OVERALL ASSESSMENT:
Nepal is a poor country with too many problems to even begin to list. When I visiting in March, 2004, I saw frequent demonstrations and there were strikes at least once a week when all businesses would be closed except for hotels and tourist restaurants. I was hesitant to travel around the country as the only road considered safe was from the capital Kathmandu to Pokhara. The streets of Kathmandu were noisy and bustling as always, but foreign tourists were conspicuous in their absence. The Nepali people are making do as best they can with a terrible, unfortunate situation.

TREKKING: Due to many factors I did not engage in any trekking. Some folks were trekking, but again, please check the latest conditions to see if it is considered safe.

MONEY: I used ATMs with little problem. You can also change notes or traveler cheques. Money changing places are everywhere.

FOOD: Cheap and good. Kathmandu is famous for its sweets, and this remains the case. Backpackers and locals alike would line up outside the German bakery at 8 p.m. when everything went on 1/2 price. Delicious cakes, cookies, mini-pizza, and more created a gluttons delight. The Nepali's seem very adept at cooking western style food. I was always a sucker for the sizzling steak platters for about U$2-3.

TRANSPORTATION: Around Kathmandu you can grab a taxi, bicycle rickshaw, or the extremely cheap 3-wheeled bemos. Walking is an adenture unto itself as Kathmandu is a crowded maze of twisting cobbled stone street and alleyways. Get lost on purpose and see what you will find!

ACCOMODATIONS: Due to the lack of tourists you can bargain hard and get some amazing deals. In Pokhara I stayed in a very nice room for U$5 that the owner assured me usually goes for U$15 when the tour groups come en masse. In Kathmandu I stayed in the Chhetrapati district, just a stones throw from the tourist ghetto Thamel district. Because tourism was way down, you can bargain hard, and you can rent a room for anywhere from U$3-7 with no problem. I stayed at the Hama Hotel, and like many Kathmandu hotels, one of the highlights was it's rooftop that offered views of the valley and provided a great place to relax over a hot pot of coffee or tea.

1. Holi Festival: Locals and foreigners alike are doused in water and colored dye in this racucous, fun filled holiday
2. Swayambunath: This large temple complex with both Hindu and Buddhist shrines is strategically located overlooking the Kathmandu valley
3. Swayambunath: Lighting butter candles
4. Swayambunath: The Vajra, or Thunder Bolt, represents wisdom in Tibetan Wisdom. You can see why this temple is often referred to as the "Monkey Temple"!
5. Dakshinkali: Live animal sacrifices are still performed in this eerie place
6. Dakshinkali: Ladies dressed in colorful saris queue to enter the holy inner courtyard
7. Patan: Durbar Square temple complex
8. Patan: Durbar Square - individual temple and tourist souvenirs
9. Patan: Durbar Square - Beautiful wooden carvings depicting Hindu gods abound
10. Patan: Durbar Square - statues are often so thoroughly covered in dye as to be unrecognizeable
11. Boudhanath: This is just the very tip of this huge Tibetan Buddhist Temple
12. Pahupatinash Hindu Temple Complex: This is just one small area of this impressive site
13. Kathmandu: Countless Hindu temples provide convenient gathering places, are regulary visited, and often used as market places, as well
14. Kathmandu: Lady buying orages
15. Kathmandu: Colorful pedal rickshaws
16. Kathmandu: Bargain hard at any of the many souvenir stalls
17. Kathmandu: Typical male Nepali dress
18. Kathmandu: In Durbar Square this old lady seemed to be the caretaker for this particular temple
19. Kathmandu: Change Money?
20. Kathmandu: And where better to get your fortune read than Nepal!

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