Q
Q is for Quibbling – it will take you a few days to work out what the going rate for things is. Haggling skills will come with time but its best not to argue incessantly over that extra 10 rupees. The people know how much an airline ticket from Europe or America costs (mainly because they have researched it and most of them could never afford it) and therefore if you are arguing over 10 pence they don’t think you are ever so clever for knowing the right price - they just think you are an arsehole. Tourist prices are different from Nepali prices. Don’t pay way over the odds but the extra 10 pence isn’t much to you but it can mean a lot to them. Remember that when you are walking out of the shop and congratulating yourself on what a bargain you got, you might be leaving a thoroughly disgusted shopkeeper behind you.
You’ll work it out in a few days don’t worry (chinta nagarnus in Nepali).
R
R is for Raaksi – Raaksi is the local tipple. Rice wine, but stronger than saké, it can seem very rough at first but a taste is easily acquired. A 500ml bottle should cost no more than 30 Nepalese rupees (about 30 pence). Some of the more remote villages enjoy their raaksi a great deal.
R is for Royalty – the standard texts on Nepal state that the Nepalis see their King as a kind of God. Nowadays, this simply isn’t true. What with the royal massacre and the current political upheaval, royalty is extremely unpopular. Most Nepalis believe that the Royal Massacre was not in fact perpetrated by the young regent whilst he was fuelled by drink and drugs (which was the official story). What seems to be the belief is that the new King (who was the murdered Kings brother) was in collusion with the security forces and in effect staged a coup. This theory would appear to be lent weight by the fact that since he has been on the throne he has dissolved the parliament (Nepal had only become a democracy a few years earlier), banned all other political parties and the civil war has resumed at a fiercer pace than before. Incidentally, the BBC described King Gyanendra as “a safe pair of hands” ?!
S
S is for Smog – a real problem in Kathmandu. Asthmatics may find it heavy going.
T
T is for Thamel – what can you say about Thamel? If you are a Westerner, wanting a few cheap beers, excellent food in cheap restaurants and a lot of noise then Thamel is the place for you. It is a small part of Kathmandu where tourists and traders congregate.
Invented to cater for the growing tourist trade Thamel has many good, clean restaurants and hotels. Staff are helpful even if the street traders may get on your nerves a bit. “Chai Daina” (I don’t need it) is the best phrase to get you some respite. The Buddha bar, Tom and Jerry’s and the Fire club are the main places to be. Good films, European menus and shopping are all plentiful. If you want your western comforts Thamel is where it’s at. Its probably best though, if you use Thamel as a base and stay only one or two nights at a time whilst on your way to see the other things Nepal has to offer. This is practical as all the trekking and rafting companies have offices here so you can book and then move on. Its good for a weekend but you probably won’t want to spend all your time there. If you ever go, then go the Roadhouse restaurant, its on the main street in Thamel and you can email me to thank me for pointing it out to you.
Thamel is Thamel, it is not Nepal.
T is for Temples – each main city or town in Nepal will have a variety of temples. Kathmandu is best served with three enormous sites. Firstly, there is Swayambunath otherwise known as “the monkey temple” which is Buddhist. There is also Bouddha, which is Buddhist and Pashupatinath, which is Hindu.
Swayambunath – otherwise known as the ‘Monkey Temple’
Pashupatinath
T is for Tibetans – when the Chinese invaded Tibet in the 1950s many Tibetans fled into Nepal. In many nations a sudden influx of refugees leads to instability and violence. Not so in Nepal. The Tibetans and Nepalis seem to mix very well with no outstanding tensions. The religions of the two groups (Tibetans are Buddhists and Nepalis are Hindus) seem to have come together in some places. You can often see Hindus at Buddhist temples and vice versa.
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