Experience in Kathmandu, Nepal by Sachin

What is it like to live in Kathmandu? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Kathmandu is the heart of Nepal, as it is the capital city of the country. So, you can find many beautiful places here. As it is the capital city, it might be crowded, nevertheless, the city will never fail to charm you with its beauty.
The city is also called as the 'city of temples' as you can find many temples in most of the places. Rich with religious and cultural diversity, Kathmandu is also an amazing city to explore.

What is the student lifestyle like in Kathmandu?

Generally, most of the student campus that are located in the city are private based ( few are public). So, they follow a strict routine, like a scheduled class with lecture hours and practical classes. Generally a class would last upto 4-6 hours, depending upon which faculty you study.
Student lifestyle isnot as stressful as in Europe in Kathmandu. You have plenty of time, free time to explore places and time to study as well. Most of the students even work and study as Kathmandu, being a school/college hub, attracts many students from all over Nepal.

How much does it cost to live in Kathmandu?

Well, for sure, Kathmandu being a capital city, is expensive as compared to the other cities of Nepal, but not much as that of other international cities. You can live a quality of life or you can sustain yourself living alone in a large private flat with all sorts of facilities in around 300-350 EUR, excluding the tuition (1EUR= Approx. 128 NPR) If you live with our friends, it could lower even upto 150. So, compared to here in Europe, it s relatively cheap.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Kathmandu? Is there any advice you can give?

Well, yes, it depends where you want to find an accomodation. It is generally difficult to find an accomodation in Kathmandu, in the place that you really want to find. Unfortunately, we don't hve many online system of rental services and pre-booking a room isn't any an option. There are brokers or friends who help you find a room.
These days, Facebook has made it even easier to find the accommodation, as there are these groups which posts about the availability of rooms in various locations, as per the convenience.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Kathmandu is the paradise for foods. Especially a special kind of foods, we call it 'MOMO', aka dumplings stuffed with minced vegetables/meat(anything you like, but the chicken, buff and vegetarian is the most common)which is dipped with a special kind of sauce and is consumed. Momo is what defines kathmandu, as they have a saying- ' It is impossible to find delicious momo anywhere but kathmandu'.
Besides these, the other fastfood chains prepare foods like Chowmein, Chatpate, Newari foods, and other local authentic cusines, that makes it a paradise for food lovers.
For me, Momo is my all time favourite dish. (God I miss momo :( )

What places would you recommend visiting in Kathmandu?

As I said earlier, Kathmandu is a land of culture and historical sites. So there are many monuments that you can see within the city. Some of the heritages sites you shouldn't miss when you're in kathmandu includes:
1. Kathmandu Durbar Square (Also Bhaktapur and lalitpur Durbar Square)
2. Bouddhanath Temple
3. Swyambhunath Temple
4. Kirtipur
5. Pashupatinath Temple Premises
6. Streets of Durbarmarg, Thamel
7. Narayanhiti Museum
8. Nagarkot
9. Shivapuri National Park
10. Trekking around Phulchoki, Kapan, Nagarjun

Is it good to eat out in Kathmandu? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Very much. Eating out will let you try hundreds of cuisines that are prepared in Kathmandu. The local cuisines are equally tasty as the other kinds of fast foods.
Variety of choices are available when it comes to dining outside. Some of my favourite spots includes:
1. BOTA- Simply Momo ( Specialties includes wide choices of momo)
2. Dalle- (Specialties includes 'Jhol MoMo' the best is found here)
3. Roadhouse Cafe- Famous for Pizza (almost all kinds of )
4. Himalayan Java Coffee- (Taste of real coffee produced in Nepal)
5. Trisara- All kinds of international cuisines
6. Lete- For Thakali food (special cuisine of Nepal)

Besides to these, there are other fancy food restaurants and cafes available almost in every half a radius per square km, ensuring that you don't have to stay hungry at all (The prices are real cheap, 4-5 EUR including drinks and deserts)

Is the nightlife good in Kathmandu? Where is good to go?

Nightlife in Kathmandu is fine, but not all places open all night in the city. Only very few places, selected places in Thamel and some other restaurants are opened for a specific time. Normally, the usual opening hours would be till midnight, after that almost all bars and pubs are closed. Some of the pubs or clubs that we can go for late hours includes:
1. Irish pub
2. Tom and jerry Pub ( Funny name but the pub is really good)
3. Moksh
These are dome of the few best bars. There are plenty of bars in the areas like Thamel, Lazimpat, Durbarmarg, Naxal, Jhamsikhel

What advice would you give future students heading to Kathmandu?

Well, Kathmandu is a crowded place, so brace yourdelf for that first of all.
secondly, Donot miss MOMO ( Probably the first thing you should do after arriving kathmnadu should be trying MOMOs )
Have fun.. Kathmandu is a beautiful place and a lovely city. :)