Wonderful Beautiful Nepal | Nepal Travel, Culture & Food

Written by: Maartje Geverinck, volunteer from the Netherlands  Kay Garnay for Nepal, an NGO registered in Nepal, is the brain child of Amanda Summers, a retired expat living in the Kathmandu Valley. It is a humanitarian, nonprofit agency with the goal of supporting the artists, craftsmen and other residents of Changunarayan, an ancient village in Nepal, as well as those in neighboring communitie s. Clean-up Campaign in Changunarayan People talk about how Nepali are litterbugs and don't care about the environment. There are actually some good reasons for this to appear to be true.   First, there are very few sanitary landfills in the entire country. Additionally even municipalities will use the river as dumpsites. We, at Kay Garnay for Nepal, NGO, wanted to clean Changunarayan before the coming festival, Dashain. Our chairperson, Sajana, purchased gloves and other clean-up gear and about 50 people participated in the morning activities. This was our first of such community acti...

Instead of staying in Thamel and taking a taxi where they want to go, there is a better way. This info is taken from information in my book, Nepal: A Tourist's Manual, eBook. First, take a quadrant of the Kathmandu Valley to explore. Changunarayan/Bhaktapur, Kopan, Pharfing, Kirtipur. So book your room online for the first night or two. This usually gets you a free, or reduced, ride from the airport. Changunarayan is nearby Bhaktapur, an ancient village that will give you more of a 'genuine' feel. Using this example, book your room at Star View Guest House & Retreat Center or another guest house in Changu. There are several things to do, from painting your own thangka to exploring the nearby villages that each have a unique flavor. There are also 2 museums to explore. It's really quiet, too. Big tip: Try to book your time in Nepal so you will be here during a full moon. There is usually a festival going on during each full moon, but you may need to do a bit of resea...

  I’ve known I needed to find another place to live since last winter set in. The Nepali family that also lives in the building kept a draft going all day long. It’s culture and I’ve learned that’s one thing you just can’t argue. Then a couple of other ‘cultural’ issues arose and right on time, another perfect place to live came my way. I say another because no matter the cultural issue, I just couldn’t find another apartment that I like as well as this one.  I decided I needed to rent an entire building so I could make sure it’s warm enough for me. Imagine it being a nice, winter’s day, but the apartment is colder than outside. That’s been the issue here since I moved in.  Then one day my dear friend and Nepali son, Kamal, called to tell me he found an entire building for me. One problem with it is that it’s in Changunarayan, a village I knew had water issues. I was pleasantly surprised to learn the community has installed a reserve tank, so the water issue is as resolve...