{"id":1461,"date":"2015-12-31T01:05:40","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T01:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/?p=1461"},"modified":"2015-12-31T01:05:40","modified_gmt":"2015-12-31T01:05:40","slug":"heres-to-patan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/culture\/heres-to-patan\/","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s to Patan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>My 2014 narrative was dominated by upper Mustang. I must have had thought there couldn&#8217;t be\u00a0a bigger\u00a0high than upper mustang experience, that place &#8211; so barren and yet so beautiful. \u00a0I was\u00a0a rare few amongst my peers who&#8217;d made it to the Tibetan border; that subsequently turned me into a complete travel snob. But as I recall 2014, Mustang was not the only place I had discovered. Neighboring city next to Kathmandu &#8211; Patan, was in fact my very first discovery of the year 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Growing up in Kathmandu, Kathmandu Durbar Square had been an integral\u00a0part of my childhood days. It was just a few minutes walk from my home in Ason chowk. One of my aunts lived in the Durbar square area and I would go there every\u00a0possible weekend to hang out with my cousins. I grew up playing hide and seek in Kathmandu Durbar Square, I learnt to ride a bicycle in Kathmandu Durbar Square. My childhood memories are made up of\u00a0Kathmandu Durbar square. Whereas, Patan, not so much. It barely even crossed my mind.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to 2014, when I was home &#8211; my parents had moved to a different neighborhood, except this time it was closer to Patan. When I needed to hang out with my friends, Thamel seemed too far. Lo and behold &#8211; it was\u00a0the right time to discover Jhamsikhel &#8211; or more popularly known as &#8216;Jhamel&#8217;. A combination of &#8216;Thamel&#8217; and &#8216;Jhamsikhel&#8217;, mockingly coined as new Thamel. It was\u00a0up and coming, hip neighborhood of Patan where all the cool kids hung out. I presumed I was one of those cool kids. My quest to discover Patan,\u00a0began by exploring Jhamsikhel. The clean and cool neighborhood, decent eateries and the hypnotic musical ambience attracted me all the more toward this quaint community.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Food<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Jhamsikhel has many options, you can pick and choose from. Some of my favorite places to go eat are:<\/p>\n<p><em>LeTrio<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This is the spot for hot and spicy mouth watering Jhol momo. That&#8217;s it. I go there just for Jhol momo, best in town. If you are adventurous, try chicken wings. It was great the last time I tried. Their veg menu is good too.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-version=\"6\">\n<div style=\"padding: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/uaOSCDn7fm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A photo posted by Shailiza Manandhar (@shailza)<\/a> on <time style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\" datetime=\"2014-10-21T09:36:12+00:00\">Oct 21, 2014 at 2:36am PDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\" async=\"\" defer=\"defer\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Tamarind<\/em> <\/p>\n<p>The first time I was here on a Friday night, had\u00a0tried Salmon Medallion, I loved it.\u00a0I\u00a0thought this place could\u00a0fulfill my craving for American food. As the clock was about to strike 7 p.m., I heard this guy sing, his music, loved it even more than the food. Music seems to be the only reason\u00a0I keep going back to this place.\u00a0I must admit though, every time I went in; the quality of food seems to deteriorate a notch. Nonetheless, still not too bad to try at least once. But MUSIC! music is always 100%. This musician, Dharmendra Sewan\u00a0has a great\u00a0personality. I believe\u00a0he performs every Friday night in Tamarind. That man nails every song he sings &#8211; be it Nepali folks, contemporary English or my most favorite hindi movie songs.\u00a0\u00a0He is genuinely a good singer and a great entertainer. Check out this place every Friday nights. You won&#8217;t be disappointed, thanks to Dharmendra Sewan. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-version=\"6\">\n<div style=\"padding: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n<p>\u00a0 <a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/wyqlfOn7ah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A video posted by Shailiza Manandhar (@shailza)<\/a> on <time style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\" datetime=\"2014-12-19T14:28:05+00:00\">Dec 19, 2014 at 6:28am PST<\/time>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\" async=\"\" defer=\"defer\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Thakkhola<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Thakkhola is a hidden gem. My dad\u00a0introduced me to\u00a0this place. It&#8217;s a great\u00a0spot to have authentic Thakali food. Most importantly, you get great food, that is within your budget, in squeaky clean cozy atmosphere. The reason it costs less\u00a0as compared to the others in Jhamsikhel is because; restaurants offering 100% traditional Nepali food do not need to pay value added tax (VAT).\u00a0Therefore, it gets a lot cheaper for the owners to run the restaurant and subsequently gets lighter on our pocket too. If you are more into Nepali food, I highly recommend this spot than any other places in Jhamel.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1478\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/thak.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1478\" class=\"wp-image-1478 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/thak.jpg\" alt=\"Thakkhola, Veg Thali\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1478\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thakkhola, Veg Thali<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Patan Durbar Square<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From the narrow streets of Jhamsikhel to the main attraction of Patan, one of the world heritage sites of Kathmandu valley; Patan Durbar Square. In order to understand this place you have to immerse yourself in its surrounding. You have to get it\u00a0from every angle. Spend time and learn about this piece of history through the most well preserved museum in Nepal, inside the durbar square. Also get a good bird&#8217;s eye view, from any one of the tall restaurants of the neighborhood.\u00a0Gaze at Patan in all its glory. Go with friends that you can have a conversation with just about anything and everything, and don&#8217;t forget a chilled glass of beer &#8211; I recommend, Gorkha or Tuborg.<\/p>\n<p>A 1000-year-old heritage mixed with hustle and bustle of everyday people &#8211; that&#8217;s Patan for you. I&#8217;ve seen Patan Durbar Square in all its shape and form. In the most bright sunny day, to monsoon weather, I&#8217;ve seen it drenched in rain and form a mini river. I&#8217;ve seen that place illuminating underneath a starry night and street lights. I truly feel like I have seen it all, all of Patan, inside and out.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1550\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/patan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1550\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1550\" src=\"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/patan-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Patan Durbar Square in all its glory\" width=\"625\" height=\"625\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1550\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Patan Durbar Square in all its glory<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Patan Heritage<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My admiration for this city didn&#8217;t just end with gazing at everyday Patan. I was lucky enough to take a heritage walk with Anil Chitrakar in and around various tiers of Patan. The science behind the architecture of the main Patan square and its periphery is simply mind blowing. What you see today is just a glimpse of what&#8217;s to come in next few years. In next 5 years or so, Patan will get a complete facelift. Wait and watch. I highly recommend you to sign up for the Patan Heritage Walk with Anil Chitrakar, and allow him to blow your mind.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-version=\"6\">\n<div style=\"padding: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/qYvJx7n7VH\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A photo posted by Shailiza Manandhar (@shailza)<\/a> on <time style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\" datetime=\"2014-07-13T09:39:22+00:00\">Jul 13, 2014 at 2:39am PDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\" async=\"\" defer=\"defer\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Almost all through 2014, I also took a dance class in the heart of Pulchok, again that was in Patan. I have ventured\u00a0all the way to Patan Durbar Square from my parents&#8217; house and\u00a0located all possible nooks and crannies and short cuts\u00a0to Patan. May be I haven&#8217;t yet fully uncovered Patan&#8217;s gallies as Ason chowk but I know &#8211; one day I will get there. Through this post I want to acknowledge the greatness that is Patan. The place that remained unexplored for so long. When finally the moment arrived,\u00a0I discovered it in such a way that I felt like I was a part of Patan all long. Here&#8217;s to the city that helped expand my horizon, to the city I fell in love, to the city that will forever remain etched in my heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My 2014 narrative was dominated by upper Mustang. I must have had thought there couldn&#8217;t be\u00a0a bigger\u00a0high than upper mustang experience, that place &#8211; so barren and yet so beautiful. \u00a0I was\u00a0a rare few amongst my peers who&#8217;d made it to the Tibetan border; that subsequently turned me into a complete travel snob. But as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,9],"tags":[29,136,137,214,215,246,247,262,264,268,289,293,351,366,421,422,423,424,480,528,542,550],"class_list":["post-1461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-life","category-travelogue","tag-anil-chitrakar","tag-dharmendra","tag-dharmendra-sewan","tag-heritage-walk","tag-heritage-walk-with-anil-chitrakar","tag-jhamel","tag-jhamsikhel","tag-kathmandu","tag-kathmandu-city","tag-kathmandu-durbar-square","tag-lalitpur","tag-letrio","tag-nepal","tag-nepali-city","tag-patan","tag-patan-city","tag-patan-durbar-square","tag-patan-heritage-walk","tag-sewan","tag-tamarind","tag-thakkhola","tag-things-to-do-in-patan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1461\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shailiza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}