Tourist Attractions in Nepal

Everything is negotiable in Nepal,but in Thamel district,the main tourist hub of kathmandu is the main area you will have the most haggle and babble for accommodation,shopping and transport..
I heard many stories whilst i was there and had many arm wrestles with taxi drivers over fares.I guess that is normal for any country but like many places,the nepalese taxi men will try get as much as possible from you with a range of justifications..
Just work out in your own calculations what seems fair and reasonable for you and him and don't budge..best thing is to always say you will find another driver.although having said this,once you negotiate a price,I had many a time where they tried bumping up the fare once you arrived at the destination! so be firm but polite also-as some of them won't hesitate to leave you stranded!
Bartering in Thamel can be fun,but like most Asian places,they can be stubborn and often i was shocked how much they try charge you for something! like a pair of sandals!
Some shop owners won't budge and are quite stubborn,once again,calculate what seems fair for both parties,if they don't bite then either you move on or pay what they want! ;)
The nepalese are quite cunning at times and they know what the conversion rates can be between their rupee and your dollar/euro or whatever so be aware of that one! All in all its usually good fun.
Like any country it gets easier to barter outside the big city!

Unique Suggestions: As far as accommodation goes,definitely shop around,I had some horrid rooms but the more you look the more you can find some good bargains...
If you are on a bare bones budget like i was the places you will be choosing will be very temperamental when it comes to the housekeeping and water..
Hot water isnt a common thing and I had many nightmares with showers not working much.The water,when its running,can either be smelly or even a discolored brown! so beware for that if you aren't use to this.
I have good contacts in Thamel so if you are heading there let me know and my friends can assist you.

Fun Alternatives: The alternatives I've listed above..just like most capitals its always a bigger challenge getting good value for accommodation,transport,shopping etc..
I always say to give Kathmandu a break and move beyond the hectic capital and see the real Nepal where hospitality is king,and much easier on the wallet and sanity! happy travels ;)

I don't recommend Pokhara Cyber Cafe run by Tamagi T&TP LTD. Cafe on the same side of the street as STandard Chatered bank, you have to go upstairs to get to Cafe. Computers infected by viruses (they infected my flash memory), slow connection, unhelpful and grumpy staff.

Unique Suggestions: Choose another Internet Cafe :)

Nepal is a country full of many opportunities for adventure. It also has the most spectacular and breathes taking beautiful scenery not to be seen in any other parts of the world. There is also the world-famous mountain range, the Himalayas, a part of which of course is the highest mountain on this earth, Mt. Everest 8848m. The travel agency organize a variety of adventure trips and activities including trekking, peak climbing, expeditions, white water rafting, wildlife safari and also arranges treks for families, small groups of friends, School/collage groups and larger parties organized by clubs or travel agents.
For more information or detail text, please visit this website www.peakclimbingnepal.com and for Himalayas mountain views, climbing pictures, temples, rafting river, you can also visit http://www.peakclimbingnepal.com/index.php?action=display-gallery

Unique Suggestions: Nepal is a country full of many opportunities for adventure. It also has the most spectacular and breathes taking beautiful scenery not to be seen in any other parts of the world. There is also the world-famous mountain range, the Himalayas, a part of which of course is the highest mountain on this earth, Mt. Everest 8848m. The travel agency organize a variety of adventure trips and activities including trekking, peak climbing, expeditions, white water rafting, wildlife safari and also arranges treks for families, small groups of friends, School/collage groups and larger parties organized by clubs or travel agents.
For more information or detail text, please visit this website www.peakclimbingnepal.com and for Himalayas mountain views, climbing pictures, temples, rafting river, you can also visit http://www.peakclimbingnepal.com/index.php?action=display-gallery

Fun Alternatives: Nepal is a country full of many opportunities for adventure. It also has the most spectacular and breathes taking beautiful scenery not to be seen in any other parts of the world. There is also the world-famous mountain range, the Himalayas, a part of which of course is the highest mountain on this earth, Mt. Everest 8848m. The travel agency organize a variety of adventure trips and activities including trekking, peak climbing, expeditions, white water rafting, wildlife safari and also arranges treks for families, small groups of friends, School/collage groups and larger parties organized by clubs or travel agents.
For more information or detail text, please visit this website www.peakclimbingnepal.com and for Himalayas mountain views, climbing pictures, temples, rafting river, you can also visit http://www.peakclimbingnepal.com/index.php?action=display-gallery

If crossing the border from nepal to india at sunauli and someone offers to sell you a ticket in nepal that will get you on a bus in india do not believe them. I bought a ticket from the nepal side that was apparently going to get me to varanasi. I was told to meet a guy called babu once on the india side. I met him and of course the usual story followed of 'that ticket is for tourist bus and tourist bus just left now you must buy new ticket for local bus no more tourist bus today'. The ticket in the first place was an absolute rip off, 600 hundred indian rupees and then the new yicket the real price was only 172 rupees. So once you cross the border just jump on a bus when you hear them yelling out the name of where it is going and pay once you are on.

Unique Suggestions: if this same thing happens to you just accept it cause there's nothing you can do. you can't cross back over the border to where you bought the ticket unless you get another visa and getting angry seemed to get me nowhere. as soon as you cross that border the tigers pounce alright.

Fun Alternatives: Like i said only pay for a ticket once you are sitting in the seat and on your way. things sre so different in india than nepal.

Having just returned form an Excellent though Expensive trek to Lo Manthang, Upper Mustang, Nepal, My friend took 9 films for processing to “The Image Centre” (Colour Link) JP Road (Same street and same side as the kathmandu Guesthouse) Tel 4251468
They Destroyed 9 films and then blamed her Camera, which is fine and an expensive SLR model (Also she had 3 films developed without problem just before setting off on the trek)
They reckoned that light had got into the camera, Strange that this problem mysteriously came and went at the beginning. Middle and end of the films, Not all the films either as one only had a couple of bad ones, I reckon that just over 50% of the prints were worthless !!
They didn’t even offer to reduce the price to soften the blow !!

Also I had them download by photo’s from my digital camera and burn them to disk (Before I realized that they had cocked up the developing of Helgas films), they had problems doing this too and somehow managed to loose about 200 of my pics !!??
Guess what, They said that my memory card had a virus on it – Strange that this had never happened before or since ??

Anyone else had trouble here ??
Take a tip and go somewhere else would be my Best Advice.
Happy Clicking
Rob

Fun Alternatives: I would avoid this place and Only have your films developed at a processors that either you have used before or that you have had a personal recommendation for, Alternatively take your films back home with you and have them developed there as once they have been ruined there is no going back !!

Everything got more expensive in Nepal over the last ten years, as everywhere, yes, but... it is crazy sometimes, the new 'magic menu' as we started calling it. Everywhere you will find it, in the Annapurna region, and it is especially magic because it conjurs up a load of money for the people that in many small places cannot even conceive of how to start cooking most of the stuff on there.. (So, apparently it is not only ACAP personel enjoying five star hotels and wages ten times as big as before, that is eating our 'anapurna conservation money', it is also the Tourism Board, who created this for nepali people so convenient menu...).

In times as these it is of course very 'tempting' to accept the 'nepali price'-offer that some people make...

One woman, who is living between Juni (the hotspringtown in the annapurna region) and Cchomrong, (which is now the most touristic place on the way to or back from the Annapurna sanctuary), is very insisting on offering this Nepali price (50 roepie for dahl bhat!).. She was that insisting that we even accepted to stay for some nights in her house on the hill with beautiful view... What was expected to become a local and not touristic experience turned into a nightmare 'overnite'.., because, when we finally wanted to pay the 'nepali price' that we had agreed on, she called her dear son (a 16 year young dealer), started shouting and in the end even threatened us with a knife, someting which made my friend pay her magic menu price after all... understandibly... (though the food and accomodation definately were not worth it..)

Unique Suggestions: So, well, it can be nice the local experiences at nepali price, but it is maybe better in this case to always pay what you ate and drunk, immediately after..

and... well... beware especially of the stealing 'Dahl Bhat woman' whom you will find in the last ' place to stay' on the hill, on the way up to Cchomrong from Jinu hotsprings.., because, being chased with a knife (though probably bluff and well rehearsed theatre) is probably not what you go and look for in Nepal..., which is, by the way, still an amazing country to visit..

Street peddlers in Thamel get to be a frustration at times, but don't let them get the best of you. They will try to sell you anything from tiger balm to drugs.

Unique Suggestions: Simply say no thanks and keep walking. If they follow you keep walking or walk into a store. They may even try to insult you, but just ignore it.

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..... the street peddlers can get a little on the nerves after you have firmly, but politely said, no, for the hundreth time because you have already bought all the souvenirs you're planning to buy, and even if they drop their price another 100 rupees you're not going to change your mind.

Now, please do not get me wrong. I have a lot of empathy for them. They are just trying to earn a meagre earning from the tourists that obviously have a lot more than they do. And just as obviously, like the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, they need to be very persistent.

But you have to understand I actually feel bad when they are forced to drop their prices to ridiculously low levels where I have to wonder whether they can even afford to sell such items so cheaply or maybe they do not understand and have just been told by someone else, here, sell this, and get as much or as little as you can? I dunno, but at some price it must not be worth it for anyone?

Then I feel bad when I do buy something and then the next person offers me two for the same price or even two for half the price. Dang-it-all-anyways! I just have to justify it by saying to myself that it is their wage for the day and what is five bucks more or less? It might be their only sale all day. And in a country where wages can be as low as one or two dollars a day a few extra dollars makes a big difference for some.

I am sure they use children to tug at your heart strings as well. Who can resist? What I will not do though is give gypsy beggars money. Especially, those with small, dirty children in tow. I am not going to encourage that and there are many signs in Kathmandu to that effect. Also, when a porter only earns a dollar or three a day carrying heavy loads how can I justify giving a beggar that just for being in my face.

Fun Alternatives: However, it is not as bad as all that. Actually, the hawkers and peddlers are an integral part of Kathmandu's streets as well as the art of haggling for a discount, and the country would be, literally, poorer without these entrepreneurs. Just enjoy it, but learn to say, no thank you. Just don't change your mind then. You'll only encourage them to be more persistent! ; - )