Both Nepal and Kathmandu have an incredible exoticism associated with even the mere mention of their names in the West. The mental associations vary - an alpine Shangri-La, an ancient trading city (Kathmandu), a place of enlightenment and the Dharma bums legacy. There are hints of all of these, nonetheless, Nepal was not what we expected. The Co...

Spoke to the trekking agency last night and I'm starting the Everest base camp trek tomorrow. Unfortunately I now only have 12 days, so I have to miss the Gokyo region and it's beautiful lakes. Quite excited, I'm finally going to the Nepalese Himalayas! Had some serious negotiations with a taxi driver this morning to take me to Patan, which is a...

There was a time in South Asia when sex was public and celebrated. When looking at the erotic carvings of India, it is *************cile that time and place with the conservative attitudes that hold sway now. Much of the same culture almost was present in Nepal, and within the Kathmandu Valley, there are many examples of these brazen, unabashedl...

Hi everyone, Right so i have been here a few days now. It has been a bit of a shock to the system. Kathmandu if quite different to other Asian cities i have visited. It really is crazy. Have been spending most of my time sorting out people and paperwork for the trek i hope to complete first. After the flight i got into Nepal customs only to find...

Nepal is not only a place of natural beauty but home to the kindest people I've ever met. There is an inner joy and peace amongst these people I've never witnessed before. We would be at a lodge on the Annapurna Trek and the folks working at the lodge there is an ease, a lack of cynicism, a A Nepali man I met (while riding on the top of an old j...

As we near Doha we are served breakfast ( continental of course) and then we approach the airstrip which looks like it has been built in the middle of the desert but has quite a large built up area. We are taken to the airport lounge for a 3 hour wait for the flight to Kathmandu. It is supposed to have a top rating for duty free shopping ( only ...

We left Oz early November and flew into Kathmandu for a 5 week visit in stunning Nepal, which included 21 days trekking in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. The 210km trek was by far the most spectacular trekking we've ever done and are probably ever likely to do. The landscape changed daily and blew our minds - constant photo opportunities...

A lot of write and I think I need to go and adjust a purchase. I just found the mother of all tibetan singing bowl shops here in Kathmandu (makes sense considering my best informaion is that they are made here). More on that later. Wonderful stay in Kalyan. Felt very much a part of the family. At one point M. gave me the phone and said "My eldes...

So here we are again, we left India with some burocratic frustration, we crossed overland to Nepal (Kakarbitha or something similar, it took me 3 days to remember the name and not to make the guide laugh all the time I have mentioned the name of the place)Anyway we crossed the border but we did not checked out from India properly so the Nepali b...

Last week, after a long, hard day at work, Stacey and I decided to kick back with some beverages in Thamel, Kathmandu's backpacker ghetto. Now for those of you that haven't done any developing world travel, this is a wonderland of internet cafes, dodgy guesthouses, cheap beer, banana pancakes (and pretty much any other food you can imagine a hip...