Butcher shops in Kathmandu
Thamel district of Kathmandu Nepal
Unusual sights are what make exotic cities like Kathmandu so interesting. The above photo shows one of the more disturbing sights I witnessed in one of the small back lanes near Thamel in central Kathmandu. Butcher shops are not all that common in the city – well, I didn’t notice many. Of course, Hindu Nepali are vegetarian which could explain their absence. One can still order things like steak in the hotels and restaurants of course, because they are catering for the tourists.
When I ordered meat of any kind, I tried not to think of where it could possibly have originated. I hoped that my steak did not come from an open air butcher shop like the one shown. It is probably not as drastic as it seems; I was not aware of many – if any – flies while wandering around the city. What it would be like in summer I’m not sure.
When I think back to my time there, I remember ordering fish quite a few times. Not sure if this sight had any influence on my choice.
Couriers in Kathmandu
Thamel district of Kathmandu Nepal
I took this photo to show my good friend Keith who has a courier delivery business here in the city where I live. From time to time I do some relief work for him. It means driving a delivery van around the city all day.
Overloaded bicycle
When I saw this bicycle laden with all those boxes I was at first amazed. How could this delivery fellow handle such a huge load? Then I thought of Keith. I’m not sure I should show him this photo; he might want to save his costs on fuel and buy a bicycle for me to deliver boxes around the town. I’m not sure that would be a good move.
Exploring Kathmandu
Thamel district of Kathmandu Nepal
I was fascinated by all the sights, colours, smells and variety as I explored the streets of Thamel in Kathmandu. Each little lane held a new experience. The variety was amazing. The variety of shops was interesting: jewellers alongside a bike repair shop next to a fruit and vegetable outlet next to a clothing store.
Some shops specialize in tourist items, like postcards and posters featuring the Himalayas. There are quite a few shops selling either music CDs or DVDs. (I wondered how many of them were pirated copies.) Every fifty metres or so one comes across a small booth where one can exchange money. Internet cafes seemed to be everywhere as were trekking supply shops.
Shops selling pashminas seemed to be everywhere, their colourful wares bringing brightness to the drab lanes. Clothing shops, religious icons, kitchen wares and small bookshops with barely room for two or three people at once and food outlets from street stalls through to large restaurants added to the variety.
While there I did a little shopping but I mainly spent many hours exploring the lanes and alleys of Kathmandu. The sights and sounds were fascinating.
The streets of Kathmandu
Thamel district of Kathmandu Nepal
As I wandered around the streets of Kathmandu I was fascinated by the small lanes meandering off in all directions. I found that the most interesting sights were seen by just wandering along with no particular plan in mind.
Map
I had obtained a street map from the tourist information desk at the hotel where I was staying but I found it rather difficult to use. While the map was in English, many of the street names were not. Many of them were not even labelled in any way. So I decided just to follow my nose and if I saw an interesting lane, I wandered along it. In this way I found some very interesting sights.
Shady areas
There was one little down side to this strategy. I found several rather shady areas where I was able to see some aspects of life in the raw in Kathmandu. This area was not too far from the shopping area of Thamel but I guess this is true of many major cities. I soon found my way back to a more pleasant area.
Thamel district of Kathmandu, Nepal
Thamel district of Kathmandu Nepal
While visiting Kathmandu most visitors will end up spending some of their time in the Thamel district. This area tends to be very attractive to visitors due to the incredible range of shopping possibilities available. In a compact area of the city, this district offers many tourist oriented shopping outlets as well as your normal range of shops.
For those who are going trekking in the Himalayas there are numerous shops where suitable equipment can be bought before leaving for the mountains. In fact, those in the know can often purchase clothing and other supplies at a fraction of the price back home in Australia, America or Europe. Some of the well known labels are available very cheaply in Kathmandu so be cautious about quality; they are often not the genuine article.
One of the highlights of a visit to any foreign city in is experiencing the food in a different culture. Kathmandu has many food outlets, including some fine restaurants. The restaurants in the hotels are reputedly very good, though I only have experience of the restaurant at the Shangri La Hotel. This was exceptionally good with reasonable prices. We also tried several restaurants in Thamel, including Kilroy’s of Kathmandu, a famous eatery where Ireland meets Nepal. Excellent food at reasonable prices in a wonderful atmosphere.