Kathmandu

Coraline

I just booked a fleabag hotel in Kathmandu on a whim for 3 weeks a year from now.

Anybody been there that know really strange/unusual/weird/off-the-beaten-track stuff there?

I don't know anything about the place but would love to have at least 2 or 3 ideas of something strange to see as an anchor.

Many thanks in advance!

agrinnall

It's over 20 years since I was there, and I believe things have changed quite a lot since then (I suspect your hotel may not be as fleabag as some of mine were!) but I expect a lot of things are still the same. The pleasure of Kathmandu is really just hanging around, meeting people doing the same thing, and not having too many plans. Three weeks is quite a long time so you might want to consider taking a few days elsewhere, such as Chitwan national park, or a visit to Pokhara.

Unfortunately my guidebooks to Nepal are packed away in storage, but a couple of suggestions are to view the erotic temple carvings at one of the outlying districts (I think it may be Bakhtapur, but I can't be certain) and seeing bodies cremated on the river bank at Pashupatinath temple.

Shimrod

I'd agre with agrinnall that three weeks is a long time if you are planning on spending it all in Kathmandu. It's 10 years since I've been there, but a few days was long enough for the city.

I'd second the suggestion of travelling down to Chitwan. Depending on road conditions it can be a long journey by bus (it took us 13 hours), but about 40 minutes flight and you get some nice close up views of the valleys.
You could also consider a trip to Lhasa - that's a couple of hours by plane. You could fly both ways, or travel back overland (that would most probably be a tour), which takes 7-10 days depending on route. We did this trip http://www.explorehimalaya.com/tibet_overlandtour1.php which is very similar to trip Michael Palin did for his TV series/book 'Himalaya'

Coraline

Cheers all! Just to clarify I don't plan to stay in Kathmandu for 3 weeks, but since the hotel is only £2 a night, I went ahead and booked it for the whole time so I'd have a place to come back to and could leave stuff parkded for trips beyond. I'm thinking of staying there for 3-4 days when I arrive, 3-4 days before I go, and taking 2 or 3 day excursions whenever I feel like it, depending how the trip unfolds.

Wait...did someone mention bodies getting cremated? I have yet to come across that in my travels!

agrinnall

Sounds like a good plan, and at £2 a night you can certainly afford to keep the room on while you're away (I may have to retract my fleabag statement, that's about what I paid in 1990 so maybe standards haven't improved that much!). To be honest you probably could spend 3 weeks in and around Kathmandu, I did on my second visit to Nepal, but that was for 2 months so I spent a lot of time doing other things too.

That's the only place I've seen public cremations, although I'm sure there are plenty of places in India where it's done. Certainly worth a look I'd say, and Pashupatinath is a nice place to spend a few hours anyway.

Coraline

Hmm...I wonder if (I think I know the answer to this already) if it would be in bad taste to photograph the cremations?

The hotel actually doesn't seem too bad...the bathroom is shared but for a small single room (with wifi so I can post on MSE everynight) is a deal that can't be beat!

http://www.expedia.co.uk/Kathmandu-Valley-Hotels-Shree-Tibet-Family-Guest-House.h6672104.Hotel-Information?chkin=04/02/2014&chkout=21/02/2014&rm1=a1&hwrqCacheKey=004128ff-9c9f-4261-a84d-4921c56923bfHWRQ1381942741270&c=80d71c92-7302-4687-95b5-01428566b1d7&&hash!!!!!default&rfrr=-30461

Shimrod

I was obviously living up, having paid £33 for B&B in the Yak n' Yeti - oe of my favourite hotels, although it seems to have gone out of favour looking at the reviews on tripadvisor.

For the cremations - I would only say think about how you would feel if a stranger started taking pictures of you at a relative's funeral. Suggestion would be (I've seen your DSLR posting in the techie forum) to be discreet and use a telephoto lens if you really want to. Look for a book called Touching Tibet by Niema Ash - on her travels she attends a sky burial which sounds like it might interest.

PompeyPete

When I saw the OP I thought I'd ignore the thread!

Me and the cook have got 5 weeks in Nepal starting on 19 March 2014. Flying from LHR with Etihad.

Booked our first week just outside of the Kathmandu ring road, using this accommodation website...

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/

Then we'll take a bus to Pokhara, and have booked a B&B via word of mouth from a very kind person on this forum. Probably stay in Pokhara for 10 days or so.

Then go to Chitwan via Tansen, before heading back to Kathmandu for the Nepalese New Year and enjoying it in Bhaktapur.

Looking forward to it, lots of planning done and lots more to do. It should make a bit of a change from SE Asia.

Coraline. I'd be a bit careful where you aim your camera, and always ask permission first.

PP

Mr_Wang

PompeyPete wrote: »

When I saw the OP I thought I'd ignore the thread!


PP

Exactly the reason I've ignored it.

agrinnall

Coraline wrote: »

Hmm...I wonder if (I think I know the answer to this already) if it would be in bad taste to photograph the cremations?

The hotel actually doesn't seem too bad...the bathroom is shared but for a small single room (with wifi so I can post on MSE everynight) is a deal that can't be beat!

http://www.expedia.co.uk/Kathmandu-Valley-Hotels-Shree-Tibet-Family-Guest-House.h6672104.Hotel-Information?chkin=04/02/2014&chkout=21/02/2014&rm1=a1&hwrqCacheKey=004128ff-9c9f-4261-a84d-4921c56923bfHWRQ1381942741270&c=80d71c92-7302-4687-95b5-01428566b1d7&&hash!!!!!default&rfrr=-30461

I did take a few discreet photos, when I went the cremations took place on the temple side of the river, where non-Hindus were not allowed, so the viewing was done from the other side of the river.

I'm slightly puzzled by the hotel description, where the £2 option says Dorm room but max occupancy 1 adult. I suspect at that price you may indeed be in a dorm. However, the photos make it look a lot better than many of the places I stayed in, so I'm sure it'll be fine.

Coraline

That sounds like a good plan, to be discreet and use a telephoto from over the river. I understand it can be seen as voyeuristic but it is part of the complete picture (no pun intended) of the culture there. I'm not planning to go NatGeo on all of it, should I come across it.

PP you're definitely right about being careful where you aim the camera, I've been doing street photography for a couple years in any country I've traveled. Learn the hard way in some places but common sense usually won out with experience.

I keep hearing Bhaktapur from people, especially as a good place to wind down the trip before heading back to the airport.

agrinnall, it's a dorm room (10 beds...on the top floor next to the deck), not sure what but for the price it's just fine for me--they have facilities where I can lock my stuff up so for a place to crash every night--it's all I need!