Tibetan Thangkas and Tibetan Carpets and other Nepal Shopping Tips

What To Buy: I would definitely recommend buying the Tibetan thangkas in Nepal - painted by Tibetan refugees, of course. Same goes for the Tibetan carpets. With regard to the thangkas - you can get them in Tibet, but you might actually pay more for them PLUS, the Chinese regulate the artistic themes and they get a piece of the financial action. I didn't like that. On the other hand, the Tibetans who paint them in Nepal are free to express themselves as they wish, and this comes through in the drawings. We bought three beautiful thangkas on Jyatha Street, not too far from the Hotel Utse. I wish I could remember the name of the place - I only remember that they were very soft-sell Tibetans who were both kind and talented.

Also, for those interested in Tibetan carpets, I recommend going to an actual carpet institution where you can get a brief tour of the facility and see them weaving - all the money goes back to the refugee school there. At first I thought this sounded very "touristy" - but it was actually fantastic, educational, and zero sales pressure as far as purchasing any carpets. They're there if you're interested and nobody is pushing anything on you. We went to Jawlakhel and learned a little bit about what they do at these schools. There's definitely something for everyone's budget - and all the carpets are made from 100% Tibetan wool.

What To Pay: Thangkas: Between $10 and $1000, depending on size and amount of gold paint.

Carpets: Prices and sizes vary from the smaller $50 pieces to the larger, showcase $5000 pieces.

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Theme: Art
Directions: Thangkas: all over the place in Boudanath (the Tibetan refugee area) and also in Thamel (where we ended up buying ours);

Jawlakhel (where we bought our carpet) is near Patan.

Name of Shop: Pilgrims Bookstore

Like any good bookstore, Pilgrims Bookstore engages you from the moment you step in the door. Specializing in (but not limited to) books on India, Nepal and Tibet, its shelves are lined with everything from the perfect coffee table book to the most arcane published material....there's even a cozy little cafe toward the back if you need to take a break.

You CANNOT go to Kathmandu without visiting this gem of a place. I promise you, it's worth it!!

What To Buy: In addition to published materials, Pilgrims offers calendars, posters, videos, rare and out-of-print books, and assorted handicrafts (I couldn't leave there without some really nice, hand-woven pot-pouri "meditation" pillows which were actually a really good value and made great gifts).

If you can't visit Pilgrims in person, then check out their website.

What To Pay: Prices are reasonable.

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Theme: Books
Phone: 4700 942 (bookshop phone-local)
Directions: Thamel District in Kathmandu
Website: www.pilgrimsbooks.com
Other Contact: 4700 943 (fax-local)