Kathmandu Travel Blogs

Africa

Antarctica

Asia

Central America Caribbean

Travel Blog » Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu

Kathmandu Travel Blogs

Background: In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. A Maoist insurgency, launched in 1996, has gained traction and is threatening to bring down the regime, especially after a negotiated cease-fire between the Maoists and government forces broke down in August 2003. In 2001, the crown prince massacred ten members of the royal family, including the king and queen, and then took his own life. In October 2002, the new king dismissed the prime minister and his cabinet for "incompetence" after they dissolved the parliament and were subsequently unable to hold elections because of the ongoing insurgency. While stopping short of reestablishing parliament, the king in June 2004 reinstated the most recently elected prime minister who formed a four-party coalition government, which the king subsequently tasked with paving the way for elections to be held in spring of 2005. Citing dissatisfaction with the government's lack of progress in addressing the Maoist insurgency, the king in February 2005 dissolved the government and assumed power.

Nepal

Map of Nepal

Nepal's Flag

Recommended Books:

Hostels in Nepal
Latest Kathmandu Blog Entries
Kathmandu Photos

By JessPowell
September 12th 2008

Kathmandu & Everest

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu » Everest Base Camp

Buddha Air
Nothing can go wrong with a name like that????

OK, I am so sorry for slow entries. I have been going hard for two three weeks and finally shut down. I am not going to have a lot to say. It was spiritual, made me cry and had a strong emotional effect on me. Everest (Sagarmatha or "Goddess in the sky" in Nepalese) was everything and more. It stands at 29,029 ft. Telluride, CO is at almost 9,000 ft. I thought that was high..... Not even close. I arrived at the local airport at 5:30 to get through security. Not knowing what to expect, and not a lot of english [View Full Entry]

By Dr Muffin
September 10th 2008

Last day in Thamel before my himalayan adventure begins..

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu » Thamel

rejoice rejoice we are women...

As is usually the case i am chasing my tail again; Cardiff university wants some forms filled in, i have been sent only one and apparently the rest are needed ASAP. Bugger, my bus leaves Kathmandu at 5.30am and i have to be on it. Am trying to figure out if i can trek an extra couple of hours a day to make up for one more day in kathmandu to sort this.....anyway, such is the normal pattern of my life. Okay then, a quick recap on a couple of the things that have happened in the last week that i [View Full Entry]

By jordan and linz
September 9th 2008

Kathmandu Valley High

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu

Patan's Durbar Square
View from Lunch

Our hackles raised by our grueling departure from Varanasi, we landed in Kathmandu a little on edge. But despite a prolonged wait for our complementary hotel shuttle, and the resulting aggression of the overly abundant taxi touts at the airport, the city's amazing first impression soon put us at ease. Our ride from the airport took us through the enormous, maze-like old city, where carved wooden balconies and balustrades cling to almost every building. Shrines and religious statuary are everywhere, and the narrow streets - lined with bowed brick walls - give it all a distinctly Medieval feel. [View Full Entry]

By jayhamon22
September 6th 2008

kathmandu

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu » Thamel

SDC10359
tallest peak to the left is mt Everest

Hi guys just updating my blog from my time in Katmandu but it will be rather short because it has been a while since we where there and the crazy party place of Bangkok has made me extremely tied and lazy getting a flight to Hanoi today to chill out and drink some 10p beer. Anyway we went rafting on our way to Katmandu which was amazing, there was a kid in our rafting who was annoyingly screaming with exciting even though it was calm rapids and not that exciting, I was getting annoyed because of his high pitched squeal and [View Full Entry]

By Mika D
September 6th 2008

Kathmandu! Our last stop in Nepal

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu » Thamal

kathmandu 055

Hello there. So since going rafting on way from Pokhara to Kathmandu, which was great by the way and I really want to do it again, we got on the four hour bus from the rafting site to Kathmandu and decided to ride on the roof of the bus! When our bus arrived in Kathmandu we got a taxi straight to the tourist area of Thamal. Pretty much everyone who goes to Kathmandu would be staying here so we thought it was a good choice. I think it was the first night there we decided to go out and party as [View Full Entry]

By JessPowell
September 5th 2008

Katmandu, Nepal

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu

P1010331

To sit patiently with a yearning that has not yet been fulfilled, and to trust that, that fulfillment will come, is quite possibly one of the most powerful "magic skills" that human beings are capable of. It has been noted by almost every ancient wisdom tradition. Elizabeth Gilbert .... Eat, Pray, Love My time will come. I have to believe that. Katmandu is rich in religions, temples, scenic beauty and warm smiling people. Not as hectic (or loud) as India, Indian dress and Hinduism is still very prevalent here. The mixture of traditional Indian sari and western forms of dress allows [View Full Entry]

By Dr Muffin
September 4th 2008

Day out in temple complex of Pashupatinath

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu » Dillibazar

purifying in the Bagmati river

This place is one of the holiest hindu sites in the world, outside India, dedicated to the God Shiva (one of the holy trinity, the god of destruction). The temple complex, the centre of which non-hindus are forbidden to enter, lies along the holy river Bagmati. This river, although sacred, still bears a striking resemblence to all the other rivers i have seen that carry their heavy burden of human waste off to India. Here though on the day of a hindu's death they must be purified in the waters by the male members of the family, then carried to the [View Full Entry]

By Silkthreads
September 3rd 2008

Weekend in Dhulikhel

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu

Garden of Dreams
Combination of old and new design

Life goes on and it is time for me to leave soon. There has been more problems with the internet, therefore updates have been sparse, I know I have not even filled in the rest of the Char Dham trip yet. Anyway one Saturday was spent visiting Kathmandu, realising that I really do not like Thamel at all. There are so many tourists and beggars and things that we just do not see in Godawari. I did visit the Garden of Dreams, a garden that was created by a Nepali in the nineteenth century, a sort of copy of an eighteenth [View Full Entry]

By docshaft
September 1st 2008

Perspective

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu

festival day
woman dressed in beautiful red sari's lined the street to pray for their husband's health and long life during a day long fast

(I finally had a fast connection today, so I uploaded a bunch of recent pics) People often ask me why I like to travel so much, and while there many reasons.... I think it comes down to perspective. Experiencing different countries, climates, cultures, foods, religions, smells, etc. on my travels leaves a lasting mark and in the end I don't think i'll ever be exactly the same. Here is some perspective from Nepal... Here I am a giant. I found out that I wear a XL or XXL shirt in Nepal, and many stores don't even stock my size (in the [View Full Entry]

By Madrasi Libby
August 31st 2008

The empowerment of one

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu

Bimala prepares the meal that will go down in history

“Your husband is supposed to be looked upon as God,” Bimala Ghimire says, explaining the way she was raised in a strict hierarchy of gender roles in her upper-caste Brahmin community. “I used to think that way,” she adds. “Because I didn’t know any better. But now I look at my husband as an equal. And he also sees me as an equal.” Bimala Ghimire has an unusual story of transition from what she describes as a “typical” Brahmin subservient housewife to an engaged and empowered female leader. Like many Brahmin women from her generation, [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu