Shopping

The Thamel area of Kathmandu is a great place for solving those Xmas prezzie problems with either functional, unusual stuff and/or momentoes.

You can great bargains here for scarves, shoulder-bags, jackets, winter woolies (socks, long johns etc), rucksacks, boots, climbing equipment, woven carpets, jewellery, masks, puppets, hookahs, paper products (diaries, calenders etc), rucksacks, thangkas – Tibetan silk embroideries – and clothes generally.

Remember that you’re being offered the tourist price. I suggest politely asking in different shops to get a rough idea of the price zone before opening negotiations.