Should you pay an inflated entrance fee to a tourist area? You head down to Kathmandu’s Durbar square. The most famous heritage area among this old city’s long list of cultural charms. Old Newari buildings stand beside red bricked temples, a palace, a goddess’ house, a few places of worship and a giant public courtyard that’s an… Continue reading more »

How to get a job in Kathmandu Nepal? Before going any further I should point out that this article is mainly in relation to a “foreigner” seeking employment in Nepal. Though given the mass of Nepalese also seeking employment anywhere in Nepal there are some equally pivotal points of note here too. To the non-Nepalese I urge you to… Continue reading more »

Sometimes you just need to explore behind a town to see its real beauty I’ve yet to hear anyone speak nicely of Lumbini itself beyond visiting the temple park area, the main road/street and of course the obvious quasi tourist / pilgrimage hospitality sector. Well, it is really just a one street town. Maybe that’s… Continue reading more »

Visiting the Maya Devi temple Lumbini birthplace of buddha There’s a separate ticket inspection booth and entrance into the Maya Devi temple area than the rest of Lumbini’s temple complex. Also a small security search but nothing too forceful. This is after all one of the most important religious sites in the world. It’s the location where Siddhārtha Gautama… Continue reading more »

Lumbini’s Buddhist temples from around the world I must firstly admit I am not a huge fan of endless Buddhist temples. From Nepal, to Tibet, China and Thailand I’ve had my fill of the “Buddhist lifestyle.”  Expensively ornate temples, cars, gadgets, hidden monk romances and the appearance of more than several monk offspring tends to make one a little less at… Continue reading more »

Getting to Lumbini the local way to find a cheap guesthouse What would Lumbini be like? It’s the birthplace of Buddha - one of the most important “religious” figures in history. Though everyone told me it was not touristy it did seem like a lot of people go there. However once there everyone pretty much leaves straight… Continue reading more »

Rebuilding the old world city of Kathmandu Nobody I know likes Thamel if they live in Kathmandu. It’s a clustered tourist zone. Filled with travel agents, trekking stores and over-priced souvenir shops. And it is a traffic nightmare. We all avoid it. The local government has been gridlocked in a debate about pedestrianizing the main streets… Continue reading more »