TracyB

hmmm..interesting comment dogster!!! I would like to think of myself as a well travelled women in my 40's that has grown up somewhat.....but some of those things u are saying sound like i might just wanna experience that side of Kathmandu and make my opinion about it myself...so now u have got me intrigued..

However the comfy beds and massages also sound very good indeed.but i have that nice comfy bed and live luxurious at home in a small quiet town and sometimes when i travel like to experience something a little different and get into that tacky tourist scene lol..will have to give this some thought!!

But i see what u are saying also..as i feel like that about Goa and when i visit... like to stay away from the crowds and commercialized crap and stay in a nice quiet area with a little luxury!! But my first trip there was more than happy to be in the thick of things.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!

dogster

I note also that those 10 glowing reviews about Hotel Couryard all [bar 1] occur between March 5 and May 31 this year. Which usually means theres a bit of pro-activity going on...

Flooding Tripadvisor with positive posts is a sure way to get to the top of the list very fast.

dogster

Lol - it was the cheap hashish that tipped the balance....

TracyB

Kathie i did not see your post..just noticed it..but i do see your point as well..As i am torn between my tacky tourist side and my cultural side!!

I think i would be happy staying anywhere as i am very tolerable and love to experience almost anything...

The rest of my 3 weeks after Kathmandu are going to be quite primitive as i have booked a quiet hotel in Goa away from all the hustle and bustle and staying in some very isolated places in Jordan..

I am torn though at the moment of where to stay, it will be the Hyatt or the Courtyard...

I would probably be happier staying near Durbar Square though..but i guess it will just be a cab ride away from anywhere we stay..

Thanks for your input...

TracyB

Hmmm, now i am wondering where i really do wanna stay!!

I just looked up Yak and Yeti...but apparently that is not a good hotel either..and it is quite expensive!!!

Decisions!!

I have just emailed the Courtyard Hotel for availablity, but am now having thoughts of the Hyatt again...as it does look lovely and peaceful..

One benefit i can see is the the Courtyard Hotel is quite abit cheaper than the Hyatt, therefore leaving me more money to shop in Dubai when we get there at the end of the holiday!!

dogster

Intuition tells me that you should stay in Thamel and jump right into the middle of it.

That same intuition also tells me that Hotel Courtyard [which nobody had ever heard of till this year] is No. I because they have cyber-bombed Tripadvisor - but there are another 7000 places to choose from within about three feet.

To quote the immortal words of Zorba the Greek 'Life IS trouble - only death is not. To be alive is to undo your belt and LOOK for trouble.'

You'll be in the right place.

suryashrestha

Hi TracyB,

I am suggesting you to follow the program as listed below:

Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu
Day 02: Drive to Chitwan by a private car (one day chitwan activities)
Day 03: Drive to Pokhara by a private car ( Pokhara City Tour)
Day 04: Drive to Sarankot for sunrise view and return to Pokhara. Afternoon flight to Kathmandu.
Day 05: Deparutre.

TracyB

dogster....i am having second thoughts on the Courtyard and warming up to the Hyatt!!! Staying near Bodnath sounds a little more spiritual and relaxing....i had not researched Kathmandu enough before i started asking questions on the forum.

But having said that...When i was just in Buenos Aires...everyone told me not to stay on Florida Street...and we did and loved it...Also when we visited New York..everyone advised me not to stay near Time Square...and we did and loved it too!! When in Amsterdam, we prefer the central location...but would not stay in the seedy Damrak!!!

I guess it just depends on what frame of mind u are in at the time..

I am beginning to smell the fumes and the noise and chaos in Thamel and wonder if we will wanna spend our 5 nights there...but on the other hand, we just may like it!!

U would have to know us, as we really fit in almost anywhere...and really enjoy almost everywhere we go..And will find something good in everything we see and do!!

So i will give it some more thought and hope i make the right decision!!!

But regardless...cant wait to get to Kathmandu...

I will let u know what hotel i choose!!! Maybe i will pick a different one all together!!

dogster

Lol Tracy - you must drive your husband crazy - but you make me smile. You sound like a lovely person. I hope we all find ourselves together in the same backpacker hovel one day - I'm sure I'd laugh a lot.

BTW - as if you didn't know, ignore Suryashrestha who is a Nepali travel agent and quite the most stupid man on the planet.

[Happy 28th birthday for the 17th June, Surya. Now, please - go away.]

TracyB

How did u know i drive my husband crazy!! lol And thanks (for saying i sound like a lovely person), i love to travel and will put up with almost anything i have to in order to enjoy myself...

And u know..sometimes backpacker hotels are fun..We stay in one in Bombay...whenever we pass through, and have gained some insight on budget travel...and met some really down to earth people...But at the end of the day.. there is nothing better than staying in a hotel with a big fluffy pillows and a thick matress!!

Anyways

Now...how will i ever plan everything there is to do in Kathmandu in just 5 days!!!

NakulNepal

Hello TracyB,
Namaste(A local form of greeting) from Nepal,

It's really pleasure to hear that you are extremely more interest on travelling to Nepal on november.08

Infact,I read all the post here and I couldn't see any one of the posters been mentioned here the weather update on Nov. Because once if you are travelling somewhere,weather report should be informed in advance right? So, I here by would like to write you the weather update in nov.like as normally it gets cold during morning and evening(+ 9 degree celsious)similarly at afternoon you will get +17 to 20 degree celcious.

Secondly, if you are here in Nepal just for 5 days whydon't you try to spend your overnight at the mountain instead of Kathmandu city because as you know that kathamndu is pretty much polluted and dust that's why take a transport at the airport and head straight way to the mountain side which is call Nagarkot and it lies on east kathmandu and 1 hour drive from City.

Similarly,Let me tell you the benefit of this hillstation,weather in november is absoultely amazing and wonderful to see the himalayan rages of eastern nepal like as Mt.Kanchangunga,Makalu,Everest(Top of the world),Nilgiri,Lakpla dorje,Langtang,malaslu and much more.

So, wake up early in the morning and try to view from your windows to the east and you will know what is Nepal and ofcourse you will ignore to leave this village and I am sure the local village and the atmosphere by the nepalese people won't let you go from there.

Similarly,then later you may drive back to kathmandu and on the way back visit Bhaktapur city which has known by the ancient city of Nepal and very popular for clay pottery made by the local people for more details please kindly look www.corsanepal.com,similarly you will find more information of major temples,stupas,durbar squars and ofcourse about pokhara.

I know if the posters look my views I will definitely get some negative response but still i can say as member of fodor's I can write the experiences that I have got in my working period and hope all will understand of my post. Thanking you and wish your kind comments..
N.D

dogster

Even tho' Nakul is, of course, trying to flog his company, his advice is perfectly reasonable. He's not a total idiot, like most of his colleagues who come in here.

You could head off up to Nagarkot just for a night. Posters in here, me included, don't find it riveting tourism, but it's a perfectly valid suggestion, particularly as Bhaktapur is on the way [which you should see] and November, as he says, is a great time for views.

An afternoon in Bhaktapur, [30 mins outta KTM] a nice late arvo drive up to Nagarkot [max 1 hour], a glimpse of the countryside, fresh air, dinner and overnight, wake up crack 'o dawn for the view and back to KTM after breakfast would be a perfectly good thing to do and wouldn't interrupt the flow of your incredible adventure one bit.

Nor, actually, would it eat into your KTM sightseeing time. You could leave your bags at the hotel and just take overnite stuff.

So let's not crucify him [too much] for advertising.

TracyB

Hmmmm!! More things to think about, although i wouldn't mind leaving Kathmandu for an afternoon, i now have lots of things to think about.

I did get an email response back from the Courtyard Hotel and for a Junior Suite, 75.00 per night plus taxes..I think taxes are like 25%.

And the Hyatt Regency is 180.00 for a King Club Room...

I guess in reality..how much will we really be in our room as apparently there is so much to do in Kathmandu, we will probably only be in our room for breakfast!! And then to sleep!!

But i still don't know which hotel i will book.

Well good thing we are not going til November, as i have alot of time to think this out.

I wonder what would be the most important things to see in Kathmandu??

Kathie

Tracy, you have the whole Kathmandu valley to think about. There are three cities, Kathmandu, Patan and Baktapur. All three have Durbar squares, all three are very differnt, all three are woth visiting. Then there are some of the major Stupas, such as Boudnath and Swayambhunath, and the Hindu cremation site of Pashupatinath. Then there is the oldest temple in Nepal, Changu Narayan Temple, which is out in the countryside - nice drive. Also, there is the Tibetan refugee camp in Patan... go buy a Tibetan carpet there.

And, of course, there are all the fascinating experiences you stumble across... the house of the living goddess, the throwback to the late 1960s on Freak Street or in Thamel, the booksellers who have carefuly alphabetised the books by the first name of the author (or the first word or the title or - take a look and guess at the organizing principle). There are the flute sellers, the craftspeople working on objects ("Do you know what he is making? He is making it old!), the meditation of thangka painting.

TracyB

Thanks Kathie, i have been reading up on all the things to see in Kathmandu and trying to figure out in my mind which ones appeal to me most.

I have always had this vision of exploring Durbar Square (i was not aware there was more than 1)...So that is on the top of my list...Freak Street is also of course something appealing to me.

Boudnath and Swayambhunath, and the Hindu cremation site of Pashupatinath are of great interest to me as well..

And then of course like u said, just things that come up!! And i am looking forward to the hustle and bustle of Thamel as well (to a certain degree).

I now wish we had more time..But this holiday started out as a trip to Jordan...with a stop in Dubai on the way home, and then we decided that we would be so close to Goa, that we should stop in and visit our friends...and then decided to add on Kathmandu...

Originally this trip was gonna be taking the train from Beijing to Lhasa...then flying to Kathmandu and exploring all of Nepal...however it all got changed with the happenings in Tibet, we decided to go next year instead and then do Tibet and some of China!!

Oh!! How complicated my travel life has become lol..But i just wanna make the best of our time in Kathmandu, but don't wanna pack in sooo much that we won't enjoy the journey!!

But i really appreciate your advice, cause i do need it on this trip!!

dogster

There's not much to see in Freak Street these days - I made that nostalgic journey last time I was there. I was looking for the remnants of the Inn Eden Coffee house - which had, on a menu I still have, hashish grilled cheese slices.

Alas, gone - like my youth.

Lonely Planet gives details of a nifty walk from Thamel to Durbar Square - which is a great way to approach that Square of your dreams.. you'll have the opportunity to follow dogster's footsteps and see if you, too, get lost as many times as I did. Many a little temple on the way.. just like you want it to be. And this part, unlike Thamel, is the real deal.

I might even pop back to KTM in August after my Hoogli cruise out of Kolkata. My desk is strewn with KTM objects d'art - always room for more. So, if you need despatches from the front line I might be able to help.

But will the living goddess be there?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7440410.stm

TracyB

Ya i didn't think there would be much at Freak Street..but that walk from Thamel to Durbar Square, sounds awesome..and i bet we will get lost more times than u, as that is what we are famous for!!!

I have a copy of the Lonely Planet, but i need to get new glasses (yes bifocals!!) in order to read it because the print is soo small!!

You sure do get around dogster!! So if u do go back to KTM, u can check out the Courtyard Hotel!!

Cause i think i will reserve both hotels, and cancel one after i decide, as the Courtyard has not even asked for a visa number to hold the res, and at the Hyatt u can cancel up to 24 hours prior!!

Kathie

Dogster, I was aware of the issues around the living goddess... who knows if there will be one by this fall? At one point the Maoists announced that there would be no living goddess, that this was a remnant of the old decadent monarchy. But I will probably go by the house of the living goddess nonetheless.

Is there anything left of Freak Street these days? besides some very old freaks, I mean!

Nomadic_Adventures

Namaste Tracy

I see you have had a lot of replies so I shall try to reply to your original post.
You mentioned an idea of
Nov 15 Arrive Kathmandu
Nov 16 Tour around Kathmandu
Nov 17 Fly to Pokhara
Nov 18 Sunrise tour to Sarangkot
Nov 19 Fly to Kathmandu, remainder of day free
Nov 20th..Fly to Bombay

Nov 15th - If your flight is in the morning you can do part of Kathmandu valley that afternoon, to include Durbar Square, Swayambanuth and Bhoudenath. If you have time, the public cremations on the Bagmati are interested.
Nov 16 - you can do the every flights (about 4120) and then drive out to Patan which is really pretty and have an evening at a good local haunt like Fire and Ice or Rumdoodles.
Nov 17 - Pokhara is fine but you may also want to consider Nagarkot up on the hill with good views of the valley. Overnight Nagarkot
You could spend 2 days there or do your original idea of Pokhara and stay at Fish Tail Lodge. 1 or 2 nights max is plenty. It really all depends on what interests you both ie., culture, scenery, etc.

I would not recommend a day trip to Chitwan. It is a long way and you will be disappointed that you did not stay longer.

TracyB

Thanks for your suggestions!!