The monsoon season, peaking in July-August in Nepal, turned out to be not that picturesque - just endless overcast days, with plain rains and darkish damp vibes. No fog and no haze, and even downpours were rare.
But on August 24, something surprising happened - when I was walking to a shop in the evening, I noticed the clear sky above me with all those shimmering stars and starlets.
I was amazed - it was the first starry night since I arrived in Kathmandu in the beginning of July. I hoped that was a sign of sunny weather the next day, and I, it turned out, was right.
I woke up at 3 pm feeling shattered after a troubled sleep. Having glanced at gaps in the curtains hiding the window, I squinted against the bright light. And my first thought was "but too late for a walk"... But I eventually made an effort and went to shower.
I finished my breakfast at my usual restaurant only around 4:50 pm... A short ride on a motorbike taxi, and I was in the old town of Kathmandu.
I was in a residential yard near the Durbar Square, with the wall of townhouses surrounding this amazing stupa.
How healing it was to see the golden light of the late afternoon after a long period of monsoon gloom.
I felt just the same as this dog - silent joy in the gentle sun rays.
The shopkeeper noticed me, and I gestured to him over the road that I really, really wanted to photograph him in the shop. I had no chance to avoid traffic entering the frame, so I tried to include it nicely.
A lady with a mobile. I was walking towards Durbar, the palace square, and there were many stores working for travelers there - like, souvenirs or fabric shops:
"Fixed price"! Trust me. 🙂
Another typical scene:
This is how they transport heavy things in Kathmandu.
Heading to Durbar:
That's where the biggest concentration of city attractions: palaces, temples, and artifacts.
Officially, you have to pay 7$ to enter this zone if you are a traveler. Local people cross it for free. As I am not a traveler but rather identify as a temporary dweller of Kathmandu, I considered that paying once was enough. So, to avoid the attention of ticket offices, I sneaked into the area through a secret path.
A passage between residential houses, between houses and temples, between temples and palaces... And finally, I’m inside:
You can't imagine what a pleasure it is to be in the midst of such beauty - just sitting on ancient stones and watching people, pigeons, and crows.
Given the unofficial nature of my stay in this square, I limited my movements so as not to be seen by the ticket booth guys. During the monsoon season, there are few foreigners, mostly Chinese individual travelers, so blending into a crowd was rather difficult for me.
The golden hour!
Masterpieces are everywhere!
Hinduism and Buddhism, carved wood and stone - the art style, unique for Kathmandu Valley.
By the time the sunrays illuminated only the tops of the Durbar temples, I was getting ready to leave.
I actually planned to take pictures after dark. But probably a night of bad sleep affected me - I felt exhausted, and decided to head towards the hotel - a short 50-minute walk. On the way, I took only one photo:
The photos were taken with a Nikkor 50mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 on August 25, 2025, in Kathmandu, Nepal.