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…]
Tagged as:
cafe,
food,
Great Himalayan Drive,
Internet,
Kathmandu,
Laundry,
Nepal,
Nightlife,
Parking,
Shopping,
Thamel
One of the many excellent cafes in Pokhara in Nepal
What do I miss most (perhaps the only thing actually) is a good Americano and a cake or muffin to go with it. You can only imagine my delight when signs of Illy and Lavazza greeted me as I drove into Pokhara on Day 8 of The Great Himalayan Drive. Just what I needed to recharge my batteries for the long journey ahead.
Not only did I get good coffee (these guys sure have invested in the right things despite tourism being down in Nepal), the brownies and cakes matched it for taste and freshness. I sure was spoilt for choice. [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
cafe,
coffee,
Great Himalayan Drive,
Internet,
Nepal,
Pizza,
Pizzeria,
Pokhara
Here go some more notes from Nepal as I log miles in the country during the Great Himalayan Drive:
*Managing the 15 minute time zone difference: For some reason, India decided to be 5:30 hours ahead of GMT; until recently, many softwares and gadgets did not even carry that time zone. And then Nepal decided to do something even weirder: it chose its time zone to be 5:45 hours ahead of GMT. Preferring to maintain my India time while in Nepal, the 15 minute did not matter as I did most stuff according to my watch – but it was still awkward comparing times with locals especially when I had to do some things at a fixed time.
[continue reading…]
Tagged as:
Call Rates,
Great Himalayan Drive,
Internet,
Kathmandu,
Nepal,
Pokhara,
Power,
Time Zone
