Kathmandu, Dec. 5 -- Kathmandu's tourist neighbourhood of Thamel has been a ghost town for most of 2020, butjust like Pokharaand Chitwan it is now bustling with Nepalis who are going out with a vengeance.

Cooped up at home for the best part of the year, and despite a surge in coronavirus cases in Kathmandu Valley, young Nepalis are thronging to nightclubs and resto-bars in Thamel and Darbar Marg.

Public health experts have warnedthat the nightspots could become coronavirus hotspots, but that does not seem to deter Nepalis determined to have a good time.

After Pokhara, Thamel,Kathmandu's prime nightlifedestination and popular pre-base camp for trekkers and mountaineers is now opening up to local visitors as they await international tour...