4,400ft Above Sea Level

Maia Ruth Lee, a 26-year-old artist currently living in Kathmandu, knows how to chill. She is one of the founders of an intrepid band of graphic adventurers who publish a contemporary arts journal named Chill Zine. After spending nine years wandering the globe, she is back in Kathmandu where she spent 13 of her formative years, preparing for a solo show there. She enlightens us on where to find the best sekuwas and momos in town.

EAT & DRINK

Favorite high-end restaurant

Chez Caroline’s
Baber Mahal Revisited, Maitighur.
A beautiful indoor/outdoor restaurant within the renovated grounds of ancient Baber Mahal. With a great French and Continental menu.

Best deal restaurant

OR2K
Thamel.
Israeli Vegetarian restaurant popular amongst backpackers. Big open windows with floor seating. Great hummus and couscous dishes.

Best Pizzeria

Fire’n’ice
Thamel entrance.
One of the most recommended restaurants in Kathmandu by far, with beautiful interior and delicious thin crust pizzas straight out of the oven.

Best street food

Tip Top Tailors
New Road.
Samosa paradise!

Everest Momo’s
Franchises all over Kathmandu.
Nepali “dumplings” at its best.

Bajeko Sekuwa
Franchises all over Kathmandu.
Locals’ favorite for sekuwas (Nepali lamb skewers).

Favorite cafe

Cibo
Ambassador Hotel, Lazimpath.
A small but comfortable meeting spot with a quiet garden area. A variety of delicious paninis and good coffee.

Best place to work on laptop with free wi-fi

Himalayan Java
Thamel entrance.
This spot has the widest range of coffees and teas in Kathmandu, with huge comfortable leather sofas you can sit on for however long you wish. Wi-fi is not free, but the sum you pay for one hour is only around 50 cents. The best spot to wait for people.

DRINK

Best bar

Casablanca
Baber Mahal Revisited, Maitighur.
The new lounge bar in town with chic interior and snug atmosphere.

Best Live Music

The House of Music
Thamel.
Local punk, rock and folk bands show off their talents at the house of music. Popular amongst the expat community.

Jazz Upstairs
Lazimpath.
Small but comfy space with local jazz bands and famous for celebrity sightings.

READ

Best bookstore

Quixote’s cove
Pulchowk.
A cozy store with limited variety of fiction/nonfiction books. Organizes various readings and workshops with prominent local writers.

Best magazine stand

The News Kiosk
Thamel entrance.
Glossy fashion mags to local political magazines. You can also purchase printed versions of newspapers from all over the world!

SHOP

Best boutique

Pipalbot
Baber Mahal Revisited, Maitighur.
A super chic boutique with quality furniture and clothes, all designed and handmade in Nepal. Also operates a small oriental fusion restaurant for lunch and dinner. A set menu changes every two weeks, which is sent out privately to Pipalbot’s mailing list.

Naya Pasal
Baber Mahal Revisited, Maitighur.
A French-owned boutique with valuable handmade goods imported from India.

SIGHTSEE

Favorite art space/gallery/museum

Siddhartha Art Gallery
Baber Mahal Revisited, Maitighur.
For contemporary artwork.

The Patan Museum
Patan Durbar Square.
For historical traditional artwork

Favorite outdoor space

New Orleans Cafe
Pulchowk.
A quiet sunny garden space off the busy streets of Pulchowk, tucked away in trees. Good for some time off alone. Bonfires at night during winter and live music on Tuesday and Friday nights.
Garden of Dreams (Kaiser Mahal Garden)

Thamel entrance.
A beautiful mid-century garden and Rana building in the heart of town, hidden behind brick walls. 160 rupee entrance fee.

Best touristy thing to do

Stupa at Bouddhanath
Visit Swayambunath (aka the Monkey temple), Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur, Kathmandu Durbar Square, and oh goodness the list goes on and on and on and on…. But my favorite would be visiting the grand Bouddhanath Stupa (a stupa is a dome-shaped Buddhist shrine).

ONLY LOCAL DOES OR KNOWS ABOUT

The local markets in Asan. You can find anything from spices to bike components AND Local hole-in-the-wall barbers. A haircut and a proper head massage for a dollar.

The organic market at the Summit Hotel, Sanepa. Wednesdays and Sunday mornings.

The North Korean Restaurant PyeongYang, Durbar Marg. Attached to the restaurant is a surreal karaoke bar with an unusual interior. Don’t miss the dance performances at 8PM!

EVENTS

Best events in each season?

Film Festivals
Besides the famous traditional festivals (check links under the best website section), the film festivals in Kathmandu are worth attending.
The Film South Asia, the Nepal International Indigenous Film Festival, and the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival have each been screening every year some exceptional documentaries and films from all over the world, including homegrown films depicting the current Nepal.

TIPS

Given only 24-hours in your city what would you recommend?

Drop in at Hermann’s German bakery in Sanepa for some fresh bread and pastries, take a good book and go to Café du Temple in Patan Durbar Square to order a masala chia (chai is Indian) and spend all afternoon on the rooftop of the cafe reading and overlooking beautiful ancient Patan Square.

Best website for local info

For tourists: http://www.exoticbuddha.com
For expats: http://www.sodne.com, http://www.lukeko.com, http://www.milnu.com, http://www.buzzintown.com

Anything else you want to mention?
http://www.photocircle.com.np; is a Nepali photo collective making great strides in the local photography scene. They hold workshops and events with eminent world photographers, and most recently they published their first book Hamra Hajurama (Our Grandmothers), in collaboration with 16 photographers and writers. This book is an intimate peek into the lives of 12 grandmothers who have lived amidst the social changes in Nepal.