The Yak & Yeti is a Kathmandu landmark, a 120-yr-old palace that was converted into the city’s first proper hotel and made famous by a celebrated Russian who welcomed Nepal’s first tourists to his opulent accommodations and restaurant in the 1960’s. Now with a modern wing added and beautiful grounds and garden, the Yak & Yeti is full of famous climbers, recognized personalities, and random tourists. In the lobby this week, I ran into both Jim Whittaker (the first American to summit Everest) and Elizabeth Hawley (legendary chronicler of Everest climbers).
The Yak & Yeti, still one of Kathmandu’s best hotels, may also be the only hotel in the world where I am known. Although I generally stay in a small guesthouse when I’m on my own in Nepal, I have the good fortune to stay at the Yak & Yeti with Mountain Madness groups…which means I’ve been here multiple times a year for the past 5 years. It’s an odd experience to be known. Everyone greets me with familiar warmth–from the General Manager down to the bellmen. Waitstaff stop by to say “Namaste!” and “Good morning, madam!” throughout my breakfast. Guest Services greets me by name. About the only guy who doesn’t know me is the piano man in the bar playing Strangers in the Night.
