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Old Freak Street, or Freak Street (Nepali: Jhochhen Tole) is a small street located at the south of Kathmandu Durbar Square.Presently known as Old Freak Street, this ancient street was named as Freak Street referring to the hippie trail of sixties and seventies.The freak street area is a lively Nepalese neighborhood where people live, make their business, children go to school, with history of its own kind.

Freak Street 1973

History

The freak street was the epicenter during the hippy trail from early 1960's to late 70's.During that time the main attraction drawing tourists to Freak Street was the government-run hashish shops.Hippies from different parts of the world traveled to Freak Street (Basantapur) in search of legal Cannabis.Direct bus services to Freak Street were also available from the airport and borders targeting the hippies looking for their legal smokes.Freak Street was a hippie nirvana being that marijuana and hashish were legal and sold openly in government licensed shops .A young restless population in the west looking to distant itself from the political and social frustration was in first hand love with the fascinating culture, the art and architecture, unique life style of people, attracting hippies to Freak Street.But in early 1970’s the government of Nepal started to round-up of hippies on Freak Street and they were physically deported to India , an action propelled largely by a directive from the government of United States of America.The government imposed a strict regulation for tourist regarding the dress codes and physical appearances.After imposing such regulations by government the hippies felt vulnerable and the hippie movement of Nepal died out in late 1970's.It was under this directive that the Nepali government came to ban the production and sale of hashish and marijuana in Nepal .The hippie tourism was quickly replaced with the more respected business of trekking and cultural tourism.

Freak Street 2009

Presently

Old Freak Street’s history and plum position in the heart of Kathmandu still makes it a popular destination among the locals.The paved roads with big bulky flat stones, shops crowded with full of art piece from all over Nepal, ancient books, tattoo shops and valley’s best shopping destination New Road nearby is the standard sights of the Old Freak Street.Once labeled as being a place to find enlightenment, a lot of things have transformed with time since the deportation of the hippies in early 1970’s.This ancient street which was named as Freak Street, after the hippies, presently the name Freak Street has been converted into Old Freak Street since the place is not anymore like it used to be back in 1960’s .This place is now just a mythical magnet for hippies and other social deviants of the 1960's.Cheap guest houses, trekking agencies, shopping centers, souvenir shops, restaItalic texturants are the businesses the local entrepreneurs have adopted after banning of the cannabis in Nepal.Overshadowed by the glamour of Thamel,a primary tourist ghetto in Kathmandu.Old freak street has not been able to be a revive its charm among the tourists since then.Old freak Street's Active groups of local youth and individuals have initiated and taken up the responsibilities by opening different clubs to advertise , preserve the place and make it a better place, a comfort zone for the people from different corners of the World.

See also

• Kathmandu Durbar Square
• Kathmandu