All Blog Posts Tagged 'Kathmandu' (23)

Through the last many years, I have had the pleasure to be a part of the Swyambunath community, living amongst its various Tibeto/Buddhist groups. It is the most important Buddhist site, outside of Tibet and the largest forested area in Kathmandu, protected under a UNESCO banner. But strangely enough my most interaction has been with the areas other, more mischievous residents: simians, or monkeys, to us…

April is a confusing and crowded month for festivals. Within 10 days Ghode Jatra, the Newari Chariot festival, Seto Machhendranath, Chaitra Dasain , Ram Navami were all celebrated. New Years, Balaju Mela and Loktantra Diwas Day are on the way before the month ends.

It is really difficult to find information for when the festivals begin and with some of the rituals occurring on the same days it is often hard to know what you are watching. Here is our break down of the first…

No floor covering, no stove or oven, no cabinets, no hot water - Nepali kitchens can be a shock.

I read a lot of the Nepal forums and I get asked all the time how to find long term accommodation in Kathmandu. It is difficult being a foreigner and looking for an apartment…

I was really excited when I heard about the Nepal Tattoo Convention in Kathmandu. It is running as part of Digital Om’s Mountain Madness in April.  I’ve wanted to get a tattoo in Nepal for a long time but I was too scared. I have seen plenty of my friends come home from trips abroad with badly…

I have said it before and I will say it again, Nepal the some of the most fascinating and crazy festivals I have ever heard of. In Dhulikehel Gods chase you and steal your money, at Maha Shivaratri every one gets high, Newari girls marry fruit trees, and in some villages the trees marry each…

What started out as a peaceful event to mark the anniversary of the occupation of Tibet by China ended in violence and arrests for Pro Tibet residents in Boudha.

Yesterday's event was interrupted by Nepali police and when participants refused to leave Boudhanath temple the police resorted to violence to break up the event.

Children, women and tourists were caught in the middle of the dispute. One woman was hit in the face and another dragged away by police…

Sherpa Lhosar is the celebration of Sherpa communities to signify the beginning of a new year and the starting of a new summer season.

It involves a week of festivities. In Kathmandu Sherpa families visit Boudha in traditional dress and make a round of the stupa. On top of the stupa people can be see throwing ashes and grains into the air.

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Last Year I celebrated Maha Shivaratri at my home in Pokhara. Like most guys I enjoyed the craziness of the festival. It’s an excuse to stay out late, drink, smoke and play with fire – all in the name of worship of Lord Shiva.

In Pokhara there is a tradition of building large fires in the street. Children often steal wooden things from house to fuel the fires. It is believed to be bad luck to discipline them because they are stealing for worship.

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I was visiting a friend’s family when his mother flourished a number of worn pictures of a small boy, wrapped in orange, with big scared eyes, and even bigger ears painfully accentuated by his newly bald head. “He is ready for marriage” she proudly announced. My first impression was that Bratabandha was a haircut that turned boys into men.



Bratabandha is a Hindu ceremony where boys, between 8 and 12, take the first steps in learning the traditional laws, ceremonial roles and…

If you are in Nepal and you didn't know Bryan Adams was here last week then you must be living under a rock. The hype surrounding his tour at Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu has been huge. Luckily, those who could afford the tickets, said he was worth every rupee.

Many people filled the Tribhuvan International Airport car park, waiting hours for the star to arrive.

The Canadian star opened his…

Around twenty people, mostly students, participated in a seemly spontaneous pillow fight, revealing cushions and taking aim a little after 4pm.

A…

Two men select Valentine's Day roses.

Last year I was in Pokhara for Valentine’s Day. February 14 passed by with surprisingly little fuss. One or two shops had red hearts in the windows, some giggling school…

Two of my friends decided to accompany me on my first trek in Nepal. We had picked out a two day trek in the Kathmandu Valley but it didn’t exactly go to plan.

Our guide was an hour late. We were starting to think maybe we wouldn’t be going at all. We’d even started discussing what we should do with our day instead; Clean the apartment, go back to work, go back to bed?

When the guide arrived it seemed there had been a misunderstanding about the times. It also…

Martyr's Day in Nepal is the day Sukra Raj Shatri, Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Ganga Lal Shrestha and Dhasrath Chand are honored for sacrificing their lives for the rights of Nepali people. It seems people may have forgotten the great price these men paid for the freedoms they now…

Have you ever been to a bar and it’s so cool you don’t want to go leave? As I am sitting, sipping my tea in the garden at Electric Pagoda, I’m thinking I wish I could just stay here. I wish could set up in the corner, maybe next to the huge…

Poush Aunsi at Gokarneswor Mahadev* is rarely found on the regular tourist itinerary. It's very likely you will be the only foreigner in attendance. This serious and personal ceremony provides a genuine cultural experience, which should not be missed.

Hindu funeral rites require details such as the time and date, Thithi, of an individual's birth in order to send…