Kathmandu

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Namaste Nepal

An October 2000 trip to Kathmandu by Aya

rum doodleMore Photos

Probably the most beautiful place I have ever visited. I flew on Royal Nepal Airlines and stopped over at Bangkok, Thailand before arriving in Kathmandu. Everything amazed me, from the scenic trekking to the friendliness of the people. I can remember my time there as though it was yesterday. 3 days of trekking, 3 days of rafting, and 3 days of shopping...We flew to Pokhara to start the trekking. The porters can carry a whole load of bags-I was impressed! I think that respecting their culture is very important when you go there. I'm going back there in March and I hope I'll have more of a cultural experience when I go this time! The shopping is really fun so be sure to take some time to look around. Also be sure to take plenty of film with you so you can capture all the memorable moments (although you can buy film there, if you're going trekking it would be better to buy a whole supply before you go).

  • 12 reviews
  • 2 stories/tips
  • 29 photos

Namaste NepalBest of IgoUgo

Overview

breakfast table!
Waking up really early in the morning and taking a walk was definitely a new experience. The rafting was really cool even though the water was cold. Sleeping outdoors, on the beach, with the rafts as the roof, was a really neat experience. Shopping in Kathmandu was so fun - haggling was part of the fun. Just walking around town(Thamel) was really cool cause you get a little insight into their everyday lives and it's just such a busy place- it's a good place to go people watching!I used up 6 rolls of film and when I go this time, I'm planning to take more pictures! Hopefully of more temples because I'll be going to Boudhanath and Pashupatinath this time.

Quick Tips:

Eat the local food! I wish while I was there, I had tried more local food, because the ones I tried were damn good. Go on a bugdet trip - it makes it a lot more fun! Don't forget your vaccinations!Not like there's a high risk, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I got my cholera and tetanus shots updated and my arms are quite sore-but it's definately worth it! I got typhoid and malaria pills as well.Be careful of the food you eat(especially uncooked food like salads) cause the water is supposed to be unsafe. My stomach was fine the whole trip though! Don't point your finger or foot at anyone, or anything sacred because it's considered rude. Also, if you see a cute little kid, don't pat his head cause the head is considered to be the most sacred part of the body.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking is the best way to get around cause you get to see more of everything. But if your destination is far away, you probably should hire some sort of public transportation! I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun! Be adventurous ;-) Make sure that you don't get too ripped off. Ask someone at the place you're staying to have a rough idea of how much it should be to hire a taxi or ride a bus...

Hotel TraditionBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

Hotel Tradition
This hotel has very basic stuff but it was really nice. Looking at the price, I wasn''t expecting much but I had a really good 3 nights there. All the rooms are pretty different (I know this cause I went with a big group) - some have tvs, some are pretty big etc etc. The shower has hot water (thank god)...the breakfast place is really nice. I recommend you sit outside. If you like yoghurt, you should definitely try the curd with fruit. This hotel is situated fairly close to all the shopping you need to do! Just ask the receptionist for directions, and in 5 minutes, you''ll be in the heart of Thamel. Plus, the famous pub/restaurant Rum Doodle is just around the corner. The streets were starting to get busy already by about 5:30am so you might want to bring ear plugs. But then again, if you're in a place like Nepal you may want to get up early anyways!
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Aya on November 13, 2001

Hotel Tradition
P. O. Box 14396 Kathmandu, Nepal
428217

Hotel SnowlandBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

kamasutra
Nice hotel-with the basics. Hot showers! (Yey! cause I was trekking and rafting without proper showers before this...) It''s situated in a very convenient place. Lots to do around here. It's easy to just walk around and find places to eat and shop. It's a minute walk from the Hungry Eye Restaurant. They have tvs, which means you can watch MTV etc, but why would you want to watch tv while you''re in Nepal? Go out and explore Pokhara! Go shopping, eating, sightseeing! I only had one night here so I didn't get to go sightseeing but I'm sure you can find places with beautiful views of the Annapurna range. There is a nice little garden at this hotel and you can sit around and have some nepali tea(which is something yo have to try!!!)
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Aya on November 13, 2001

Hotel Snowland
Lakeside 6 Kathmandu, Nepal
00977 061-20384

The Rum DoodleBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

rum doodle
A lot of trekking type people go here. The atmosphere is really cool. It's one of the most popular bars in Kathmandu, and it has great food. I had a chicken kebab which was really nice. The walls are covered with cutouts of yeti footprints. They serve local and western food. We had a huge group so it's hard to tell whether their service is fast or not...but generally things are pretty layed back in Nepal...the service was good though. We sat outside, which was really nice-not too cold. Of course, if you want to enjoy more "rum doodle" kinda atmosphere, you should be inside. We had about 30 people in our group so we had an atmosphere of our own ;-)
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Aya on November 13, 2001

The Rum Doodle
Thamel Kathmandu, Nepal
414336

Mike's BreakfastBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Good Morning
This place was really crowded when I went for breakfast. Guess what I had for breakfast... a chicken burrito! and oh my, was it yummy! There's a nice garden, as well as a museum with art work in the European-style minimansion right next to where you eat. I would say they serve mostly western food. You have to try the burrito. You may think it's a little too heavy to eat in the morning but it's really good. I went there on my way to the Swayambunath Stupa. The toilet is pretty interesting, and the artwork is worth looking at.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Aya on November 13, 2001

Mike's Breakfast
Durbar Square Kathmandu, Nepal
424303

New Orleans CafeBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

The atmosphere of this place was really nice and relaxing. I had a chicken masala, which was really nice. The drinks (non alcoholic) such as the banana shake and chocolate milkshake were really yummy! They have lots of nice cakes. I know it seems weird that I go all the way to Nepal and eat western food, but I ate a lot of local food while trekking and rafting (which was really really yummy!) It may be worth checking this place out at night cause it has a bar as well (called blue note i think...) It's situated pretty much in the heart of Thamel. The tables are set outside so if the weather is nice, it's really pleasant!
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by Aya on November 13, 2001

New Orleans Cafe
Thamel Kathmandu, Nepal
425736

Everest SteakhouseBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Thamel is actually pretty well known for it's steaks. No, it's not yak meat...although you probably can try some while you stay in Thamel. This restaurant has a wide variety of steaks. I had the pepper steak, which was really yummy. The beef was not exactly very tender, but the sauce was nice. The portion is very big, so there's plenty. There were steaks that you burn with a brandy sauce on top, etc. It was close to some crowded night clubs, and it is walking distance from the Kathmandu guesthouse and the hotel Tradition. This place is definitely a must for meat lovers.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Aya on November 30, 2001

Everest Steakhouse
Thamel Kathmandu, Nepal

Lemon TreeBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Lemon Tree is about a 15 minute walk from the Snowland Hotel. After you walk out of the hotel, turn right and keep walking down the road, and you will easily spot it. It was pretty full, and there were lots of tourists there. There is western food, as well as local food. I had the sizzling chicken on a hot plate, and I still can't forget about it! When it came, I could see and smell the steam and it was soooooooooooooooooo yummy! The sauce on the chicken was so incredibly good... They had lots of different milkshakes and fruitshakes and they were all really nice!
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Aya on November 30, 2001

Lemon Tree
Pokhara Kathmandu, Nepal

Hungry EyeBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

The Hungry Eye was a very nice place. It was 1 minute away from the Snowland Hotel. There was a dance performance going on as we ate our dinner, so it was very pleasing to our eyes as well as our mouths! The place was packed with tourists, which meant that it took quite a while for the food to come (and we were a group of 30!) but the dance kept our minds occupied so all was good. They had western and local food. I ordered a tandoori chicken and garlic naan. They were both really good-especially the naan. But I thought the chicken could've been a little more meaty! But I guess that's how they are in Nepal! After having dinner here, some of us went walking around town-which is very refreshing after dinner. There are some internet cafes around if you want to check your mail. We walked over to Baskin Robinsons (yes!I was suprised also!)and I got 6 scoops of ice cream! Because the size of the scoops were so small! And then I found a German Bakery nearby and bought a cheesecake. In guide books, they tell you to stay away from chessecake because=salmonella...but I was fine!
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Aya on November 30, 2001

Hungry Eye
Pokhara Kathmandu, Nepal

Annapurna Circuit TrekBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Trekking with Ultimate Descents"

shaggy dog
The Annapurna Range was so beautiful. The scenery was beautiful throughout the whole trekking route. We were lucky to have really good weather (very sunny!)Waking up early in the morning to see the sunrise on the mountains is definitely worth it. We slept comfartably in tents and the porters always cooked really nice meals for us. Meeting other people while trekking was nice, as most people were friendly and we could just exchange hellos or talk about what's coming up/our experiences...At one point, we would always be trekking upward (this worked our thighs) and at another point, we would always be trekking downward (this worked our calves) so it was definately good exercise!Walk at your own pace and make it enjoyable ;-)
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Aya on November 13, 2001

Annapurna Circuit Trek
Annapurna Range of Himilayas Kathmandu, Nepal

Haggling For ProductsBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Haggling!"

"I give you good price-student price!" is what a lot of the shopkeepers told me...in Durbar Square there are lots and lots of stalls, as well as people walking around selling goods. One thing a lot of people like to buy while they are in Nepal is a prayer bowl. The starting price was 600 each...me and my friend bargained until we got 2 for 800...and we were probably still being ripped off! In the beginning, I was reluctant to bargain because Nepal is a developing country. But I realised that they won't sell me anything if they are making a loss. Apparently, Nepali people belive that the first customer of the day is lucky- so they may sell something for a lower price than usual. I bought a paint holder with Ganesh on it for Rp300- and the starting price was Rp1100!Make haggling fun! -don't seriously argue with them- or they will get mad! (as I experienced with an old lady at Durbar Square...). Try to start with an absurd price and make your way up until they agree. Same with shops in Thamel. Make sure you don't get too ripped off. You will get better at this towards the end!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Aya on November 30, 2001

Haggling For Products
Durbar Square & around Thamel Kathmandu, Nepal

Rafting the Kali Gandaki riverBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Rafting with Ultimate Descents"

waterfall by the kali gandaki
The rafting was really fun. We slept on the beaches at night, using the rafts as roofs. It was quite chilly at night but we all huddled up around the fire and the stars were amazingly beautiful. There's no proper toilet so we dug a hole and had a tent around it...it's all part of the experience! The water was really cold but when the sun was out, it was just damn fine. The Nepalese omlette I had for breakfast (cooked by the guides) was so damn yummy!! Ultimate Descents is a really reliable company when it comes to rafting so I highly recommend them. I realised how our rafts were better than the others and we didn't capsize like the others!We rafted down the Kali Gandaki river which is a grade 3-4+...We had a briefing before we set off from somewhere in Pokhara. We helped to cook the meals which was pretty fun- and we did the dishes too. It's quite hard work getting the rafts ready etc but it was all worth it.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Aya on November 13, 2001

Rafting the Kali Gandaki river
Kathmandu, Nepal

Kathmandu's Durbar SquareBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

bodyguards at durbar square
It's on New road, and is a really good place for shopping and seeing temples. "Durbar" is the Nepali word for "king". There are more than 50 temples and shrines. Freak Street is Kathmandu's counterculture hangout back in the 60s. It has many small shops as well as cheap restaurants and lodges. Haggling/negotiating prices with the shopkeepers is all part of shopping in Nepal. You may feel bad reducing prices in a under developed country like Nepal, but remember that you are getting ripped off in the start and that they wouldn't sell to you if they were making a loss. Make it fun, don't agrue seriously with the shopkeeper! Apparently, the first customer is very important to the shopkeepers so they tend to give you a good price...but I'm not too sure if it's true!There is a money changer there so no worries if you;re short of rupees. Take some time to look around the little shrines in the area. Thamel is walking distance-I walked back to my hotel from here and it was a breeze-exciting at the same time.

Swayambunath StupaBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

me and the prayer rattles/wheels
This is Kathmandu Valley's most important Buddhist shrine. The sleepy, all-seeing Buddha's eyes have become the symbol of Nepal for many tourists. Archaeologists believe that there was probably a shrine there as far back as 2000 years ago. This shrine is also known as the Monkey Temple, and when you go there, you will see why. While you climb the stairs on your way up to the stupa, you will come across numerous vendors selling many goods such as prayer bowls, masks and small "mani" which are stones that have been covered with prayers and serve the same devotional purpose as a prayer wheel. I got to see buddhist monks saying their prayers inside, which was really cool. I wish I had more time to look around though. Remember, walk clockwise around the stupa, not the other way. You probably shouldn't feed the monkeys...Be sure to haggle before you buy anything there because they do tend to rip you off pretty badly. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon if you want to see more of a Nepali crowd. Otherwise you'll be seeing lots of just tourists like yourself and me.

About the Writer

Aya
Aya
USA, Japan

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