First Impressions NEPAL , Kathmandu City
For the next 3 weeks, I will be exploring Nepal. This country has been on my bucket list for such a long time and I can't believe it's finally happening. We flew from Bali to Kuala Lumpur and had the best bummy of our lives and we might have enjoyed this a little bit too much.
Followed by some crazy turbulence and the most beautiful cloud views I've ever seen and in Kuala Lumpur, we had a quick stop and enjoyed some fresh, healthy juices. From there, it was a 5 hour flight to Kathmandu, where we arrived late in the night and we loved it immediately. We made it and it is so cold, but...
the air is so so fresh. I loved it. In this video, I will share my first impressions of Nepal, where we will explore the most famous stupa of Kathmandu, we try local food. Wow! We see the Nepalese living goddess, we play with the local kids and we become friends with all the pigeons in Kathmandu, so let's dive into it. This is officially our first morning in Kathmandu.
This one is so excited, I am really excited as well. We just had breakfast at Yala Peak Cafe, that is also where we are staying and right now we are going to have our first impressions of this beautiful city. First thing that really interests my mind is all the cables here. This is crazy to see. There's so much life on the street; look at this. They're selling already they're vegetables and there's a lot of honking and a lot of people already.
This is what I love; it's still early in the morning and here we can see all the fresh fruits and vegetables. It looks so fresh and I love that, but a lot of cars and a lot of traffic and I see so many nice shops already with a lot of handmade stuff. I am dressed today in very warm clothes because it is cold in Nepal, and that is something that I really need to get used to. These are linen trousers that we have here and this, I see this so many times, I really wanna have one like this. So traditional, so beautiful.
How much? - 800. 800, okay! I love all the different colors that they have right here and all the different kind of clothes. This is so traditional.
I found Wisnu the perfect hat, can I see? Look at this. This is perfect. Look at Wisnu's hat. - Wow, I love it! This is a Wisnu cap. Yeah, it is. - You should get it. - It's like a cowboy.
Look at this. This is crazy. So I heard that next year this will all be underground, but right now there are so many cables here, it's the first thing that really sparks my interest is all the cables on the streets; it's wild. Here you can see another poll with all the electricity and look at this, so here we have this, and then here it is crazy to me that everything still works.
Everything is so beautiful and I love how cold it is, like it's not too cold for me at all. I love the temperature. This is, for me, perfect temperature. I think it's around 20 degrees right now.
19-20 degrees, which is perfect. I literally can't believe how much detail goes into these buildings. Look at this; even the doors are absolutely stunning.
Wow! I feel like every street corner here is out doing itself; it's so so beautiful and so much art is going on here. Wow! I can walk around here for days and still be surprised by every single part of it. We just stumbled upon our first Buddhist temple here in the middle of the city. It is so so stunning. Behind me, you can see that it is a gorgeous one.
I love the eyes in the middle. There are lots of pigeons actually next to it. There are lots of people feeding the pigeons, which is such a good vibe. It is very quiet here as well; there are no cars and I just love it so much. The pigeons add like a beautiful context to this whole place. So this place where we are right now is actually a miniature replica of Swayambhunath Temple, so that is actually...
this is the small version of the bigger one, which we are visiting as well on this trip, but this is beautiful. There is so much detail that goes into this place and I love the vibe, I love the bright colors, I love the flags; it is so so stunning and I feel like this is unlike anything else I have ever seen. The stores here at this place are so stunning and I feel so calm here. I don't know what it is, but I love this place so much. My first impressions are the people are extraordinary nice; they are so so nice, so loving, so helpful.
I love the pigeons everywhere; it is so beautiful and it is calm as well. There is such a beautiful and serene vibe here. I found some really really nice quotations and there're by Dalai Lama, and I probably wanna have one. Let's see inside. This is so stunning. - What did you say? Never Give Up or...
The Meaning Of Life. - The True Meaning Of Life. Yes, that's what I want. Look at this.
So stunning. Wow! But you have the other one as well? The True Meaning Of Life. - The True Meaning Of Life. Yeah!
They're trying to find my favorite one, but I think maybe they don't have it anymore. Wow! So stunning. So this is the one that I want to have "The True Meaning Of Life." This is so sunning, but can we do this for 300? - How many do you want, two or just one? One.
- It's a good price. Good price, yeah! - Okay, fine! Yeah? Perfect! That's also what I want to say: look at how stunning the money is. Like they're tigers on it and the mountain. Is it Himalaya Mountain? - Himalaya Mountain.
It's on every bill? - Yeah, 1 to 500 rupees. Wow! I love this so much. I'm really happy with this. Thank you! I'm gonna hang this in my house.
- Thank you! Bye! See you! - Okay, bye bye! Have a good day! - You too! Bye! First buy of the day in the pocket. You guys are the coolest. Very good, very good. - Very good, very good...
- Where are you from? From the Netherlands. - You want to say hi? - Hello! What's your name? Nice to meet you. And your name? They're so nice. Okay guys, see you.
- Okay, bye bye! Bye! - See you tomorrow. Have a good day! Bye! Oh my God, this is adorable. I love it! Bye bye! - Bye! I love kids so much, it's insane.
Oh my God, they're the most precious little angels on this planet. Especially when they're so open and they're so talkative, I love that here. Everyone is so open once you start a conversation... Love it. It is already a little bit later and the sun is really coming out.
It is getting hotter than it was before, so I think it's about time to take off our jackets and now the temperature is really, really nice. Still not too hot and amazing to walk around. Wow, so many musical instruments here on the wall. It looks so aesthetic, I love it so much. A lot of people are eating right here, drinking chai, and then here you can see the guitars on the wall.
It is stunning. Such an old-school vibe. I love the community vibe here.
Look at everyone eating and sitting together and just enjoying. Wow, we arrived at the famous square; it is called Hanoman Dhoka Durbar Square. Oh, we have to pay an entrance fee of 1,000 per person, and it is valid for the whole day, so that is nice.
I pay for two. - Okay, which country are you from? The Netherlands. Whoa...
- Wow! What is this? That's a lot. - This is to wear it, this is the ticket, and this is the information. - This is overwhelming for us. Okay, we have to go there now. So the living goddess is really a big thing in Kathmandu, and apparently there's only a few minutes left that she's here, so we are going there right now because now it's the prime time and she will be gone in a few minutes. Let's see if we made it in time.
Wow! Look at the square; this is beautiful and so big. I love it. We were just in the temple where Kumari or also called the Living Goddess comes, and we saw her, and this was so magical. This is such an interesting story to me. So the Kumari is actually a Nepalese religious tradition, and it is believed that the goddess, the little girl that we just saw, she is a virgin, and it is believed that the girl is possessed by the goddess Taleju or Durga, and the word Kumari is derived from Sanskrit meaning Princess, and everyone worships this little girl and she can also not touch the ground. She has to be carried all the time.
Everyone worships her, and then when she gets her period, she returns to a normal person, which is wild to me. It is such an interesting story. We just saw her, but no one is allowed to take photos or pictures of her, but she is truly beautiful and majestic.
Wow! There are actually only several Kumari's in the whole of Nepal, and apparently the most worshipped one is here in Kathmandu, so I feel so lucky that we got to see them and this is such a special thing to me. I never heard of this before; it's magical. Wow, that's so cool.
Is it sharp? - No, it's not sharp Oh, that's okay! And it's beautiful; and what's on here? - Design. Is it made with the hands? - Yes! Wow! I love this so much. How much is it? - This one is 2000, ma'am, and this one is 1500.
Wow! I really like this. - But you cannot. Maybe in like the check-in luggage. Look at this; it even says Nepal. - No, no, no, no, that's not possible. I think it is.
Look at all these beautiful things here. Wow! I am again in Wonderland. These are so so stunning.
There's so many handcrafted materials here. Jade Stone? Oh... - This one is the jade stone.
Ambrosia. Beautiful! - This one is turquoise. You know turquoise? No! - This is sunny star. They're all gorgeous. What's this? - Tiger eye.
Tiger eye. Is it good luck? - Yeah, yeah! Why is it good luck? Can you explain? - Good luck means good energy power. Oh, good energy. - Yeah! I need that maybe. - Look, this one is Tiger eye.
This looks like the same tiger eye. Oh yeah, that's actually true. Looks like a tiger eye, that's really cool. How much are these? The small one. - This one is 500 rupees. Oh! - This is 700.
I think 300 is my best price. - Okay, okay, you want two or one? No, just one. - Okay, okay! Yeah? - It's Nepali price, yeah! Nepali price. - Yeah! Perfect! Okay, I'll take it. - Where are you from?
The Netherlands. - Oh, good, good, good! And what is it again for? For healthy body, right? I believe you. So if I carry it, I have healthy body. - No, no. Oh, energy! I have a lot of energy then.
I will have a lot of energy. - You are on YouTube? - Yeah, I'm a YouTuber. - Yeah? Yeah! - Oh, that's good. Yes! - Hello! Hello! What's your name? - My name Siraj. Siraj? Nice to meet you. I'm Susan. - Okay, nice to meet you. Okay, wait...
Okay, thank you! - Thank you! Perfect! - Yeah, have a good day! Thank you, bye! - Bye! We are gonna have lunch at Morrison Cafe. Oh my God, so many stairs. I wasn't prepared for this.
This is nice. Wow, and it's busy here as well. This looks so nice. I have no idea what it is.
We have like a food stall here and it looks amazing. There are a lot of people here eating, buying these things. I think here we have samosas, and then this thing I've never seen it before. - What is it? - Potato and beans. Potato and beans. - Yeah, potato and beans curry.
Oh... Maybe I wanna try one. It looks so interesting. It's boiling.
Wow! - How much is one? - 80 rupees. 18? - No, 80. 80, okay! Okay, let's see how they make it. I'm really curious. Put that in there and this one... - Potato. Potato, okay! Oh, it smells so nice. Let's see.
- You want spicy? No, no, no, no... - No onion? No! Perfect! Oh, I'm really excited for this. - Curd? Yeah, a little bit. Just gonna try as authentic as possible.
- Coriander? No! I don't like. - You are simple girl. Yes! Simple. Simple, but to the point.
Oh, thank you so much! - It's hot, be careful. It's so hot. It looks like this and it smells phenomenal. I feel like there's so many herbs and everything going on in here. I can't wait for my first bite. It smells already amazing, but it's really hot.
Wow! And there's so many flavors going on. This is wild. It tastes like almost a dish that you eat in the night, but it's also sweet. There's also something sweet going on in here, which makes me very confused, but I love the flavor. It has this nice curry masala flavor that I really like, and there's chickpeas in here that's my favorite and there's a little bit of spicy sauce, which is just perfect together with the curd.
I love it. I would say 9 out of 10. It's really good. You wanna try? - Yeah! I'm scared. Is it hot? No! - It's spicy? No! - I'm scared.
It's okay, it's okay! It's so special, but I really like it. I've never had anything like this before. I think there's also black pepper. - I don't know about it. Really? - So many flavors are going on...
A lot of flavors. - A lot of spices and herbs; it's nice, but I wouldn't eat this for dinner or something. No? - It's too much going on. Too overwhelming for you? - Yeah! I can't explain how it tastes. I just took such a hot bite. - And there's pepper; it's spicy. Yeah!
- I give it 7.7-7.0 out of 10. I give it 9. I really like it. - What? Yeah, I also like the peanuts in there. It looks very messy, but it's still very nice.
What do we do the whole day, guys? - Enjoying the air. Enjoying the fresh air. It's so good to be here. The air is nice and dry and all the time we are walking and...
breathing in the fresh air. - And the people are so beautiful here. Yeah! They're gorgeous.
Look at this. This is the funniest thing ever. All the tourists in the little rickshaws, I think you call it, and also a thing which is so surprising to me, the cars here are so incredibly small. Look, there's coming one here; it's a taxi. Look how small it is; it's crazy. The three of us almost didn't fit in the car with all of our luggage, and I see there are so many of these small cars, which is definitely quite interesting, but they're everywhere, and I love it.
It's a really cool vibe. Hello! Oh, you have the flute again. I don't want it, thank you! But it looks amazing. But I'm not very musical. - No? No! You? You can play? - Yeah! So nice. Wow, you are talented.
I wish I was talented like that. Very good! Thank you so much! - Wow, what do you have? I love it. It's so nice.
Thank you! Wow, I just saw this beautiful man dressed in the most beautiful clothes I've ever seen. He was so colorful, all in orange. I sat next to him and that's why he did this.
I love it so much. So that's why, for the rest of this video, I will have this in my face. He was a really nice human being and so so beautiful. This place is so stunning. There are a lot of people, though, but it is definitely worth it.
There's such an authentic vibe; there are lots of pigeons actually here and the buildings are one of a kind. I've never seen anything like this before. It feels like a little bit old traditional Chinese style from what I know, but it's so so beautiful, and right now they're ringing the bell. Lots of people are just sitting here enjoying themselves. There's a really nice atmosphere.
Lots of tourist with also lots of local people. And actually, look behind me, where all the pigeons are right now. All the pigeons and all the people feeding them. So nice. This is beautiful. A lot of people are getting their blessings here, and they're praying as well.
It is stunning to see. You can see here stones and on top of that, there is this tree made. This is stunning.
This whole square is so beautiful. I cannot believe how epic this is. How nature wrapped around the stones and just grew.
Right now, we are leaving the square. It is getting more and more crowded, and we are off to our next spot of the day. Right now, we're waiting for our car to arrive. It's busy, but there are so many nice things. There's so many shops here and it is just stunning.
Like the whole vibe here is so authentic. We made it to probably the most famous spot in Kathmandu. This is World Tourism Heritage Site. This is crazy; it is so huge.
We just arrived. As you can see, it is insanely busy everywhere. There are lots and lots of people from all over the world who come here to visit this magical place. So we found a quiet spot to look at this gorgeous, gorgeous place. I am literally in love.
This is so beautiful. This is always what you see when you are googling in Nepal and Kathmandu. This place is called Boudhanath Stupa, and it is actually one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world and the fun fact is it keeps an eye out in every direction, so there are eyes in every direction and it looks all around. The interesting thing is for hundreds of years, the Boudhanath Stupa has stood as a beacon of Buddhist belief, towering over the surrounding town as a giant mandala of peace and beauty, and also giant eyes. This place was built in the 14th century, and it is built right after the passing of the Buddha. It's crazy how big this place is.
Look behind me, here you can see how big and tall it is compared, and you see a lot of people are here right now and everyone walks into the same direction, which is definitely interesting. They're all walking around the stupa that way. So Janine just asked someone that everyone walks here around clockwise to get inner strength, and that inner strength you can use to help other people because eventually that is the whole essence of life to help others because everyone always thinks they can do everything by themselves, but according to Buddhism, that is not the case. So we are joining everyone walking around. It's so peaceful; it's so nice.
Everyone is doing their own thing; people are making pictures; people are feeding the pigeons; there are a lot; and people are just sitting, chilling on the couches doing their own thing. It is really beautiful. I also especially love all the flags with all the little prayers on them. It's so stunning and there are so many.
So if you turn these... that's also for a good luck, apparently. Look, everyone is doing it. They're turning it here, so you can touch it and turn it. So interesting. We are leaving.
We are officially leaving the square. It was such a beautiful sunset and right now we are hungry. This was such a pleasure. Once-in-a-lifetime experience, I really, really liked it and enjoyed myself here so much. I definitely recommend you to come here. This was a really good vibe, beautiful experience.
The people were amazing, so good. We made it onto our last stop of the day and that is shopping, because this morning we saw so many nice shopping places and I still need to have some shoes, some jackets because it's cooler here than I thought it would be and here is what I think is so interesting. Here you can see these really, really warm vests and it's only 1000.
So this is $6 for a vest like this and I love it. This is perfect. So these are all these thinner things that you can put under your clothes and then you will stay warm. In the Netherlands, you would pay such a big price for it, and look at these jackets. There are so many here and I love all of these. Even like these nice warm trousers.
There's so much choice and all the backpacks here. I am trying on this North Face jacket, and it is so nice and so warm already, but it's just here. My hips are too big for it, but it's... I like it, though.
It's really really warm. This is so good. Look at this. I really like this one and I love the color as well.
Unfortunately, the jacket was a little bit too small, so I have to find another shop where they have bigger sizes. These jackets are a lifesaver, and it's also good to know that actually everything that you might need for your trip in Nepal, you can find in the shops here. All equipment, it's here. So that is a very, very good tip. You don't need to prepare well for your trip because everything is here.
We are at a different shop and I just saw these. I need good hiking shoes, so I asked for my size and let's see if they have it and then I can try them on. There is so much choice. All these bags, all these shoes. We're all looking and trying to fit something.
These duffle bags. You like them, no? - I'm gonna get it, but I'm playing hard to get because I'm bargaining and I need to get cash. I'm gonna try it with a sock that makes more sense because I was trying without, so here we go, and then let's see this one. Okay, these are actually very comfortable; they look like this. Okay guys, Janine and Wisnu left me, and I still have to make a choice for the jacket, so this is color number one.
This is, I think, a bit green with gray and it looks like this, but I also have it with blue, which I'm gonna show you right now. This is the blue one and it looks like this. I'm so curious. Can you guys please put in the comments down below which one you like better. To be honest, I think I'm gonna get the blue one.
I love it better than the other one. I have another one. Okay, this is in orange one from the North Face and I love this so much.
Which one is your favorite? This one? I love that. - Yeah! Okay, that's perfect! He loves my skin. I'll have this, so that's good. I love the orange as well. People will always recognize me with this color on... My YouTube "Gypsy in Sneakers."
I can type it. - Yes! Let me type it for you. - Because I like the travelers.
Oh, I love that. So I live in Bali, and I traveled around Bali, India and now Nepal. - Oh my God, you have a lot of subscribers (286k). Yes! - Wow, nice! Thank you! So I got the shoes only because I cannot make a decision. I have to make the decision by myself. I see this one now as well.
The colors here are phenomenal. So for now, it's only the shoes because I really need them; they were on my bucket list and I paid around 5,000, so that is around $30, I think, for these shoes. We found ourselves a really traditional store. I am in love with all these things.
Oh, Janine this looks so nice. It's typical winter vibes. Look at all the colors here; it's so traditional and this is actually my favorite. Maybe I'm gonna try it on see how it looks like, but these things are so good and look at all the hats. You can literally find everything here.
We have another beautiful one. I like this so much. It is a little bit too big for me, unfortunately, and I'm gonna buy a jacket, so I don't think I'm gonna get it, but here this is an example to show what you can get here.
I love the color as well, and it's so warm; it's really nice. This is gonna be probably the last buy of the day; it's the jacket. I just tried it on and it is the best one I've tried up until now. It's really comfortable and it's oversized, which I love. It's from North Face and it's black, so it suits with everything and I think this is gonna be it.
I think it's better than the other colors that I just tried. Let me show you. Here you can see it one more time; it's big and oversized. I can easily move in it as well, so that's super important. 5,800 is what I'm gonna pay for this one and now I have bought a winter jacket and hiking shoes, so I'm now officially completely ready.
We made it back to our room. I am so so happy with everything that I bought today and everything that we did, everything that we saw. I can already say that Nepal truly is incredible. I feel so at home here.
I cannot wait to explore the next 3 more weeks more of this truly amazing country. So if you do not want to miss any of these adventures, please do not forget to like and subscribe, and I'll see you in my next Nepal adventure. Bye!
2023-12-12 20:34
