Tourist Ghettos From Around The World

Cheap accommodation, hawkers, Internet cafes, watering holes, food catering to Western palates (pancakes in Asia anyone?) are part of the ecosystem that make up the world’s tourist ghettos. Backpackers who take pride in traveling independently and tour groups, whom backpackers frown upon, inhabit these enclaves side by side and often eclipse the local population.

It seems appropriate to start with the mother of all tourist ghettos – Bangkok’s Khao San road.  Nothing says Thai culture like getting your hair braided or a henna tattoo (cough).

Thamel in Nepal’s Kathmandu is one of the elder tourist ghettos in Asia. It was a destination of choice for hippies during the Flower Power era.

Saigon’s Pham Ngu Lao neighborhood is walking distance to most of the major sites in District 1.

Like its Asian brethren Calle Santander, the main tourist drag in Panajachel located on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, has all the trappings of a tourist ghetto.

It is only fair to include my own city. There is no such thing as cheap accommodation in New York City and it’s not exactly a backpacker haven. But Times Square and its surrounds is the epicenter of the tourist trade. In this scenario I do recommend pancakes at a diner for brunch if you want to eat like a local.   

How many tourist ghettos have you experienced or do you try and avoid them?  Is there a tourist ghetto where you live?

Rickshaws From Around The World

Rickshaws are a quick, inexpensive way to get around some of the world’s cities. 

India has a few varieties. Cycle rickshaws are a good way to navigate the narrow lanes of Old Delhi.

But the yellow and green auto rickshaws are more suitable for New Delhi and for longer distances.

A rickshaw or tuk tuk ride up this steep hill in San Pedro La Laguna on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala would be welcomed.

Cycle rickshaws like this one parked in a Hutong in Beijing are pretty much used for tourists these days.

 In Kathmandu, Nepal cycle rickshaws like this one in Durbar Square are art on wheels.

Have you ever ridden in a rickshaw and if so where?

Street Scenes: Thamel Kathmandu

At some point most who travel to Kathmandu find themselves in Thamel, a proper tourist ghetto.

Its narrow streets are filled to the brim with travel agents, guesthouses, watering holes and shops selling climbing gear and souvenirs. Yak wool pashminas were everywhere. How many internet cafes can you spot in this photo?

Published Photographs: Nepal Edition

Nepal was still a kingdom when I traveled there a few years back. I can still remember clearly when I took each of these photographs. The one of the elephant was taken after it was done taking a mid-day bath in the river in Royal Chitwan National Park . I was lying on my back on the ground and rolled out of the way just in time.

From the top (clockwise) Bodhnath Stupa; Royal Chitwan National Park; Thamel, Kathmandu; Durbar Square, Kathmandu and Shiva Parvati Temple, Durbar Square.

These have appeared in publications including consumer magazines and national newspapers.

Pashupatinath Temple Kathmandu Nepal

The pagodas of the Pashupatinath Temple line the shores of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu Nepal. The Bagmati is to Kathmandu what the Ganges in Varanasi is to India - the most active and holy river for cremations. Funeral pyres burn on cremation ghats just south of the temple.

Pashupatinath is devoted to Lord Shiva and the most significant Hindu temple in Nepal. You’ll see plenty of religious pilgrims, including sadhus, holy men or ascetics, from India. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside but there is an excellent view of it across the river up on a hill. Keep your eye on the aggressive thieving monkeys who all but own this hillside. They have no problem grabbing camera lenses pointed at them or scrambling to snatch dropped sunglasses.

Bodhnath Stupa Nepal

In Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley you can look into a pair of eyes you won’t soon forget. They are the eyes of Buddha painted on the Bodhnath stupa. Stupas are sacred Buddhist shrines and Bodhnath is the largest in Nepal.

Bodhnath is also the center of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. Monks in saffron robes walk around the stupa spinning prayer wheels. Above them multi-colored prayer flags flutter in the breeze. A Unesco World Heritage Site it isn’t known exactly when the current stupa was built but it’s believed to be about seven centuries old.

Located several miles outside the city of Kathmandu the best time to visit is in the late afternoon when it is less crowded. Visitors are welcome to walk up and around the stupa but if you do make sure it’s clockwise.