Nepal Photo Supplement: Thamel

It’s been a month of Nepal posts! I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to read my story (Read Chapter 1 here). It’s a really good feeling to have your work seen and appreciated. Extra thanks to those who have been sharing on social media and leaving comments. I read every single one, and honestly, they mean a lot.

I’ve been letting my words take center stage, but I thought you all might like to see a few more pictures from my time in Nepal. So enjoy this photo supplement, mostly taken in the Thamel neighborhood of Kathmandu. I will continue to post photo supplements as the story progresses. All pictures and videos were taken by me, shot on an iPhone 6S.

I’ve captioned all of the photos, so make sure to click and read those if you want a little more context.

: A private room at the Annapurna Guesthouse.

: The baggage claim at Nepal’s Airport. This was taken after midnight — normally people say it’s a total clusterfuck.

: “Internet Cafe.” This is where I bought my SIM card. It was just a dusty room, one guy, two computers, and a wi-fi router.

: The inside of the Internet cafe where I purchased my SIM card. Notice all the dust. It covers EVERYTHING in Kathmandu

: Looking from a shop out onto the street

: Stereotypical Thamel picture. This neighborhood stretches on for many blocks, full of tourist shops, guesthouses, and tour operators.

: The alleys of Kathmandu

: Nepalese Rupees in denominations from 1000 ($10) to 20 ($0.20). The animals get more majestic as the denomination increases!

: Old-fashioned rickshaw drivers battle mush more efficient scooter taxis for customers on a major road, near Himalayan Java

: Women washing clothes in a still outside the Annapurna Guesthouse

: A buddhist stupa in Kathmandu. Prayer flags are strung from the peak to the four corners of the plot.

: Rubbish piled on top of unremoved earthquake rubble.

: Towards the outskirts of Thamel, if I remember correctly.

: If you were wondering WHY Kathmandu can’t keep the lights on across the whole city at once, this is exactly why.

: A stray dog taking a rest on the piles of rubbish outside the Annapurna Guesthouse

: More streets of Thamel

: The tall and narrow streets of Thamel

: Souvenir shop selling traditional crafts/ handiworks. It’s illegal to export antiques in Nepal, but these shops will certainly try and convince you they’re selling the real thing. And who knows? They might be.

: How I looked walking around the streets — actually one of the less outlandish-looking characters you’ll see on the streets here, believe it or not. The buff is to protect from the dust and pollution, which quickly gave me a lasting cough.

: Himalayan Java Coffee Shop — just like back home!

: Buddha Eyes — This symbol is all over Nepal.

: Light over the Kathmandu rooftops

: If you love scarves, Nepal’s the place for you. There are MILLIONS of these stores.

: I wonder why their grid is always going down??

: One of Kathmandu’s many narrow alleys.

: Workers dig out a collapsed foundation, repairing damage done by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake

: Prayer flags hanging in an alley leading to Kilroy’s of Kathmandu, one of the many bars catering to foreigners in this “tourist ghetto.”

: Truer words have never been spoken.

: Multilingual scarf salesman. (It did feel pretty nice)

: A buddha mural in Thamel, Kathmandu

: The flags of the SAARC countries, hanging on some government compound across from Himalayan Java.

17 thoughts on “Nepal Photo Supplement: Thamel”

Love the rawness of these pictures. Great post!

Git a kick from the scarf signs. How awesome that you got to experience all that.

Very cool…love seeing these great pictures and your account. What a wonderful experience for you.

It is always great to see good writing on the internet or maybe I should say it is always good to see great writing on the internet. Ha. You have an understated style and sense of humor that I appreciate. Enjoy watching you walk upon my old ground and stay gone as long as possible. Fall into something. That is the only way. Good luck usually follows good choices. O youth, pass the bottle. Duke