Changing subcontinents is always a thing bigger than just crossing the border to the nearest country - higher expenses, more planning, and most importantly, it means leaving. Like, if I leave Southeast Asia, it means I’m ready to say goodbye to it. It means I might not come back anytime soon, maybe never. Who knows.
One of the decisions I had to make was choosing a type of visa on arrival. I ended up paying 125$ for 90 days. A lot of time for being in the same place, Kathmandu, so thinking about going closer to nature when the monsoon season turns milder - yup, July is the rainiest month.
Choosing a neighborhood to live in is another thing to ponder. I decided to stay slightly away from the city center to enjoy lower prices, the authentic lifestyle, and less tourism hustle. When I found Peace Homestay near the temple hill inhabited by monkeys, with excellent reviews and ranking on booking sites, offering affordable rooms - 5.4 USD for a twin - I realized that the search for a new home ended.
More than a week here, sharing photos.
The Ring Road, the city's main transport artery, crossing it is a challenge - no traffic lights there. But, anyway, it's better than Vietnam.
Kathmandu has its distinguished look. At least, it doesn't remind anything you can see in Southeast Asia. A forest of houses, with water tanks on the tops, and generally active life on rooftops - decorations like flags, drying clothes, growing veggies, like cucumbers and tomatoes...
The culture is diverse. Kathmandu was once inhabited mostly by Newars - Asian-looking Buddhists who spoke a Sino-Tibetan language. In the late 18th century, their neighbors, the Indian-looking Hindu Gorkha people, who spoke an Indo-Aryan language, conquered Kathmandu. Since then, the city has become a melting pot of these two cultures, along with many others belonging to Nepal's numerous ethnic minorities.
Many historical buildings in Kathmandu belong to Newari Buddhist times. However, the lingua franca is Nepali, a cousin of Hindi, and it is written in the same Devanagari script.
Okay, here we are, the monkey hill.
These are rhesus macaques, while Thailand's species is the long-tailed macaques, same-same but different, as Thais say.
Going up the stairs to the sacred place:
A Buddhist place on the top of the hill, Swayambhunath, was founded, at least, in the 5th century CE.
However, a Buddhist scripture about the origin of the Kathmandu valley claims that a lotus seed was sown on this hill eons ago and then:
The flower emitted eternal radiant form of light with the Five Great Buddhas, Vairocana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitābha and Amoghasiddhi appearing on each side of the differently coloured rays of the light.
Later, an ancient king decided to protect the place by concealing the light and making only the great stupa visible. This stupa:
Swayambhunath is one of the three most sacred places for the Newar people.
Even though Swayambhunath is in Nepal, it has large religious significance for Tibetans. For them, it's one of the major pilgrimage places outside of Tibet.
Swayambhunath also has Hindu shrines, so followers of Hinduism worship the place as well.
And, of course, Swayambhunath attracts many travelers - apart from Nepali visitors, you'll see there Indians, Chinese, Westerners, etc. I personally visited four times: one time this year and, when I was in Kathmandu 10 years ago, I visited Swayambhunath three times because I worship these little guys:
Hairy, short-tailed little bastards 😁, I'll definitely post a separate story about them.
And look at another treasure of this site:
Black kite (Milvus migrans). Many of these birds are circling above the temple hill. Planning a post in c/Feathered Friends. 🙂
Hope you liked this set of images. Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned!
All photos were taken with a Nikkor 70-300mm and a Nikkor 24mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 by the author on July 16, 2025, in Kathmandu, Nepal
This post has been shared on Reddit by @x-rain through the HivePosh initiative.
Kathmandu is very very famous, it seems full of tourists and travelers, it has a way modern looking than last places you visited
as always full of motorbikes 🤣
!PIZZA
Many travelers here but not in July - that's the rainiest month in the year - not great for trekking in the mountains so most Westerners / Europeans don't come. I've hardly seen European-looking people here this time. Some Chinese - few.
I made an accent on old towns in George Town and Songkhla... But in general, of course, Kathmandu is significantly behind large cities (and actually small ones too) in Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
Sure. But there is a specialty here - a high percentage of motorcycles, while Southeast Asians normally drive motorbikes. Because of mountains, even Kathmandu can be very steep.
Beautiful. Beautiful! And eeeee, those lovely hairy monkeys, they look a bit more behaved and kinder than the previous ones. Look at those furs, just wanna stroke them! And they are poised, haha! Hope you’re settling well in the new place, unique architecture. Really, each place has its own charm! Nice photos, well done. 😃
Thank you!😊 Yes, the fur constitutes the main charm of these monkeys - they are like toys (while Thai monkeys are leaner and with three times longer tails - gracious).
They are less spoiled - people watch them because this is an important spiritual place, often overcrowded, with working shrines, and a gang of spoiled monkeys can't be part of this, lol. Although these ones are cheeky too, you can't change their nature. 😄
😄 cheeky 🐒, I like them as they are funny and those looks cuddly. Can't wait for the next monkey post! Lol.
what a beautiful picture,is that a temple?
the temple in that place is huge,there so many temple in there,and the culture there,I have never seen it in person,and the monkeys have long weary hair,wish I could go to such places like that.
Yes, this is a Buddhist temple + Hindu shrines there too. This place is very ancient and related to Buddhas who lived before Siddhartha Gautama - the last Buddha who lived 2500 years ago.
Furry as toys 😄 But their character is the same, generally - not very good temper 😁
🎉🎉🥳 Congratulations 🥳🎊🎊
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Thank you!
a lovely place - I hope you like it there!!! 👍
!BEER
Thank you! Yup, love the place! 😎
Thanks for taking us with this place history🎉
😊 Glad you liked the post, @hopefulsoul!
Nepal mist be such a rich and enchanted country 💕 so jealous of your travel 🧳🧳
Sure! "Enchanted" is precisely how I feel about Nepal and India. It's something in the air here.
Hope you'll visit this country one day.
Thank you!
What an inspiring chapter in your journey! @x-rain Visiting the sacred site on Monkey Hill must have been a truly spiritual and peaceful experience. Kathmandu holds such deep cultural and spiritual energy as well. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of that beauty. Can’t wait to read more of your adventures! 🤗
It probably was. I was really focused on photography and communication with monkeys (most monkey images are left for a separate post). So I was unplugged from the spiritual practice when I was there. At the same time... Buddhism is a tricky teaching; it might be that my way of enjoying Swayambhunath was not less spiritual or even more - unlike most people, I spent 4 hours there because of photography. :D
Thank you!
WOW very beautiful photography 👍
Thank you, @psyberkid! 😊
Wow very nice place & interesting view.Enjoy your nice moment
I will, thank you!
It's nice that you chose a spot that’s a little off the beaten path to experience the true heartbeat of Kathmandu. The story of Swayambhunath and the light is beautiful, such a powerful symbol of history and spirituality.
Yes, I was lucky to visit this fantastic place aaand I'll visit it again and again - I am not far from it, the closest sightseeing place to my homestay :-) Thank you!
That's awesome! Enjoy every moment there.😍
The photos are stunning, especially the ones with the monkeys and the Swayambhunath stupa. It's fascinating how diverse the culture is there, blending Newari Buddhist and Hindu traditions.
Agree, probably, the most impressive one... Thank you, @iamlovelykate!
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