Kathmandu is like Delhi, except not on steroids. The traffic is nuts, there’s dust everywhere, the little shops with roll-up metal doors sell nearly the same things as in Delhi and so do the street vendors, but it’s less intense. You don’t get solicited at every step. You can actually walk down the street without having to say no constantly. But you do have to watch out for cars. They have no fear of pedestrians and skim by you only a hair’s breath away as you walk along. 

We have been in Kathmandu for the past few days, winding up our G Adventures tour and resting up before heading out tomorrow on our trek to Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Valley.

We did a little bit of exploring in Kathmandu and made a wonderful discovery. We visited the Garden of Dreams, a fairy tale secret garden hidden away behind tall gates. It was built in the 1920s for Field Marshal Kaiser Shumshere Rana, with money he won from his dad who was the ruler of Nepal. It was considered to be the most sophisticated private garden of its time.

Abandoned for several decades, it was restored with the help of the Austrian government and opened to the public in 2006. It’s now very popular with locals, especially young sweethearts who come here and sit in secluded areas whispering to each other as though they were alone in the world.

We spent a few pleasant hours exploring the garden and admiring the beautiful pavilions, pools, gardens, and flowers. It was wonderfully restful.