A typical day in Thamel, Kathmandu
Thamel is a small loop district in Kathmandu. I spent two weeks here, one of which was unplanned. Most tourists hang out here because there are a lot of hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops for trekking gear and souvenirs. However, there were a lot of locals here as well. After breakfast at my hostel, I'd typically take my first walk into the area for the day. My hostel was about 5 minutes north of Thamel, which was nice because it made night time a bit quieter. I had to cross a busy street to get there, and to cross the street in Kathmandu, you literally just walk into traffic. This took some getting used to - I was pretty tentative for the first few days and, more often than not, just watched for locals crossing nearby so I could tag along with them. One time, while I stood on the side of the road tentatively putting one foot on the road and then retracting it back to safety on the sidewalk, a badass old lady of about 75 years old approached, holding a large full basket on her head and smoking a cigarette. I could practically hear her thinking "pansy tourist" as she crossed without hesitation and I half-jogged along to keep up.
Once I got into Thamel, I was greeted by narrow streets with endless shops lining both sides. In addition to the shopkeepers standing outside inviting me in, there were also many carts selling food, taxi and rickshaw drivers, and drug dealers, who were all constantly trying to attract foreigners. I learned to say a quick "no thanks" under my breath and keep walking, because any other form of communication (eye contact, a smile, etc.) would usually be an invitation for them to follow me for a few minutes and learn my life story before convincing me to buy some local art or hash. In addition to dodging them, I also had to constantly dodge local people walking in all directions, with their surgeon masks to protect them from the dust and the accompanying "Kathmandu cough", usually draped over their friends chatting and laughing; and cars, vans, and scooters, which drove the narrow streets often despite there being very little room for them, and simply honked their horns loudly when they wanted people to get out of their way. The motorcycle drivers in particular were crazy: most of the time they would barely slow down as they rode down the street at breakneck pace, weaving between people, vehicles, and other obstacles.
I had to do more shopping than I typically like to while I was in Kathmandu (I typically like to do none, so this threshold was easy to pass), but most of the time I had fun doing it. Due to the abundance of shops in Thamel, most selling similar things, I could find reasonable deals and quickly figure out when shops were overpriced or trying to hustle me. Shopkeepers were all very nice, greeting me as I came in, and usually watching me uncomfortably intently as I looked at their merchandise, in case I had questions. Some would ask where I was from, which trek I was doing, etc., sometimes because they were genuinely interested, other times because they obviously thought it would make me more likely to buy something. When I did want to buy something, I had to learn the art of bartering with the shopkeeper first. The bartering was interesting because most shopkeepers had a fixed lowest price for their merchandise and would watch me walk out of their store if I went the slightest bit below it, even if it was only 10-20% below their asking price. This happened to me several times, to my surprise. Others happily bartered to 50-70% below their original asking price. The most fun part about the process was that they bartered with a smile and were never offended or upset at anything I offered - if it was too low, they just smiled or laughed and said "not possible, sir", and then half the time agreed to it minutes later. Some shopkeepers were extremely knowledgeable about the treks in the area and actually told me specifically not to buy particular items because I wouldn't need them for my trek. This was surprising and refreshing, and made me want to spend money with them more, so it ended up being worth their while. I'm sure I made some good deals and some bad ones, but I definitely came out of it with some improved haggling skills.
Shopping and bartering, like most things, made me hungry. I had a couple of go-to lunch spots in Thamel: a kebab stand in the northwest corner and a hole-in-the-wall curry place off the main drag. The kebab place was usually packed because it was rated the #1 food in Thamel by TripAdvisor. I don't agree with that, but I did enjoy it several times for lunch. The guy running the place was also super nice - he came out to chat with me a few times when I was the only one there, and told me about what Kathmandu life is like. When I didn't feel like a kebab, the curry place came highly recommended on the web and by several people I met in the area. The place resembled an unpainted garage and only had about ten tables, so typically I ate with strangers. There was a proper tandoori oven for naan and the chana masala was the best I've ever had: thick and spicy, and definitely inspiring me to perfect my own version when I get home. There were some nice dinner spots in Kathmandu, but my lunch places were definitely my favourite.
Nighttime was surprisingly quiet, considering how bustling the area was during the day. Most of the shops closed early, so the only places that were somewhat lively at night were the districts with lots of restaurants and bars. I typically ventured out in the late afternoon for a bit more shopping and some dinner, then went back to my hostel afterward. As I walked home, the shopkeepers that were closing up for the night would be outside beating their merchandise with large dust brooms so they looked their best the next day, or throwing water on the street for reasons I didn't understand. As fun as the area was, after dinner I was always happy to be back at my hostel for the evening, usually promptly collapsing on my bed until bed time.
Once I got into Thamel, I was greeted by narrow streets with endless shops lining both sides. In addition to the shopkeepers standing outside inviting me in, there were also many carts selling food, taxi and rickshaw drivers, and drug dealers, who were all constantly trying to attract foreigners. I learned to say a quick "no thanks" under my breath and keep walking, because any other form of communication (eye contact, a smile, etc.) would usually be an invitation for them to follow me for a few minutes and learn my life story before convincing me to buy some local art or hash. In addition to dodging them, I also had to constantly dodge local people walking in all directions, with their surgeon masks to protect them from the dust and the accompanying "Kathmandu cough", usually draped over their friends chatting and laughing; and cars, vans, and scooters, which drove the narrow streets often despite there being very little room for them, and simply honked their horns loudly when they wanted people to get out of their way. The motorcycle drivers in particular were crazy: most of the time they would barely slow down as they rode down the street at breakneck pace, weaving between people, vehicles, and other obstacles.
I had to do more shopping than I typically like to while I was in Kathmandu (I typically like to do none, so this threshold was easy to pass), but most of the time I had fun doing it. Due to the abundance of shops in Thamel, most selling similar things, I could find reasonable deals and quickly figure out when shops were overpriced or trying to hustle me. Shopkeepers were all very nice, greeting me as I came in, and usually watching me uncomfortably intently as I looked at their merchandise, in case I had questions. Some would ask where I was from, which trek I was doing, etc., sometimes because they were genuinely interested, other times because they obviously thought it would make me more likely to buy something. When I did want to buy something, I had to learn the art of bartering with the shopkeeper first. The bartering was interesting because most shopkeepers had a fixed lowest price for their merchandise and would watch me walk out of their store if I went the slightest bit below it, even if it was only 10-20% below their asking price. This happened to me several times, to my surprise. Others happily bartered to 50-70% below their original asking price. The most fun part about the process was that they bartered with a smile and were never offended or upset at anything I offered - if it was too low, they just smiled or laughed and said "not possible, sir", and then half the time agreed to it minutes later. Some shopkeepers were extremely knowledgeable about the treks in the area and actually told me specifically not to buy particular items because I wouldn't need them for my trek. This was surprising and refreshing, and made me want to spend money with them more, so it ended up being worth their while. I'm sure I made some good deals and some bad ones, but I definitely came out of it with some improved haggling skills.
Shopping and bartering, like most things, made me hungry. I had a couple of go-to lunch spots in Thamel: a kebab stand in the northwest corner and a hole-in-the-wall curry place off the main drag. The kebab place was usually packed because it was rated the #1 food in Thamel by TripAdvisor. I don't agree with that, but I did enjoy it several times for lunch. The guy running the place was also super nice - he came out to chat with me a few times when I was the only one there, and told me about what Kathmandu life is like. When I didn't feel like a kebab, the curry place came highly recommended on the web and by several people I met in the area. The place resembled an unpainted garage and only had about ten tables, so typically I ate with strangers. There was a proper tandoori oven for naan and the chana masala was the best I've ever had: thick and spicy, and definitely inspiring me to perfect my own version when I get home. There were some nice dinner spots in Kathmandu, but my lunch places were definitely my favourite.
Nighttime was surprisingly quiet, considering how bustling the area was during the day. Most of the shops closed early, so the only places that were somewhat lively at night were the districts with lots of restaurants and bars. I typically ventured out in the late afternoon for a bit more shopping and some dinner, then went back to my hostel afterward. As I walked home, the shopkeepers that were closing up for the night would be outside beating their merchandise with large dust brooms so they looked their best the next day, or throwing water on the street for reasons I didn't understand. As fun as the area was, after dinner I was always happy to be back at my hostel for the evening, usually promptly collapsing on my bed until bed time.
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| The streets of Thamel |
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| The Boudhanath stupa, a short taxi ride away from Thamel |
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