By the way, did we say that this “dream date” is not ideal for most of us, who get 50 Rupees per day as our daily allowance? Make it hundred if we “behave” well at home.
And now you need ideas for this week. It’s time for that great date game again. But where, how? In a month, you’ve already spent more than 3,000 Rupees, which you had saved for so long. You don’t earn enough to spend handsomely on dates. Nor can you ask for money to your parents, who might not agree with the idea of “dating” as much as you like them to.
And you don’t like to go to Ratna Park or Ramailo Mela, or even Tribhuvan Park in Thankot.
This is just what teenagers, and sometimes even grownups in Kathmandu face, with the dating culture on the rise, more than ever.
Gone are the days when people were least bothered about and aware of fancy dates or romantic get-together. Then, most people fell in love with each other after they got married, and couples hardly expressed their love in the public. Today, times have changed, and dating in urban cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara has become a fancy idea amongst most youths. Fixing a date is not a problem. What troubles the young hearts is finding an ideal place for doing something “cool” in Kathmandu.
Dating is expensive in the city, and it’s quite hard to come up with good dating ideas, too. Restaurants on Durbar Marg, in Thamel and New Road, or even Sanepa or Lazimpat can’t be afforded by everyone, all the time.
For regular visits, it becomes too much of an expensive affair. We ask around where the city’s cupids take their doves to? Or what their idea of a good date is in Kathmandu, what’s doable and inexpensive? And the ordeals they come across during their dating circle.
Ayush Khadka, a young journalist who once dated a girl, is happy to be single since he has nothing to worry about dates. “Because I’m not into any relationship right now, I don’t have to worry where to go on date,” he said. He added that when he was dating, he took his ex-beloved to Godavari, which wasn’t expensive.
“See, if going out on a date is your daily affair, just take a walk in the park or have a cup of coffee somewhere. It can even be a roadside teashop,” Khadka said. His whole idea was to spend quality time together anyhow. “If boys today can date girls and take them home, why, that’s good!” he added.
An upcoming singer, Shreshan Shrestha loved taking his other half to restaurants in New Road and Basantpur quite often. He revealed that he normally spends Rs 500 on a date, and when he can afford more, he takes his girlfriend on a thrilling bike ride to the Chovar hills or book two tickets to a new movie.
Sambida Regmi, a final year student of Development Studies at National College, loves being around the Durbar Squares of Patan and Basantpur. She shared, “Most couples go to these two places. These places have artistic ambience, they are culturally rich. The pairs visit neighborhood restaurants, which are affordable for even daily visits. Elsewhere, it’s really difficult to find suitable places for dating in Kathmandu.”
Regmi suggested that boys come up with better ideas on dating rather than thinking about landing up in some fancy eateries.
According to her, a walk along historic Basantpur can equally be a good idea for a date, and sharing thoughts at a local teashop is also adorable.
The pretty heroine of Sano Sansar, actor Namrata Shrestha defines dating in different ways. For her, dating is to know a person better.
She enunciated, “If you can spend enough bucks, going to Dhulikhel for sightseeing and Pokhara for boating, hiking and dining is awesome. But yes, not everyone can afford such recreational dates.”
In Kathmandu, she said, visiting monuments, having private moments at Tahu Daha or sharing a cup of coffee at, say, Java, is all one can do. But she also made it loud that dating should be more about two people and their bonding rather than environment and other allures.
Rabin Kharel, 26, is a public relations officer at a marketing office in Kathmandu and earns handsomely. He has different views. For him, he can’t stand annoying faces staring at his girlfriend and peeking into her clothes. That’s why he’s against taking his other half to public places like teashops and movies.
“Yes, finding a place in Kathmandu is difficult. But if you really want to, you have options. I normally go to restaurants in Thamel like Jatra, Tamas, Third Eye and Ying Yang,” he explained. Kharel’s other ideas of ideal dates in town are hiking in Lubu or a morning jog with his beloved.
In a nutshell, it’s clear that Kathmanduites don’t have many choices for ideal dating and don’t seem to have, either, any better ideas than going to eateries, parks or cinema halls.
Since dating is a new culture amongst Nepali youth, most of them don’t seem to come up with innovative dating ideas. What we see in teen movies regarding dating is not only expensive but quite undoable, too. Bowling in Nepal has been a family affair rather than young couples’ pastime, and playing golf together is way beyond imagination as it’s too expensive. There are no roller coasters to jump on, no clean lakes to dive in, nor trains to ride, no place for ice-skating, no course for horse riding, and no beach for water-skiing, either.
Still, the city’s couples are trying their best to make their dating big and ideal experiences.
avash@myrepublica.com
Related story
Ethical Dilemmas in Mugu District Hospital: A Cry for Support
