Kathmandu :: Bodnath
Kathmandu has been popular with western tourists since the 1960s, when it became a key stop along the hippie trail. For the hippies during the 60s, once in India they went to many different destinations but gathered in large numbers in Kathmandu to spend months in search of tranquility and Nirvana. Most of the hippies hung out in the tranquil surroundings of Freak Street. Cultural change, as well as a government crackdown on some of the activities, eliminated hippie movement activities in Kathmandu. Today there is a more conventional type of tourism, although it is also a jumping off location for trekking and mountaineering activities in the Himalayan region. Kathmandu has also been the subject of a popular Bob Seger song for the same reason.