Very Rough Guide Indeed


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Home Nepal Boating Links Work Pics Old Rope PCs Small print	5. Accommodation in Kathmandu & Pokhara As a general rule, it is best to use a little common sense when dealing with jaded hoteliers... and to "take no prisoners". The best nationality to get in with when booking rooms are the Israelis who get the most unbelievable deals. Hotels change name and owner on a regular basis so just shop around. If you don’t have time and need some home comforts after too many hours on a bus, just go to the better class joints such as the Holy Lodge to get a good quality room. Hotel Diana is also good (shame about the name…) You have two options for cheap hotels in Kathmandu, Thamel or Freak Street: 5.1 Thamel The tourist district. Thamel is handy for the tourist restaurants, bars, rafting offices, immigration office, meeting other tourists in the evenings etc. but is a 20 minute walk from the "interesting" parts of old Kathmandu, and about half an hour walk from the GPO. There are hundreds of hotels, take your pick. You get a better deal early and late in the season. One favourite is the Hotel Potala down the alley between the Pumpernickel bakery and Helena’s Restaurant: Rs.130 for a single room, the best rooms even have duvets and clean sheets, can’t be bad. The Holy Lodge is a well kept (and well-expensive) place in Thamel, and might be a good place to start if you arrive tired and shagged out after a long squawk (shurely "bus-ride"? Ed.). The Kathmandu Peace Guesthouse is a large, friendly place off of the beaten track. Due to this it is quiet and well looked after. Watch for the broken beds in some of the rooms. It could be a shag if you’re an unfit bugger to get back to the main part of Thamel, as there is a bit of a hill. The Pumori Guest House is located through the side alley of the Hotel Marsyangdi, you have to paddle through a swamp to get there. It is cheap, but the facilities are shite. It is owned by one of Ghopal’s family, so there is some room for blagging if you’re a boater. 5.2 Freak Street A lot more atmospheric than Thamel, and very close to the central square. The hotels are cheaper than Thamel but in general not as good. Try Century Lodge which is okay but nothing special. 5.3 Pokhara Loads of hotels here too, you can't go far wrong. The Hotel Dhalgiri View is very boater-friendly (i.e. cheap). It is situated away from the main roads in Lakeside. Go left as you are walking to damside, (towards the Tourist Police Station and Immigration Office) and go past U.D. and a camera shop on your left, keep going up this road for about five mins. You’ll come to a sharp left hand corner, it’s up here on the right. next	1. Disclaimer 2. Guidebooks 3. Flying with your kayak 4. Arrival 5. Staying in Kathmandu 6. Hey, friend, youwanna changemoney? 7. Food & drink 8. Health 9. Bureaucracy 10. Post, Phone & email 11. Getting "work" boating 12. Some Rivers 13. Getting around 14. Stuff to do when you’re not on the river 15. Things you will need… 16. Photography 17. Psst! Hashhash? marijuana?