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As anyone who has lived here for more than a few years knows, it gets harder and harder to take home gifts for friends and family. You’ve already taken carpets, Thangkas, and enough pashmina to start a shop! You name it, expats have taken it home. And for Nepalis visiting family overseas, aside from granny’s pickles, what can be taken from Nepal that will be appreciated by young people growing up in the US, Australia or Europe?

Somewhere around mid-2017, I was facing this problem yet again. Then I came across a wonderful concept shop selling uniquely different, and, moreover, good quality locally made products. Opened in spring of 2017, officially in July of the same year, The Local Project Nepal was among the first three concept shops to open up in Kathmandu. But what exactly is a concept store? ‘Bringing different brands and designers together to combine new ideas that promote, suggest or support a certain theme or lifestyle’ is a standard definition. Certainly The Local Project Nepal brings together designers and manufacturers of different brands that appeal to a certain type of customer. The locations of their shops and the products inside, as well as the modern décor, signal quality and a certain price tag. 

I talked with Sachin Shrestha, co-owner, about The Local Project’s beginnings. “My partner, Binam Shakya was a friend of the owner of Evoke who was in the process of building a community of creativity around his restaurant. This is how it began,” explains Shrestha. With Shrestha already working in the manufacturing industry and having contacts with young and new manufacturers/entrepreneurs it seemed a logical step for Shakya and Shrestha to come together. So successful was the store in Evoke’s compound in Jhamsikhel, that in December 2018 The Local Project Nepal opened its second outlet in Le Sherpa in Pani Pokhari. 

What exactly is on sale? Aside from the beanies, notebooks and jewellery I have bought for gifts they also sell amazing copper ware, bags inspired by Mustang cloth, casual shoes, sportswear, paper goods, games, candles, natural beauty goods such as shampoo bars and Himalayan pink salt body scrub…. Around 40 different brands in total. 

“Our original aim was to promote local producers while at the same time benefiting indigenous workers and resources,” states Shrestha. “But actually now we find we are working with brands that focus on different approaches. For example, some work with underprivileged groups, some aim to achieve fair wages for all, some concentrate on the design aspect. The majority of the manufacturers are small. Sometimes the owner is both the designer and craftsman.”

The most popular brands or products? “Most of the customers buy for gifts so jewellery and travel items are popular. I don’t really want to highlight just one of our great brands, but the bags and backpacks created by Mhecha are bestsellers. Not a single day goes by without us selling at least one Mhecha bag,” comments Shrestha. I want to know why they are so popular— with prices ranging from Rs 1,350 to Rs 4,750 these are not inexpensive items.  I’m told that they have become a status symbol for the Nepali youth studying overseas. “We often get calls saying someone is going to study abroad the very next day, and do we have a certain bag in stock,” explains Shrestha.   I take another look at the backpacks and bags.

Meantime I wonder what the future holds for The Local Project Nepal. I’m told that first of all they need to bring their website up to date. Particularly as they are looking to develop online ordering and overseas shipping—no small challenge. Second, an idea is running round Shrestha’s head to collaborate with concept stores overseas. Personally, I look forward to being able to send stunning Nepali made products home through an online shopping portal!

To find out more check out The Local Project Nepal on Facebook.

 First off, any resemblance of the title of this piece to a well-known food delivery service is purely coincidental! But yes, let’s talk about food. If we look back even 15 years you might remember there were very few places to eat out in town. There were bhattis selling a variety of Newari or pseudo-Newari food along with a lot of locally made strong liquor. I do confess to have been to quite a number of these, particularly in the winter when they serve warming tumba. There were ‘tourist’ restaurants in Thamel serving ‘continental’ food that was really a variation on a roti. Italian pizza: roti with tomato sauce and cheese. Mexican burrito: roti with refried beans. Middle Eastern pitta bread: roti cut into triangles. You get the picture. Naturally there were one or two good ones. Long running Fire and Ice for example. Outside of Thamel there were also long running restaurants such as Ringmo in Lazimpat. With its pic­tures of, surprisingly enough, Ring­mo Lake on its stained and dingy walls. I never found out whether the owner was from Dolpo or whether it was a dream destination. Ring­mo, I believe, has been selling its chowmein and chop-suey since the 1970’s.

And the Bakery Café was the go-to place for local families for Satur­day treats. Nanglo in Durbar Marg was iconic. And Mikes Breakfast was always a great place to eat. I remembering eating there in 1990! At the top end of the market there were restaurants like Krishnarpan in Dwarika’s Hotel and the Coffee Shop in the Annapurna Hotel. But few restaurants were on the ‘must try’ list for ordinary folks and their families. A point of interest: all of these restaurants I have mentioned which have been running for 20 or more years are still running very successfully. The secret is consisten­cy I think.

So why did the culture change from eating at home to eating out? Which came first: a change in taste driving demand or an increase in the number of restaurants seeking to attract customers? And when exactly did this happen? Fifteen years ago there were some restau­rants ahead of their time. There was Organic Village in Baluwatar run by Nepalis who had returned home from the US. Organic, healthy food was served, mainly attracting an expat crowd.

There was a small, delightful restaurant run by a Nepali guy and his South American wife opposite Bhat Bhateni that sold tasty South American food and delicious cakes. These two, along with others I’m sure, could not sustain with expat custom alone and closed down. Then, as far as I can figure it, around 10 years ago something shifted. In any case now we can definitely say we live in Foodmandu!

Just recently I went to two new restaurants. One providing South East Asian food and one serving continental. Both being franchis­es out of India but neither selling anything remotely like Indian food. Just today I heard there is a Ramen restaurant newly opened in the premises of Park Village Hotel. To counter this there is now quite a few restaurants selling Thakali food. These are kind of upmarket places but how authentically Thakali their fare is I would not be able to tell. I do know many moons ago a treat was going to a restaurant in Surket (yes, you read that right) run by a Thakali couple. Nothing upmarket about that restaurant.

Now it seem like every time I turn around there is another restaurant opening up. As I com­plete my 360 degree turn, there is another hotel too. With a num­ber of restaurants and coffee shops inside. Not that I am complaining about the variety and choices now available! No, indeed. But if I have a complaint it is that there just isn’t enough time (or money) to get round all these new eateries. Unless anyone wants me as full time food reviewer…

A couple of weeks ago I was driv­ing along what is often referred to as “Restaurant Road” in Jhamsikhel when my attention was drawn to a sign saying The Choco­late Room. This Aladdin’s cave of all things chocolate opened on June 27, so has yet to make its mark on Kath­mandu’s foodie list. But it should. Chocoholics, let’s do this!

First impression is of a modern fresh looking restaurant with three different seating areas. One of the areas is a separate room with glass walls. Perfect for private children’s parties. Giving the partygoers their own space and keeping them away from other customers who want a more peaceful experience.

One wall of the main restaurant is taken up with a display of gifts for sale. Champagne bottles made of chocolate, beautiful crafted boxes to be filled with chocolates, chocolate inspired ceramic mugs, and more. Another wall has chocolate dripping down it (unfortunately not literally). The display case at the counter has an array of mouth-watering goodies from individual chocolates, to mold­ed chocolates and cakes in all shapes and forms.

Being overwhelmed by all this chocolate glitter I hoped the menu lived up to the decor. It did. The menu is presented as two volumes—one with savory items and one with sweet. Starting with the savory, there are crêpes, sandwiches, piz­za, pasta, burgers, wraps and salads (why go to a chocolate cave and eat salad?). Some unique items caught my eye, Savory Waffwich being one of them. Thankfully (read huge por­tions) as it turned out, I had per­suaded a friend who really wanted a chocolate inspired lunch on a wet Wednesday.

So we ordered the Philly Cream Cheese and Chilli Waffwich (Rs 385); basically a stuffed waffle. Coming with two different sauces, and cut into four big slices, it was delicious! The Signature Brunch Sandwich (Rs 685) is brunch (eggs, hash browns) in a bun. With fries. We would have preferred something other than the burger bun but otherwise it was very tasty. The menu states all items take 25 minutes to create. Yes, we did have to wait 25 minutes…

Being a franchise from Australia, by the way of India, the recreation of the menu items was pretty much spot on (although I’m not sure orig­inal Philadelphia cheese is used in the Waffwich). I asked the owner, Saurav Basnet, why he decided to open this type of restaurant. “I’ve always been interested in the enter­tainment and recreation business and wanted to get into the food side,” explains Basnet. He went on to say that while travelling over­seas he saw many chocolate themed restaurants but had yet to see one in Nepal. So when the opportuni­ty to take up a franchise came, he grabbed it.

“Originally The Chocolate Room was Australian but when two India business partners returned home from Australia they bought the com­pany and set it up in India. Today there are Chocolate Rooms in 11 countries,” Basnet briefs. With the knowledge that a lot of the ground work has been done by the franchise HQ folks, Basnet hopes The Choco­late Room will be a learning expe­rience in his budding food-based hospitality career…

With rising anticipation we turn to the sweet menu—sundaes, fondues, cakes, shakes, and choctails galore. We chose, for research purposes of course, the Choco Surprise Bomb. You’ve seen it on Masterchef, now see it live! Our huge chocolate ball had hot chocolate sauce expertly poured over it to split and reveal cake and ice cream inside! All for Rs 495. Our next spectacular creation was the TCR Special Mini Midas Sundae (Rs 425), complete with one of those shooting sparkling candles. The Midas part is in the gold edi­ble cake decoration balls around the top of the glass and the ‘gold’ colored fruit inside. By now the neighboring table was staring at us with wide eyes. They and us will be back!

For further information see The Chocolate Room Nepal on Facebook.

Without getting into the whole climate emergency debate: what has happened to the monsoon? A couple of weeks ago I, and others, assumed it had arrived. Heralded as usual with a good deal of thunder and a lightning display. That was a Friday night. Sure enough the next day, deluge. By that Saturday evening, I was like “I’m over the monsoon now”. Someone must have been listening as next day, dry as a bone. Pretty dry all the way to the following Saturday. With little rain since, I’m prompted to wonder—what has happened to the monsoon?

Meantime, over in Europe I am sure they are asking the same question: Where is the rain? Temperatures have reached over 40 degrees in France. Unheard of. In fact, it is now ‘official’—June 2019 is the hottest June on record. Hottest ever—not just in France, but globally. Now if that doesn’t point to something being wrong, what does? We have seen temperatures in India reach the high 40s and cities—not just rural communities but whole cities—running out of water. Which makes me rethink my complaints about it being 33C in Kathmandu and at one point last month (in June no less) having no water at home for three days.

The sky gets dark, clouds roll in. Daily I look up and think, here it comes. My weather App predicts thunder storms on an hourly basis, and every day. And yet nothing happens. What has happened to the monsoon?
It was only a couple of months back when I was saying—what has happened to the summer? Winter seemed to go on f-o-r-e-v-e-r and spring never did put in an appearance. Now as the temperature in my apartment hardly come down below 26 or 27, I’m thinking back fondly to the days of wearing a sweater as I wrote this column!

Many homes in Kathmandu have fans. Some even have air-conditioning. I must admit I love my local café which, despite being on the expensive side, has heat in the winter and glorious a/c in the summer! I’ve been surprised by the number of friends who are installing a/c in their homes this year. Ordinary people looking for relief from the heat. And yet some bars and restaurants still decline to install even a fan.

Do they think we will buy more beer because we are hot? More likely, in my case anyway, I will leave half-way through the evening feeling quite ill with the heat. Or completely boycott the place. Last week I was in an open air restaurant in Patan for a music event. They had huge fans going—enough to keep everyone cool. In fact one could say it was particularly ‘breezy’ in that courtyard! But rather that than the alternative.

The last two Fridays and Saturdays saw heavy monsoon-like downpours. But it was only heavy rain. Despite me describing the downpours as “Niagara Falls” it was not the monsoon. Now it is a whole month late. What has happened to the monsoon?

I learn that women in the Tarai are praying to the rain gods. Desperate to get on with planting rice to feed their families for the rest of the year. Goodness knows what people across the border in India are feeling as they stare into empty wells and at dry taps. Let’s hope by the time you are reading this, in the middle of July, the monsoon will have made its full-strength appearance.

In the meantime, has anyone else noticed: the rain seems to cascade in torrents mostly on Fridays and Saturdays? A rain god perhaps that only works at the weekend! Could this be Nepal’s seventh season—Weekend Monsoon?

The year is 2010 and I’m rocking Zumba. But not as much as the 20-somethings in the class. One in particular stands out. That’s where I first met Priti Rai Shrestha—on the fitness floor at Salsa Dance Academy. Scroll forward a few months and we meet again. This time Shrestha is killing the Pilates class while I struggle with my 100s. By then Shrestha is a qualified Zumba instructor and about to undertake Pilates training from the then only qualified instructor in Nepal, Nina Sherpa.

Although we are firm friends, our fitness paths diverted about five years ago only to come together again recently both in the Pilates studio and in the pool. So I wanted to know how this woman became one of only a handful of properly trained female fitness instructors in the country.

“When I started going to Zumba I was working in an office in Panauti. But when I started college I couldn’t continue working full time. Thankfully the owner of the Salsa Dance Academy offered me a job as a Zumba instructor—on the condition that I passed the training in Hyderabad,” explains Shrestha. That training was only the start of her fitness career. Expanding into Pilates—an exercise form emphasizing balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility and awareness first developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s—Shrestha was getting requests to undertake personal training.

“At that point,” Shrestha continues, “I realized I needed to know more about how the body works and obtained online certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, USA and from the Athletic and Fitness Association of America.” Not content with online certification, she attended training in Malaysia, Singapore and India. These trainings included Pilates certification in ‘classical’ and ‘reformer’ Pilates, as well as Crossfit, Piloxing, Veraflow and Spinning. That’s in addition to a degree in Exercise Physiology from Capella University, Minnesota.

While Shrestha was building her knowledge of fitness training and how the body works, this writer had fallen behind in all forms of exercise. So I was excited to meet Shrestha again—this time in the aqua aerobics pool. As far as I am aware, despite there being advertised “Zumba pool parties” there is only 2 or 3 other qualified instructors in aqua aerobics (aerobics done in water) in Nepal. “I am certified by the Aquatic Exercise Association, and I now am perusing lifeguard certification. Which is challenging as there is limited training in Nepal,” says Shrestha. Meantime, now working at the American Mission Association, Shrestha is also trained in emergency CPR and AED.

So here we are, nine years later. Me nine years older and correspondingly less fit (which will change now that I’m hitting the aqua pool)! Shrestha more mature in her attitude towards fitness. I ask about her future plans.
“Nina Sherpa is returning to Nepal to provide Reformer Pilates training and open a studio...” Wait a second—let’s just qualify what Reformer Pilates is. Shrestha laughs, “That’s where machines are used in Pilates. Regular Pilates involves mat work on the floor. Reformer Pilates involves using specially designed machines.” Sounds intense!

“My future plans are to design and develop Pilates’ instructor training and provide it to people around the country,” explains Shrestha. “Pilates is all about injury prevention. While other forms of fitness can cause injury, especially as we age, Pilates corrects posture, improves core strength and prevents injury. And it can be adapted for all age groups.” Already making headway in designing this course, she hopes this will ultimately improve overall fitness at community level.

As Shrestha points out, there is no end to building knowledge of how to prevent injury in fitness clients. And as one of those clients I can say, there is no end to aging and even the best athlete will reach a stage where core strength is more beneficial for daily life than running the fastest 100 metres! 

For further information contact Shrestha at [email protected]

This week I joined the ranks of the greats. F Scott Fitzgerald (‘The Great Gatsby’), Herman Melville (‘Moby Dick’), and Adele. No I didn’t visit Madam Tussauds or have a book of my columns published. Now wouldn’t that be nice? No, I’m suffering, as these three famous writers did, from writer’s block. But unlike these and other authors, writers and lyricists over the years, my ‘writers block’ has been brought on not by my inability to think of anything to write, but by not being able to access information at the right time.

The reviews I am asked to write alternate to this column depend not just on my own experiences and imagination but on other people. And therein lies the rub. Relying on others is never the best policy. My reviews are not investigative journalism. I’m not going to uncover any Watergate scandal at my favourite venue. I’m not going to interview ex-staff with a grudge, check the source of their ‘organic’ products, or scrutinize the stage to see if the guitarist really does know how to play. No, I want to talk to the people involved face-to-face. And I want to make my reviews as up-beat
as possible.

I really don’t see the point in tearing someone’s work apart unless it really is justified and not just as a publicity stunt or self-promotion. And this week I couldn’t talk to anyone. Having semi-arranged a meet with one restaurant I discovered they had a press briefing the same day. A press brief that I was unaware of. (Their media person is not on the ball then. Oops, negative comment!) No point meeting them at the moment since they will probably get coverage in other media (if they invited any… slap on the wrist Jackie!). Another venue did not reply to my messages. And like I said, as I’m not trying to uncover any scandal, if you don’t reply, well that is your loss.

I do try to keep ahead of my articles, particularly if going on holiday or if I know I will be busy. That’s the other side of the coin. Perhaps I was too relaxed this week. Taking it easy after a few weeks of intense work. Too relaxed to
anticipate rejection!

Meantime, I thought for fun I would Google writer’s block. The definition is “losing the ability to produce new work, or experiencing a creative slowdown”. It was first described as a condition by a psychoanalyst in 1947. Interestingly, the same psychoanalyst, Edmund Bergler, said that homosexuality is a curable illness. So we should not put too much store on his analysis. Maybe better to say that writer’s block is simply a burn-out. Not dissimilar to a burn-out suffered by an athlete, or by a busy mother or business man. Sometimes the body, or brain, simply forces us to slow down. But none of that helps my situation—the one where reliance on others can put up blocks of a different kind.

In my Google search I came across a restaurant and bar in Philadelphia called Writer’s Block Rehab. This looked exciting but as far as I can see from the limited pictures and reviews (they have no website) it’s only connection to writer’s block is that it has shelves of books inside. Not very original as there are several restaurants selling and/or offering books to read in situ
in Kathmandu.

Described as ‘funky’ for its sofas, again I’m thinking of all the cafes and restaurants in Kathmandu with ‘funky’ seating and designs. But having never been to Philadelphia, maybe that is funky for that town? But what a great name for a café or co-working space here: “Writer’s Block Rehab”. So I’ve now patented the name. Contact me if you want to talk!

 I’m frequently asked why I live in Nepal. I know a lot of other long-term expats are asked the same thing. Whether we came for work, love, or Dharma, I think that once we cross a certain number of years of precarious ‘non-resident residency’, the only logical answer seems to veer towards “because it’s there”. In this 100th anniversary year of the birth of Sir Edmund Hillary, there has been a lot of press cov­erage, both good and bad, about Mount Everest. So I thought I could also get my penny’s worth in. But with perhaps a different twist rather than the ‘should or shouldn’t peo­ple still be climbing this mountain’ debate. A mountain now more iconic than technical, more per­sonal demon than abode of the gods. So here goes.

It has been 66 years since Sir Edmund and Tenzing Norgay stood on top of the world. In those days permits were given out at the rate of one per year. Today permits are given out in much larger numbers. With results as we have seen in the media over the last few weeks. This can perhaps be a reflection of our journey in Nepal: at first quite rare, we expats are now ‘ten-a-penny’, as the saying goes. Seen perhaps as taking up space or being a nec­essary evil? Quality and quantity getting confused over and over, and regularly turned around. The sweet and sour.

I had always known there was a database of climbs, appropriately called the Himalayan Database, which records feats of mountaineer­ing madness—the record breaking attempts, the successes, and the failures. I have even met the original keeper of this record—the Late Miss Elizabeth Hawley. This fierce woman was one of the group of early expats to the country. However, it was only very recently that I learned that the database started basically as a hobby for the freelance reporter that she was in 1960s Nepal.

I think like many of us, Liz Hawley arrived on a whim, stayed with a pas­sion, and remained longer ‘because it’s there’. I also learned recently that renowned mountaineer Ralf Dujmovits, who has summited Ever­est and all the 14 eight-thousand­ers, is reported to have said when asked about why people today still climb Everest, “because everyone is there”.

Perhaps that is the answer then. Do long-term expats stay in Nepal because “everyone is there”? Cer­tainly there comes a tipping point when you have more friends in one country than in another. As we age we lose parents and siblings. Chil­dren are no longer dependent on us and strike out on their own adven­tures. Or we stay because we have a Nepali partner and children who are here. As I have mentioned before, the transient nature of expat life means that friends come and go on a regular basis.

At some point I stopped trying to make friends with people who are here on a two-year contract. More heart-wrenching perhaps is the number of Nepali friends who have left to find their own Shangri-La in another country. On the other hand, one well-known American in her 80s who has been here for considerable time, recently recalled arriving at Kathmandu airport (air-strip back then) in 1958. While being driven towards her new posting in the American Embassy, gazing around at the ring of snow-capped moun­tains and greenery of the Valley, she thought to herself, “Wow, I am going to be here for two whole years!” For her it might be she wasn’t here so much on a whim, but definitely she stayed on a passion and con­tinues perhaps because “everyone is there”.

 The Culture Studies Group Nepal (CSGN) was established in the late 1990s as a platform to share knowledge on the culture, heritage and arts of Nepal. Although the group attracts a good number of expats, it also has many Nepali members who can learn and share more about their heritage. I am a member of this group. But as there is increasingly so much to do in Kathmandu and some things get ‘lost in the pile’, I thought I would alert those who don’t know about CSGN to its existence.

CSGN is run by a committee of like-minded people who want to share their combined knowledge, and/or learn (and share) more about the different facets of Nepal. Concentrating mainly on the rich artistic environment of the Kathmandu Valley, the group also brings in interesting guest speakers from around the country and the world. Talk programs take place once a month, on a Friday morning, in the Shanker Hotel, Lazimpat. The topics can be as diverse as restoring heritage after the earthquake and taking a look at the unique of murals in Lo Manthang, to climbing Everest and the plight of the under-privileged in Nepal. These talks are open to the public and enjoy a patronage from students, lecturers, and lay people alike.

Once a month CSGN also hosts studio visits. These are member-only events which take place around the Valley. Some of the past visits include to stone carvers in Patan; vertical shaft brick kilns on the outskirts of Kathmandu; an architectural heritage walk to Sankhu; a visit to the Himalayan Cheese Factory near Dhulikhel; a trip to a silver jewellery workshop; and a trip to see restoration work in old Panauti town. Free to members (with a small charge for transport, if required) these studio trips offer a good insight into various aspects of the history, art and every-day life of the Kathmandu Valley.

Mainly attracting expats, these studio visits also see a smattering of Nepali members who wish to find out more about their own cultural past and present. Like the talks, the studio visits are guided by an expert from the ‘studio’ being visited, providing a good deal of knowledge we might never gain from visiting, say, Panauti, alone.

Having been a long-term member, I have seen some of the visits come round again. For example, to lokta paper or pashmina factories, or to thanka painting workshop in Patan. But for the newcomers it is invaluable to have some visits repeated every three or four years so everyone can benefit from the experience.

Naturally, not everyone is interested in every visit—probably just as well. Otherwise, studio visits would be overflowing! But when talking to members, I can honestly say that in the 10 months of the year that the group runs (September- June) there is usually around 7 or 8 studio visits that the average member is interested in. As well as many talks.

In December there is also a lunch for members so that they can relax and really get to know each other without distractions. On the topic of socializing, there are normally some refreshments during the studio visits, depending on the venue. For example, at a recent visit to a new hotel, members were treated to pastries, donuts and coffee. Not to mention the wine and cheese flowing liberally on the cheese factory tour! Overall I can say this is an excellent way to learn much about what we see around us in a very informative but also fun and relaxed way.

Membership is open to all and the group has a membership tea in September. This event allows for old, new and potential members to gather and discover mutual interests. With an annual membership of Rs 3,000 allowing free access to programs twice a month, it’s not outlandishly expensive. Students and senior citizens are half price.

For further information please see Culture Studies Group Nepal’s FB page or contact them on csgninkathmandu@ gmail.com