Wealthy Nepalis live in the Eastern suburbs, which are a bit more spacious than the central city. Durbar Marg is the main street in this area, which leads to the new Royal Palace. The palace was built in the 1960's, and it really shows. The overly ornate white gate at least looks royal, but I think they ran out of money when it came time to building the palace itself. That blue building with the space agey protrusions is the palace, which looks like a terrible place to live. There are many theories why the crown prince massacred the royal family here a few years ago, but I think he probably snapped from the aggressive ugliness of the palace he was to inherit. In case you're confused, no, we weren't invited to a pool party by the king, I just threw the unrelated pool picture in since it comes from the nearby Yak and Yeti hotel. This was the only normal hotel in Kathmandu for many years and is still the favorite for many travelers. The garden and pool complex at back is definitely a nice respite from the city but the hotel didn't seem very nice, just the usual business hotel.