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It's the Gathamaga Festival, Not Ghantakarna Festival

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 Fun With Fire! Co-Written by blogger, Pramesh Lakhaju We all can agree on one thing, that the Newari caste, their culture and festivals are very unique. This culture is rich and ancient so the stories and legends of the festivals carry a lot of meaning and stories behind them. There are actually more than 100 different festivals and celebrations each year just for our caste. Today was one of our more lively celebrations. This festival is called gathamaga not ghantakarna. It's misunderstood with an Indian festival It is indeed gathamaga originally. As for the meaning and story behind this festival told by my ancestors or elder Newars, here is a bit of background.    Back in a day, farming was the most important thing in peoples’ lives in the Newari culture. People had to store food for whole year, especially rice at this monsoon season. And as the story goes, back in a day they didn't have machines and tools like in modern days. It was very important to
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How to mail a package in Nepal 2019 - Postal tips & Tricks Nepal

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Nepalese Homestay 2019 : Be Prepared!

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Help for Tourists Needing Long-Term Housing in Nepal

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A room we have furnished with our furniture Everyone seems to think tourists are ; nothing can harm them. The truth is that problems can crop up while traveling that there is just no way to prepare for. No matter where you are, when financial issues come the best thing is to take a couple months off and live like a local.  But that doesn't mean you need to your health, safety or quality of life. Get settled into your own little flat/room. Now hunker down, get a few online jobs and get back on your feet.  Two can live here for about $500 a month pretty easily. The problem is, up until now, there hasn't been anyone helping the tourist to do that. We are using the furniture from Star View Guest House to help travelers. Being down on your luck isn't the only reason you might want to settle down in your own little flat or room. No, it isn't always about money. I have seen how difficult it is for travelers, whether traveling for pleasure, volunteering or digital
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New Chapter for Star View Guest House

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First, I'd like to say, 'thank you' to all our guests through these past 5 years. It's been wonderful meeting so many people from so many places. Who would have thought a widow from the US could go to a little country like Nepal and have such awesome adventures? My goal for the guesthouse was to have a place for myself and other westerners to stay where we could be shielded from the dangers and annoyances of life in a developing country. Yes, I did manage to do that. We managed 5 years without getting anyone sick from our kitchen germs. Not bad. However, and it's a big 'however,' it's been push, push, push. 'Don't use the cleaning cloth from the floor on the counter.' 'When we are running low on milk, bread or other supplies please put them on the list and buy them before we run out.' 'Don't use the same cleaning cloth for the toilet as for the sink.' 'Please don't take a nap on the rooftop without asking.&#
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Small Guesthouses in Nepal-What You Need to Know-What You Can Expect

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Especially Americans and Europeans from more developed parts of Europe, you'll need to understand a few differences in accommodation and the standard of care you'll receive in countries like Nepal. As much as it pains me to admit, we recently had a couple of guests who were disappointed in the quality of our little guesthouse. The first one swore she paid Booking.com online when in reality she did not. She actually didn't pay and I think I even paid for her taxi ride here because she didn't have Nepali money. The worst part was that she gave us a 3.8 review for our room with a TV, private bath and a lovely view of the Himalayan foothills. Yet, she never complained while she was here. Now I realize it was probably a well-thought-out scam to get free housing. If you lie first you can blame the other person of making something up because of a bad review. Small guesthouses usually have a stairwell right up the center of the building like ours. With 4 rooms on eac
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10 things to do in Changunarayan Village

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Shortly after I got to Nepal someone invited me to do a home-stay in his village. Somehow I thought there would be something to do. He managed to convince me to commit to 3 nights. It was quiet, peaceful and grandma ground some coffee beans on an ancient grinding wheel for my morning coffee, so I guess it was memorable after all. Changunarayan isn't like that. It is also the last stop on the bus route, but Changunarayan is only an hour bus ride, it's close enough to see Kathmandu on most days. My friend's village is an 8-hour bus ride and the bus only comes once a day. Buses come to Changunarayan every 30 minutes. Whether you stay with one of the village families with a home-stay, one of the Nepali guest houses or Star View, depending on what level of comfort you like, here are 10 things to do in Changu: 1. Rent mountain bikes to ride for a day or two. There are biking trails all along the Valley Rim Route. The bikes are 800 NRs. per day each. Call 015141181 to re
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