I read the very negative article on Thamel by Pankaj Rayamaji ('Lean and mean in Thamel', #289) that exaggerates the problems. Every popular tourist destination has its share of problems: Pataya, Bondi Beach, Waikiki and so does Thamel. Naturally, when there is honey, there will be flies but the magnetism of such tourist hotspots remain unchanged. Thamel is still the cleanest place in Kathmandu. One-way traffic is smooth except near the Himalayan Bank. Businesses are doing well: shops get high rental and most importantly Thamel still has a nostalgic cosmopolitan aura and charm that attracts tourists from all over the world. The choice of restaurants, cake shops, bakeries, souvenirs, boutiques, book stores and high concentration of travel, trekking, rafting and adventure sport agencies obviously make Thamel one of the most vibrant and lively tourist destinations in Asia. Thamel is a result of a labour of love by local entrepreneurs who've put in decades of hard work to put it on the world tourist map-despite no help from the government. Thamel is not a tourist bubble that came up by accident. Hotels in Thamel are not makeshift accommodations, they are built and created as homes-away-from-home. Thamel is Nepal's pride. Please don't dent its image. Help keep alive its iconic image as a dynamic international tourist destination for many years to come.

Trish Agini,
Thamel