Saigon Stays Saigon — Notes from Ho Chi Minh City After 29 Days in District 1

After 29 days in Saigon I still prefer Hanoi for food — but Ho Chi Minh City has its own pace, its own neighbourhoods, and its own version of Vietnam that earns more than three days. Notes on District 3, Cu Chi, cooking classes, and sidewalk coffee.

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Originally shared on Facebook · February 2023 · After a 29-day stay in Saigon

I lived in Ho Chi Minh City for nearly a month at the start of 2023. Long enough to stop reading menus and start arguing with motorbike drivers. Short enough that I left still convinced of one thing I had said for years: if I could only pick one Vietnamese city, I would pick Hanoi. But Saigon stays Saigon — loud, hot, fast, generous — and after twenty years of moving around Asia I have a soft spot for cities that refuse to be quiet.

This is what 29 days in District 1, District 3, and the edges of Phu Nhuan taught me about the city most people fly into and out of in three days.

Hanoi vs Ho Chi Minh City: The Honest Comparison

I have written before that for food, I prefer Hanoi. That is still true. The northern food has more depth, more layered broths, more nuance — bun cha, cha ca, pho bac. The herbs are different. The pace of eating is different. Hanoi feels like a city that eats slowly because it has been eating the same way for a very long time.

Saigon food is the opposite. It is fast, sweet, southern, and it absorbs everything — French baguettes, Cantonese dim sum, Khmer curries, American beef. Banh mi was invented in this collision. Com tam (broken rice with grilled pork) is a working-class dish that became national. There is no precious tradition here. Saigon eats whatever is in front of it and gets to work.

Both cities are right. They are right about different things.

District 1 Is a Show, District 3 Is a Neighbourhood

District 1 is the postcard — Notre Dame Cathedral, the old Post Office, the Reunification Palace, the rooftop bars on top of the new towers. It works for a first visit. After a week it starts to feel like a film set: too many western tourists, too many overpriced cocktails, too much performance.

The real city, in my experience, lives a few blocks east in District 3 and across the canal in Phu Nhuan. Coffee shops on every corner. Family-run pho places at 6 a.m. Old French villas with broken-down gates and laundry on the second-floor balcony. The traffic is the same, the heat is the same, but you stop being a target for the tuk-tuk economy and start being just another person on the street. That is the version of Saigon I came to enjoy.

Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Remnants Museum

I have been to the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Remnants Museum more than once across different trips. They are the two places I would still send any first-time visitor to Saigon. Not because they are easy — they are not — but because they explain more about modern Vietnam in an afternoon than any guidebook will.

The War Remnants Museum is uncomfortable in a way that is the point. The photographs of the consequences of chemical defoliants are not pleasant. The captured American hardware in the courtyard is not a souvenir. Vietnamese families walk through with their children and explain. Foreign visitors walk through quietly. You leave understanding why Vietnam built itself the way it did after 1975.

Cu Chi is the opposite kind of visit — outdoors, physical, slightly theatrical. You crawl into the tunnels. You see the booby traps. You see a country that fought a much larger one and did not lose. Both visits belong on the same itinerary.

A Cooking Class in Saigon

One of my best Saigon memories is a cooking class I took years ago — sixteen photos still on my Flickr — in a kitchen above a market in District 1. We started by buying fish and herbs at the market, came back, and learned three southern Vietnamese dishes from a woman who had been cooking for forty years and had no interest in pretending it was complicated. Fish sauce, lime, sugar, chili, herbs. Heat. Plate.

It is hard to overstate how much of Vietnamese cooking is technique that looks like simplicity. Cooking classes in Saigon are often touristic. The good ones still teach you something a recipe cannot.

The Coffee Culture Most People Underestimate

Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer in the world and Saigon takes coffee seriously. Not in the third-wave Bangkok-Hipster way. In the everyday way. Phin filter, ice, condensed milk. A small plastic chair on the sidewalk. 25,000 dong (around 30 baht). You sit, you drink, you watch the street.

You can also find specialty places — egg coffee transplanted from Hanoi, single-origin roasters in District 2 — but the soul of Saigon coffee is the sidewalk, the chair, and the slow hour you spend not doing anything useful. After Bangkok prices, it feels almost suspicious.

When Saigon Wins

Saigon wins when you stop trying to make it Hanoi.

It is a city built for energy. The traffic is not chaos — it is choreography you eventually learn. The food is not refined — it is alive. The architecture is not preserved — it is layered, half-French, half-modern, half-falling-down. The bars on top of the towers are silly and fun and you should go to one once.

After a month, the version of Saigon I had quietly started to love was the version that exists between 6 and 9 a.m. — the markets, the pho stalls, the older women on plastic stools, the smell of charcoal, the heat already rising. That is the city. The rest is the show.

Practical Information: Visiting Ho Chi Minh City

  • Best time to visit: December to March — dry season, cooler mornings, lower humidity
  • Where to stay: District 1 for first-timers; District 3 or Phu Nhuan for a second or longer visit
  • Must-do: War Remnants Museum, Cu Chi Tunnels, a cooking class, at least one early-morning street-food walk
  • What to eat: Banh mi, com tam, hu tieu, banh xeo, cha gio (spring rolls), Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk
  • Budget: Excellent. Street meals from 30,000 VND (~40 THB), good hotels from 700,000 VND (~900 THB)
  • Stay length: 3 days for the highlights. 7+ days to find the real city. A month if you can.

Saigon does not need converts. It is going to keep doing what it does whether you visit or not. But if you give it more than three days, it stops being a checklist and becomes a place.

Sebastien H. Brousseau is a Canadian lawyer, permanent resident of Thailand since 2014, and founder of ThaiLawOnline.com. He has lived in Thailand continuously since 2006 and writes about travel, culture, and life in Southeast Asia.

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Living in Nepal for 3 Months: Why Pokhara Changed My Life

In October 2022, I moved to Nepal for 87 days — living between Kathmandu and Pokhara, trekking the Mardi Himal, and discovering why this is one of Asia’s best-kept remote work destinations. The honest account, with real costs included.

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In October 2022, I packed a bag, left Bangkok, and moved to Nepal for three months. Not a holiday. Not a two-week trip with a return ticket booked in advance. Eighty-seven consecutive days living between Kathmandu and Pokhara, with no particular plan other than to see if this country I had first visited briefly in 2018 was as special as I remembered.

It was more special. Significantly more.

Why Nepal? Why Pokhara?

I am drawn to places that most people overlook. I went to Myanmar in 2010 when there were no ATMs and you had to carry cash like a drug dealer. I visited Angkor Wat in 2005 when you could still be alone in the temples at sunrise. I went to Bagan in 2012 when almost no tourists were there. Nepal in late 2022 had that same feeling: a country of extraordinary depth that had not yet been polished into a tourism product.

Pokhara specifically appealed to me because it sits at the gateway to the Annapurna range, and the quality of life there — the cost of living, the pace, the food, the mountain views, the walking culture — matches in a way that seems almost unfair. An apartment for $300 USD per month. Momos everywhere, cheap, and addictive. A city that wakes up slowly, does its thing, and goes to sleep without the noise and stimulation overload of Kathmandu.

Pokhara Nepal

The Mardi Himal Trek: One of the Most Beautiful Things I Have Done

During the extended stay, I completed the Mardi Himal trek — a route that climbs through rhododendron forests, past shepherd camps, and up to a high camp with uninterrupted views of the Annapurna massif, Machapuchare (Fishtail Mountain), and Dhaulagiri.

I had planned to do the Manaslu Circuit — one of the more demanding and remote circuits in Nepal — but contracted COVID two weeks before the start date. The Mardi Himal trek was the alternative, and I say this without any consolation: it was one of the most beautiful treks I have done in my life. The Manaslu will wait.

What makes Himalayan trekking different from everything else is the scale. You are walking through a landscape that makes you feel genuinely small in a way that is not threatening — it is clarifying. You understand, in a visceral way, that your problems are the correct size. Small. Manageable. The mountains are the big things.

Mardi Himal Nepal

Kathmandu: Temples, Chaos, and Old Stone

We split the 87 days between the two cities. Kathmandu is a different Nepal — denser, louder, more complex. But it has temples that stop you mid-sentence. Pashupatinath on the banks of the Bagmati River is one of the most significant Hindu pilgrimage sites in the world, and watching the cremation ceremonies there is a reminder that death is a public, communal, spiritual event in this part of the world — not the hidden, medicalized experience it is in the West.

Boudhanath Stupa sits like a great white eye watching the city. The Thamel neighborhood is chaotic and full of trekking shops and terrible tourist restaurants, but five minutes off the main drag and you are in medieval alleyways where nothing has changed in centuries. Durbar Square — the ancient royal palace complex — is earthquake-damaged but still standing, still breathing, still used.

Food: The Dal Bhat Power

Nepali food does not get the global attention it deserves. Dal bhat — lentil soup with rice, vegetables, pickle, and sometimes meat — is the national dish and it is one of the most nutritionally complete, deeply satisfying meals I have eaten anywhere. Trekkers joke about “dal bhat power, 24 hour” because it genuinely fuels long mountain days. On the trail, you can have unlimited refills.

Dal Baht Nepal

Momos, Nepali dumplings, steamed or fried, with meat or vegetables — are everywhere in Pokhara and are, without question, one of the great street foods of Asia. At 150-200 rupees for a plate (about $1.50 USD), they are also a reminder that good food does not require an expensive restaurant.

The Cost of Living: What $300/Month Gets You

Let me give you the actual numbers, because numbers matter.

  • Apartment in Pokhara: $300 USD/month (furnished, with views, WiFi included)
  • Momos: 150–200 NPR per plate (~$1.20–1.50 USD)
  • Dal bhat full meal: 200–350 NPR (~$1.50–2.70 USD)
  • Coffee: 100–200 NPR in a lakeside café
  • Mardi Himal trek (guide + permits): ~$200–300 USD for the full trek
  • Local transport (taxi across Pokhara): 200–400 NPR

I am fully remote — ThaiLawOnline.com runs independently. The internet in Pokhara was reliable enough for legal work, client emails, and video calls. The time difference with Europe and North America works well from Nepal (UTC+5:45) — mornings in Nepal are evenings in Europe, which suits client communication.

Why Nepal Works as a Remote Work Destination

The digital nomad conversation in 2022–2023 was dominated by Bali, Chiang Mai, Lisbon, and Medellín. Nepal was almost never mentioned, which is exactly why it interested me.

What you get in Nepal that you do not get in most digital nomad hotspots: genuine immersion. There is no “digital nomad bubble” in Pokhara the way there is in Canggu. You are simply living in a Nepali city where the mountains happen to be visible from your kitchen window and the cost of living is among the lowest in Asia for the quality of life offered.

The Nepali people are warm without being servile, helpful without being intrusive. They have a self-possession and dignity that comes, I think, from living in a country that was never colonised. That is rare in this part of the world, and you feel it in the interactions.

Would I Go Back?

I have been to Nepal twice. The first trip in July 2018 was six days and 526 photographs. The second trip in late 2022 was 87 days and 1,224 photographs. The data answers the question. (yes, AI calculated that – I would never do it myself. :P)

Pokhara is a special place. I still think about it the way you think about a place where something important happened, not a dramatic event, but a quieter kind of shift. The kind where you return home and realise that your definition of “enough” has been permanently recalibrated.

If you are considering Nepal as a travel destination, a trekking base, or a remote work experiment: go. The October-to-January window is ideal. Post-monsoon clarity, crisp air, peak trekking conditions. Fly into Kathmandu, spend a few days, then take the domestic flight or overland journey to Pokhara.

The Himalayas will do the rest.

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Bhaktapur — Nepal’s Ancient City the Tourist Buses Skip

Bhaktapur is the best-preserved medieval city in the Kathmandu Valley. A guide to its three squares, the Nyatapola Temple, and why it is worth more than a quick stop.

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I have been to Bhaktapur three times now. Each time I come back, I understand better why this is the city that Nepali people themselves say is the most beautiful in the Kathmandu Valley.

My first visit was in 2018. I went back in January 2023 during a longer Nepal stay. Both times, Bhaktapur did something that very few places in Asia manage to do: it made me slow down without asking me to.

Sebastien at Bhaktapur Durbar Square with a stone shikhara temple and carved wooden buildings behind him
Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The mix of stone shikhara temples and carved Newari wooden architecture is unlike anywhere else in Asia.

What Bhaktapur Is

Bhaktapur is a medieval city in the Kathmandu Valley, about 13 kilometres east of Kathmandu. It is one of three royal cities in the valley — along with Patan and Kathmandu — that were once independent kingdoms before unification in 1768. Unlike Kathmandu, which has grown into a chaotic modern capital, and Patan, which sits directly across the Bagmati River from the capital, Bhaktapur has kept something that the others have largely lost: its character as a living medieval city.

There are no cars in the historic core. The streets are narrow brick lanes between buildings that are six hundred years old. Potters still work in Pottery Square, where you can watch someone make a terracotta pot and buy it for a few hundred rupees. The woodcarving on the temple doors and window frames — the famous peacock windows, the erotic carvings meant to ward off lightning strikes — represents the peak of Newari craftsmanship from the 15th and 17th centuries.

The Squares

Bhaktapur has three main squares, each with its own atmosphere. Most tourists spend an hour in Durbar Square and leave. That is a mistake.

Durbar Square is where you enter and where you pay the entrance fee. The 55-Window Palace and the Golden Gate (Sun Dhoka) are here — extraordinary metalwork and woodcarving that took decades to complete. After the 2015 earthquake, several buildings were damaged and reconstruction is still ongoing in parts of the square.

Taumadhi Square is a fifteen-minute walk through the old city lanes. This is where the Nyatapola Temple stands — the tallest pagoda in Nepal at five stories, built in 1702 by King Bhupatindra Malla. The construction took seven months, which is remarkable when you look at the scale of it. The five terraces of the plinth are guarded by pairs of legendary figures: wrestlers, elephants, lions, griffins, and the goddesses Baghini and Singhini. The temple has survived every earthquake since its construction. Locals say it has never been damaged.

Stone guardian statues and elephant sculptures at the base of the Nyatapola Temple in Taumadhi Square, Bhaktapur
The guardian statues at the base of the Nyatapola Temple. Each pair on each terrace is said to be ten times stronger than the one below.

Dattatreya Square is the quietest of the three and the most authentic. Fewer tour groups make it here. The Dattatreya Temple at its centre is one of the oldest structures in the valley. The square is surrounded by former priests’ houses that are now museums of Newari art and metalwork. Sit on the temple steps in the afternoon and watch the city — old women carrying things on their backs, schoolchildren running through alleys, a dog sleeping against a carved doorway.

Why Bhaktapur Works

Most ancient cities in Asia have a tension between preservation and development that they resolve badly — usually in favour of letting the ancient parts decay while modern concrete grows around them. Bhaktapur has done something different. The municipality has been collecting a heritage conservation fee from foreign visitors since the 1990s and has used the revenue to maintain the historic fabric of the city.

The result is a city where people still live inside the monuments. The buildings in Durbar Square and Taumadhi are not empty museums — they are homes and shops and workshops. You hear babies crying through windows that have latticed wood screens carved five centuries ago. You smell incense from a small temple on a corner that the guidebooks do not mention. The city is alive in a way that Angkor Wat, however magnificent, is not.

The Earthquake

On April 25, 2015, the Gorkha earthquake killed more than 9,000 people across Nepal. In Bhaktapur, several temple towers collapsed and significant sections of the squares were damaged. I was not here in 2015, but I spoke with a local guide who described watching the Vatsala Durga Temple — one of the finest stone temples in the square — collapse in less than a minute.

The reconstruction has been slow but it has been careful. The Nyatapola survived intact. The 55-Window Palace survived. Many smaller structures have been rebuilt using original materials and techniques wherever possible. When I visited in January 2023, there was still scaffolding on some buildings but the squares were fully functional and the city had recovered its atmosphere.

Practical Information

Getting there: From Kathmandu, take a local bus or microbus from Ratna Park bus station or from Kalanki. The journey takes 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. Taxis are faster and cost around 600 to 800 rupees ($4.50 to $6 USD). From Patan it is a similar distance but you need to go back through central Kathmandu.

Entrance fee: Foreign visitors pay 1,500 Nepali rupees (approximately $11 USD) as a conservation fee. Your ticket is valid for the day. The fee is collected at the main entrance of the Durbar Square area.

When to visit: Early morning before 8 AM is the best time — before tour groups arrive. The light on the brick buildings in the early morning is remarkable. Late afternoon before sunset is the second best option. Midday in peak season (October to December) can be crowded.

How long to spend: A minimum of half a day. A full day is better if you want to explore all three squares, walk the back lanes, and spend time in Pottery Square. The city changes mood completely by mid-afternoon when local life resumes after the lunch hour.

Food: The local dish is juju dhau — “king yoghurt” — made from buffalo milk in traditional clay pots. It is thick, slightly sweet, and unlike any yoghurt I have had anywhere else. Try it at one of the small shops near Taumadhi Square. Cost: 80 to 120 rupees.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bhaktapur worth a day trip from Kathmandu?
Yes, absolutely. It is one of the most rewarding day trips from the capital. I would argue it is more atmospheric than central Kathmandu for most visitors.

Is Bhaktapur safe?
Very safe. The historic area is pedestrian-only and the city is used to foreign visitors. Keep basic awareness of your belongings in the main squares.

Can I stay overnight in Bhaktapur?
Yes, and I recommend it if you have time. Staying overnight means you see the squares in the early morning before day trippers from Kathmandu arrive. There are good guesthouses inside the historic area.

Is Bhaktapur still being rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake?
Partially, as of 2023. The main visitor areas are fully functional. Some temple reconstruction is still ongoing. The city feels complete rather than a construction site.

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Patan (Lalitpur) — The Kathmandu Valley’s City of Bronze and Beauty

Patan is the finest of the three royal cities in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley — extraordinary Newari bronze workshops, the best museum in Nepal, and a Durbar Square that survived the 2015 earthquake remarkably intact.

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Patan sits directly across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu, close enough that it was absorbed into the greater Kathmandu metropolitan area decades ago, but distinct enough in character that the people who live there will correct you if you call it part of Kathmandu. It is not. It is Lalitpur — the City of Beauty — and it has been a separate kingdom, a separate culture, and a separate artistic tradition for more than a thousand years.

I went to Patan during my Nepal stay in late 2022. I had been in Pokhara for weeks and needed a few days in the valley before flying home. The choice between Patan and Bhaktapur for a day was straightforward: Bhaktapur for the medieval atmosphere, Patan for the metalwork and the museums. I ended up spending more time in Patan than I had planned.

Durbar Square

Patan’s Durbar Square is widely considered the finest of the three royal squares in the Kathmandu Valley — finer than Kathmandu’s own Durbar Square, finer than Bhaktapur’s. The concentration of temples within a small area is extraordinary. The Krishna Mandir — a 17th century stone temple in the Indian shikhara style, unusual in a valley dominated by Newari pagoda architecture — is one of the most beautiful buildings in Nepal.

Patan Durbar Square at golden hour with Newari pagoda temples in Lalitpur Nepal
Patan Durbar Square in late afternoon. The finest of the three royal squares in the Kathmandu Valley, in soft warm light.

What strikes you in Patan’s square is the quality of what survived the 2015 earthquake. The valley’s three royal squares were all affected, but Patan’s lost fewer major structures than Kathmandu’s or Bhaktapur’s. Some restoration work is visible, but the overall integrity of the square is remarkable — you can stand in the middle of it and see something very close to what a 17th century Newari royal city looked like.

The Patan Museum

The Patan Museum, housed in the restored wing of the old royal palace on the square, is the best museum in Nepal. The collection of Newari bronze work — deity figures, ritual objects, temple fittings — is presented in rooms that are themselves historically significant, with original painted wooden ceilings and carved windows. The curation is thoughtful. The lighting is actually good, which cannot be said of most museums in this region.

The bronzework on display represents the peak of a tradition that goes back to the Licchavi period — before the medieval kingdoms, before the consolidation into the Malla dynasty. Patan metalworkers were so skilled that the 13th century Kublai Khan reportedly invited Nepali craftsmen to work on his temples in China. The lineage is still visible today: the streets around the square have workshops where families continue casting bronze statues using techniques that have not fundamentally changed in centuries.

Intricately carved Newari window with bronze peacock detail in Patan, Nepal
A Newari peacock window in Patan. The metalwork tradition here goes back more than a thousand years.

The Living Workshops

Walk into any lane branching off from Durbar Square and you will eventually find a workshop. The sound of hammering on metal. An open door with a man seated cross-legged on the floor, chasing detail into a bronze face with a small tool. Finished statues lined up outside — Buddhas, Ganesh, Tara, Shiva — in sizes from your palm to your waist.

Stone lions guarding a temple staircase in Patan Durbar Square Nepal
Stone lions on the steps of one of the square’s temples. The carving alone is worth a slow afternoon.

These are not tourist reproductions, or not only that. Many of the workshops supply temples across Nepal and Tibet, filling orders for ritual objects that will end up in monastery collections rather than souvenir shops. The craft is functional as well as decorative. Buying directly from a workshop family is possible and supports the tradition more directly than buying from a shop in Thamel.

Patan vs Bhaktapur

The comparison comes up constantly. They are both day trips from Kathmandu, both historically significant, both UNESCO-adjacent. The difference is atmosphere more than content.

Bhaktapur feels more complete as a medieval city — the car-free historic core, the three squares connected by lanes, the stronger sense of a place that has preserved its medieval identity. Patan feels more connected to Kathmandu — it is officially a separate city but functions partly as an upmarket residential neighbourhood for the capital, with good restaurants and cafes near the square attracting Kathmandu professionals on weekends.

If you have time for only one: Bhaktapur for atmosphere, Patan for art and museums. If you have time for both — and the valley is small enough that you can do both in two days — Patan on the first day, Bhaktapur on the second.

Practical Information

Getting there: From central Kathmandu, take a local bus or taxi from Ratna Park or Tripureshwor. Twenty to thirty minutes depending on traffic. A taxi costs around 400 to 600 rupees ($3 to $4.50 USD). From Bhaktapur, you need to go back through Kathmandu — there is no direct route.

Entrance fee: The Patan Museum charges a separate entrance fee of around 1,000 rupees ($7.50) for foreigners, worth paying. Access to Durbar Square is included in the valley-wide conservation fee if you have one, or you can pay separately at the gate.

Food: The cafe inside the Patan Museum courtyard is one of the better places to eat in the valley — good coffee, reasonable food, a setting that makes lunch feel like a cultural experience rather than a necessity. There are also several good restaurants on the lanes near the square.

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Pokhara, Nepal — Where the Quality of Life Seems Almost Unfair

Two months living in Pokhara: what it costs, how it feels, and why this lakeside city under the Himalayas is one of Asia’s best long-stay destinations.

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I had heard about Pokhara before. Everyone who goes to Nepal has heard about Pokhara. But hearing about a place and actually living there for two months are very different things.

I arrived in October 2022. I stayed until January 2023. I had no specific plan except to slow down, work on some projects, and see whether this city lived up to its reputation. It exceeded it in ways I did not expect.

Wooden boats on Phewa Lake at dawn in Pokhara, Nepal
Dawn on Phewa Lake. The boats are already out, the mountains still hidden in mist.

The Lake, Every Morning

Phewa Lake is the heart of Pokhara. You cannot be in this city and ignore it. The Annapurna range reflects in its water on clear mornings. The wooden rowboats sit at the shore waiting for someone who wants to cross to the little temple on the island.

I walked the lakeside road almost every morning. There is something about starting the day next to still water with mountains in the background that resets your thinking. I am a Bangkok person normally. I like noise and streets and options. But Pokhara taught me that quiet also works.

The Cost of Living Here

I rented a furnished apartment for $300 USD per month. It had a kitchen, a workspace, a view of the hills. In Bangkok I pay considerably more for less space. In many European cities $300 gets you a shared room. In Pokhara it gets you a life.

Momos are everywhere, cheap, and addictive. A plate of steamed momos — the Nepali dumplings filled with vegetables or buffalo — costs around 150 to 200 rupees, which is roughly $1.10 to $1.50. I ate them probably four times a week. A good meal at a lakeside restaurant costs $4 to $7 including a beer. I was tracking my expenses carefully and still struggled to spend $600 a month total, including rent.

Sebastien at Phewa Lake, Pokhara, Nepal, with the Annapurna mountains in the background
Phewa Lake on a clear day. On good mornings the Annapurna range appears behind the hills.

Why This City Works for Remote Workers

Pokhara has figured out something that most “digital nomad destinations” have not. The infrastructure is decent — reliable WiFi in cafes, stable electricity most of the time, fast mobile internet with Ncell. The altitude keeps temperatures pleasant year-round. The pace is slow enough that you can think, but there is enough going on that you do not feel isolated.

The Lakeside neighbourhood has dozens of cafes where you can work for half a day on a single coffee without anyone bothering you. The Nepali staff are genuinely relaxed people. Nobody is trying to sell you anything aggressively. It is the opposite of Khaosan Road in Bangkok or the tourist strips of Bali.

I had planned to do the Manaslu Circuit trek while I was there. I got COVID two weeks before the scheduled start and had to cancel. I did the Mardi Himal trek instead — shorter, less crowded, and one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done. The mountains here are not subtle. They are present. You look up from your momo lunch and there is the Annapurna range taking up the entire sky.

Aerial view of Pokhara valley and city spreading across the hills of Nepal
Pokhara from above — the city sits in a valley between the lake and the foothills of the Himalayas.

The People

Nepal has had a difficult few decades — earthquakes, political instability, a tourism industry that collapsed and rebuilt itself. The Nepali people I met in Pokhara carried none of that heaviness in how they treated visitors. The guesthouse owners, the trekking guides, the momo shop ladies — there is a warmth here that I associate with places that have not yet been fully commodified by mass tourism.

I spoke with a local guide who had been leading treks for twenty years. He told me that before 2015 — before the earthquake — tourism was more consistent. Recovery had been slow but steady. He was not complaining. He was just telling me the story of his city with the same matter-of-fact pride that Nepali people seem to carry about their mountains and their history.

Pokhara vs Kathmandu

People always ask which is better. Kathmandu is the capital — chaotic, dusty, historically dense, overwhelming if you arrive without time to adjust. Pokhara is the opposite: calm, clean by comparison, organized around the lake and the trekking industry.

If you want history and temples and the feeling of a living ancient city, go to Kathmandu. If you want quality of life, mountains, and a place to stay for a month without going crazy, go to Pokhara. If you have time, do both. Take the tourist bus between them — eight hours through mountains and river valleys, worth it at least once.

What I Learned in Two Months

Pokhara is a place where the quality of life and the cost of living match up in a way that seems almost unfair. I said this to a friend over video call from a lakeside cafe and he did not believe me until I sent him my expense spreadsheet.

I have been to a lot of places in Asia over twenty years. I know which ones have been ruined by too much tourism. I know which ones are heading there. Pokhara is managing its growth better than most. It is busy in peak season but not crushed. It has kept its character.

If you are thinking about going — go. If you are thinking about staying for a month — do it. If you think $300 a month cannot buy you a good life, Pokhara will change your mind.

Practical Information

When to go: October to December for clear mountain views. March to May is also good. July and August are monsoon — the mountains disappear in cloud but the greenery is extraordinary.

Getting there: Fly into Pokhara Regional International Airport (PKR) — it opened a new terminal in 2023 and now handles international flights. Alternatively fly into Kathmandu (TIA) and take the tourist bus or a domestic flight to Pokhara.

Where to stay: The Lakeside neighbourhood (Baidam) is the base for most travellers. For longer stays, look at guesthouses and apartments slightly away from the main strip — quieter and cheaper.

Budget: $30 to $50 USD per day covers guesthouse, food, and a beer or two. For long-term stays, $600 to $900 USD per month covers rent, food, and activities comfortably.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pokhara safe for solo travellers?
Yes. Nepal is one of the safer countries in Asia for solo travel. Petty theft exists in tourist areas but violent crime targeting travellers is rare. Women travelling alone report feeling generally comfortable here.

Do I need a visa for Nepal?
Most nationalities can get a visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport or at land borders. The fee is $25 USD for 15 days, $40 for 30 days, $100 for 90 days. Bring USD cash and a passport photo.

Can I do treks from Pokhara without a guide?
Some trails yes, others no. Since 2023, Nepal requires trekkers on most Himalayan routes (including Annapurna Circuit, Manaslu, Everest) to hire a licensed guide. The Mardi Himal trek can currently be done independently but regulations change — check before you go.

Is the internet good enough to work remotely?
In Lakeside, yes. Most cafes have WiFi that is usable for video calls. Mobile data with Ncell or NTC is fast. For critical work, get a local SIM card as backup.

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Nepal & Himalaya

The Mardi Himal Trek: Pokhara’s Secret Mountain Path

The Mardi Himal trek is one of Nepal’s most beautiful and least-known routes — a ridge walk above 4,000m with unobstructed Annapurna views and almost no crowds.

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The Mardi Himal Trek: Pokhara’s Secret Mountain Path

When people ask about trekking near Pokhara, the answers are almost always the same: Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill. These are magnificent routes and they are magnificent for reasons that have made them famous. They are also, depending on when you go, crowded in the way that famous things become crowded.

The Mardi Himal trek is different. It rises from the same Annapurna region, offers views of the same Himalayan giants — Machapuchare, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli — but follows a ridge route that until recently was barely known outside Nepal’s trekking community. I did this trek during my three-month stay in Pokhara in late 2022, and it remains one of the most beautiful trekking experiences I have had anywhere.

What the Mardi Himal Trek Is

The Mardi Himal trek follows a ridge east of the main Annapurna Base Camp trail, ascending through rhododendron forests to high camp at approximately 4,500 metres, with the summit of Mardi Himal (5,587 metres) as the endpoint for more experienced trekkers. Most people do the route as a 5–7 day return trek, using Pokhara as the base and either trekking out the same way or taking a different descent.

The defining characteristic is the ridge walk above the treeline. From approximately 3,500 metres, the route opens onto a narrow ridge with unobstructed views of the Annapurna massif to the west and the Mardi Himal to the north. Machapuchare — the “Fish Tail” mountain that is sacred to Nepali Hindus and has never been summited — dominates the view. Walking that ridge on a clear winter morning with the mountains turning from pink to gold in the early light is an experience that is genuinely difficult to describe adequately.

Pokhara as a Base

I spent over two months in Pokhara during the 2022–2023 stay. If you ask me what city in the world offers the best combination of cost of living, quality of life, natural beauty, and genuine tranquillity, Pokhara is the honest answer.

The city sits on Phewa Lake with the Annapurna range as its backdrop. Lakeside — the tourist and expat strip — has good cafés, bakeries, yoga studios, and guesthouses. Rent for a comfortable apartment runs to $200–300 a month. The food is exceptional: momos (Tibetan-origin dumplings), dal bhat (the national dish, unlimited refills at most places), fresh bakery goods from the Tibetan refugee community, and a growing international food scene.

But what makes Pokhara different from other beautiful places is the pace. The city does not hurry. Mornings on the lake are quiet. The mountains appear and disappear with the clouds. The tempo of the place is conducive to the kind of thinking and working and living that most cities make impossible.

The Trek Day by Day

The route typically begins at Kande (accessible by taxi from Pokhara), ascending through the Australian Camp area with its first views of the Annapurna range. The first two days pass through dense rhododendron forest — extraordinary in spring bloom, magnificent even in winter. The trail is well-marked and, unlike the main Annapurna circuits, encounters relatively few other trekkers.

Forest Camp, Low Camp, and High Camp mark the ascending nights. Each offers simple teahouse accommodation — basic but warm, with excellent dal bhat and strong chai. The teahouse culture of Nepal is one of the joys of trekking: you arrive, you eat, you talk to other trekkers from everywhere in the world, you sleep under extraordinary skies.

The final push to the viewpoint is made before dawn for clear mountain views before the afternoon clouds build. Standing at 4,200 metres with Machapuchare and the Annapurna range filling the sky from left to right is the payoff for everything that came before.

I Had Planned Manaslu — COVID Intervened

I had originally planned to do the Manaslu Circuit during this Nepal stay — a longer, more remote, more demanding route in the restricted Manaslu Conservation Area. COVID intervened two weeks before I was due to start. The Mardi Himal became the alternative.

I am grateful for the illness, in retrospect. The Mardi Himal is not a consolation prize. It is a different kind of excellent — shorter, more accessible, with that extraordinary ridge walk that the Manaslu Circuit cannot offer. I will do Manaslu. But Mardi Himal will stay in the list of the best things I have done.

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Nepal & Himalaya

8 restaurants in Khao Yai and where to find them.

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8 Restaurants in Khao Yai: Where to Eat Near the National Park

Khao Yai — Thailand’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site — is one of the country’s most spectacular natural destinations. What many visitors don’t realize is that the area around the park has also developed an impressive dining scene, ranging from vineyard restaurants to excellent Thai street food and everything in between.

Khao Yai is easily visited from Korat (about 1-1.5 hours drive to the park entrance) or from Bangkok (about 3 hours). Here are eight places worth knowing about when you visit.

1. Palio Khao Yai

The most Instagram-famous destination in the area, Palio is an Italian-themed shopping and dining village in the hills near Pak Chong. Cobblestone streets, Tuscan-style architecture, wine bars, and restaurants — it is entirely artificial but undeniably charming. The food is hit-and-miss (some excellent, some tourist-trap), but the atmosphere is memorable and it is worth a walk regardless.

2. PB Valley Khao Yai Winery

Thailand produces wine, and PB Valley Winery in Khao Yai is one of the better producers. The vineyard setting is beautiful — rolling hills with mountain backdrops — and the restaurant serves food designed to pair with the wine. Not world-class wine by any standard, but perfectly enjoyable in this setting, particularly at sunset on the terrace.

3. GranMonte Vineyard

Another excellent vineyard, GranMonte is a family-run operation that has produced some of Thailand’s most awarded wines. The estate restaurant offers a tasting menu with wine pairing in a genuinely beautiful vineyard setting. Book in advance.

4. Rabiang Pa Restaurant

For traditional Thai food in a beautiful outdoor setting, Rabiang Pa delivers. Wooden pavilions surrounded by tropical trees, with a menu of classic Thai dishes executed properly. A good choice for Thai food lovers who want an atmospheric setting to match the food.

5. Chok Chai Steakhouse

The Chok Chai Farm near Khao Yai is one of Thailand’s largest cattle farms, and their steakhouse operates on the premises. The beef is local and consistently good. If you are craving steak in the Thai countryside, this is the place.

6. Street Food in Pak Chong

Pak Chong is the gateway town to Khao Yai National Park, and its night market and street food scene are excellent. After a day in the jungle, sitting at a plastic table eating grilled meats, fresh papaya salad, and sticky rice from a roadside stall is one of the area’s great pleasures — and costs a fraction of the winery restaurants.

7. Kim’s Kitchen

A well-regarded international restaurant near the park area, offering a mix of Western and Asian dishes. Popular with both Thai families on weekend outings and expats from Korat. Consistent quality and good service.

8. Jungle Camping Barbecue

For a different experience, some operators in the Khao Yai area organize barbecue dinners in the jungle setting — sometimes with night safari included. The food is simple but the setting — dining in the national park forest at night with elephants potentially wandering nearby — is extraordinary.

Getting to Khao Yai from Korat

From Korat, Khao Yai National Park is about 90 minutes drive heading west. The most practical option is a private car — public transport to the park is limited. For more on the wider Isaan region: Isaan Guide.

Conclusion

The Khao Yai area has evolved from a purely nature destination into one of Thailand’s most interesting food and wine regions. Whether you want world-class vineyard dining or simple Thai street food, the area delivers. Plan a full day or weekend to do the park and the restaurants justice.

About This Place

Korat Thai Cafe – Authentic Thai Dining Heritage. Korat Thai represents authentic Thai restaurant traditions, with establishments operating for extended periods in communities with significant history. Popular spot for locals and expatriates in the region.

Have questions about living or working in Thailand? Contact Sebastien Brousseau – French-speaking lawyer based in Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima).

Useful Legal Resources for Expats in Thailand

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Featured guides

The best Japanese restaurant in Korat?

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The Best Japanese Restaurant in Korat?

Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) might not be the first city that comes to mind for Japanese cuisine — but this Isaan city has a surprisingly vibrant dining scene, and Japanese food has found a dedicated following among both the local Thai population and the city’s expatriate community.

Thailand’s affinity for Japanese food runs deep. Japanese restaurant chains are ubiquitous in Bangkok and the major tourist centers, but finding genuinely good Japanese food in the provinces requires knowing where to look. After years of eating around Korat, I have developed a clear picture of where the Japanese food is worth your time.

What Makes Good Japanese Food in a Thai Context

Japanese cuisine has been embraced enthusiastically in Thailand, but the quality varies enormously. At the lower end, “Japanese” restaurants serve Thai-adapted versions of sushi and teriyaki that bear little resemblance to their originals. At the better end, you find chefs who have trained in Japanese techniques, source decent quality fish and produce, and produce food that stands on its own merits.

The key metrics for Japanese food in Korat:

  • Rice quality: Japanese cuisine depends on proper short-grain Japanese rice. Restaurants using Thai jasmine rice for sushi are immediately disqualified from serious consideration.
  • Fish freshness: Korat is landlocked and far from the coast. The best Japanese restaurants source their fish properly — sometimes from Bangkok suppliers who can guarantee freshness.
  • Broth depth: Ramen broth should take many hours to develop. Quick-boiled broth is immediately identifiable and disappointing.
  • Knife skills: Sashimi and nigiri require genuine knife technique. Unevenly cut fish is a giveaway of amateur preparation.

Japanese Food Styles Available in Korat

The Japanese food available in Korat runs the full range:

  • Sushi and sashimi bars: Several dedicated sushi restaurants operate in Korat, ranging from budget conveyor-belt style to proper omakase-adjacent experiences.
  • Ramen: Ramen has exploded in popularity across Thailand. Korat has multiple dedicated ramen shops — quality varies significantly.
  • Shabu shabu and sukiyaki: All-you-can-eat hot pot restaurants are enormously popular in Thailand. Several operate in Korat.
  • Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ): Grilled meat in Japanese style, less common but available.
  • Bento and set meals: Many Japanese-style restaurants offer set lunches with miso soup, rice, a main dish, and sides — excellent value for money.

My Recommendations

Rather than name a single “best” — which changes with chef turnover and ownership — the criteria I use: a restaurant where the staff clearly care about authenticity, where the rice is proper Japanese short-grain, where the fish is fresh, and where the food has the clean, precise flavors that define Japanese cuisine at its best.

The Korat Terminal 21 shopping mall and the Central Festival area have Japanese restaurants that have maintained consistent quality over time. For a more local experience, smaller neighborhood Japanese restaurants away from the malls often offer better value if less consistency.

Japanese Food Culture in Korat

Japanese restaurant culture has been absorbed enthusiastically into Korat’s dining scene. You will find Thai families celebrating birthdays with sushi platters, young couples on dates at ramen shops, and office workers grabbing bento sets for lunch. The popularity is genuine and creates the market pressure that drives quality improvement over time.

For more Korat dining options, explore the other restaurant reviews on this site — from Thai street food to international cuisine, the city’s food scene is one of its underrated pleasures.

Conclusion

Korat has more than adequate Japanese dining options for a city of its size and character. The best options are those where the kitchen takes the cooking seriously — proper ingredients, correct technique, clean flavors. In my experience, these restaurants do exist in Korat, and they are worth finding.

About This Place

Japanese Dining Excellence in Korat. Korat boasts numerous quality Japanese restaurants reflecting the significant Japanese expat community, ranging from ramen shops to sushi restaurants. Popular spot for locals and expatriates in the region.

Have questions about living or working in Thailand? Contact Sebastien Brousseau – French-speaking lawyer based in Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima).

Useful Legal Resources for Expats in Thailand

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Isaan & Northeast Thailand

Ramen restaurant at Condo Link

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This place is super good. They served the best gyoza (small but tasty) that I had in Korat. I think it’s open for lunch and dinner only. They might close between 2pm and 5pm. It is EXCELLENT.

It is called Ebisu Ramen and can be found on Google here: https://goo.gl/maps/q4hybjZwEWttg9hq5

Saba noodles, it is cold noodles.
Gyoza
Outside, front of Fat Boy Tavern
Saba
Tom Yam Ramen

About This Place

Japanese Ramen Dining in Korat. Korat has increasing Japanese dining options reflecting the significant Japanese expat community. Several quality Japanese restaurants serve authentic ramen in the city. Popular spot for locals and expatriates in the region.

Have questions about living or working in Thailand? Contact Sebastien Brousseau – French-speaking lawyer based in Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima).

Useful Legal Resources for Expats in Thailand

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Criminal Bar / Far Away

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Criminal Bar

There is a small soi in Korat with 2 popular bars. It’s like opposite of Happy Land, on the other site. One is called “Criminal” (facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Criminal-x-%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%A3-2339403529672361)

and the other one is called “Far Away X Korat”

(Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/FarAwayKorat/)

On day time, “Criminal” is a café called “1 Nice Coffee Slow Bar”. It has been opened for 2-3 years to what I understand. Criminal Bar opens at 6pm.

This last bar, Far Away Playground Korat is quite popular these days and we suggest to arrive before 9 pm. These two bars are just about 100 meters from each other in a small soi, not very far from Mum’s Bar.

Outside at Far Away
Criminal Bar
Criminal Bar
Crimnal bar
Cafe on day time
criminal bar
criminal bar
Far Away menu outside
criminal bar

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