KATHMANDU — The Nepal I Remember
I wanted to preserve the Nepal I carry within me: green mountain ranges and magnificent waterfalls. But I also remember the old quarter we visited, which collapsed and was buried in an earthquake a few months later. And the bars thick with the smell of shisha in Kathmandu’s winding alleyways.
The fragrance was built around an accord of benzoin, Peru balsam and oakmoss. I wanted a fougère with the green notes of mountain forests, but also an intense heat and a lingering trace of smoke.
Patchouli added a little wildness and earthiness. Then I used a touch of tobacco leaf absolute to give the fragrance greater depth and something of Kathmandu’s character.
Excerpt from Hành trình những mùi hương by Huỳnh Hải Yến, p. 105. Translated from Vietnamese.