There are many places to visit and things to do in and around the Kathmandu valley. Most of us, however, find ourselves doing the same things weekend after weekend because we don’t know what else we can do that doesn’t involve going out of the valley. We at The Week talked to a few people around town in our hunt for new things to do this weekend.
Feeding the fish
Rezina Maharjan and her friends love to de-stress and walk to Siddha Pokhari and spend time feeding the fish and talking to one another. “I live in Bhaktapur and with the many things I have on my plate, it is tough for me to go anywhere else,” she reveals. However when the stress of college and assignments catch up, she finds that this place is really peaceful and makes her unwind easily. Various little shops around the pond sell food to feed the fishes for as cheap as Rs 10. The hike to reach the place from where she lives gives her a little exercise as well.
Getaway
Osho tapoban is where Milan Nepali likes to go to relax and unwind during the weekends. You can enter the retreat for a minimal price and spend the whole day relaxing in the midst of nature. It’s a great place close to the city where you can unwind and feel the stress of everyday life leave you. They have even opened a spa that has one-day packages that are therapeutic and relaxing. It is the perfect retreat for someone who seeks to be one with nature. It is also a meditational retreat where you can spend a few days living in the spiritual community. “I have been there a few times, and once on a meditation retreat for 15 days and I cannot stop talking about how amazing I feel when I go there,” he says.
People watch
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“Bouddha is definitely the number one place where I spend almost all my spare time,” reveals Shreeya Bhattrai. She loves to watch people and observe the rich cultural experiences that Bouddha provides. She loves witnessing people, dressed in their ethnic attire, stroll around and turning the prayer wheels while just going about their day. The fact that this little piece of safe haven exists, not even two minutes walk away from a busy street, makes her feel like she stepped through a portal every time she walks in through the welcoming gate of the stupa. While she is there, she makes sure to not miss out on a plate or two of laphing as well.
Food day
Bhaktapur, with its temples, vibrancy and relatively less polluted air, is what attracts Barsha Silwal towards the Durbar Square whenever she has free time. “The aesthetics there create great photo opportunities as well,” she says. She, however, is not there just for the photo ops; she is there for the Newar delicacies found in almost every alley in the area. From juju dhau and baras to chatamaris and choilas, she has them all while strolling around; visiting temples in order to make space in her stomach for more food. To end the day, she caps off with a pint of local alcohol and returns to the city with a fuzzy, relaxed mind.
Hiking
The short hike that leads to Sundarijal is what Malvika Dhakal likes to do at least once a month. “I always fall short on my exercise goals during the month so I try to make up for it by hiking as frequently as I can,” she says. The hike only takes a day and leads to a beautiful waterfall that makes all the walking worth it in the end. She wasn’t the biggest fan of walking before her friends dragged her out of bed and took her there one day. She remembered being grumpy and complaining the entire time. And she also remembers how, when she reached the top, she couldn’t bring herself to frown anymore, and the trip ended with her thanking her friends for making her do this.
Monkey watch
When she goes to the Pashupatinath Temple in the evening, she will usually venture towards the deer park after praying. “As you keep going towards the Guheshwori Temple, there is a viewing area that directly overlooks the small pond and you often see monkeys jumping off the branches on the tress there,” says Kshitiza Bidari. She often finds monkeys a nuisance, having lived in Gaushala for more than two decades, but there at that one point she is fascinated by them. She reveals that the monkeys swim effortlessly after having dived in and the resemblance between them and humans are uncanny at that point. She will often return to the temple for the evening arati before heading home.
Me time
Garden of Dreams has been a boon not just for young couples but also for people who want to spend some quality time away from the hustle bustle of city life. “I feel like I have entered a whole new dimension where the word stress isn’t allowed to exist when I enter,” says Aashish Shrestha. He often goes there with a book, around 10 am so that he can get his hands on a mattress and bolster. With a snack in his bag, he stays there the whole day, eating and reading well into the evening. Most of the time he switches his phone off as well and his family members know that if he has left to go there they will not be able to contact him. He finds it nice to go on a gadget cleanse, even if it is just for a few hours, every once in a while.
Hanging out
“Patan Durbar Square is very close to my house and I often find myself heading there with my friends or sisters,” says Nistha Amatya. After a long day at work, she likes to unwind by sitting on the ledge of the museum and watching people pass by. More often than not, she will indulge in pani puri and chatpate, and one of her favorite Newar food place is Honacha; right behind the Krishna Mandir. Strolling around the Square and the alleys, sometimes trying (and failing) to take artsy pictures is what she loves the most about being there. It acts as a window into other people’s lives from where you can catch just a glimpse. She and her sisters sometimes find themselves sitting beside a group of old men, unable to leave, fascinated by the stories of their past.
Long drives
“Weekends are the only time when me and my wife have some time together”, says Saugat Rimal. The two of them leave their child with his grandparents and go out for a drive together to catch up on everything they might have missed about each other during the week. There is no method in choosing a place, and they just want to go to the outskirts of the city. They have often gone back to Nagarkot for there is a turning before you reach the top where they can park the car and sit amongst nature with a small restaurant that will make them ‘sadeko waiwai’. It used to be their spot before they even got married and the place is close to their hearts.
Hunting
The hunt for good food is always on and it makes Anurag Acharya and his friends go to many places around town to find the perfect plate of momos or the perfect chocolate cake. “I don’t like to go to the same place twice, and if I do, I will never order the same food there,” he says. “We don’t go to places to hang out because most of the time, we gather so that we can eat. We look for places that are relatively cheap and affordable,” he says adding that Aroma café in Jamal is a place they have been to on many occasions for the pizza there stands out. Although it’s not like Roadhouse’s pizza that we all love, it is wood fire pizza and very cheesy. “My only advice is eat it before it gets cold,” he concludes.
