Nepal
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Travel Tips: Nepal
We got stuck at the border of China/Nepal because of a Maoist strike. The Nepal town is called Kodari. We stayed in one of the hotels near the border. We were on the Nepal side but inside the security checkpoint. None of the hotels in Kodari have hot water. We spent the day just hiking around. The town is actually very beautiful and if you climb up to the monastery retreat center, you can get a great photo of the Chinese town built on the side of the mountain across the river.
To get to Kathmandu you just hop on almost any bus. Just say Kathmandu. Make sure you bargain the fare. The earlier you go in the day the better. The price is more at night because the drivers are afraid of the Maoists.
In Kathmandu, the big backpacker area is called Thamel. Everyone knows it. It is near the grand palace. We stayed at the Happy Hostel. We were somewhere else first and they were horribly mean to us so we moved to the Happy hostel and loved it. People in Kathmandu are not known for their honesty but Happy hostel was family run and super nice to us. Across the street from happy hostel is the Pumpernickel Bakery. This is THE place to eat breakfast or lunch. It is closed for dinner. Don’t miss it.
In Kathmandu you can go to the monkey temple. This temple has loads of monkeys and also the famous painted eyes that are on everything in Nepal. It is very famous. If you get a good map you can walk there from Thamel.
Another highlight is the Hindu temple. It is the most famous one in all of Nepal. Every day they have funerals and cremations. You can get much closer to the event here than you can in India so I would recommend going. It is pretty gross to see a body burning but it is also really cool and doesn’t smell quite as bad as you think. I don’t remember the name of the temple but we had to take a cab. Anyone in Thamel could tell you the name.
Shopping there is really great but bargain REALLY hard. They will rip you off if you aren’t really careful. And if you want any kind of drugs, Kathmandu is the place. Just walk down the street and someone will offer you anything. Don’t get too carried away.
After Kathmandu we went to Pokhara. You can bus a bus ticket in Kathmandu. Be careful when you get off the bus in Pokhara though. People wanting you to stay in their hotel will maul you. The place we stayed in was awesome. It was called Mountain Guesthouse Lakeside. It was cute and just off the main road. The guy who does the pick up is named Sagar. Try to find him or the name of the hotel in the mass of guys hawking their places to you and go there. You can go trekking in Pokhara or rent a canoe and paddle on the lake or rent bikes and ride around. It was an awesome place to relax.
After Pokhara, we went to Royal Chitwan Park. It is better to book a tour in Chitwan than book it earlier in Kathmandu. Just walk around and find the best deal depending on what you want to do and see.
After Chitwan we bought a bus ticket to the Indian border. Saunali is the name of the border town.