Born into a creative family, Arpana Rayamajhi was constantly surrounded by inspiration as a child growing up in Kathmandu.

Kathmandu

"There's a spot called JAZZ UPSTAIRS, which has been around forever that I absolutely love. And anybody that is a music lover of any sort in Kathmandu knows about it. It's the home of jazz for Nepali people."

Jazz Upstairs

"There’s a festival called Grasslands; they get music acts from India or around the region. Nepali people have festivals, religiously, culturally. We don't really need a reason to party but we'll always find one. We'll celebrate anything as long as we can party. We're really open like that. We have no qualms."

Grasslands Festival

"There are some local spots that have been around for a while that pretty much everyone knows about and if you can stand spicy food, there's a good spot called Harisiddhi."

Harisiddhi Newa Suli

"Raithaane is really really good. I went there and I thought it was brilliant. It’s like eating in a local person’s house."

Raithaane

"For art you have to walk the street. You see little jewelry stores that are, like, a hole-in-the wall making the most precious jewels; little fabric stores with fabrics from around the country; sign painters who are so good at what they do. A true artist is someone who can make the best out of what they have."

New Road of Kathmandu