City In Focus : Kathmandu

Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal has an incredibly rich cultural heritage, both built and living. This includes intriguing historic living cities, overflowing with monuments some of which are of great antiquity. It has many styles of traditional settlement, all set against some of the world's most dramatic mountain scenery.

 Festivals, often dating from pre-history, still abound and are filled with vitality and colour.

 The city is blessed by a pleasant year-round climate, affording stunning mountain views for much of the year. In addition to this The city is peopled by an unfailingly friendly population who are generally very happy to share their innate hospitality as well as their many customs and traditions with visitors. Kathmandu has an immense amount to offer both the general and special interest visitor and it developed as one of the world's most fashionable long haul exotic destinations 

(1) Thamel (Attraction type: Street/neighbourhood)

Thamel is action central. The number of shops, selling everything from antiques to hiking boots,seems uncountable. Signs jam every inch of wall space and nearly overwhelm the visitor. Trekking,rafting, travel agencies, hotels and guest houses bump up against one anotherñone canít imagine how so many businesses manage to survive. But they do, along with the tailors, jewelers, bookshops, cassette dealers, and others who make the Thamel area a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds. There are three main shrines in Thamel. The Thamel Bahal is enroute to Kantipath. It consists of three temples known popularly as the ìthree sistersî. During Dasain, the bahal is decorated with red paint and fresh green shoots. Devotees go to pay their respects and to celebrate the triumph of the goddess Durga over Mahisasur, the embodiment of evil. The last shrine juts out into a lane in Thamel. The stone figure of Durga is in its well-known stance, but the face has been restored in gilded metal. This small temple remains brightly lit throughout the night. Apart from legends, walking away from the royal palace towards Thamel, youíll find the Thamel Bahal guarded by stone griffins. Adjacent to it is Sanchaya Kosh, a large shopping arcade.The frenzied tourist activity in the surrounding area. To the right, the road leads to Bhagwan Bahal. There are still some old houses with fragments of carved window frames visible. Thamelís curio and antique shops are fun to browse in. Thamel is a book-loverís paradise. Both new and used books jam every inch of space in Thamelís book shops. Eating out is never a problem in Thamel. Restaurants serve Italian, Austrian, Indian, German, Thai, Chinese, Nepali,and Tibetan food. Pizza, burgers and fries, croissants, hot dogs, steak, and vegetarian specialties are readily available. By night Thamel is the social center of Kathmandu. Enjoy oldies or the latest rock music in stops for drinks . Watch a movie on video while enjoying your pizza. Meet up with friends old and new around the tables of Thamelís restaurants and bars. Orcatch up with friends and family in other time zones through the international telephone and fax services now available throughout the area.

(2) Durbar Marg ( Attraction type: Street/neighbourhood)

Durbar Marg runs south from the gates of the Royal Palace and is Kathmandu's main upscale shopping and hotel street. Lining this wide avenue, you'll find expensive restaurants, deluxe hotels, and shops selling jewelry, imported clothing, and Tibetan antiques.

(3) Freak Street (Attraction type: Street/neighbourhood)

Well-known in the days when Kathmandu was the hippie capital of the world, Freak Street is no longer the budget travelers main lodging area in Kathmandu. However, shops and very cheap guest houses still line this street just south of Basantapur Square, which itself is at the southeast corner of Durbar Square. This area is a thriving center for bargaining, eating and meeting other travelers.

(4) Tundikhel (Attraction type: Huge green field)

One of the hidden treasures of Kathmandu Thudikhel is  huge green area located on the eastern side of the old city of Kathmandu. This land hosts a large variety of events ranging from exhibitions to big sport matches, from army training  to yoga sessions. One of the most spectacular  event in thudikhel is Ghore Jatra festival – A horse racing competition. 

Every moment is a new experience in Kathmandu. Kathmandu possess a number of tourism attractions for both general and special interest tourist. However, Kathmandu has not been able to manage and market tourism on a sound and professional basis. Lack of institutional co-ordination among the government and the private sector is well pronounced. One of the major problems to tourism like growing environmental problems and poor preservation and development of touristic resources have not been addressed. Unless Nepal addresses these issues, sustained development of tourism will not be possible.