Yog Hostel- Rooftop Yoga & Backpacker Social Stay in Thamel, Kathamndu

When I first entered my room I noticed all the windows were open and the fan was on full speed. I assumed the staff was just airing the room out after a guest which seemed normal, so I shut the windows, turned off the fan, grabbed what I needed and left for the day. When I returned that night, the smell of (what I thought was) sewer gas was so powerful in the room it was unbearable. I opened all the windows again, and turned the fan on, and still woke up several times with a headache. I asked the manager if sewer gas was an issue for the building or just the room. He said, "No, it’s probably the cooking gas. Everything here is powered by gas." which would have explained my headache. I expressed my concern about carbon monoxide poisoning to the manager several times. He promised me it wasn’t something I should worry about and that he’d have someone take care of the smell. I returned to a room without the smell later that day. The smell returned very briefly as the hot water appliance kicked on for a shower, confirming for me that un-combusted gas was in fact the smell all along, not sewer gas. For a few hours there was no leak, but it happened again that evening. The gas line enters the room through the window and the line is not rigid, but instead a cross braided hose that looks closer to the type used for soda machines in the states; so each time the bathroom window is opened the line is stretched. The hotel manager had very good English, as did at least one of the other staff I spoke with, and each brushed off the concerns in a way that to me suggested a familiarity with the problem, an understanding of the risk, and a casual dismissal of concern. I asked repeatedly for them to turn the gas off, but it remained on and leaking for an hour or so while I packed to leave. They did not offer me a refund, they did offer me another room, I declined. The attitude of management toward CO poisoning made expounding on the arguably MORE serious safety problems in the building seem worthless to me, so I DID NOT bring these up to staff, I am instead doing it here. The multi-level bar and restaurant structure on the roof is a grave concern. I am not a structural engineer, but my professional work is related to building code compliance, and I have a far better than average eye for spotting safety hazards in construction. Significant structural elements are out of level and plumb. Loads are often carried to the floor instead of posts. Shear forces are being managed by bent rebar. There are half-finished and inconsistent welds, splices in crucial structural assemblies, similar issues with notching. The structure is three or four stories depending on how you count it and judging by the available seating and the few nights I was there regularly hosts 80+ people, maybe many more. This is not a dance club, but it is a bar, with music, drinking, dancing, and servers. I experienced a variety of dynamic loads while there, including servers racing around and peo

I'm an American who's lived in Nepal for 25 years now and went to YOG for the first time just today. This is the real Doo. Not Freak Street of the '60s, but close enough :) Great Chicken Sizzlers and better prices. But it's the place and the people that make YOG great, and also makes me nostalgic for the good old hippie days of yore.

Yog is a fantastic place to be, tucked into the heart of Thamel, where all the travellers convene and get to know one another. Taking daily yoga classes each morning is a beautiful way to begin the day. The teacher is amazing, very accomodating, and incredibly knowledgeable. Highly recommended.