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Thamel, Nepal – Debrief Location

Safety

Safety in Thamel, Nepal
What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?

People’s Opinions

  1. Thamel is relatively safe! During the day, the streets come alive as tourists and locals fill the streets. Do your shopping and exploring then. At night, definitely walk in groups. There are many bars and clubs in the area, so be smart.
  2. Thamel is incredible during the day and we felt really safe walking around the shops, but it becomes a whole different place after dark. Make sure to stay in small groups at night and avoid the areas where people come out after drinking too much in the bars. You will get offered drugs on every street so just be ready for that (day or night)!

Ministry Summary

Ministry Summary in Thamel, Nepal
Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?

People’s Opinions

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Lodging

Hotel Himalaya Yoga
Website: www.hotelhimalayayoga.com
Email: info@hotelhimalayayoga.com
All Squad, WIFI

Lodging in Thamel, Nepal
Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.

People’s Opinions

  1. Wanderthirst Hostel.This place is wonderful. Maybe its just the season (September), but it seems to be a high traffic hostel. We had trouble finding anywhere else that was within budget, so we offered the most affordable place (this one) what our full budget ($1780 for 22 people) was and they came down almost $100 for us. They’ve been extremely flexible and accommodating and have had excellent communication. There are four people that work the front desk in a rotation. All of them speak English well. Saran received us late at night and quickly and easily got everyone settled without receiving payment yet. The next day, Delu and Mohini (spelled phonetically) helped rearrange everyone because there were some reservation issues but they flexed and found what we needed.There is a cafe style restaurant in the lobby that has a lot of food options. It’s pretty okay, nothing special but has decent pricing and is extremely convenient.For common spaces, the hostel has private bathrooms and dorm style bathrooms, laundry machines 100 rupees per kg (or for the same price you can pay to have the staff have it done at another location if the machines are full or not working), an open air but covered roof (excellent view of the city, especially at night), the restaurant area, an outdoor lounge with pillow seating, a small stage, and dining tables, a tattoo shop, a picnic table, and a small dirt area with soccer goals that can be used for working out or playing sports. We were looking to use one of these as a debrief space but they don’t secure. Roof access has a door, but is frequented by guests and is nosy since its open-air.The location is pretty quiet (unless you’re on the roof).The rooms are comfortable and sizeable, but don’t have air conditioning. It’s fine in September, but if you stay here during the summer, it might get rough. Each bed has a fan, which is nice.It’s located very close to the town center and the Thamel district so there is food, shopping, and administrative access all over the place. I love the location.
  2. We stayed at Hotel Milarepa in Thamel for mini debrief and I can’t say enough good things about our experience. It is a beautiful hotel in a beautiful location. Prices range from $6-8 based on the room. They have rooms for 2 people, 3 people, and 6 people. Our whole squad of 43 stayed there. They have a restaurant with pretty cheap food. Breakfast was $2.50. They have a nice meeting room (with a projector) that we paid 4000 rupees per day to use. They also arranged transportation for our squad to the airport for 7500 rupees total. Staff were super nice and accommodating. Laundry service available, I think it was 150 rupees per kg.
  3. Our squad stayed at Harati Manor Inn. Our experience was overall good, with a couple takeaways:They were overbooked and put some of our squad in the Little Nepal Inn (next door, which was fine except we wanted leadership to be over there alone) and Hotel Earth House (about a 10 minute walk). They moved some people around the first two nights. Also, they were going to put mattresses in some of the double rooms so three people could stay there, but they never did. So some of us slept 3 people on 2 twin beds.The meeting room — it’s just the lobby. It was big enough for all 46 of us (and they provided chairs), but the problem was the noise. It was loud with the street, reception desk, and people walking through and sitting on the terrace.Overall, I’d stay here again but look for a different meeting room!
  4. STAY AT HARATI MANOR INN AND LITTLE NEPAL INN!!!!! Don’t question, just do it!In Thamel, these 2 hotels are right next door to one another and are owned by 2 very sweet brothers. It was the nicest accommodation our squad has had for debrief yet. We stayed in Harati Manor and used Little Nepal Inn’s dining area as our meeting space. 2-3 people per room with A/C and heat, hot showers, Wi-Fi, laundry services, and airport shuttle pickup. No squatty potties here! They’ve had previous WR squads here, so they were super flexible and understanding with our tight budget. We paid $10 USD pppd and $3 pppd for delicious buffet style breakfast. Every staff member went above and beyond to help us in any way and always greeted us with a joyful ‘Namaste’. During our meetings, we were even given tea and coffee! We were also there in the winter so it got pretty chilly at night, and they left us reheatable water bottles in every room. So sweet! Trust me when I say you need to stay here. I don’t think you’ll find anything better!Harati Manor InnTel: 977-4263429; 977-4261067Email: haratimanorinn@gmail.comLittle Nepal InnTel: 977-4263527; 977-4266618; 977-4257758Email: littlenepalinn@gmail.com
  5. We stayed at Hotel Ganesh Himal. It’s located just outside of Thamel. The owner was very kind to us and was able to work with our budget. They have double and triple rooms which were really nice. Our squad only has 24 people, so we were able to fit quite nicely. We also were there in February, so it wasn’t that busy. They have heaters in the rooms and heated blankets, if you are there in the winter. I believe they have fans and A/C for the summer months. Hot water for showers and drinking water were provided. The staff were super friendly and accommodating. They also have a restaurant where a lot of people ate. The only thing they didn’t really have was a good and large space to meet/worship. We had to meet in the restaurant, but we also only had 24 racers.
  6. ALOBAR 1000+977 1-4410114alobar1000@gmail.comOur entire squad stayed at Alobar for debrief for $4/person. They worked with our budget so well (it was off season though, but we stayed there at the end of the month as well and they lowered their normal price again) and it has a great rooftop restaurant/ hang out area as well. The rooftop areas had enough room for everyone for worship and sessions but it was a little tight (we had 45 total people there). The rooms are pretty spacious which was super nice, plus hot water showers (with shower heads yay) all of the time. There’s a laundry service which was very cheap and good wifi the whole time. It’s in a really great location too so everything was quick and easy to walk to!
  7. We stayed at Hotel Ganesh and it was amazing. They have a little restaurant in the garden and the food is really good and the staff is so nice. They loved having us go on trip advisor and give them good ratings. It’s an awesome ministry opportunity.
  8. We stayed at Trekkers Home and it was wonderful! Some nights you even got hot water in your showers, there were western toilets in the rooms and wifi on every floor. We slept two people to a room (each in their own twin bed) and it was a wonderful experience! Make sure to check out the roof top while you are there, it is a great quiet time place.
  9. We stayed at Trekkers Home.www.trekkershome.comDhana Bhatta is the manager and he is beyond helpful and accommodating.977-986-080-1420Thamel,Kathmandu,Nepale-mail: trekkershome@gmail.comWe paid $8/person/night which we were really happy about being a squad of 55 because we needed a lot of rooms so that everyone could have their own bed. We were able to put 2 people to a room and each room had its own bathroom and hot water!Married couples were able to have their own rooms with a larger bed instead of 2 twins.The hotel was very clean and housekeeping was there daily tiding up.Laundry service is available through the front desk and very affordable.Free wifi throughout the hotel, however your are in the heart of Thamel here so there are cafes and wifi everywhere.There was free drinking water available in the lobby for us as well.The staff was so excited to have us and made it a point to know all of our names which was a great segway to talk about Jesus with them.Anish at the front desk was able to help us get sim cards right away since our debrief was at the beginning of the month not at the end.There is a restaurant in the hotel we were able to use this for morning sessions before they opened at 12pm. For evening sessions we used the money saved on lodging to book elsewhere.
  10. Chhabi9779851076293yogathamel@gmail.comHad Nepal debrief at Hotel Himalaya Yoga with Chhabi and his staff and it was so so good. I affectionately referred to him as the “mob boss” because he will do anything he can for your group. Logistics needed to print out the schedule multiple times, and he allowed us to use his other facility “Acme Guest House” for free. He worked out our transportation from the airport, to our ministry site, and even the transportation from our ministry site to the airport at the end of the month. He has worked with WR groups for years and always asks for feedback on how he can improve.We were in several dorm style rooms as well as some 2 person rooms. He took great care of our coaches and mentor before we arrived, even bringing them flowers at the airport.We paid $6 per night, as well as $2 each morning for breakfast, which was a really yummy vegetarian buffet.This is the type of contact you want to have on your side, I highly recommend booking here. Shoot me an e-mail if you have questions, I could rave about Chhabi all day.
  11. Me and a few others went into Thamel to stay for one night for a getaway on the weekend (we had all squad in Kathmandu all staying in one house, ha!) but we stayed at Thamel Grande Hotel. It is a brand new hotel and is still working out some glitches but the staff is incredibly nice!!! they went above and beyond helping us!And it is super close to OR2K area.
  12. This Hotel is an A+. The Owner Surya is one of the best we’ve worked with on the race.email is: surya_harati@wlink.com.npwebsite: http://www.agoda.com/en-gb/hotel-harati/hotel/kathmandu-np.html?type=1&site_id=1622943&url=http://www.agoda.com/hotel-harati/hotel/kathmandu-np.html&adid=61142563571&network=g&adpos=1t3&expid=&rand=11451058507379610816&device=c&tag=997dbefe-3d3d-4df5-867a-7bab859ed29f&gclid=CIaW5dGi-cACFdSWtAodVw8Ayw&cklg=1Hotel Himalaya Yoga is dank and gross. This place is great. Also has a room for meetings air con if needed. Good enough for coaches to stay in as well.Wifi, Hot water, bar, good location.

Food / Meals

Food / Meals in Thamel, Nepal
What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).

People’s Opinions

  1. Best bang for your buck is definitely the Chicken N’ Falafel street shop! Make sure to bring small bills though, he typically can’t give you a lot of change and will just short you if you don’t pay attention. Thamel has so many delicious food options, most will be out of budget but it is worth it in my opinion! OR2K, Friends, Pumpernickel Bakery (get the honey pancakes, trust me), and Himalaya Java were all favorites on our squad.
  2. OR2K IS AMAMZING!!! IN THAMEL NEXT TO CHICKEN N’ FALAFEL! The goat cheese salad is amazing and only $3.50
  3. Some great restaurants are: Friends (steak), OR2K, Himalaya Java (great coffee), Jesse James, Fire & Ice, Roadhouse Pizza, Pumpernickle (Breakfast), and you have to try the chicken & falafel shop across from the grocery store.

Debrief Location Specifics

Transportation in Thamel, Nepal
Did your team debrief at this facility or elsewhere? What space did you use? Suggestions/recommendations. Contact info if applicable.

People’s Opinions

  1. Sushil is the manager at Harati Manor Inn (see Amanda’s post above), and he is amazing! There was a meeting space next door at Little Nepal Inn (the two hotels are run by brothers). They provided tea/coffee for every session along with a space heater. Cost was $50/day for the room which I thought was definitely worth it!ALSO TRANSPORTATION: Call Sushil! FORREAL. Our pick up for 31 people (and all our bags) from the airport to our hotel was $50 USD-no joke. I later told our host about this, and he was floored. We also needed transport for the squad from one of our ministry sites in Patan to the airport…so I called Sushil. He gave me a discounted rate of $40 USD to come pick us up and take us there. Honestly, he’s amazing. He and his staff are super friendly and helpful.You can contact his hotel by email at haratimanorinn@gmail.com.Sushil’s personal number is 977-9841230040.
  2. We stayed at Trekkers Home and we were able to use their restaurant for morning sessions until they opened at 12pm. For evening sessions we were able to use Brezel Cafe and Bar. Yugesh is the owner (980-829-3085) he is a Christian on fire for the Lord and has a vision to start a Sunday service at his cafe for tourists to have a place to come worship and have a church service to attend in Thamel.We used our leftover lodging budget to pay for the space at 7000 NPR a night but I am sure you can get for less since we were the first World Race team and he did not know if he would actually get other business from it. We would love to continue supporting him to help make his vision possible.On one of the nights he was unable to host us we were able to use the Yoga studio across the street for our evening sessions. Charak Yoga (charakyoga.com 981-914-8030) it is right above Jatra. This space was much more intimate since it was secluded and was great to use for “skit-it-to-win-it”.
  3. If you are staying at Hotel Himalaya Yoga and need a better meeting space, we used Sarangi Restaurant above the Blackwater Cafe. It was a warm and intimate location. Sandra the owner is super friendly and has a heart for the lowest class in Nepal, the Sarangi musicians.

Transportation

Transportation in Thamel, Nepal
What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.

People’s Opinions

  1. Trekkers Home provided transportation for us from the airport to the hotel for $2.50/person. They also helped set up transportation to our ministry site for $2.00/person.

Medical

Medical in Thamel, Nepal
Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).

People’s Opinions

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Communication

Communication in Thamel, Nepal
Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?

People’s Opinions

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Financial

Financial in Thamel, Nepal
Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.

People’s Opinions

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Translators

Translators in Thamel, Nepal
List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken

People’s Opinions

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Off Days / Fun Activities

Off Days / Fun Activities in Thamel, Nepal
What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?

People’s Opinions

  1. The Last Resort!It’s the beautiful, little place tucked away in the mountains near the Tibetan border.A couple of us on my team did a canyon swing day trip with them. You meet at their office in Thamel in the morning (early, like 6am) and have a 3ish hour bus ride to the resort. The cost was $108 for transportation, the canyon swing and lunch. We thought it was a great deal! Be prepared for a lonnng day though-the ride back took over 5 hours with traffic. They also have bungee jumping (the canyon swing is scarier in my opinion lol-you free fall 100 meters!).There’s an option to purchase go-pro video and photos of your jump. 2500 rupees (includes a tshirt).Highly recommend 🙂
  2. Gear: Goreto Gear Traders133 Bhagawati Marg, Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal+977-1-4700395Gopalji1224@gmail.comIt’s all fake brands but you can rent or buy and sell back.
  3. If you want a hot shower/sauna for only $5 go to Zen spa. All their spa services are amazing and cheap! It is right around the corner from Himalayan Java and Chicken and Falafel, right across the street from Kathmandu guest house
  4. Rope Swing through Last Resort Adventures was AMAZING. A bit pricey, but worth it. Expect to spend between 75-150 USD depending on how much you want to do.We rented motorcycles for ourselves and a motorcycle for one of our local liaisons and we all rode up into the foothills. It was awesome getting out of the city.I also really enjoyed climbing at the Astrek Climbing Gym.
  5. Rope Swing through Last Resort Adventures was AMAZING. A bit pricey, but worth it. Expect to spend between 75-150 USD depending on how much you want to do.We rented motorcycles for ourselves and a motorcycle for one of our local liaisons and we all rode up into the foothills. It was awesome getting out of the city.I also really enjoyed climbing at the Astrek Climbing Gym.

Other Important Contacts

Other Important Contacts in Thamel, Nepal
Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions

People’s Opinions

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Tips

People’s Opinions

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Additional Info

Additional Info in Thamel, Nepal
Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?

People’s Opinions

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