Thamel, tourist ghetto or tourist haven?

Disparagingly referred to as the “ghetto” by some mysteriously twisted minds, Thamel has been the epicentre of the tourist industry in Kathmandu for over two decades. From cyber cafés to caffe lattes, singing bowls to sleeping bags, hashish to hash brown potatoes, you get them all in this tourist haven. Thamel is ideally-sized, ideally-located and ideally-organised to make it the perfect base from which the discovery of the 'real' Nepal can be planned. The ‘real’ Nepal is not too far away either. Some of Kathmandu's traditional, historical and cultural must-sees: Ason Bazaar, Durbar Square and Swayambhunath are a mere 10-30 minutes’ easy walk away. Amazingly, Thamel still harbours a vibrant ethnic culture, practised by its core population of the Newar people who have been living here since time immemorial. Without any warning, elaborate palanquins housing clan deities, borne on the strong shoulders of festively inebriated devotees and accompanied by a discordant band, hurtle their way comically through the streets, disregarding traffic rules entirely. In recent years, more and more local residents from other parts of Kathmandu are being attracted to Thamel’s myriad attractions and services. The “ghetto” is no longer the haunt of tourists alone and is going native indeed!