Kathmandu, The Streets of Thamel

Street scenes from my time in Thamel, Kathmandu back in 2001.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• thamel
• kathmandu
• nepal

[alanyeti1]

Brings back memories ! as you say, it was an odd time. Whilst we were out in the hills our Nepali team heard that there'd been a Maoist assault on Paphlung: as several of them came from that area they were naturally concerned. I recall that our sirdar did a great job in calming their fears.

I'm the grey-haired guy (in green t-shirt) talking to the KGH security guard in this video !

[cleverjoe]

@alanyeti1 Wow, what are the chances of seeing yourself in someone else's travel vid? I was also staying at KGH and the funny thing is, I remember you! Yes it was a strange time to be there. I was at Kopan monastery for a month just outside Kathmandu, and for the last few days of the retreat we could hear fighting/gunfire during the meditation sessions. Glad the country is getting back on it's legs, interesting how things ended up politically. Hope to get back there one day. Cheers

[TheSpiralnotebook]

Good fotage

[cleverjoe]

@TheSpiralnotebook Thanks! This footage was also used in the documentary I worked on while in Nepal called "30 Days to Enlightenment", about the meditation retreat at Kopan Monastery, just outside Kathmandu. (more info at buddhist.ca)

[ypeq]

I was in Nepal a couple of months ago; nowadays the streets are overcrowded by vehicle and people. It seems much better back then in 2001.

[cleverjoe]

@ypeq Hope you had a great trip! Actually the reason it was so quiet in the streets of Kathmandu is because this video footage was filmed only a few weeks after 9/11, AND only a few days after the Maoist civil war broke out (again) in Nepal. Pretty much all the tourists had left the country at this point, and the city itself was under curfew. Strange but interesting time to be there.

[alanyeti1]

A friend phoned today to say he'd had a terrible experience: trawling through vids of Nepal he'd spotted me ! I've been fortunate in that I've been back 5 times since. Even during the height of the insurgency it was ok - even the Maoists realised the impoortance of tourism to the Nepalese economy. It's back to being very crowded nowadays !

Cheers

[TheDooomHammer]

Very nice video, pahila ko Nepal ra ahile ko Nepal herera ta maya lagcha..