living in Hong Kong and desperately wanted to find somewhere to go for Chinese New Year. Since most of the Chinese population is on the move during that time, it was nearly impossible to book flights anywhere. Finally, I spotted one flight that wouldn’t cost a few paychecks.
Nepal……the only thing I knew about the country was that Mary really, really wanted to travel there in the movie “There’s Something about Mary.
Kathmandu……the only thing I knew about the city was the it was also the name of a popular outdoor shop in New Zealand.
Although I like to consider myself knowledgeable about the world, this was literally all I knew about Nepal. That and the fact that their royal family had gotten murdered.
I started doing some research and found out that Kathmandu had once been part of the fabled “Hippy Trail” that led from Europe overland to Asia and even had a street named “Freak Street” where all of the hippies used to hang out. It was also safe to travel to as a solo female traveler. Those little tidbits of information were enough to make me book the flight.
I booked my flight and eventually boarded my plane to Kathmandu. Upon arriving to the city and into my pre-booked hotel, I was told that my room was full and that I was getting relocated to another hotel. This new hotel happened to be next to a nightclub and full of Chinese people. So long for my little break away from China……I finally managed to get to sleep to the sound of Mandarin being shouted and bass being pumped.
Durbar Square 
Who’s the boss?
The next morning, I set off to explore the city. What an amazing city it is! The labyrinth of streets enclose a microcosm of humanity. Down every alleyway and through every tiny doorway, there is a shop or someone’s home and everywhere you look, people are hard at work. The crown jewel of Kathmandu is Durbar Square, the seat of the old royal palaces of the former Kathmandu Kingdom. The red and brown pagodas that surround you feel like they should be in a movie set from an “exotic” 1960s movie. Old men sit along the benches watching the world go by as mothers hurriedly try and get their kids through the square to get to school on time. Cows strut through the square as if they own the place and pigeons hover around hoping to find some stray food left behind by the market stalls or the hopeful sellers that try and entice you to buy their snacks.
Got prayer? 
Chill’axin all cool….
After spending a few days exploring the city, it was unfortunately time to head back to Hong Kong. I hoped that it wasn’t going to be the last trip and luckily, I was right.
