Very Rough Guide Indeed


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Home Nepal Boating Links Work Pics Old Rope PCs Small print	7. Eating There are dozens of tourist restaurants in Thamel. A favourite was La Dolce Vita which is a fairly decent Italian place. The Everest Steakhouse (in Pokhara too) has the ubiquitous half buffalo in the guise of a Rs. 170 steak, it is not for the faint-hearted. Buffalo meat has very little/no cholesterol, hooray, so you can eat loads of it. It is rumored that you can also get COW if you ask the right people. The best bet are the slightly more expensive dishes, as they have veggies too, ooh. The puddings are not of the highest quality though, so it is best to do the KWALITY ice-cream thing. Rum Doodles bar has excellent Thai dishes, and the service is great, however it is a little pricey, as is the beer here. Best to stay away from the Margaritas in this joint too. The place is famous as hell, and is littered with Everest and other Himalayan conquest memorabilia. Good for a visit though. However, by far the best food in Kathmandu is found in the restaurants off New Road (on the LHS as you walk away from the main square) where you can get South Indian eat-with-your-fingers veggie food; thalis, idlis, samosas, dosas and the like. . The samosas here are to die for, disgustingly cheap and amazing, the restaurant under the Pepsi sign is best, and has a menu in English if your Nepali isn't too hot. Loads of bars too in Thamel, take your pick. Some are a lot cheaper than others, e.g. the Blue Note and the two branches of Pub Maya. Nepali beer (Star, Iceberg and San Miguel) is cheaper than the Thai "Singha" beer and you can even get brewed-under-licence-in-Nepal Carlsberg. Some bars have "Happy Hours", with cheap beer and free popcorn. Music is invariably Bob Marley/Cat Stevens/old U2. The beer is great, something to do with Himalyan water perhaps. To ease the pain of long busrides you can get bottles of "Khukuri" rum in some of the foodstores (see also section 17). You can buy fruit all over the place from street sellers, although you might need a few words of Nepali. As a rule, stuff is cheaper away from Thamel. The best (cheapest and freshest) place to buy yak-milk cheese is the Nepali Dairy place just off the east side of Durbar square, they also do an amusingly-named line in "Shital" ice-cream which is pretty good. There are also a few "Kwality" ice-cream places around town: the ice-cream is great, it’s the nearest thing you’ll get to Haagen-Daz for a long way. 7.1. Pokhara There are so many good, cheap restaurants in Pokhara that it’s pointless trying to list many. However, one all-time favourite is the Tibetan Tea Garden, "the best restaurant in Lakeside" according to Neil, on the main road out towards KTM, close to the Himalayan Encounters offices. It serves most traditional Tibetan dishes, buff momos (fried, obviously) are fantastic. Try for a group discount, or mention which company you are working for... The other place to go in Pokhara is the Juice Bar on the main street, which has kept us alive for months on end (and quelled countless hangovers). The cinnamon rolls are ace and about 7p each, at about 6 a.m., when the baker-dude starts pulling them from the oven. This is of course ideal for going out to catch buses for river trips. The spelling in the menu is good for a laugh. Not far along the road is Bar Amsterdam – similar clientele and music as Moondance (further still along the road), but a little more relaxed, good for lock-ins, but can get a bit too rowdy when there is a lot of people in there. There is a small dancefloor, and not a fat lot else. Good views of the lake though during the daytime and they don’t mind you just sitting there writing postcards. You will no doubt become a connoisseur of the ubiquitous "Yum Yum" noodles. Perfect "expedition" food: cheap, lightweight, waterproof packaging, naturally buoyant… 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?