“What do you love about it so much?” is a question I invariably get asked when I tell people I live in Kathmandu. This typically comes from foreigners who have never visited and are curious as to why I cannot stop raving about the city that stole my heart, and locals who are either happy that someone who isn’t Nepalese loves it this much or those who don’t understand why.

I mean, I get the scepticism. The city is chaotic and dusty, and construction is sprawling out of control. The public transport system is a shambles, the healthcare leaves a lot to be desired, and the rivers smell of sewage. There are little to no public parks/green spaces, the pavements are so messed up that it’s easier to walk on the road, and there’s no social security. Life is difficult for the majority of people who live here.

I’m aware that my life in Kathmandu is much easier than it is for the majority of the city’s population. Does that make it easier to love it? I’m sure it does. So take my observations as they’re meant to be: reasons I fell in love with a city that up until five years ago I’d never visited and not a social commentary on its many issues.

I’ve always found it somewhat difficult to answer the question as to why I love Kathmandu. Because, if you take the above into consideration, you’d think there’s not much to love here at all. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. While I still maintain that the best of feelings in the world are the ones you cannot quite put into words, I’ve decided to try and at least give a few reasons as to why I think I fell in love with it.

I have a spiritual connection to the city

Before you roll your eyes, I assure you I’m not a New Age hippie who is about to tell you why I ‘vibe’ with Kathmandu. I dye my hair with chemicals, I don’t own any hemp products (to my knowledge), and I don’t believe that crystals can heal me. But I am spiritual, and I do believe there’s something beyond this life, something human intelligence cannot comprehend.

Now that we got that out of the way, I’ll tell you the story of how I came to fall in love with Kathmandu. I first visited in November 2016 while I was living in Dubai. I needed to go on a visa run and decided to travel somewhere for a long weekend at the same time. I asked some friends for suggestions on where to go and almost all of them responded with some variation of:

“Kathmandu. You’d LOVE it, it’s so your kind of place. In fact, I’m surprised you haven’t been yet.”

And so I visited for five days in what became a whirlwind romance of a trip. That is, I fell in love with the city.

One defining moment that I refer back to again and again was my visit to Boudhanath Stupa, one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world. As I made my way around, I went into a monastery that lines its circumference. One flight of stairs up, I found a terrace where worshippers were sitting on the floor, facing the stupa. I went inside the monastery where I found massive statues of the Buddha and other Buddhist deities, and as I looked up at this marvel of gold, the worshippers outside began to chant mantras in unison.

I started to cry my eyes out.

At that point in time, I was two years into a breakup that had literally floored me and led to what was one of the most difficult times of my life. Long story short, the teachings of the Buddha are what saw me through. So, being in one of the most important centres of Buddhism at what was the tail end of this bad time in my life was fitting. At that moment, I felt that I’d unwittingly found myself on a pilgrimage to say thank you to Lord Buddha for his teachings because they’d saved me.

My connection to Kathmandu and Nepal as a whole was sealed there. I regularly go back to Boudhanath, which is my favourite place in the world, and I still remember this moment fondly.

I am inspired by its architectural treasures

Kathmandu is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and there are several World Heritage Sites dotted around, from the three Durbar Squares to the aforementioned Boudhanath Stupa, to Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath. It doesn’t matter how many times I visit any of these places, I never fail to be inspired or moved by them. My writer’s imagination literally goes wild as I sit and imagine the thousands upon thousands of people who have walked around those same sites, the lives they lived, the stories they must have had to tell.

And some of these treasures are on my doorstep

I lived within walking distance of Patan Durbar Square, one of my favourite parts of the city, for more than a year. The streets surrounding the square are a maze of hidden passageways, religious temples and shrines, concealed squares and sublime Newa architecture. I’d regularly take evening walks in the area and would still manage to find something new to see or a hidden passage I had yet to discover.

Again, it was an endless supply of fuel for my imagination. You cannot help but be inspired when you’re in a place that’s steeped in so much history. And if you dig a little deeper, you’re bound to find more and more treasures to explore, which is what makes the area endlessly rewarding.

I love being surrounded by the hills and mountains

Nepal is known for its spectacular landscapes and, of course, for being home to the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest (or Sagarmatha as it is known here). Kathmandu itself is in a valley, so we’re surrounded by hills. But, most excitingly of all, the mountains make an appearance on clear days. particularly during the winter months or in between stormy days when it’s the monsoon season.

It doesn’t matter how many times this happens I still literally yelp in excitement when the snowy peaks reveal themselves.

I’ve always said that the way the mountains play hide and seek with us is a good regular reminder that nothing is permanent and we shouldn’t take things for granted. So whenever I see them, I take a moment to appreciate their beauty not knowing when (or let’s face it, if) I’ll see them again.

I can hike in some of the most beautiful landscapes every weekend

I wasn’t an outdoors person until I moved to Nepal. I did my first trek in 2020, and since then I look for any opportunity to be out in nature. During the dry months, I love hiking in the hills that surround the city. I mean, it’s difficult not to become an outdoors person when so much beauty is within reach.

It makes you present

I spent my first extended amount of time in Kathmandu back in 2017. I remember at the beginning of those four months that I’d regularly trip up while walking on the uneven pavements around the city. It was then that it occurred to me that you cannot walk around this city in autopilot mode unless you want to fall arse over tit and flat on your face.

Since then, I’ve realised that the city’s chaotic nature (i.e. the uneven pavements and the crazy traffic threatening to run you down at every turn) makes it imperative that you’re constantly present. You can’t be walking around daydreaming in Kathmandu. The city demands your constant attention.

There’s always something new to see or witness

Similarly, because the street culture here is so vibrant, there’s always something new to see. It doesn’t matter how many times I walk or drive down the same streets or alleyways, I can always find something new to see or experience. So again, I’m constantly present when I’m out and about. I think it’s why this city is special to me; I’m someone who gets easily bored, but I’m rarely bored here.

The culture is rich and diverse

Nepal is home to around 100 ethnic groups that speak over 92 languages. While the Newars are the natives of the Kathmandu Valley, you can witness many of Nepal’s varying traditions here. Anyone who knows me well knows I have a love of learning cultural traditions and the history behind them, which is why it’s not really surprising that I love it here so much. I feel like I learn something new about an ethnic group or a tradition or a language here every day – another reason I never get bored.

I have great friends and people are friendly

I’m what we call a social introvert. While I do love meeting people and socialising, I’m also very comfortable with my own company and doing things alone. So while I enjoy being out and about with others, I’d say my standard operating procedure is to spend most of my time alone.

In Kathmandu (unlike most other places I’ve lived in), however, I feel like my more extroverted side is predominant. Particularly pre-pandemic (COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns have made me retreat into myself a bit more again) I feel like I was barely at home whenever I was here. I was always so much more open when I was here.

It helps that people in the city  – whether that’s the locals, the expats, or the tourists – are really friendly. Locals ask you just as many questions as you ask them (and if you speak even a smidgen of Nepali they love talking to you even more), expats are happy to help and welcome newcomers, and visitors here also tend to be the type of people who are open to meeting others.

I never feel alone

This isn’t so much of an issue now that I have an established group of friends, but even back when I didn’t I never felt alone. Even on the days when I’d leave the house with no intention of meeting anyone, I’d somehow wind up striking up conversations with people that I’d met either on the streets or in cafés, getting invitations to social gatherings, and inadvertently filling my weeks with plans to socialise.

There are great photo opportunities at every turn

Pretty self-explanatory. I love taking photos and this city is a haven for photographers. Follow along on Instagram if you’re interested in photos of Nepal (shameless plug!).

I have many, many, many fond memories here

When all is said and done, it’s the memories that we carry with us that define how we feel about a place. And I’ve had some incredible experiences here. From the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made to the opportunities the city gives me to explore my spirituality, to the simple moments when I’ve seen the mountains from my rooftop and they made my heart skip a beat, I can close my eyes and easily conjure up moments here that make me smile. And I’ll carry them with me for the rest of my life.

And despite the not-so-great ones, I still love this city

I lived through the majority of the pandemic in Kathmandu, and it wasn’t a walk in the park – and I say this as a privileged person. And many things happened to me personally over the last two years that I won’t go into, but it could have been easy to fall out of love with the city. And yes, while the rose-tinted glasses are now off and I know that – just like any other place in the world – you have to take the good with the bad, I still love it here.

I guess you can say these experiences have turned my ‘honeymoon love’ of the city into something deeper – that type of love you have for a partner you’ve been with for a long time and that you still choose to be with, despite their flaws.

But the truth is, dear readers, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Because like I said in the introduction, the best feelings cannot really be summed up easily with words. So, perhaps one day you can visit and see it for yourself, and maybe you’ll fall in love with it the way I did. And maybe you won’t. But I hope one day you also find a place where your soul feels at home like mine does when I’m here.

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