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| Entertainment
and Night Life
Don't
forget Nepal is an agricultural based society. This
means locals go to bed early and get up with the sun.
You will have to find your entertainment, after 9
PM, in the tourist areas, mainly Thamel. Most restaurants
in Thamel close after 10 PM and a number of bars that
stay open until after midnight. Not the city laws
in Kathmandu mean all music needs to be off by 10
PM and people on the street should be on their way
home. Kathmandu has a couple of discos, and there
are cultural shows, and four of west Asia's few casinos. |
Casinos
24
hour night-life does take place in the 4 Casinos
of Nepal. You'll get free food and sometimes a disco
if you put some money on the tables. The main games
offered are roulette and blackjack, and the main
clients are Indian. Nepali's are officially forbidden
from entering.Casino Nepal : Soaltee Compound, Tahachal,
Kathmandu Casino Anna : Hotel de L'Annapurna, Durbar
Marg, KathmanduCasino Everest : Hotel Everest, New
Baneshwor, KathmanduCasino Royale : Hotel Yak &
Yeti, Durbar Marg, Kathmandu
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Culture Shows
Almost every restaurant and hotel that caters to the
non-backpacking, up-scale market hotels, hosts a nightly
culture show complete with local dances, music, songs
and costumes. Usually starts at around 7.00 PM and
costs about Rs 200.
The Himalchuli Cultural Group
is a Classical and Folk Dance group, which performs
nightly, at 7.00 PM - 8.30 PM, at The Festival Restaurant
and Bar in Lazimpat, (behind the Peace Zone English
School). The restaurant serves excellent Nepali and
Newari cuisine.
In Pokhara many restaurants have
a cultural dance show on every night. Sign boards
outside the restaurants advertise whats happening.
Local Bands, the Bar Scene and Dancing - Look for
local bands in the cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara
that may even get away with staying open past the
10pm curfew. Discos are becoming popular and dancing
sometimes breaks out at local bars. Because of cultural
attitudes toward men and women contact, local people
general dance with the same sex. A general rule: if
you see local women dressed in jeans, they've been
cultured abroad or family ties extend outside the
country.
There are several bars scattered around Thamel in
Kathmandu, all close to each other. Each one has its
own style so have a look in each one to choose which
appeals to you.
Tom & Jerry Pub - upstairs,
opposite to Pilgrims Book Store, has been open for
along time, it's noisy and has pool tables. Close
by on the same side of the road is the New
Orleans Cafe - a popular place to eat
good food and often has live bands. In the same area
ia the Jump Club - a popular
bar with DJ and a small dance floor. Further north
is the Tunnel Club - a popular
top-floor place with very loud music and open late
hours. Almost opposite is Sam's Bar
- a small place with good music that opens after 5
PM.
A well known bar is the Rum Doodle Restaurant
& Bar - it's a favourite meeting
place for mountaineering expeditions, and you can
eat here free for life, but only if you conquer everest
first! The Pub Maya which
is associated with Maya Cocktail Bar
- has remained a favourite for along time. Close to
Thamel Chowk is the Underground Bar
which always has its music up pretty high. Further
along on Tridevi Marg, Studio 54
is currently popular.
Right near Yin Yang Restaurant
is Paddy Foley's Irish Bar
- a very popular place, especially on St.
Patricks day!
Kathmandu has a couple of discos, popular with the
more wealthy Nepalis. The Moon Sun Disco
- at the Heritage Plaza in Kamaladi, Club
X Zone near Durbar Marg. Both are open
late every night but are probably not ideal for visiting
tourists. If you want to dance bars in Thamel are
alot better.
Caution: with over 50 ethnic groups,
drunken brawls are not uncommon whenever people are
warmed up enough to cut-a-rug.
Movies
The only theaters in the country play popular Hindi
movies from Bollywood, mostly without english subtitles.
But catching a Hindi movie is worth it since understanding
the language is not essential to enjoy these comedy-musical
spectaculars. Recently, a few local venues have popped
up serving English language movies that are about
6 months behind their market release.
A number of restaurants in Thamel offer pirated videos
or laser discs on TV's, almost as soon as they are
released at the cinemas in the west. These places
usually require you to eat at the restaurant and the
movie is included. You'll see the movies written up
on chalk boards on the pavements.
There are films shown at the Russian Cultural Center
in Kamal Pokhari. They are foreign language films
with English subtitles.
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