Backstory: DH volunteered in Kolkata (Calcutta), India for 6 months in the late 90's, during which time he visited Nepal. He's wanted to go back and visit for a long time, and we'd recently acquired enough FF miles for two free tickets to Asia, so the timing seemed right. I figured I'd share some practicalities about the places we stayed and recommendations for sights and restaurants. If you'd like to see pictures of the trip, you can visit my blog at http://voyagesviachicago.blogspot.com/.
We used Fodor's India guidebook for getting around Kolkata, and Lonely Planet for Nepal.
Part 1, Kolkata:
Accomodation - We stayed at a hotel in a residential area off of Chowringee Road (we were pretty much the only Westerners around) called the Best Inn. The hotel was clean, comfortable, and equipped with air conditioning and satellite tv. The manager was really helpful, and the staff attentive. The main drawback, however, is the location; we had a bit of trouble getting from the airport to the hotel the first night we were there because although it's near a major intersection (Elgin and Chowringee), it's not a well known area. There's a lack of restaurants near the hotel, and getting to major sights involves either a 15-20 minute walk (which we didn't mind) or a trip on the subway.
Sights - During our first day in Kolkata, we walked from our hotel to the Victoria Memorial, which was spectacular, passing by Maidan (we could see horses getting a warm up and people playing cricket). We popped into the nearby St. Paul's Cathedral as well. It was hot and humid and a relief to get back to our air conditioned hotel.
On our return trip to Kolkata, after a couple of weeks in Nepal, we spent a day re-visiting some of DH's old haunts. We traversed Sudder Street, Park Street (where we ducked inside the Oxford Book Store, which had a great display of Kolkata-related books), and made our way to the South Park Street Cemetary, which is in a state of magnificant decay. DH used to spend hours there reading the headstone inscriptions of British subjects; it's a beautiful, strange place. It reminded me a bit of Highgate Cemetary in London, only super-sized.
From the cemetary we took a short stroll to the Mother House, where Mother Theresa's tomb is on display in a simple chapel. You can peek inside the tiny, spartan room where she lived, which wasn't open when DH was last there. We walked through a Muslim neighborhood, where cow carcasses were strung up everywhere, all the way back to Park Street. The city was getting ready to celebrate another night of Diwali, and make-shift shrines were set up in various spots. People lined up to get sweets for the festival, and we had a difficult time finding a restaurant that was open.
Food - We had a great lunch at DH favorite's restaurant in Kolkata, called Khalsas, located on Madge Ln. off of Sudder St. It's run by a stern-looking Sikh who DH assured me had a heart of gold. When DH was last in Kolkata it was a bit of a hole-in-the-wall place, but it now has an extensive menu of Bengali and Indian dishes. We enjoyed a Western-style breakfast at Blue Sky Cafe, the back-packer haven on Sudder Street, and a pizza dinner at Fire & Ice on Middleton street just east of Chowringee/Ashutosh Mukherijee Rd.. I can still taste the fabulous garlic and rosemary foccacia bread at Fire & Ice--yum.
That's it for part 1; I'll get cracking on part 2, which will feature Nepal.
Just back from Kolkata, Kathmandu, and Pokhara
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Thanks for this. Kolkata will be one of our stops on our upcoming trip. I look forward to more of your report!
Part 2: Nepal
The biggest change DH noticed about Nepal from his last trip there was the increase in traffic. There are loads of motorcycles on the road, competing with bicycle rickshaws, cars, vans, and, of course, pedestrians. Outside the main tourist areas like Durbar Square and Thamel, there are wider roads with sidewalks--I don't think I'll ever take sidewalks for granted again.
Kathmandu:
Accomodation - We had a reservation for the Kathmandu Guest House in a room with a garden view. We were told, in the airport shuttle on the way into the city, that our room was no longer available, but that the manager had found another place close by where we could stay. The hotel he arranged would've been fine had it not been for the nightclub on the ground floor, which had an awesome sound system that made us feel like we were part of the action, even though we were four stories up. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep. It turned out that the French couple riding with us from the airport ended up at the same hotel as us, after learning that the room they'd reserved wasn't available either. A random Austrian guy told us that the same thing had happened to him at the KGH, twice. Kathmandu Guest House is a lovely looking place with a phenomenal garden, but even though the manager insisted we could have our room the following night, we didn't bother.
But...we ended up at the Tibet Guest House, at the southern edge of Thamel, which is a wonderful hotel. We stayed in deluxe rooms both before and after our trip to Pokhara. The first room was a corner room with windows lining two walls for panoramic views, and the second room seemed postively huge (I believe it was room 409) and the furniture was all new. There's a great little coffee shop downstairs with an outdoor terrace where I enjoyed capuccino breaks.
Sights: We explored Thamel (which you kind of can't help but doing, right?), Durbar Square and the area south of Durbar Square (we followed the walking tour in Lonely Planet), which was tourist-free and really interesting for a glimpse into the daily lives of its residents. On another day we took a cab to the Monkey Temple and walked back, which was a bit tricky. We also took a morning tour of Bhaktapur, which we arranged through a travel agency that works with the Tibet Guest House. Our tour guide was great, taking us through the three main squares and explaining the historical and religious significance of each place, as well as detouring to show us some local people were making pottery.
Food - We had a good time sampling the resturants of Thamel; we liked the New Orleans Cafe, Weizen Bakery (for breakfast), Roadhouse Cafe for wood-fired pizza, burgers at K2, and finally, for some actual Nepalese food, the Thamel House Restaurant.
Pokhara:
We took a grueling 8 hour bus ride to Pokhara, and about halfway through I started feeling ill. Turned out I had a high fever, which put me out of commission for a few days. I'm mentioning this mostly because this experience made us very, very grateful that we'd booked a room where we did.
Accommodation - The Glacier Hotel, located Lake Side, at the start of the main drag. The staff there went above and beyond in helping DH and I through our illness (I very generously passed along my fever to him). The hotel itself is lovely, set back a bit from the road, with courtyard rooms overlooking Lake Fewa. It was a nice, quiet place to recuparate, and quite close to shopping and restaurants. The hotel manager made sure we were picked up from the bus station when we arrived and dropped off at the airport on our way out, arranged for a drive up to the World Peace Pagoda, personally accompanied us to a nearby health clinic to consult the doctor and get some meds, and arranged our flight back to Kathmandu. Originally we had also arranged, through the hotel, for a drive up to Dhampus for the sunrise, from which we'd hike our way back, but our illness prevented us. I can't recommend the Glacier Hotel enough.
Sights - Being sick put the brakes on our sight-seeing, unfortunately. DH managed to get out on Lake Fewa in a row boat one afternoon, and took some gorgeous photos of the Himalyas. On our last morning we took a hair-raising ride up to the World Peace Pagoda, which offered extensive views of the city below. If I'd felt better I think I'd have much preferred walking up to it.
Food - We had a good Italian dinner at the Cafe Concerto; dessert was some of the best gelato I've ever had. One morning we sat overlooking the lake at Mike's Restaurant, enjoying an American-style breakfast (great, fluffy pancakes). DH loved the Tibetan momos at a little stall near our hotel, where he ended up talking to some Dutch tourists who'd just been in Tibet. They found Nepal to be dirty, polluted, and overall a disappointment after being in Tibet.
I realize this is a pretty brief summary of our trip, but honestly, the whole experience of being in Nepal and India was a major shock to the senses and I'm not sure I'm up for trying to sort it all out at the moment. I could go on forever about the traffic, or the architecture, or the culture and people. I've been visiting Fodor's forums for a while and definitely benefited from other people's advice, so I basically I just wanted to contribute a bit of my own.
Tatie, thank you so much for taking the time to write your report! I'll bet DH loved finding places that were still there from his previous trip in the 90s!
Thank you for posting, tatie. Any idea what caused your fever/illness?? We are going to Nepal in March and I am very interested in precautions to take that maybe you did not take.
Jane
Thanks all for your feedback!
Kathie--Hope you have a great time in Kolkata. I'd be interested to hear your impressions, especially how Kolkata compares to other cities in India. DH spent some time in Chennai and really enjoyed the natural beauty there and more relaxed pace, but most of his time was limited to Kolkata.
CaliNurse--Yes, DH really liked discovering the how things had changed and how other things stayed the same. He found Sudder Street a bit less intense (less families living on the street there, a bit more commercial) than when he was last there.
JaneB--Honestly, we don't know what caused our illness, and we've thought about it quite a bit. I suspect it was the pollution, and for this I'd definitely buy a face mask. A lot of locals wear them. We just weren't prepared for all the deisel fumes. Another possibility--and perhaps this is a long shot--might be the fact that we visited the Monkey Temple the day before. A monkey actually tore past us, snatching the back of my shirt and getting caught for a second in DH's backpack straps. We laughed about it at the time but I kind of wonder if we caught something from it. Other than that, we really enjoyed the people and culture in Nepal, so it's sad to see how polluted it is. There doesn't seem to be much infastructure in place for dealing with the influx of cars, motorcycles, and garbage (which gets thrown into rivers or the side of the road).
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Thanks for your report. Pity I didn't read it yesterday when I was looking for a new hotel in Pokhara! Do you remember how much you paid at the Glacier?
thursdaysd,
Our deluxe room was $45 a night. The Glacier also offers a ride in a Land Cruiser up to Dhampus for the sunrise for $100.
tatie - thanks. I'm currently paying $100 for three nights at the Green Tara very close to the Glacier - breakfast and tax included. Not deluxe, but AC, TV, wifi, nearby verandah, tree right outside a big window. Haven't tried the shower yet. Unless the clouds lift I'm not getting up for dawn...
A bit late with the response. However I travel to kATHMANDU almost twice a year for the past 9 years. Firstly, I would recommend that ALL visitors think about changing their diet at home before going. I eliminate dairy, meat and some wheat to allow my digestive system to produce different bacteria. I have yet to experience illness in KTM but food along the way when travelling on the bus to Pokhera.... do not...buy and take your own from KTM. Also ensure you wear Category 3 sunglasses and take precautions with the sun and UV which is strong throughout the year.... cover up. Dont swim or go rafting if you have a tight schedule, you are likely to be ill.
I go to Nepal as a volunteer, supporter of local families, work with hostels, schools and hospitals BUt have the luxury of staying two months at a time. I have home stays and also have stayed and will continue to stay for the first few days in the Hotel Excelsior. NEVER expect the Kathmandu Guest House to honour your booking. It happens all the time. IF you must book a more expensive room in the first place.
Hello
I saw your pictures and write up for Nepal. We would love to go , but are in are mid 60's and wondering if it would be too complicated and too much of a challenge. We would be staying in the best hotels and have a private driver/car. I have always wanted to see the Himalayas, but the country would come as a shock. Did you take any flights over Mt. Everest. And wondering if it is fairly safe to take a Helicopter there. We would be going in November also with the clearer skies. I guess I would like to ask you, if you read this, if it is worth it? Is it really beautiful ? Thanks for your help, Joanie
Joanada, I don't know if tatie will come back and answer your question or not. I have a trip report here that is a couple of years old, but quite detailed:
www.fodors.com/community/asia/kathie-returns-to-katmandu-2008.cfm
If you have specific questions, you are best off starting your own thread with your questions so other will see your questions and offer up opinions.
I'm 63, and I just visited Nepal solo, with no car and driver (I actually took some buses), and survived just fine. Click on my name for my TR. I did the Everest flight by plane, not helicopter, but it is absolutely a must-see.
Hello, thanks so much for your help. I will be about 65/66 when we make it to Nepal, just worried about getting sick there, guess you have to be really careful. Joanie
Hello Kathie, I read your write up and very interesting. My real concern is washrooms when you are out touring or travelling around. If I drink water a lot, will need them. Joanie
You do know not to drink the tap water, right? Or use it to brush your teeth. No tap water, no ice, no fruit or veg unless cooked or you peel or wash it yourself.
You may encounter squat toilets in Nepal - see here for my tips on using them: http://wilhelmswords.com/faq/index.html I places like Nepal I actually prefer squats...
Hello
Yes, I know about the water and what to avoid eating. Thanks for your help. Joanie
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