The many faces of Thamel in Kathmandu in Nepal
I set out from Gorkha for Chitwan National Park on a rainy morning – only to realize jungle safaris may not be possible in such weather. I decided to turn towards Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, a place I have been waiting 24 years to go back to. My previous trip was a family visit during school days.
And my destination was Thamel, the backpacker’s hub with its famed eateries, shopping and nightlife. It is/was known as the most ‘happening’ part of Nepal. Of course, I had been warned that things are no longer the same like they were in the 1990s. Here are some impressions I came back with: [continue reading…]
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cafe,
food,
Great Himalayan Drive,
Internet,
Kathmandu,
Laundry,
Nepal,
Nightlife,
Parking,
Shopping,
Thamel
The map below is the best depiction of foods of India that I have ever seen; check it out for a mouth watering journey. Click on the map for a larger view.
Full Disclosure: The map has not been created by me, or anyone I know for that matter. It came to me as an email forward, and it seems it has been going around in cyberspace for a while. There is no attribution, and I am assuming it is copyright free – or at least the creator will not mind it being shown like this. Would be more than happy to attribute the original source if I know it.
Tagged as:
food,
india,
Map,
travel
Who came first: the chicken or the egg? What happened first: Jodhpur’s Omelette Shop becoming famous or the coverage in Lonely Planet making it so?
The shop, opened in 1974 by Ram Kishen, is one busy shop. Selling a thousand eggs a day, half of them as omelletes and the rest boiled. Spiced to taste, with our without slices of bread, these cost as little as Rs. 10-15 (20-30 cents) a portion. It opens at 10 am, and closes just before midnight. Go at peak hours and Ram Kishen will have no time to talk to you. The clientele are mostly travellers in the day, and locals in the evening. [continue reading…]
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food,
Jodhpur,
Lonely Planet,
Market,
Omelettes,
Rajasthan
Bikaner can get anorexics to start questioning their own resolve. The city is full of food, all in your face, being prepared afresh and looking so sumptuous that you may have little choice but to try it all.
Take your pick from kachoris, samosas, jalebis and ghevar straight from the frying wok. Or choose from all kinds of Indian sweets and savouries from menus that read more like encyclopedic compilations rather than offering of a single eatery. Go a level below and join the crowds ordering hot dogs and tikkis simmering in oil. [continue reading…]
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Bazaar,
bikaner,
food,
Rajasthan,
Shopping
Any celebration in India has to be accompanied with food. Period. Everything else is incidental.
Take the Dussehra celebrations in Subhash Park, also known as Parade Ground, located across the road from Red Fort in Old Delhi. Venue of the biggest Ramlila, stage performances based on Ramayana depicting the life of Hindu Lord Rama, you will find food stalls galore. Most selling street food of the area. This includes chaats of all kinds, differently flavoured home made ice creams, chilas, chole kulchas, tikkis, all kinds of sweets, fresh juices, lollies made from freshly crushed ice and lots more. All prepared fresh as you wait.
Click on any image for a larger view. [continue reading…]
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Chandni Chowk,
Delhi,
Diwali,
Dussehra,
festival,
food,
Hindu,
Hinduism,
Old Delhi,
Rama,
Ramayana,
Ramlila,
religion
One of the surprises in Ladakh was the sight of workers at road building projects all the way from the states of Bihar and Jharkhand in the northern plains of India. Workers from these two states are known to be migratory in nature, going across to all parts of the country in search of employment. But coming to the cold, high altitude desert region is another thing.
All across the Indian Himalayas, it is common to see road construction activity going on; these include new roads, repair and expansion of existing ones and building of tunnels. Often contracted to private companies, they tend to get the cheapest labour to work for them to keep costs down. Hence the reliance on these migratory workers. [continue reading…]
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bihar,
contractors,
food,
jharkhand,
Kashmir,
labour,
Ladakh,
roads,
water
