Travel Times :: 3rd Edition

ON THE rOad

THARPU CHULIon Destination Spotlight

on AdventureIntro

50 56

ULTRALIgHT

NPR 150 | US$ 4 | INR 100September 2009 www.traveltimes-mag.com

AFFILIATED TO NEPAL TOURISM BOARD

Three youTh icons, nima rumba, Deepak bisTa anD suraj singh Thakuri Take The Trip of a lifeTime, riDing bikes To

everesT base camp from The norThern siDe.

yourtravelcompanionTIMES

Page 97

PERFECTgETAwAyS7

on Trip Clipper

93

TIM

ES0

9

Contents

30

50 72

NTY 2011Nepal is all geared up to make the most of its Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign with a roster of amazing packages to suit one and all.

OpinionsNTY 2011 - Ingenuity or Castles Made

In Air?Travel Times asked professionals from varied fields, their views on the much talked about campaign - Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

Cover StoryOn the RoadThree youth icons, Nima Rumba, Deepak Bista and Suraj Singh Thakuri take the trip of a lifetime, riding bikes to Everest Base Camp from the Northern side.

Global TreasureMaldivesThere’s something for everyone in Maldives and more. Do everything or do nothing, Maldives will not disappoint.

People & CultureBhagvan SthapanaGod created the earth and then he created man. Bhagvan Sthapana documents the ritual behind how man now builds images of god and breathes life into them.

Hotels & CasinosHotel Yak & YetiWith a name that beckons at the mystique of Nepal, Yak and Yeti with its history and fantastic architecture, is much more than just a five star hotel.

FOODRINKRaise a GlassSome love it while some think it’s over rated. But before you form an opinion, find out what all the fuss is about.

Nature and WildlifeLiving in harmony with DolphinLearn about one of the most intelligent animals in the world, dolphins - found even in the laps of Himalayas.

Personality ReviewAn Hour with Vikram SinghTravel Times spends some time talking to and understanding the man behind the management of the beautiful Gorkarna Forest Resort - Vikram Singh.

Destination SpotlightGetting to Tharpu ChuliA trek to Tharpu Chuli proves that if you take the time, getting there is half the fun.

PointersGoing Trekking?If you head out on a trekking trip thinking ‘how hard can it possibly be to walk around with a backpack?’ you might be headed for trouble. Read this basic guide to avoid disaster.

Adventure IntroUltralightNever mind daydreaming about flying, with an Ultralight aircraft, you can soar into the skies.

26 46

66

62

72

78

50

54

56

27

30

40

46

78

40

Travel Times Media Pvt. Ltd.

Kupondole, Lalitpur, Nepal

P.O. Box 24206, Kathmandu, Nepal

CDO Regd No : 63/065/66

Tel.: +977 1 553 6733 /209 3290

Fax: +977 1 553 6733

E-mail: [email protected]

URL: www.traveltimes-mag.com

EDITORIAL TEAM

Chairman

DEEPAK BHATTA

Managing Director / Editor

A. R. TANDUKAR

Associate Editor

SHAMBHU TANDUKAR

Copy Editor

UTSAV SHAKYA

Inhouse Writer

PRITA MALLA

Creative Head

MAHESH TANDUKAR

Graphics Designer

MANOJ MANANDHAR

Director Sales & Marketing

TILAK KHATRI

Marketing Executive

ANUMESH BAJRACHARYA

Photographer

SURESH MAHARJAN

Manager - Subscription & Distribution

SAJJAN BHANDARI

Distribution Executive

ARJUN THAPA

Credit Executive

ANU KC

Accountant

NEEMA GYAWALI

ADVISORS

A. DAS GUPTA

SUSHIL BHATTA

UPENDRA HIRAWAT

ABHISHEK ANAND

DEEPAK JAIN

PARTNERS

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES

GORKHA TRAVELS

CRAFT GARDEN

DAKSHINKALI HILL RESORT

COLOR SEPARATION: CTP NEPAL PVT. LTD

HATTIBAN, 5250466, 5250468

PRINTING: JAGADAMBA PRESS, HATTIBAN, 5250017

Travel Times is published by Travel Times Media Pvt.

Ltd. All rights reserved in respect of articles, illustrations,

photographs, etc. published in Travel Times magazine. The

contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole

or in part in any form without the written consent of the

publisher. The opinions expressed by contributors are not

necessarily those of the publisher and the publisher cannot

accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.

We welcome your feedback. Please send us comments,

suggestions or ideas for improvements at

[email protected]

Writers are encouraged to be part of Travel Times by

sending their stories along with relevant pictures and contact

address at

[email protected]

Advertisers are requested to enquire through

[email protected]

Travel and tourism related organizations are requested to

send their news and events at

[email protected]

** Acceptance of submissions at publisher’s discretion

Reserve your subscription today. Contact at

[email protected] or call

Mr. Sajjan Bhandari at 98510 92748

Start traveling....with Travel TimesA Tale of VagabondSam’s Permanent VacationAfter retiring from his job, Sam puts the traveler in him first as he travels the world with his wife.

Perfect TakeawaysJust Bead ItBeads are one of the coolest things you could take back from Nepal as a souvenir. Plus they don’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Trip Clipper7 Perfect GetawaysDeciding where to go can be hard. Travel Times makes it easy for you by breaking down seven amazing destinations in Asia.

Nepal, upcoming Destination for

Golf With golf courses capable of catering to profes-sionals amidst a unique Himalayan seeting, Nepal’s green are all set to bring in a new group of tourists.

Travel NewsGet with the latest news and events in Nepal and around the globe.

Market GuideA sneak peek on what is new in the market.

Recommended RestaurantsA guide to the most happening restaurants in town.

Flash BackLooking back to our July Edition’s Cover Story

Travel GalleryFeaturing a chosen image sent in by travelers.

Festival WatchDashain & Tihar | Celebration in Autumn

Event & TipsBored and don’t know what to do this festive season? Why don’t you try out some of these hot and happening places in town?

82 12

22

90

70

91

92

98

86

19

93

For more details, refer

to page no. 97 or

simply dial presents

01 5536733

66 86

93 56

TIMES

TIM

ES0

9

TIMESSEPTEMBER 200912

INDIA AND POKHARA TO BE

AIR-LINKED

NEW SPECIES OF FLORA

AND FAUNA DISCOVERED IN

THE EASTERN HIMALAYAS

AMERICAN FIRM INTERESTED TO INVEST IN TOURISM IN POKHARA

According to Sarat Singh Bhandari, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation the government is preparing ground work to begin air service from Pokhara to different cities of India to boost the in flow of tourists from India and around the world. Speaking at a program or-ganized by Pokhara Tourism Council, Minister Bhandari said that such direct air service was possible provided that the Indian government was willing to allow flights in its internal air routes. On the occasion, he also informed that differ-ent foreign companies were showing in-terests for the construction of a regional airport in the town.

Minister Bhandari also informed that they were planning to develop Pokhara as a “SPECIAL TOURIST DESTINATION”. Chairman of Tourism Council Pokhara, Bachhuram Tiwari, said that people of adjoining districts along with denizens of Pokhara would be benefited if things went ahead as planned.

TREKKERS TO MUSTANG RECORD TWOFOLD GROWTH

NEPALESE SITE NAMED AFTER LUMLEY

TRAVELNEWS NATIONAL

A US-based organization has expressed its willingness to put investment into the tour-ism sector of Pokhara, a beautiful tourist destination in Nepal. According to reports, the USAID (United States Agency for Inter-national Development) has already sent a

representative of an international consultant firm of the USA named Delight.

Representative Marcus Muller was duly in-formed about natural, cultural and historical richness of the Pokhara valley which offers viable investment opportunities. He was also informed on the immense commercial vi-ability of adding “man-made” entertainment zones like Fun Park, Water Park and Bunjee Jumping in Pokhara.

“USAID can also conduct training pro-grammes in order to produce skilled human resources to effectively serve various tourism related needs of Pokhara,” said one tourism entrepreneur in Pokhara. The prevailing political disturbances are said to have been stifling the travel trade business of Pokhara.

The number of trekkers visiting upper Mustang has doubled compared to last year due to deduction in roy-alty and restriction to tourists visiting Tibet.

The beginning of the tourist season has already seen 1,850 visitors entering upper Mustang, whereas the number of foreign tourists permitted by the government is 1,000 individuals per year, according to the Annapur-

na Conservation Area Project (ACAP) data.

Tourism entrepreneurs esti-mate tourist arrivals in the re-gion to reach 3,000 individu-als by December. The royalty to visit the area has been de-creased this year to US$ 500 per person from US$ 700.

The natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of upper Mus-tang which reflects ancient Ti-betan tradition attracts tourists to the tiny Trans-Himalayan district.

A popular tourist site in Nepal has been re-named in honour of actress Joanna Lumley and her father.

Local people in Pokhara, 200km (124m) west of Kathmandu, have decided to change the name of Mattikhan Hill to Mattikhan Lum-ley View to honor Joanna Lamond Lumley. She became the public face of a campaign to provide all Gurkha veterans who served in the British Army before 1997 the right to settle in Britain. City officials said the name was changed as a sign of gratitude to Ms Lumley for her campaign work and to remember her late father, Major James Rutherford Lumley.

“It absolutely caught my throat. It was the most moving thing in the world, to think that out here in Nepal my family, particu-larly my father and me as his daughter, are remembered in these hills” said Lumley also hailed as a ‘Daughter of Nepal’ .

A decade-long study made by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Nepal, India and Bhutan has revealed the discovery of at least 353 new species of flora and fauna in the Eastern Himalayas between 1998 and 2008. According to the reports released by Minister for Forestry Deepak Bohara, the discoveries include 242 plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, two birds, two mammals and at least 61 new invertebrates. Some of the species have been named ‘nepalensis’ attributing their origin in Nepal.

SEPTEMBER 2009 13TIMES

VISITOR ARRIVALS BY AIR CONTINUES TO GROW

NEPAL ALL PREPARED TO BEGIN ONLINE VISA SYSTEM

NTB, NATTA AND HAN ON

PROMOTIONAL TOUR FOR

NTY-2011

The Nepal As-sociation of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) and Ne-pal Tourism Board (NTB) completed Shanghai and Bei-jing and Hong Kong promotional cam-paigns.

Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sarad Singh Bhandari, Nepali ambassa-dor to the People’s Republic of China Tanka Prasad Karki and joint secretary of MOTCA Pursottam Paudel took part in the Beijing campaign coordinated by the Nepal Embassy in Beijing. More than 100 tour operators and media ac-tively interacted with the Nepali Tour operators based in Beijing. Likewise, more than 90 Chinese tour operators including the media participated in the meeting in Shanghai.

The figures released by the Immigration Office, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) reveal that visitor arrivals in the month of August 2009, compared to the same month last year, have increased by 5% to 27,676.

In August this year, there has been a ro-bust growth of 87% in tourist arrivals from China. Similarly, arrivals from Japan, Sin-gapore, South Korea and Thailand have also increased by 27%, 44%, 21% and 9% respectively. The Asian markets that de-clined in this month were Malaysia (13%) and Chinese Taipei (21%). On average, the Asian segment has registered a positive growth of 26%.

An overall positive growth of 11% has been

TRAVELNEWS NATIONAL

The Department of Immigration (DOI), in an effort to provide hassle free immigration services, is all set to introduce online visa application system for foreigners intending to visit Nepal.

The DOI is currently making neces-sary preparations to computerize visa issuance system at the TIA office and its Central Office in Kathmandu.

The DOI announcement comes in the wake of the government’s plan to increase the number of inbound tourists to 1 million in the Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

Immigration officials will be able to issue visa immediately as the details

of the visiting guests will be avail-able online.

“Since there is no possibility of upgrading the capacity of our airport we need to think of al-ternative ways to help ensure early clearance at immigration for visiting tourists”, said Direc-tor General Madhav Raj Regmi. This new measure will greatly help serve that purpose.

“We are currently studying the feasibility of making payments for visa fee online and procuring Document Examination Device to help quickly process visa to identify forgeries in documents and passports”, said Regmi.

Nepal entry visa is currently is-sued from eight immigration offices including Kakarbhitta, Birgunj, Tatopani, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and Gadda Chauki, Mahendranagar.

observed from the European markets with ar-rivals from France up by 9% , Germany by 34%, The Netherlands by 20%, Spain by 9% and Denmark by 50%. The only market to decline in this month was that of the UK by 24%. Tourist arrivals from New Zealand and Canada have also registered a strong growth of 22% and 88% respectively. The arrivals from U.S. remained stable whereas the Australian market declined by 4 % compared to the same month last year.

This is the third consecutive month for which Nepal has witnessed positive growth in inter-national tourist arrivals. Recovery in the arriv-als to Nepal in the beginning of the second half of 2009 are in line with the marginal improvement observed in some of the econo-mies. Moreover, it also reflects the rebounding confidence of the international tour operators and the resilient nature of tourism economy.

A total of 33,685 foreign tourists departed from TIA in August 2009 up by 20% compared to the same month last year. The number of Nepalese arrivals stood at 46,852 while 51,653 Nepalese departed from TIA in August 2009.

To enlist your news send us the details at [email protected]


TANGIER MED: AN AMBI-

TIOUS CONSTRUCTION PRO-

GRAM IN MOROCCO

MALAYSIA’S MELAKA AND GEORGE TOWN ON WORLD HERITAGE LIST

Tangier Med is a new passenger and cargo port located on the Straits of Gi-braltar about 40 km east of Tangier in Morocco and 15 km from Spain at the shortest distance between Africa and Europe. The ambitious construction program was officially inaugurated in July 2007 by King Mohammed VI and the government body Tangier Mediter-ranean Special Agency (TMSA) is over-seeing the whole project.

Tangier Med Port is determined to com-ply with the highest international safety and security standards. It will not only be compliant with the ISPS Code, but will also have its security organization compliant with the requirements of re-cent European directives and the safety requirements set by IMO (International Maritime Organization). The TMSA has therefore, following a competitive tender process, contracted TEAM to design and manufacture four modern Passenger Boarding Bridges which will facilitate safe and secure boarding and disembarkment for the 2 million ferry passengers expected to transit the pas-senger terminal.

TEAM will deliver the four PBBs to the new ferry terminal at Tangier Med in the first quarter of 2010. Two differ-ent SEDNA designs will be installed; two PBBs with two large tunnel sections leading from the ferry entry door to quay level, and two PBBs with one large tun-nel section leading from the ferry door to an elevated walkway. Both designs will include a sophisticated cabin and docking ramp section.

TRAVELNEWS INTERNATIONAL

Malaysia proudly joins the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Orga-nization’s World Heritage List. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has inscribed Melaka and George Town, Penang, into the UNESCO World Heritage List.

WTTC LAUNCHES ‘CALL FOR ENTRIES’ FOR 2010 TOURISM FOR

TOMORROW AWARDS

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is inviting tourism companies and organizations from around the world that can demonstrate best practice in sus-tainable tourism development to submit their applications for the 2010 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The deadline for appli-cations is Wednesday 2 December 2009.

To quote Jean-Claude Baumgarten, Presi-dent & CEO of WTTC: “The Awards, now

in their sixth year under WTTC’s stewardship, ex-emplify the Council’s multi-stakeholder vision set out in the blueprint for New Tourism that looks beyond short-term considerations and focuses on benefits not only for people who travel, but also for people in the communities that they visit, and for their respective natural, social and cultural en-vironments.”

The finalists and winners, chosen by a panel of judges comprising of internationally acclaimed experts in sustainable tourism, will be publicly rec-ognized and will meet government and industry leaders at the Awards ceremony which takes place at WTTC’s annual Global Travel & Tourism Sum-mit. They will receive outstanding, international media exposure thanks to WTTC’s extensive me-dia partnerships.

SOUTH SUDAN WILDLIFE CONSERVATION MAKES PROGRESS

In a remarkable effort considering the present circumstances in Southern Su-dan, the Government of Southern Su-dan (GoSS)’s Ministry of Wildlife Con-servation and Tourism in conjunction with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has begun to establish migration patterns of game moving between the Boma National Park and other areas of the semi-autonomous region.

USAID funded the efforts and the research work, which extended the states of Jonglei, Eastern and Central Equatoria and covered the Nimule National Park, the Badingilo Na-tional Park, the Jonglei Plains and the Sudd, one of the world’s largest wetlands. Selected animals were “collared” to track their move-ment with sophisticated monitoring equip-ment, which was also provided under the proj-ect partnership of WCS and USAID.

The GoSS Minister of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism Agnes Lukudu praised the ef-forts. It will for the first time try to determine migration patterns of wildlife across Southern Sudan.

The UNESCO World Heritage List has 878 properties all over the world comprising 679 cultural, 174 natural and 25 mixed proper-ties in 145 countries. The list, decided by the World Heritage Committee, is based on nominations of properties by countries which have adhered to the World Heritage Conven-tion. The countries are also expected to pro-tect the World Heritage values of the proper-ties inscribed and are encouraged to report periodically on their condition.

Malaysia has also submitted two other nomi-nations for future consideration: the Taman Negara National Park in Pahang and the Lan-jak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary and Batang Ai National Park in Sarawak.


BIRD’S NEST LURES MILLIONS OF TOURISTS

BUSINESS TOURISM TO GROW IN ASIA

DUBAI’S DESIGNER HOTELS

CHIVA SOM INTRODUCES UNIQUE VIBRATIONAL

HEALING TREATMENT

A new breakthrough in alterna-tive therapy, Vibrational heal-ing is based on the idea that the human body is made up of fre-quencies that form a harmonic and balanced entity when a per-son is healthy. Vibrational heal-ing is a process where vibrations are introduced or transferred into an individual’s physical and energetic bodies, to adjust and rebalance.

Administered by meditation expert Danchai Chernprateep, Chiva-Som’s Sound Bath Ther-apy uses a combination of Ti-betan and crystal singing bowls, along with soothing harp music to promote deep relaxation and an opportunity to release mental and emotional blockages. Other benefits include improved re-sistance to stress, alleviation of psychosomatic pain, increased energy levels, balanced brain ac-tivity, sharpening of mental clar-ity and improved digestion. The treatment can also help to dimin-ish symptoms of depression due to the effect of re-balancing the autonomic nervous system.

Dubai is the future capital of couture as two of the world’s most iconic fashion houses set to launch their new luxury ho-tels in the emirate. The Palazzo Versace Hotel and the Armani Hotel will offer the ultimate in designer luxury living, featuring an array of fabulous facilities and lavishly designed interiors.

Set to open later this year, the world’s first Armani Hotel will occupy the first eight floors and floors 38 and 39 of the striking Burj Dubai development. The hotel will feature 160 rooms and suites, fully furnished with sophisticated Armani Casa in-teriors and will also feature a

collection of 144 luxury private residences; the Armani Resi-dences. The Palazzo Versace Hotel is also to be opened in the emirate’s Culture Village in Dubai Creek. This stylish hotel will be the ultimate in luxuri-ous living with 217 hotel suites and 169 private residences, all sumptuously furnished with an exclusive line of Versace Home Collection products to provide a truly opulent stay.

The National Business Trav-el Association (NBTA) and Egencia released the latest information from a study by IHS Global Insight on global business travel spending made in over 72 countries all around the world.

The study showed that North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific represented ap-proximately 30 per cent of the global business travel market each. Researchers claim the sector will drop by some 15 per

cent when compared to 2008.However IHS Global Insight ex-pects a recovery to arrive in 2010. Asia and smaller Latin American countries should be the fastest growing business travel markets through 2013. Larger Latin Ameri-can countries and many Western European states will see a decline in business tourism spending over the same period. The steepest reduction in travel budget (20.6 per cent) is expected to appear in chemicals and the chemical prod-ucts industry. Companies dealing with communication equipment and paper products are expected to reduce their spending on busi-ness travel by 19.7 per cent and 18.3 per cent respectively. The only sector that will see a growth in business tourism spending, ac-cording to the researchers, is edu-cation with a projection of a 2.2 per cent rise.

With the global crisis and flu scares looming ominously, put-ting people off, you’d expect Beijing’s tourism industry to flag. But Beijing isn’t giving up; instead it utilizes the vast development that the city un-derwent because of the Olym-pics 2008 to attract millions of domestic travelers who still come to the city to chiefly see the Olympics venues.

The city was visited by some 85.4 million tourists in the first half of this year. The number of domestic travelers also in-creased by 20.8 per cent to 83.6 million compared with the same period last year. Among the popular Olympics venues in Beijing, the National Stadi-um or “Bird’s Nest”, manages to lure 20,000 to 30,000 visitors every day.

TRAVELNEWS INTERNATIONAL

From a simple game that is claimed to have originated from Scotland with

shepherds knocking stones into rabbit holes, golf has today become a global

multi-billion-dollar industry. Nepal, determined not to be left behind, has around

6 golf courses of international standards. Home to Gokarna Forest Golf Resort,

South Asia’s fi nest and one of the world’s most spectacular Golf Courses, Nepal

off ers high standards, challenging courses and some of the most stunning

backdrops a golf enthusiast could ever hope for.

NEP LUPCOMING DESTINATION FOR GOLF


To promote Nepal as a well known golf tourism destination, various niches of golf need to be understood and targeted accordingly. Three types of golfing experiences will be pre-sented in the near future: Holiday,Business and Event golf.

HOLIDAY GOLF takes place when the golfers use their time and satisfy their own particular interests. This broad category encompasses those who (i) go on holiday specifically to play golf and (ii) those that play golf in their vacation for fun.

BUSINESS GOLF can be categorized into Incentive Golf Tourism, where packages are offered to specific par-ticipants on behalf of a particular organisation and Conference/ Cor-porate Golf, which may be the focus of an event or an add-on to a larger occasion.

EVENT GOLF is a competition focused activity, publicised and promoted, which offers prizes and titles. Events may be national/international, ama-teur, professional or both.

Yeti Travels, Nepal’s oldest DMC, which has served more than 2 million high end travelers in the past four de-cades in strategic alliance with Nepal Golf Association, Nepal’s premier Golf promotion body is out to make a difference. The first priority of this synergistic association is to make Ne-pal a well known golf tourism destina-tion in the region.

For more information on unique golfing packages please visitwww.yetitravels.com

Undulating bent grass greens built

to USGA specifi cations and soft

cushions of local Bermuda fairways

await you here. Lush unyielding

forests, meandering streams that

wander through hills and valleys

which open onto a holy river’s

plain make up the course. Curious

monkeys watch your progress while

shy spotted deer peer from behind

the trees. The lofty Himalayas keep

score and cheer you on.


TIM

ES0

9


MARKETGUIDE

A SNEAK PEEK ON

WHAT’S NEW

IN THE MARKET

HONDA JAZZ TO JAZZ THINGS UP

Syakar Company Ltd, authorized distributor of Honda cars, has launched

Honda Jazz. Honda Jazz boasts of optimum balance between futuristic

aerodynamic exterior and spacious interiors with innovative engine design

and light, high-tensile steel making it an effi cient machine. Jazz does its

part for a cleaner, greener world with Euro 4 compliant emissions, advanced

technology for cleaner exhausts, and heaps of recyclable parts. It off ers global

design, great drivability, fuel effi ciency and safety with the focus on Safety,

Environment and Effi ciency.

Honda Jazz, fi rst launched in 2001 has been sold successfully in over 130

countries with cumulative sales of more than 2.8 million units. Honda Jazz has

won more than 40 accolades and adoration all over the world like Japan Car of

the Year (2007-2008) and the best-selling car in Japan in 2008.

VERSATILE, DURABLE AND EXCITING TO RIDE... MEGELLI

Goldfi sh International Pvt. Ltd recently launched Megelli, a completely new

brand created by UK in the Nepali market. The company introduced three

Megelli 150cc motorcycles - reasonably priced, practical and fun means of

transport - Megelli150R, Megelli150M and Megelli150S.

GFI has introduced a new line of 150cc motorcycles with a wicked combination

of street style and performance, the functionality, reliability and sheer

stunning appearance has been crafted into what is truly a desirable series of

Megelli motorcycles.

Available at Goldfi sh International Pvt. Ltd

Teku Road, Kathmandu

Contact: 01-2083490

AN ANCIENT CLIFF OF SWISS MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT FOR ABSOLUTE ALPINE.

Mammut always follows its own paths. With care, consistency, precision and

a sensitive feeling for the needs of any mountain-climber, hiker, trekkers or

member of an expedition. Over decades Mammut has set a fundament for

quality, functionality and an

un-comparable design.

Now available in Kathmandu at

Tridevi Marg, Thamel

Contact: 4416483

MAKE EVERY SHOT A POWERSHOT

With a 10.0 MP Canon CMOS sensor and 20x wide-angle zoom for incredible

reach, the PowerShot SX1 IS off ers continuous shooting up to 4fps.

Supplement photos with Full HD videos.

Features

• 20x wide-angle zoom with optical IS

• 10.0 MP Canon CMOS sensor

• Full HD movies

• DIGIC 4

• Extra fast continuous shooting at full resolution (4fps)

• Face Detection and anti-blur technology

• i-Contrast

• 2.8” wide vari-angle LCD

• EX Speedlite fl ash compatible

Available at Canon Link @ City Center, Shop No: G32 Ground Floor

Contact: 4229358


A NEW LOUNGE STUDIO AT BLUEBIRD MALL

MOODS, where entertainment goes hand in hand with culture, tradition and

heritage is a one of a kind lounge bar. This is the fi rst lounge in Nepal to install a

system of recording live music that can be turned into a music album.

Moods Studio Lounge presents the beverage habit with the creation of art,

skill and professionalism. It is a true memento for those who drink and enjoy

a cheerful evening with family, friends and associates along with food in all

its appetizing best, from oriental to continental cuisine, a vital ingredient to

complete the evening.

SPICE S-5330 AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET

Teletalk, the sole authorized distributor of Spice Mobile phones in Nepal,

has launched Spice S-5330. With the purchase of an S-5330, customers will

also get a free USB card reader. According to Teletalk, the mobile phone

features MP3 player, FM recording, 2 GB extendable memory, 3D display

menu, GPRS and mobile tracker. The new slim phone supports almost all

music formats and provides shuffl e and repeat options. Sending e-mails to

SMS facility, ring tone shuffl ing, mobile tracker, black and white listings of

numbers, panic button and contact backup are some special features that

the set possesses.

AVCO AUTO SHOPPE LAUNCHED

AVCO Holding and Investment Group launched AVCO Auto Shoppe, a

subsidiary which will deal in buying, selling and exchanging used cars at the

best prices.

“Currently, we off er the service to Hyundai car owners, and we will be

expanding the service for other brands,” said Binita Pradhan, executive

chairperson of the AVCO Holding and Investment Group. The new fi rm aims

to provide buyers of used vehicles with a high degree of trust and also off ers

a two-year warranty on used vehicles they sell and every car on off er at AVCO

Auto Shoppe comes with eight free servicing.

The new services will be based mainly from AVCO´s recently opened showroom

in Subidhanagar, Tinkune. Pradhan also said that major fi nancial institutions

were positive on fi nancing the used vehicles.

SAMSUNG USHERS IN NEW ERA FOR

FLAT-PANEL TELEVISIONS

HIM Electronics Pvt. Ltd. has announced the launch of its new, advanced line

up of LED High Defi nition TVs in the Nepali market, Samsung LED TVs which

bring Mega Clarity, Razor Slimness and Improved Energy Effi ciency to the

living room.

Mr Shekhar Golchha, MD, Him Electronics Private Limited stated,” Samsung

stays committed to developing technology and products that go beyond

current expectations of value, quality and innovation. Our LED televisions

redefi ne the standards for design, viewing experience and energy-effi ciency

in Colour televisions.”

Each of the three Samsung LED HDTV Series for 2009, boasts Mega contrast

ratios, and an adaptive “Natural” mode. Samsung’s LED HDTV can combine

the recognized brightness, advantage of LCD, and displays cinema-like

viewing experience of plasma displays. It incorporates a number of innovative

features to reduce motion blur and image judder. At just over an inch thick

(1.16 inch or 29.9 mm thickness), the set remains trim without cutting back on

connectivity options and includes a built in tuner.

To feature your product send us the details at [email protected]




Located in the lap of the Himalayas, the country with its natural beauty and multi-cultural society has established itself as a unique travel destination. Nepal - whose area includes eight of the ten highest mountains of the world including the highest, Mount Everest, is a hotspot for mountaineers. Its diverse land patterns and moderate climate teeming with a wealth of wildlife, thundering rivers, forested hills and enchanted valleys is no less alluring. All these offer an astonishing diversity of picturesque sceneries and adventure op-portunities found nowhere else.

The historical, cultural and religious heri-tage of Nepal continued by various ethnic groups, who speak over 70 languages, is also a strong attraction for visitors. You can also be a part of numerous traditional festivals celebrated throughout the year highlighting the customs and beliefs of a people.

The Nepal Tourism Year 2011 will also bring along new specific travel pack-ages; an opportunity you cannot afford to miss. These include aerial, aquatic as well as terrestrial tourism prospects. Innovative nature tours are de-signed precisely to bring you closer to one of the most diverse natural museums in the world. A destination per district and a product per village are some of the new plans to take visitors to

different parts of Nepal. Information on the indigenous ethnic cultures of these places will make this experience even more fas-cinating.

Another major draw is the plethora of Bud-dhist and Hindu pilgrimage sites around the country. The tourism year plans to in-troduce dedicated tour plans to prominent Buddhist monuments and Hindu shrines for pilgrims, be it Lumbini - the birthplace of Lord Buddha or one of the holiest Hin-du temples - Pashupatinath. The extraordi-nary cultural heritage sites and traditions of the capital Kathmandu valley have al-ways been successful in drawing visitors. A cultural tour, including inner city heritage walks and visits to surrounding traditional Newari villages will get tourists acquainted to the valley. The eloquent Newari festivals and their local delicacies will definitely make the tour worth it.

Additionally, diverse cultural programs are scheduled to be organized around the year to captivate the imagination of visi-tors. Nepal’s rich ethnic

diversity will etch itself in the memory of tourists through trips to different ethnologi-cal destinations. Tourists will also get to witness distinctly traditional events from the bow and arrow competition of ethnic Gurungs to the tra-ditional “Chhokara” dance of

the Tharu poeple.

Nepal has a treasure of ancient structures, buildings and artwork of archaeological im-portance. A travel plan has been arranged around the neo-classical Rana palaces and other historical sites of the country for art and history buffs. For the sportier, adrena-line rush-seeking tourists, various sports tourism festivals have been arranged as well. Shopping tours around competitively priced affordable markets are sure to allow you to shop to your heart’s content.

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions/Events (MICE) tourism pack-ages have been designed for those seeking an ideal place for such programs. Let the hassles of planning for bringing together large groups of people for professional or educational purpose - perhaps even for en-

tertainment be taken care of with such packages well planned in advance.

The country also plans to intro-duce niche tourism products

that are basically groups of related products, for a more

wholesome experience.

Whatever your needs for having a good time might be, Nepal is all set to deliver. So if you haven’t been to Nepal yet or are waiting for the best time to be there, Nepal Tourism Year 2011 gives you reason enough to make your first visit or return, because as the catch line goes – once is just not enough!

AFTER THE VISIT NEPAL TOURISM PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN

IN 1998, THE HIMALAYAN NATION IS SET TO ENTHRALL

TOURISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD AGAIN WITH NEPAL

TOURISM YEAR IN 2011. WITH NEW SPECIALIZED PRODUCTS,

THIS CAMPAIGN IS TARGETED AT OVER A MILLION POTENTIAL

VISITORS FOR THE ‘NEPAL TOURISM YEAR 2011’.

NTY2011


There is an urgent need to channel the in-come generated from tourism to rural areas. In order to do this, involved people have to make sure that information about tourism is disseminated amongst concerned authorities so that a suitable environment is developed in these areas. This can entail details such as keeping your village and your courtyards clean, managing rooms in houses in the vil-lage to accommodate tourists where lodges might not be available and being able to cook a hearty meal for guests. The knowledge that the improvement of the country’s economy

will ultimately contribute to their wellbeing should be promoted too.

However, while promoting the country abroad to bring in a maximum number of tourists, domestic tourism should not be ignored. This campaign also aims to provide employment to countrymen as well as to preserve the coun-try’s cultural and environmental heritage. The general message to be promoted should be ‘let’s develop ourselves and also develop the country’.

2011 has been envisioned as Nepal Tourism Year by the government with an effort to bring together the potent expertise and experience of the private sectors and the commitment of the government, on a single platform to har-ness the opportunities and strengths of these groups. Nature has given incomparable and abundant tourism resources to Nepal. Breath-taking natural scenery, high mountains, cul-tural heritage, the arts and the potential for numerous high and low altitude adventure sports, besides the cultural, geographical, and ethnic bio-diversities of the country have suc-cessfully managed to lure back international

visitors.

The campaign expects to establish Nepal as a great holiday destination with a well defined image. Besides it would give impetus to en-hance the capacity of service providers to im-prove and extend tourism related infrastruc-ture in existing and new tourism sites. With an ambitious plan to achieve one million inter-national arrivals besides encourage additional investment in tourism infrastructure by 50%, the vision if carried out conscientiously will definitely bring in a new lease of life to the flailing hospitality sector.

Organizing a ‘Nepal Tourism Year’ is defi-nitely a much appreciated idea in order to lure visitors into Nepal and to show the world that we too can get back on our feet leaving all difficult times behind us. It sends a posi-tive message to the world that one of the most sought after destinations of the world is geared up with special packages that has something to offer to everyone.

There are however concerns about the target that the organizers have set: ‘One Million Visitors’. This I feel is an unrealistic and an over hyped number. Setting such targets with-

out much research will ultimately brand the festival a failure. We must all understand that our country with today’s infrastructure can barely handle half a million visitors. Where is the infrastructure? Where is the passage connectivity? Can we really get in a million visitors? How do we get them here? Where do we put them up? These questions need to be asked before setting such targets. Targets need to be ‘SMART’ and I feel that the organizers have gone very wrong here. Nepal needs qual-ity tourism more than just numbers. Quality tourism brings in revenue and will easily help boost the country’s failing economy.

DR. GYANENDRA RATNA TULADHARSpecial Advisor, Nepal Tourism Year 2011

MR. SAHADEO GHALAY,Resident Manager, Hotel Himalaya

The Nepalese government has declared the year 2011 as the Nepal Tourism Year ‘Naturally Nepal – Once

is Not Enough’ and targets to lure in more than a million tourists into the country. Nepal Tourism Board has

been working on campaigns to increase internal tourism and highlight various hidden gems in Nepal. TRAVEL

TIMES talked to a handful of professionals from varied fi elds on how they perceived this campaign.

NEPAL TOURISM YEAR 2011INGENUITY OR CASTLES MADE IN AIR?

OPINIONS

MR. JUGESH SHRESTHACEO, Amaravati Travels


Nature has been kind to Nepal, a land of stun-ning natural beauty. Because of this asset, Ne-pal has a distinct identity on the world tourism map. Its unique geographical position and latitudinal variation allows one to experience varied ecosystems within a span of a few hun-dred kilometers. The cultural, geographical, ethnic and biological diversity of the country also beckons international visitors to Nepal. While the country is a fairy tale of natural beauty, a serious lack of coherent government policies over the years to promote Nepal as a natural tourist destination has attracted only a small number of tourists. Realizing the enor-mous potential of tourism, the government in October 2008, decided to launch a national tourism campaign ‘Nepal Tourism Year 2011’. This initiative reflects the government’s desire to attract at least one million international tourists to visit in the year 2011. The objective is to establish Nepal as a choice for a premier holiday destination with a well defined im-age, to improve and develop tourism related infrastructure, enhance the capacity of service

providers and to build community capacity in new areas to cater to the need of the visitors.

The brand “NATURALLY NEPAL, ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH” reflects the spirit of al-luring international visitors to come to Nepal time and again while the logo reflects the hos-pitable nature of the Nepalese people. The concept includes harnessing available oppor-tunities and bringing together the resources and commitment of the government, Nepal Tourism Board and the private sector for long term development of tourism. Despite an im-proved security situation and overall peace in the country, a significant number of tourists have stayed away from Nepal due to incor-rect perceptions. For other travelers, the rich cultural heritage is an amazing lure. The gov-ernment is committed to provide all kinds of facilities to tourists coming to Nepal. The big-gest challenge however remains in portraying a healthy image of Nepal to the international community at large.

Mr. Surendra BhandariCEO, Siddhartha Bank Limited

*

*



Nima RumbaPOP Singer

Suraj Singh Th akuriMedia Personality

Deepak Bist aTaekwondo Player

It’s not every day that an opportunity to get

to the top of the world comes along. So when

the prospect of riding a bike to Everest Base

Camp from the Chinese side presented itself

to Nima Rumba, Deepak Bista and Suraj Singh

Thakuri, they did not have to be asked again.

ON THE ON THE ROADROAD

Text by Utsav Shakya

COVERSTORY


Talk of bike rides does not usually lead to talk of the tallest moun-tain in the world. Mount Everest or Qomolangma as it is known by the Chinese needs no introduction. Besides being the tallest mountain in the world, it also has a reputation for claiming the lives of those who test its icy limits. Still, every year scores of moun-taineers from all over the world travel to Nepal to try their luck at scaling this summit; only a few ever succeed. Climbing the cold, barren, white slopes is one thing… riding a bike, moreover one which is not exactly built to handle such terrain to Everest Base Camp (altitude 5380 meters) is a whole different story.

Yamaha’s Everest Base Camp Ride campaign on their sporty, new FZ bikes, managed by Sacred Summits - an adventure company based in Nepal, provided this crazy, once in a life time opportunity to three Nepali celebrities. Pop singer Nima Rumba has been

charming the socks off Nepali pop music lovers for more than a decade now. His recent venture into acting in the critically ac-claimed feature film Kagbeni was much appreciated. Taekwondo player Deepak Bista has represented Nepal at the Olympic level and has thus raised the bar for all sports persons in the country. Media personality Suraj Singh Thakuri became a household name after the continued success of his show Call Kantipur on Kantipur Television. Suraj is presently Assistant Senior Producer at the same station. All three celebrities are youth icons in their own right. And all three along with seven other riders who had won contests organized by Yamaha got there and came back, inspired by their own achievements and exultant with memories for a life-time. Below is a day by day account with excerpts from the three celeb riders themselves.

Riding a bike to get somewhere is not the same thing as driving there. If four wheels move the body, two wheels

move your soul. In his book Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, author/philosopher Robert M. Pirsig writes,

“On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is over-

whelming.” Getting out of this frame, the wind on your sun-kissed face, your hands and feet working on muscle

memory as you tear off into the sunset are reason enough for bike enthusiasts the world over to get on the road

with their perfect companions, their bikes, each year.

Lalung Pass


Biking Route

Rongbuk Monastery (4980m) – the highest in the

world – was founded in 1902 by the Nyingma

Lama, Ngawang Tenzin Norbu, although a hardy

community of nuns had used meditation huts on

the site for about two hundred years before this.

The position of the monastery, perched on the side

of the Rongbuk Valley leading straight towards

the north face of Everest, is stunning. Just to sit

outside and watch the play of light on the face of the

mountain makes experience of a lifetime.

Everest Base Camp (5380m) is a further 8km due

south and is often a bit of a surprise, especially

during the climbing seasons (March– May, Sept &

Oct), when you’ll fi nd a colorful and untidy tent city

festooned with gas bottles and satellite dishes. It’s

possible to camp near the monastery, where there’s

also a guesthouse off ering dorm accommodation.

There’s a small monastery shop selling mostly

leftovers from mountaineering expeditions –take

your own food. Don’t be surprised if you suff er from

altitude sickness here. However well you were

acclimatized in Lhasa, base camp is around 1500m

higher, so be sensible and don’t contemplate a trip

here soon after arrival up on the Tibetan plateau.

Rongbuk and Everest Base Camp

Way to Rongbuk

Kathmandu

Nyalam

Khasa

Milarepa Cave

Thongla PassOld Tingri

Rongbuk

Everest

Base Camp


“They have a khukuri. They’re going to kill me,” shouted Nima as Suraj, startled awake, ran outside to stop whatever was going on only to find Nima and Deepak rolling with laughter. In his hurry, Suraj had forgotten to get decent before stepping out from his room! At which point Nima walked up to a shaken up Suraj and casually said, “Come, let’s go have a drink!”

The Last Resort/ Kodari/

Zangmu/ Nyalam (158 km)

Early the next morning, the group of ten was off to Zhangmu, known as Khasa to Nepali people, which lies on the Nepal – China border. Here Maaila, their coordina-tor, helped them with immigration paper-work. Their first memory of entering China through the Friendship Bridge is of being thoroughly checked for any possible traces of swine flu. Although most of the riders got through without any problems, some crew members got a tad nervous, resulting in an increase in their body temperature because of which they were detained for further checks. For Nima, stepping on foreign soil finally made it seem like the trip had started. “Up until Surya Vinayak, the narrow lanes and the other bikes had made me a little un-comfortable. I wasn’t really enjoying myself. But after entering China, it kind of dawned on me that we were actually doing this!,” says Nima. He also explains about how bad the roads that lead to Tato Pani are. One side of the road has a steep cliff while the other leads straight down into a crevice-like space whose bottom is not visible from the road. Water from higher ridges showered on

The riders started their day early in Kath-mandu’s Basantapur where a huge crowd of organizers, friends, family and fans had gathered to bid them farewell. 200 Yamaha bikes accompanied the ten main riders from Basantapur to Surya Vinayak in Bhaktapur. On the very first day, Deepak wondered whether his recent backache would be a problem. Although very excited about the journey ahead, he knew what his quitting would mean for the trip and its organiz-ers. But as a world class athlete, he could not afford to risk his health. “I had reserva-tions about whether Nima could do it,” says Deepak, changing the topic suddenly. Look-ing over at Nima, who is flashing his boyish smile, Deepak adds, “Honestly speaking, Nima turned out to be one of the best riders in the entire group. We rode together, look-ing out for each other throughout the trip.” Of the three, only Deepak has been on long bike rides. Nima admits that he had never been much of a biker but he does have a passion for traveling. Suraj has always loved riding bikes but has never had the opportu-nity to go on an actual bike ride.

The 200 bikes escorting them bid the group farewell in Surya Vinayak, from where they rode to The Last Resort, their last stop be-fore riding into China through Khasa. It was here that Suraj experienced the hazards of traveling with an all boys group firsthand. He had gone to bed after a few drinks at the bar and was fast asleep when he was awakened by the sounds of Nima shouting for help.

them and small pebbles continuously trick-led down the cliff. “Ride carefully, if you fall down this road, even the person who tries to save you will not be saved,” warned their guide.

For Deepak, as the bikers rode together, stopping for others to catch up and warn-ing each other about this and that on the road, it finally felt like a team. Away from the hustle bustle of the city, the bikers felt like they were finally getting to know their machines better as they settled into a com-fortable pace.

The same night the riders had the oppor-tunity to have dinner at a restaurant with a small live performance stage. Nima and Suraj being more media-friendly faces were instantly recognized and Nima’s music was put on immediately. “I had never thought that I would be watching Chinese people enjoying my music and dancing to it, at least not on this trip anyways,” says Nima, obviously elated at meeting his first Chinese fans.

Kathmandu / The Last Resort

(100 km) Day

01

“They have a khukuri.

They’re going to kill me,”

shouted Nima as Suraj,

startled awake, ran outside

to stop whatever was going

on.

Day

02

Nyalam

Nyalam Nyalam


Acclimatization at Nyalam/

Altitude – 3900 m

As the bikers rode into new territories, Nima was once again reminded of the landscapes he had witnessed back home on his treks to Manang and Mustang. The food, the cul-ture and the language however, were totally different to anything any participant had ever witnessed. For all riders, this cultural experience was one of the highlights of the trip. “Food did become an issue. We had to have whatever was on offer,” says Nima about how their breakfast consisted of mo-mos and yak meat. For Nima and Suraj, who love such cuisine, the food was a treat; how-ever some of the other riders did have some problems with the food. The riders busied themselves on Day 3 as they travelled to the famous Milarepa caves, some of which are also found in mountainous regions of Ne-pal. They also took time to take some pic-tures. Getting to an altitude of 3900 meters also meant they needed time to acclimatize to the thin air which was the main reason behind stopping in Nyalam.

Nyalam/ Shegar (244 km)/

Altitude – 4350 m

The ride from Nyalam towards Shegar pro-vides amazing views from the highest pla-teau in the world. Shegar is popular for hav-ing the highest post office in the world. All riders agree that riding-wise, Day 4 was the hardest day of the trip. There was construc-tion going on in parts of the road between Nyalam and Shegar. The roads would close after eight in the morning so they had to cross the construction area before that time. To pass this area before it closed they had to start riding by five in the morning, for which they had to get up at three! The tempera-ture was about minus seven degrees. Head-lights flaring into the dark unknown, their senses heightened by the numbing cold, the riders raced into the pitch black morning on

graveled roads and made the eight o’clock deadline. By this time, the bikes had been powered by high octane fuel to boost their performance. Although their bikes were not designed to traverse such terrain, the FZ bikes outdid their reputation as trustworthy machines by not giving them any trouble throughout. Nima mentions how they met locals on the way who would be very inter-ested in their bikes. All riders would wave at them and sometimes even stop to distrib-ute sweets to some of them. That night they stopped at the Qomolangma Lodge.

Shegar/Rongbuk/Everest Base Camp (120 km)

On the day they were scheduled to reach Everest Base Camp in Rongbuk, located in the Qomolangma National Park, they started riding at seven in the morning. By four in the afternoon they had reached their destination. About seeing Mt. Everest or Sagarmatha as Nepalese people call it, all three admit that it was a pretty emotional moment. For people of a country such as Nepal - which is steeped in poverty and problems of every kind - Mt. Everest is one of the few things that they have grown up being proud to be associated with. Even though it was from the Northern side, the attachment all riders felt was almost tan-gible. However Suraj, who was in charge of documenting the trip remembers the mo-ment in a different light. “I had managed to misplace my battery charger and so con-served what little battery I had by keeping it warm and using it when absolutely needed. But after taking only a few pictures of Ever-est that afternoon, the battery died on me! I had to borrow a Chinese woman’s camera and my own memory card on it to take pic-tures,” he says, smiling at the memory. The view of Everest that day was however quite a letdown. Clouds shrouded the mystical summit. Still, although they were warned against it for health reasons, the entire team could not resist making a toast at Base Camp. The artist in Nima caught a tune when he was looking back on the mountain the next day, a tune that got him teary-eyed. “I know the feeling will manifest itself in some way into my music,” says Nima. “For some rea-son, I just felt the presence of God when I saw Everest up close. The entire team was humbled,” says Bista. Friends had always told him that he had to see Everest this close at least once. Finally doing it felt very satis-fying for Bista. The bikes could only go till Rongbuk’s Everest Base Camp. From there on, a shuttle service is available that carries tourists all to the viewing point where they

Day

03

Day

04

Day

05

For people of a country

such as Nepal - which is

steeped in poverty and

problems of every kind -

Mt. Everest is one of the

few things that they have

grown up being proud to be

associated with.

Milrepa Cave

Thongla Pass

(Highest Altitude in entire trip - 5,200 m)

Lalung

Rongbuk

Way back to Tingri from Rongbuk


Rongbuk - Tingri

can spend 20 minutes taking pictures and enjoying the majestic view.

Rongbuk/ TingriAltitude - 4250 m

A tented city lies about four kilometers from Rongbuk from where they took the shuttle service the next morning. The weather was perfect as everyone got their cameras out and started clicking away like crazy, anx-ious not to miss the smallest details, the narcissist in them showing through a little as they posed for one picture after another. Afterwards, they reluctantly started on their journey back. Up until now, due to the un-availability of bathrooms, the bikers had not taken a proper shower. They took a short-cut on the way back and stayed at a hotel in Tingri. From Tingri, at a distance of ten kilometers was a hot water spring. Putting their bikes to good use, the riders sped to the spring where they had a most refresh-ing soak. After traveling such long distances everyday for the last week, ten kms did not sound like much at all, says Suraj about the bathing experience they will never forget.

Tingri/ Nyalam/ Khasa

By now, all the riders were quite relaxed. They had been warned before the trip about

the guitar finally got to sing and play as he was joined by all the riders - a small, private celebration for their achievements.

The Last Resort/Kathmandu

The next morning, well rested and in high spirits, the bikers rode into Kathmandu and went straight to Hotel Soaltee, where a press conference awaited them. After answering the media’s questions and posing for pic-tures, someone in the group, mentioned that it was the 9th day of the trip and that it was inauspicious to go back home after a trip on the 9th day. Raised amidst such be-liefs in Nepal, none of the riders wanted to risk ending the trip on a bad note and so they decided to stay at the hotel that night. But Nima was already missing his family so much that at about 11 that night, he sneaked out of the hotel and made his way home!

altitude sickness but no one had had any serious health issues. Suraj attributes their good health on the trip to the huge amount of jasmine tea all they drank every time they stopped. They would just keep pouring hot water on the tea bag and another cup of steaming hot jasmine tea would be ready. Suraj thinks that it is this hydration that helped them curb any altitude sicknesses. On the way back, they stopped at lunch for Nyalam, where Nima and Suraj had met their Chinese fans. They decided to spend their last night in China at Khasa.

Khasa/ The Last Resort

Suraj remembers a funny incident about riding their bikes back on Nepali tarmac. When they started riding in China, the rid-ers found it very hard to ride on the right side of the road as opposed to their usual left on Nepali roads. A lot of times, bikers would find themselves frozen on the road as huge vehicles came straight at them as they im-pulsively rode on the left side. After a week of riding on the right however, some of the riders got so used to it that they kept on rid-ing on the right even after entering Nepal, only to narrowly miss a speeding truck!

There were no pranks this time at the resort but Nima, who had been missing playing

Day

07

Day

08

Day

09

A lot of times, bikers would

fi nd themselves frozen on

the road as huge vehicles

came straight at them as

they impulsively rode on

the left side.

Day

06



Rounding off the trip, all three riders agree that it was a trip of a lifetime –something that comes along very rarely and that too for only few. An opportunity like this is some-thing money cannot buy was the common sentiment amongst the three youth icons. It definitely made all three celebs challenge themselves in new ways and helped them find new dimensions to their personalities. “It gave me a new confidence; that I can do something like this if I put my mind to it. That’s been a huge boost to my morale and has affected my work in a very positive man-ner”, says Nima. All three have even talked seriously about trying to climb Mount Ever-est from the Nepal side in 2011, the ‘Nepal Tourism Year 2011’ as being promoted by the Nepal Tourism Board. And all three seem to have been hooked to the idea of traveling and adventure!

Traveling, whether on a bike, a car or on foot is not and has never been about just get-

ting to a new place. It is not about conquer-ing that tall hill, finding that secluded, se-rene village or witnessing that amazing view of the Himalayas. Those are all just incen-tives that get you on the road. Traveling is more about undertaking a personal journey, where every new hill, mountain, stream, river, village and town that you reach gives you the opportunity to look within yourself and discover fascinating new things about what you are feel and how you process this experience. It is also about getting to know your own body, testing it like you would an instrument, as you make that journey. It is about meeting every new turn on the road, every waterfall, and every small, enchanted village with the same enthusiasm and pur-pose that you would have when meeting a new person; to learn from them and for the pure joy of getting to know them. Be it on a bike ride to Everest Base Camp or on a hike to a hill nearby - keep traveling, keep discovering!

Traveling is more about

undertaking a personal

journey, where every new

hill, mountain, stream,

river, village and town that

you reach gives you the

opportunity to look within

yourself.



TIM

ES0

9

40 TIMESSEPTEMBER 2009

Ma dives

GLOBALTREASURE

Text by Darshan Shakya

Photos Courtesy: Maldives Tourism Promotion Board

41SEPTEMBER 2009TIMES

300 miles south west of the tip of India and 450 miles west of Sri Lanka is a tourist destination that should not be missed. An archipelago that offers more than just the usual beach experience; Maldives has the potential to be a wonder of the world. The country offers what is highest in demand amongst tourists - sun, sand and sea- in an amazing array of beautiful sparkling white sandy beaches, crystal clear lagoons, colorful corals and the warm sea with undisturbed marine life.

So it comes down to this: why Maldives? A nutshell answer is impossible. Maldives simply has too much to offer. Maldives is a destination that offers sightseeing in a most unique way. The usual traveling and taking in of the scenic beauty is only a small attraction of this archipelago. To really appreciate the true beauty of Maldives and to be truly rendered speechless by the same, you have to put in a little more effort. A combination of scenic beauty and immensely enjoyable activities awaits anyone who rightfully decides to go for it.

INDIA

SRILANKA

MALDIVES


A frequently asked

question is - what can a

person do if he or she

does not have prior diving

training? The answer is

pretty simple. Resorts

off er diving courses

to learners, that too in

German, Italian, French,

Japanese and English

languages. Both open and

advanced courses such as

night diving, rescue diving

and even underwater

photography are off ered,

under which natural and

shark focused courses

have proven most popular.

SNORKELING TIPS:

The equipment - you

have to buy, borrow or

rent a mask that snuggly

fi ts your face. Test the

mask by putting it on

your face without using

the strap and breathe

in through the nose. If

it fi ts properly it will not

fall-off even when you

lean forward. And then

select some fi ns which

feel comfortable on

your foot and a snorkel

which easily fi ts into your

mouth. As with diving,

resorts off er snorkeling

lessons too.

Every destination has its own sightseeing hotspots. However, the highlight of Maldives is its natural beauty. Just how beautiful?It’s sec-ond to none.

Maldives being an archipelago, excels in luring people with its gorgeous coastal area. The sea constitutes a large percentile of the area of Maldives, which is a good thing because this is where its goodies lie. There are over five thousand coral reefs and plenty of reef fish, corals and marine mam-mals besides other aquatic life which is why diving in Maldives is just unforgettable. Ranked among the best diving destinations of the world, sightseeing begins from the very depths of its waters. Every re-sort caters scuba diving for their guests and once underwater, one is greeted by a plethora of fishes, not to mention a blast of colours (infinite shades of blue and tur-quoise), and dazzling underwater coral gardens. Diving is a daily ex-ercise conducted all year with an extremely low chance of cancella-tions, made more so because most, if not all resorts have access to a protected reef on the leeward side of the island that enables diving even when Lord Poseidon decides to cook up a storm. For Nepali people, it is sure to be an experi-ence inerasable from memory.

Moving a little higher from deep-sea-fish view to flying-fish view: snorkeling. For this heavenly activ-ity, all you need is a silicon mask (salt water and exposed eyes are not a good combination!), fins on your feet (swimming is so much more convenient with fins, don’t you think?) and the air-tube in your mouth. Frankly, it’s just like being in a brightly-lit aquarium, full of exotic tropical fish, except you’re getting a bird’s eye view or rather a flying fish’s view. In addition, snor-keling is the best way (with lesser risk) to explore the shallow reef. Snorkeling is relatively cheap and allows you to spend hours witnessing the underwater na-ture of coral reefs. But, instead of hurling forever downwards, you drift and glide like a small air-craft. Resist the impulse to return to the lagoon, it’s perfectly safe, despite those lurking shadows of big fish and sharks deep down by the coral face.

Then there is the aircraft expe-rience. Traveling in a sea plane and watching the beautiful is-lands from above -getting a true bird’s eye view- is guaranteed to be one of the most wonderful experiences you could ever have. A little ‘spoiler’ from us: when you see them from the sea plane, the islands look like a chain of exqui-site pearls.

Sightseeing isn’t the only thing to do in Maldives. Although surf-ing is relatively new to Maldives, the recently held O’Neil Deep Blue Contest has placed Maldives firmly on the world’s surf map. For resort based surfing, it is advisable to choose one of the resorts on the eastern side of North Male’ Atoll where you could get access to a number of excellent breaks. With a magnificent environment and just right conditions, Maldives is fast becoming a destination for surfers.

SIGHTSEEING FROM DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS:From deep in the water to from the high skies

SURF’S UP!GRAB YOUR BOARD

THERE ARE OVER FIVE

THOUSAND CORAL

REEFS AND PLENTY

OF REEF FISH, CORALS

AND MARINE MAMMALS

BESIDES OTHER AQUATIC

LIFE WHICH IS WHY

DIVING IN MALDIVES IS

JUST UNFORGETTABLE.


When you think of traveling abroad, what’s the second thing that pops into your mind (the first being sight seeing)? Shopping of course! It’s difficult to miss the shocking pink and orange colors painted on souvenir shops in Maldives. Souve-nirs can range from key-rings, nap-kin rings, fridge magnets and mats to beautiful crafted pieces such as wood carvings, special local tea and more! Almost all of these carry no price stickers and the price you get depends on the way you negotiate it. So sharpen up your bargaining skills! All you persistent bargainers out there can rub your hands with diabolic glee!

Habitual shoppers will jump with joy when they hear of duty-free shopping in Maldives. And why wouldn’t they? Maldives is a shop-per’s heaven. From local souvenirs to pricey branded items, the shops here have it all!

However, if you’re looking for items made out of turtle shell, black cor-al, pearl oyster shell or red coral, you’re out of luck: environmental-ists will be happy to know that the government has strictly banned export of such material. True to its word, Maldives isn’t messing with nature.

Not everyone’s idea of a holiday would be to partake in a roster of activities. Maybe your idea of a vacation is to do nothing all day and revel in the passing of time. The beauty of Maldives is that even if you do nothing, you will not be disappointed. If all else fails, you are sure to enjoy leisurely walks on the soft, white, sandy beaches.

Maldives is a must-go tourist destination, that much is for sure. So bon voyage, travel-ers, make plans and get there! One last thing though, perhaps you’d like to take a water-proof camera! Just in case.

When was the last time you really took some time out for yourself and treated yourself like royalty? If you took more than a minute to answer that question, Maldives is definitely the place for you.

Glamorous spas await you in most beach resorts on these 1200 islands. The serene environment, the clear air, the refreshing sea breeze and the healing touch of well-trained spa therapists will surely revive your body, mind and soul. Wake up to the sound of sea birds, spend a day at a spa splurging on a range of rejuvenating therapies and relax on the beach in the evening as the sun slips below the horizon as you feel your troubles melt away.

Now imagine a floating palace with unmatched pleasures: where royalty is known to stroll on gleam-ing teak decks while savoring the earth’s most dramatic panoramas. A cruise around Maldives is this dream coming true. Here’s another bonus: most vessels are equipped with modern diving equipment and are well staffed. Safaris make it possible for you to sample var-ied dive sites at different locations and presents you with a chance to sample island life.

PAMPERING YOU SINCE 1972

DOING NOTHING IN MALDIVES

SO WHAT’RE YOU WAITING FOR??

SHOP TILL YOU DROP



TIMES 09


V I K R A M S I N G HGENERAL MANAGER, GOKARNA FOREST RESORT

PERSONALITYREVIEW

AN H UR WITH


In a world where half the people are unsure about their

careers and where age unfairly equals experience, it is

heartening to meet headstrong, confi dent young people who

have already made a mark in their respective fi elds and thus

successfully thwarted the age-experience paradox. Vikram

Singh, the General Manager of the Gokarna Forest Resort, is

one such person.

TRAVEL TIMES met the man responsible for managing the

beautiful resort. Excerpts from the meeting:

NAME

Vikram Singh

DATE OF BIRTH

September 1976

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

Post Graduate in International Marketing &

Hospitality Management

OFFICE

Gokarna Forest Resort

SERVICE ENTRY

1998

PRESENT POSITION

General Manager, Gokarna Forest Resort

TRAININGS

Hotel Management – Dekin •

University, Australia

Sales Management – Dubai•

Hospitality Operations – Dubai•

Resort Specialization – Thailand•

Hospitality Audits – Dubai, UAE.•

COUNTRIES VISITED

Most Europe, South East Asia, Middle East

and Others

How did you fi rst get interested in the hotel

business?

Well, there is an interesting story as to how I joined the hospitality business. I was initial-ly planning to join the army and had com-pleted my written exams as well. But destiny had other plans. There was this American/Australian company who were looking for people interested in hotel management and I went there to accompany my friend. I was just sitting around when a guy came over to talk to me and the next thing I knew I was selected, when I didn’t even know I was being interviewed. So I flew to Australia for the hotel management course. And now here I am, with God’s grace.

What have been some of your previous

experiences, before you joined Gokarna

Forest Resort?

I have worked as hospitality consultant in South East Asia, Middle East and many oth-er places. I was working in three hotel apart-ments in Dubai, UAE as General Manager before I came to Gokarna.

Could you tell us the history, structure and

activities of the Gokarna Forest Resort?

Gokarna Forest Resort was established in 1995 by LM Suvir Brother (Nepal) Pvt. Ltd. It was the vision of Mr. Prem Sachdev and was implemented by Mr. Suman Sachdev. Before, Gokarna Resort was operated by Le Meridien, a leading global chain of luxury hotels and resorts but today we have a sepa-rate identity.

How is the performance of Gokarna Forest

Resort now that it is not linked with Le

Meridian anymore?

After tying up with Starwood, we have been able to create our own standards and a unique experience for our guests. We learnt a lot under La Meridian but now we have developed our own set of rules and stan-dards different from what was prevalent ear-

lier which I must say have worked very well for us.

How do you compete with other hotels? What

makes the Gokarna Resort stand out?

There is fairly healthy competition among hotels; different hotels have their own USPs. At Gokarna Forest Resort, we have a wide practice of eco-processes and it is the only Eco Hotel in the world. It has the only 18-hole golf course in Nepal. Another high-light of the hotel is the jungle treks you can take within the premises for about 60 to 90 minutes. You can walk over a forest and ex-perience nature in its true sense. I would say Gokarna is an experience, and not just a hotel.

Gokarna has one of the best golf courses in

Asia. How do you maintain such standards?

The initial concept and the planning of Gokarna Forest Resort were crafted by lead architect David Mclay Kidd, assisted by Director of Turf-grass Management, James Kidd, under the direction of Gleneagles Golf Developments. Today Deepak Acha-rya, who has been the golf director here for nearly 11 years, looks after the property and its maintenance. It definitely is hard work to maintain a property spread across 400 acres of land but with a dedicated staff of more than a hundred people and the latest tech-nology, we are doing quite well.

What kind of an atmosphere does the resort

have? What types of guests do you usually

cater to?

The hotel itself has a pretty relaxed ambi-ence. Guest of all types - corporate, from the UN and INGOs frequently visit the resort. Our resort also caters to many golf enthu-siasts and people who come here especially for spa treatments. Apart from them, nature lovers who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city also visit the resort regularly.


How is Gokarna Forest Resort contributing

to promote the Nepali hotel industry in the

international market?

As you can see, the whole decor of this ho-tel is done elegantly to highlight Nepal’s culture and traditions. The rooms are very tastefully decorated and fit in very well with the overall timber based theme of the ho-tel. It goes for a more natural appearance as opposed to the modern edifices in the city. Gokarna Forest Resort is truly a one of a kind property in Nepal and when we highlight it especially in international fairs, Nepal is au-tomatically brought to the limelight.

What are your responsibilities as the General

Manager of a reputed resort? How do you

cope with these challenges?

Let’s take an example of a car and a driver. The driver can only steer the car in a partic-ular direction but if it weren’t for the other parts of the car, the driver alone would not reach the desired destination. The General Manager, I would say, is like the driver; he is someone who has to be involved in all the processes, but with a good management team in Gokarna, it makes the challenges of the job that much easier to cope with.

How would you defi ne the ideal General

Manager?

I have a very funny but true definition of GM. A General Manager must be a diplo-mat, an acrobat and a doormat. He must have the facility to entertain prime minis-ters, princes, pickpockets, gamblers, book-makers, pirates, philanthropists and prudes. He must be on both sides of the political fence and be able to jump that fence. He should be or have been a footballer, golfer, bowler, tennis player, cricketer, dart player, sailor, pigeon fancier, motor racer or lin-guist, as well as have a good knowledge of any other sport involving dice, cards, hors-es and pool cues. As he sometimes has to settle arguments and squabbles, he must be a qualified boxer, wrestler, weightlifter, sprinter and peacemaker. He must always look immaculate when drinking with ladies and gentlemen as well as with bankers, the-atricals, commercial travelers and company representatives, even though he may have just made peace between any two, four, six or more of the aforementioned patrons. To be successful he must keep the house full, the storeroom full, and the customers full but not let himself get full. He must have staff who are clean, honest, quick workers, quick thinkers, mathematicians and techni-cians. To sum up; he must be outside, in-side, offside, glorified, sanctified, crucified, cross-eyed and a strong silent type. (laughs)

What are your plans for “Tourism Year 2011”?

Participating in IGTM is one of the steps to highlight Golf Tourism in Nepal lead-ing to a high influx of golfers to Nepal and ensuring maximum inboard tourists. We are doing our part in introducing new con-cepts and schemes to the visitors and if the government could do its part in providing a sense of security to the guests, then Tourism Year 2011 will definitely be a success.

What do you think makes Gokarna Forest

Resort memorable and unforgettable to the

guests?

This resort is not just made up of buildings; a conscious effort has been made to ensure that our guests get the finest amenities avail-able. Unlike contemporary hotels, Gokarna is more about an unforgettable ‘experience’. When a guest enters the premises there is a change in the environment; they see wild-life: monkeys, different species of deer and even leopards in the winter season. Gokar-na, I would say is a hidden gem amidst dense forest and away from maddening crowds. This is not just any hotel you come to but a truly unforgettable experience to take away with you.

What do you love about the hotel industry

and what are your plans in the future?

There is always a new challenge and op-portunity everyday and you meet a lot of people. Our plans are personal and profes-sional growth.

On a personal note, let us talk about your

travel traits. Do you like to travel? What are

the reasons you travel for?

Travel is a wonderful opportunity to experi-ence new people and culture and highlight your own. Travel for me is generally for per-sonal or professional treasures like interna-tional travel fairs, etc. I try and take at least 3 holidays in a year and I really like to visit my home town in Himachal Pradesh, India.

Where have you been in Nepal and abroad?

Oh, many places. I am in hotel business, so my work takes me to various countries. I have been to lots of places abroad; Europe, Australia, SE Asia, Middle East, etc and I also love visiting Pokhara.

Note: Our sincere gratitude to the staff

of Gokarna Forest Resort for their time

and hospitality.

A General Manager

must be a diplomat, an

acrobat and a doormat.

He must have the facility

to entertain prime

ministers, princes of

industry, pickpockets,

gamblers, bookmakers,

pirates, philanthropists

and prudes.



Text and Photos by James Ward

THARPU CHULI

DESTINATIONSPOTLIGHT

GETTING TO

An Unforgettable Trip through the Annapurna Sanctuary

A play of shadow and light at Tharpu chuli ( Tent Peak)


LOCALLY CALLED THARPU CHULI, TENT PEAK IS AN ATTRACTIVE MOUNTAIN SITUATED IN THE HEART OF THE ANNAPURNA

SANCTUARY.

Elevation 18,577feet / 5,663meters

(17th highest trekking peak of Nepal)

Location Annapurna region of Nepal

Best for the Climbing July, August, September, October

Nearest Airport Pokhara

Trek grade Moderate & Strenuous

The mountain fi rst received attention from

Jimmy Roberts who was exploring the

sanctuary during a reconnaissance for the

1957 British Machhapuchhre Expedition.

It was Roberts that gave the mountain its

descriptive name, Tent Peak. The peak was

fi rst climbed via the south-east ridge by

members of the Japanese Annapurna South

Expedition from Kyoto University in 1964,

led by Dr. Harou Higuchi.

Dominating the mountains of central Nepal is the mighty Annapurna Himal, which lies between the Kali Gandaki and Marsgyangdi river valley and forms a solid mountain bastion. It covers a distance of 40 miles and encompasses within its range some twelve peaks that rise to an elevation of more than 7000m be-sides numerous other smaller peaks. The Annapurna Massif forms an almost complete ring of high peaks. The sanctuary encompassing this area, known as the Annapurna Sanctuary, is an enthralling amphitheatre of ice, snow, glacier and moraine.

A view to die for:

Picture perfect Tent Peak (partially hidden by a stray cloud)


Tent Peak is one of the most trekked peaks in Nepal, the summit offering a stunning 360 degrees panoramic view of the surrounding Annapurna Massif. A major highlight of the trek is an exclusive exploration of the An-napurna Sanctuary. The trek starts from Phedi after a 45 minute drive from Pokhara. Further on, the trail moves through charm-ing Gurung villages and rhododendron for-ests up to the Annapurna Sanctuary.

As you hike up through the jungle you will be surprised to be in such a tropical climate, as most other mountains have drier cli-mates. This is because the south side of the Himalayan range gets much more rain than the north side causing it to have a tropical climate. The climate in the Annapurna re-gion varies from subtropical to alpine. The southern slopes of the area has the highest rainfall rate in the country- 3000mm per year, whereas the northern slopes lying in the rain shadow has the lowest rate – less than 300mm per year. The difference in the climatic conditions in this region is also re-sponsible for its varied flora and fauna. The region serves as an excellent habitat for rare and endangered mammals like the snow leopard, musk deer, blue sheep, red panda and many of Nepal’s brilliantly plumaged pheasants.

Our route took us along the highly cultivat-ed terraced hillsides of rural Nepal through a region populated by the Gurung people; an ethnic group whose manpower contrib-utes greatly to the famed Gurkha Brigades. The trail is made of hand cut rocks carefully placed to make perfect steps through the hillside and is a pleasure to hike on. Aside from the cow patties that are strewn across the trail, the trail is remarkably clean and easy to follow. There are no main roads and helicopters are sometimes used for transporting goods and supplies to the small mountain villages. This makes trails the primary way for transportation for trekkers, shepherds, school children, and porters car-

TTTTent Peakkkk iiis one of the most trekked peaks inNepal, the summit offering a stunning 360

A Hike to the base of Tent Peak

(5663m)

Nearly every commodity

that exists along this

network of trails was

carried up there by animals

or more often by people.

As you hike up through

the jungle you will be

surprised to be in such a

tropical climate, as most

other mountains have drier

climates.

Picturesque views on the Annapurna trail

rying supplies up to the villages. Nearly every commodity that exists along this net-work of trails is carried up there by animals or more often by people.

After a few hours of trekking on the first day, we stopped at Dhampus, a quaint little town perched on a ridge line in the jungle hills. Most of the accommodation offered by the lodges along the trail is clean. Each of these lodges or tea houses has about 20 small rooms and offers a number of options for food - everything from pizza to ‘dal bhat’ to momos. All the food is freshly prepared using mostly local ingredients. If the weath-er is clear, this particular place has some amazing mountain views. The views of mas-sive mountains jutting out into the sky left us breathless. The glaciers, rock faces, and sharp ridges seemed to be something out of a fantasy movie or an abstract painting. It just seemed so beautiful and magnificent. In the cold morning air they seemed to be frozen in time as if someone had pulled back a curtain from a panoramic picture from long ago. As the sunlight began to hit the peaks, we realized just how high above the peaks were. Some peaks which seemed within reach were actually over five thou-sand meters further up. It’s hard to not want

to spend all day getting lost amidst these amazing views.

During the trek, we followed a simple pat-tern: wake up, eat, hike for about 4 hours, arrive at a tea house, have lunch, read, re-lax, play cards, eat dinner, and then go to bed. The views continued to whet our ap-petite for the total envelopment we would experience inside the Annapurna Sanc-tuary. For the first few days, we moved through the jungle toward the sanctuary. The trails, towns, and terrain are similar on this route. Around four days into the trip, we reached rougher terrain, with some snow on the ground, colder temperatures, and walls of rock in the canyons that shot into the sky. Way above, these immense walls form glaciers and mountains peaks forming an amphitheatre that is ringed by


Hiunchuli (6.331m), Annapurna South (7219m), Baraha Shikar(7647m), Annapur-na I(8091m), Kangshar Kang(7485m),Tarke Kang (7193m), Gangapurna (7455m), An-napurna III(7555m), Gandharba Chuli (6248m) and Machhapuchhare (6993m). This is Annapurna Sanctuary, first discov-ered in 1947 by Jimmy Roberts, first used as a base camp by Chris Bonnington’s expedi-tion in 1970 and visited every year by thou-sands of trekkers.

Pure Himalayan Magic at

Annapurna Sanctuary

As we approached the sanctuary, we felt as though we were entering something so much bigger and more spectacular than anything we had ever experienced. The feeling was overwhelming. One can’t help but feel small and overpowered by the sur-rounding beauty. It seemed as though we were witnessing something sacred, power-ful, fierce, and yet so intoxicatingly beau-tiful that it felt almost holy. As the clouds momentarily divided, we saw slivers of the mountains that now surrounded us. The beauty left us spellbound.

Annapurna South Base Camp

At the Annapurna South Base Camp it was cold and snowy. There are tea houses whose services you can use for accommodation and food. It’s always good fun to gaze around the walls of a tea house. I knew that some of the best climbers in the world had stayed in these same places. I almost expected to see pictures of Maurice Herzog or Ed Viesturs. But instead I found posters of Mr. T and the Austrian Alps.

At the foot of Tharpu Chuli

(Tent Peak)

The view from Annapurna Base Camp is in-describable. Around you is a composition of three hundred and sixty degrees of some of the largest mountains in the world. The south face of Annapurna I towers above, with snarled snow fields and sheer rock faces. The circle of peaks at the sanctuary is naturally divided by a ridge that stretches south from Tarke Kang into the centre of the amphitheatre, separating the south An-napurna Glacier. It is this ridge that rises to form Singu Chuli (6390m) which in turn falls to a ridge connecting it to Tharpu Chu-li. From Annapurna Sanctuary we followed

the trail leading to Tent Peak high camp. The ragged glaciers crept slowly down from the high summits above. Struggling against the glaciated mountain passes, we finally reached our destination.

About the author: James Ward from Colo-rado, USA is a Technical Evangelist for Flex at Adobe and Adobe’s JCP representative. He enjoys climbing mountains and pro-gramming because according to him ‘both these activities provide endless new discov-eries, elegant workarounds, summits and valleys’. He and his wife Jenny trekked to Tharpu Chuli in the Spring of 2009. About his Tharpu Chuli trek he says, “Our experi-ences in the Himalayas have transformed us into people who now appreciate the beauty of this earth and the beauty of the people who get to enjoy it even more.”

Getting There:Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure

organizes treks to Tharpu Chuli (Tent

Peak) & the Annapurna Sanctuary. For

detailed itineraries:

www.explorehimalaya.com.

Sharp ridges cutting out into the sky, Annapurna Sanctuary

na South Annapur-

5m) Tarke

Annapurna South Base Camp

At the Annapurna South Base Camp it was

the trail leading The ragged glacithe high summit

A small lake fed by glacier

Camp at Tharpu Chuli BC

Sunlight lightening up spires of some peaks encircling the Annapurna Sanctuary


POINTERS

CAN YOU HANDLE IT?

If you can walk, you can hike, but start with beginner-rated trails of a few kilometers or less and then work your way up to longer, more dif-ficult hikes. In Nepal, there aren’t really signs at the trailhead, or even a marked trailhead for that matter so make sure you start out on trails that you have definite information such as the length of the route about. Once you know the length of the trail, work it out in your mind in terms of a familiar distance. For example, how much longer or shorter is the trail than the distance from your home to your workplace? Once you have a good idea, gauge your time and effort accordingly.

The difficulty of any trek or walk depends on daily mileage (how much you can or want to walk every day), hilliness of the terrain, and altitude. Most walking trips, tailored for mod-erately active people, cover gentle terrain at low altitudes, and many have optional shorter routes. If you need a break, you can always skip a day and lounge around at the hotel or lodge talking to the locals and engaging perhaps in some photography. But on a serious trek, you seldom have a choice other than to make it to the day’s destination. Altitudes above 14,000 feet or vertical gains of more than 2,000 feet per day demand excellent physical fitness. The good news is that you can have your fit-ness level assessed. If in doubt, be conserva-tive, especially when it comes to the dizziness and shortness of breath associated with high altitudes.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS

Skills needed for hiking apply to any outdoor sport. A course in basic first aid wouldn’t hurt, but at least know how to bandage a wound and to detect the signs of dehydration, heatstroke, and hypothermia. Learn how to read clouds; knowing a nimbus from a cumulus can be the difference between a waterlogged hike and a merely cloudy one. Simple knowledge of such things can be crucial.

GEAR UP!

Everyone needs a day pack; choose one with multiple pockets, padded shoulder straps, and large zipper closure. And make sure it’s the right size: When properly adjusted, the base should sit on your hips and the top should be at least one hand-width below the base of your neck. The wrong size pack can give you a back-ache and even cause long term problems so give this special attention. Footwear designed specifically for hiking offers better support and traction. Choose a pair that’s a half-size larger than your street shoes to allow for some swelling as you walk and to accommodate heavier hiking socks. Wear thick wool or syn-thetic blend socks designed to wick moisture away from the feet, as wet feet is the primary cause of blisters. Some things to keep in your day pack are: a first-aid kit, water bottle, Swiss Army knife, topographic map, compass, light blanket, and sweater.

TREK TALK

HOT SPOT: That little tingle of friction you feel on your foot before you get a blister. Don’t ig-nore the feeling: Take off your boot and wrap your foot with protective medical tape before that tingling evolves into a full-fledged blister.

LOOP TRAIL: A trail that starts at point A and circles back to the same point without repeat-ing any section of the trail.

SCREE SLOPE: A challenging slope of loose rock and shale or a rock that is formed from layers of clay.

SADDLE: A trail stretched over the lowest point between two peaks, resembling a saddle.

AIMING OFF: Intentionally erring about 5 de-grees off-course when using a compass bearing and heading toward your target destination. The benefit of aiming off is you’ll know exactly which way to turn to get to your destination when you reach the baseline.

Going Trekking?How hard can walking along a trail with a pack strapped to your back be? Most fi rst time trekkers start out with the notion that they are in good health and something as simple shouldn’t require exceptional skill or conditioning. The truth is carrying that backpack and walking up a hill or down it does require some amount of planning, the right equipment and plain old common sense. There are no strenuous physical and mental exercises that you need to undergo to get ready for that trek. There are however, a few simple things you should know before you head out towards the hills. Read on.

If you keep this information with you,

you should be alright on your trip.

But most importantly, head out with

a serious intention to have fun and

learn from the trip. Everything else

should follow.

Happy Trekking!



ULTR LIGHT

WHAT’S THAT IN THE SKY?

IS IT A BIRD?

IS IT SUPERMAN?

NO! IT’S ...

AN EXPERIENCE THAT COMES CLOSEST TO FLYING WITHOUT WINGS........

Text by Yesha Malla

Photos Courtesy: AVIA CLUB NEPAL

ADVENTUREINTRO


No wonder Icarus of Greek mythology strayed too near the sun with his flimsy wings made of waxed-together feathers in his enthusiasm for his flight and fell to his demise. And though we have given up on such wings, we have managed to come up with various aircrafts to keep those dreams alive. But airplanes have now become com-mercialized into something akin to flying buses and the thrill of flying is lost. Paraglid-ing is not for the fainthearted and best left to the experts. Are we then only to dream of that feeling of bliss that comes with seeing the world spread out below you as you fly amidst birds? Enter ultralight aircrafts.

Ultralight aircrafts are a relatively new phe-nomenon in the aviation world. They came into existence sometime between the late 1970s and early 1980s. Yet they have gained extreme popularity among airplane and avi-ation enthusiasts. The control one has on

ultralight flight is absolute, making it easy to operate and safer. With its low weight and low fuel usage, it can sail smoothly along wind currents as easily as it can fly around controlled by the engines.

Previously used mainly for military purpos-es or to spray medicine into vast fields, ul-tralight aircrafts are now used commercially as well as for recreational purposes. Today these aircrafts can be hired to bear banners, and of course, for sightseeing tours. Popu-lar all over the world, ultralight aviation has gained momentum in Nepal as well. Avia Club Nepal, the first and currently the only aviation club in Nepal, has been using ul-tralight aircraft since 1996 mainly for pro-viding sightseeing tours around Nepal along with training, sports and pleasure flights and even for aerial photography and ecological monitoring of terrain. At present, ultralight sightseeing flights in Nepal can only be ex-

perienced in Pokhara, which is also the only place with such flights in all of South Asia.

Avia Club Nepal possesses five ultralight aircrafts and imports its pilots from abroad who have been chosen for their expertise and qualifications. These Russian aircrafts have operational speeds that range from 70 to 110 km/hr. Reminiscent of paragliders, ultralight aircrafts have huge wings made of strong Dacron fabric material which is designed to withstand the air load stresses that these planes encounter. The aircraft can fly for four hours and reach heights of 5000 meters flying 300 km at a stretch. The minimum range required for their takeoff and landing is 150 - 200m.

The pilot controls the flight while the pas-senger, whose seat might be behind or adjacent to that of the pilot, enjoys the ex-perience. The simple open cockpit allows

Imagine the rush of the wind in your hair as you soar through the boundless skies, passing tufts of cloud and perhaps even a few birds, the grounds staring up at you. The ecstasy; the freedom; the endless possibilities!


1. Straight view Anna South, Anna I, Anna II, Fishtail, Anna IV and

Anna II (from right)

2. Above the base camp of Mardi Himal

3. Aerial view of Pokhara city and street

4. Above the clouds

5. Towards Fishtail range

6. Circling the World Peace Pagoda

7. Aerial view of Phewa Lake

8. The sunset view

9. Mission fl ight of three aircrafts together

4

5

7

6

8 9

1

2 3


passengers to literally feel the wind and gives access to amazing bird’s eye views. In fact it is this open-air experience that attracts most individuals to ultralight flights. Passengers, who range from children above eight years to the elderly, can enjoy the claustrophobia free experience of the open aircraft. The high aerodynamic qualities allow this delta wing aircraft to perform long flights even with the engine turned off.

Avia Club Nepal provides various ultralight flight schemes for tourists who wish for a bird’s eye view of the magical beauty of Pokhara’s mountains and lakes. The short-est flight lasts for 15 minutes and features a trip over the city of Pokhara, Phewa Lake, near Sarangkot hill, over the Buddha mon-astery and the south side of the city. This short flight at the speeds of 50 to 90 km/hr will give you a panoramic view of the whole Annapurna Range with a view of another 8,000 meter peak - Dhaulagiri and Manaslu in the distance. The maximum altitude at-tained is 5,000 feet.

To spend more time in the air, one can opt for the 30 minute flight, which takes you higher and farther; over the Tibetan refu-gee camp and as far as Lamachaur on the northern part of the valley besides the above mentioned areas. The flight also takes you as close to the Fish Tail Mountain as it’s possible with the speed of 90 km/hr. A one hour flight is also offered which covers the whole Annapurna range at speeds of 90 to 130 km/hr to an altitude of 12,000 ft.

The flights are organized during the rela-tively dry months of September to May, as rains can disrupt the flights and possibly put lives at jeopardy. The flights take place from sunrise to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to sunset every day during these months. Prospective fliers are recommended to wear warm com-fortable clothes and close toed shoes.

Concerned about any danger involved in these flights? In Pokhara, ultralight tour services are very safety-oriented. Flight op-erations are controlled by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, which checks pilots’ proficiency and the condition of the aircraft. Each aircraft has a ballistic parachute system that enables the pilot to perform a safe land-ing in case of emergencies or engine fail-ures. Insurance policies exist and provide fi-nancial protection to the passenger, aircraft pilot and the third parties. According to the insurance policy, the first and second party, the pilot and the passenger respectively, are insured for 20,000 US dollars, and the third party, anyone or anything hit by the aircraft in accidents, has an insurance of 1 million US dollars.

So if you have always gazed up in envy into the sky at eagles circling in the heavens, now you know what to do about it! With sce-nic views of Pokhara with the backdrop of magnificent mountains, Ultra light flights are the best way to defy gravity, leave your troubles behind on the ground and let the skies bathe you with a rush to rejuvenate your senses.

Avia Club Nepal, the fi rst and currently the

only aviation club with ultralight aircraft in

Nepal, has been providing sightseeing tours

since 1996.

LOCATION

The fl ight is operated in Pokhara; the magic

of the mountains, meandering rivers and

the beauty of the valley will give you an

impression that you will not soon forget.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Type: Weight Shift Ultralight

Model: Biman, Cruise, Aeroprakt, Airborne

Manufactured at: Engine- Austria, Body-

Russia

GB Speed Range:32-80 hp

Cruise Speed: Speed ranging from 70 km/hr

to 110 km/hr.

Engine: Rotax 582 – 66 hp, Rotax 912 S –

100 hp

Range: 280 km

Max Alt: 12,000 ft

Max Wind OK: 15 mph, G-Load : +4 G

Passenger Weight: < 220 lbs

FAQs

What should I wear?

Prospective fl iers are recommended to

wear comfortable long pants and closed-toe

shoes. Helmet and a windbreaker will be

supplied. No loose items (keys, coins, etc.)

are permitted in your pants or shirt pockets

during the fl ight for safety reasons.

Who is the pilot?

Pilots are brought from Russia and are

authorized by the Civil Aviation Authority of

Nepal.

Is this safe?

Avia Club Nepal is an active member of

Nepal Air sports Association that is an

executive FAI (Federation of Aeronautical

International) member. Flight operations

are controlled by the Civil Aviation Authority

of Nepal, which checks pilots’ profi ciency

and the condition of the aircraft. Each

aircraft has a ballistic parachute system that

enables the pilot to perform a safe landing

in case of emergencies.

When are fl ights available?

The best months to fl y are the dry months

from September to May when winds are

most favorable. Flights are generally

scheduled early in the morning or shortly

before sunset during these months.

How much is this?

A 15 minute fl ight is 57.00 Euros, 30

minute fl ight is charged 90.00 Euros and

the one hour fl ight costs 167.00 Euros.

Approximately NPR 170 will be charged at

the airport as tax.

ULTRA LIGHT IN NEPAL,

AT A GLANCE





THE PUREST ACT IN THE WORLDFor centuries now, Hindus and Buddhists have sculpt-ed and then invoked life into stone images of their deities.

STONE CRAFT

A stone is somehow more natural than every-thing else. It is what the world stands on, I thought, I stood on a large piece of stone my-self, looking at some stone craftsmen work. It is only fitting that images of gods and god-desses that form a belief system that major parts of the population also depend on, be made out of stone. As lone stone craftsmen struck large pieces of stone, I tried to put what they were doing into a nutshell. They had tools in their hands that were made out of natural materials such as wood and iron, with which they were striking huge pieces of rock blown out of cliffs. Into these rocks they would mark and then carve out images of god that they and millions of other peo-ple on earth believe to be the creator of the universe. A strange calm sets over the place with the only sound being that of iron hit-

ting rock. It’s a piercing sound that rings in your ears for a while after impact but it’s still peaceful somehow. This might just be the purest act in the world ever, just man and his tools, perspiring and laboring over creat-ing something out of something that forms the core of the earth - stone.

Stone images of various deities are made around the world. Invoking a deity into a stone image however is a custom that is unique to a small number of countries in the world. It is not every day that you hear about a mortal sculpting an image of a de-ity and then invoking life into it. But such a practice does exist in countries like Nepal and India although even locals might not know much about it. But from where and how did all of this start?

Stone was amongst the first materials to be used by prehistoric man to create tools. Even though stone gave way to metal, it continued to be the preferred material for making sculptures. The oldest known works of representational art also happen to be stone carvings. Prehistoric Venus figurines such as the Venus of Berekhat Ram may be as old as 800,000 years and are carved in stones such as tuff and limestone.

Nepal has a very old stone carving history too. Today highly skilled and capable artisans in Nepal continue to use tech-niques and tools that have remained unchanged over the centuries. Most of the stone carvings that have survived throughout Nepal, in and around temples and other heritage sites, are from the 13th to the 18th century Malla period. Clans of Newars, natives of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur have passed on their stone carving skills from generation to genera-tion. A surge in the involvement of youth, particularly the Tamangs and Newars has provided some much needed assurance

that the art of traditional stone carving is still alive and flourishing. Stone work-ers now enjoy increased interest among Nepalese buyers as well as foreigners as stone images have started to emerge as one of the more important exports from Nepal. Apart from the stone im-ages that are being exported to foreign countries, even skilled stone artisans are in high demand for the construc-tion of images mostly of the Buddha in Buddhist countries such as Korea and Sri Lanka.

In neighboring India, the stone-carving tradition is one of the richest in the world. Guilds of masons and stone carv-ers have existed there since the 7th cen-tury B.C. The skills were handed down as family lore from father to son, a prac-tice that is still prevalent in many parts of the country. The tradition of invoking life into deities too has been handed over from one generation of high caste Hindu and Buddhist priests in both Nepal and India.


The Book of Genesis, Chapter 2 tells of how God took some clay from the ground and made the shape of a man. Then he breathed gently into the shape. The man’s eyes opened and he began to live. God called him Adam. He then created Eve (and got us all where we are today!) The tables have turned now it seems as men take stone slabs, carve out the shape of a deity and then breathe life into it.

There is a certain irony in this process called Bhagvan Sthapana, Bhagvan meaning ‘god’ and Sthapana mean-ing ‘to establish’. Hindu culture’s entire belief system is based on the fact that god created the universe and that god resides in everything and in us all. So in-voking a deity to come reside in a stone structure when all matter supposedly already has god in it might seem a little unnecessary. But the process is more of a purifying act for the structure and has more symbolic value than anything else. There are literally hundreds of ceremonies that invoke life into the hundreds of deities that are men-tioned in Hindu mythology. It is the same case with Buddhist deities too. A Chaitya - a four sided Buddhist stone or metal structure with images of various avatars of the Buddha - is ‘brought to life’ by Bajracharya priests and idols of Hindu dei-ties by Bahun caste priests.

The process of Bhagvan Sthapana takes place after all finishing touches have been ap-plied on a stone image. Before the process, the stone image might be stepped upon and even walked over by people working on it, but after Bhagavan Sthapana, any such act would be considered a grave sin. The Sthapana is usually held before establishing the image in its final resting place such as a temple, a public place or within private prem-ises. In my quest to find out more about this

unique tradition, I sought the help of Indra Siddhi Bajracha-rya, who besides having a Post Graduate Diploma in Buddhist Studies, is also pursuing a PhD on the same topic. In his study room, with great enthusiasm and over steaming cups of Nepali tea, he explained to me, in as simple terms as possible, the intricacies of establishing a chaitya.

Although chaityas appeared in Buddhism as a commemo-rative emblem of a well known Buddhist figure or of the

objects or articles he possessed, it later turned into an important symbolic monument of Buddhism as well as a sacred symbol of worship having great veneration

and adoration amongst Buddhists. Chaityas vary in shape, size and style with some of the existing ones carrying great historical, archaeological and artistic value. Some of the big ones such as the Swayambhu

Maha Chaitya are even popular tourism sites. “The installation of these chaityas, both small and big, is an important part of Buddhist culture. It is in fact one of the most meritorious acts in Buddhism. There is a sacred lunar month called Gunla, a time

Breathing Life into God

There is a certain irony in this process called Bhagvan Sthapana, Bhagvan meaning ‘god’ and Sthapana meaning

‘to establish’. Hindu culture’s entire belief system is based on the fact that god created the universe and that god resides in everything

and in us all.


when no meat or liquor is consumed, which is observed by Newar Buddhists. The mak-ing of miniature chaityas is practiced dur-ing this time,” says Bajracharya as he flips through dusty, yellowed volumes, engrossed in text and diagrams on traditions that have been passed down for centuries.

The head Bajracharya who is in charge of the sthapana is known as Mulacharya. He and others choose an auspicious occasion on which to start this chain of ceremonies. There are five major ritualistic steps in-volved in the establishment of the chaitya; Sutrapatan- which is the formulation and measurement of the site for the chaitya, Padasthapana – laying a foundation for the structure, Ratnanyasa – invoking life into the image, Chudikasthapana – erecting the pin-nacle and Pratistha – the consecration. Of the five, Ratnanyasa is the stage where life is invoked into the image but the whole practice is crucial to successfully invoke the deity into the chaitya. Firstly, with Sutrapatan, the land where the chaitya is to be erected is worshipped. This is called Bhumi Yachana in Newari. Using forty jackfruit sticks, a carpenter will mark and plot the area after which ten special deities are worshipped in each direction. The area within the boundary is divided into 81 rooms. After numerous ceremonies to purify this area, a ‘homa’ ritual is performed and finally, all the materials used at the site for the ceremony are disposed into a holy river.

Padasthapana, the second stage of this ritual, means to estab-lish a footing for the structure. This process also needs to be carried out on an auspicious day. The ceremony is quite de-tailed: nine piles of new bricks, each containing five bricks and nine heaps of soil are first arranged. Nine pieces of small tortoise shapes drawn out on thin files of gold and silver and nine pairs of gold and silver lotuses are kept in nine copper vessels – one of them being a Kalash. These along with a set of small gold and silver spades are worshipped. After this, the person performing the ceremony hands over the bricks and the mud as well as the silver and gold spades to the mason. The mason first spreads sand collected from five Tirthas - pilgrimage sites, over the selected area and then arranges the bricks over this layer forming swastika shapes, each with

central pits. This process is repeated care-fully to form nine swastikas starting from the centre. The placement of the copper vessels in the nine pits so formed completes the Padhsthapana. The mason now builds the base up to the plinth level and the Cha-itya is fixed up to the Mandala level with 13 square holes from the plinth level.

Ratnanyasa, the pivotal invoking ceremony, performed on a consecutive auspicious day starts with a homa puja. The 13 square holes of the mandala are the seat of 13 deities. A Ratnanyasa packet consisting of herbs, pre-cious stones and metals is also placed here. The square holes are then covered by a cop-per plate which is engraved with certain mantras. Chandukasthapana - the pinnacle fixing stage - follows immediately after the

Ratnan-

yasa worship. After the pinnacle is fixed over the copper plate comes the Samkshipta Pal-istha – a concise consecration and Palistha Karma – a full consecration of the chaitya. Once the sanctification is completed, the Chaitya is assumed to have life and to be worthy of worship.

Even after both consecration ceremonies, there is yet another full consecration. This is especially interesting as the ritual borrows heavily from traditional Hindu customs.

Almost all ceremonies that take place for a Hindu are carried out; the commence-ment of puberty of the mother when she is younger, her wishing for a son, pregnancy, the birth of the son, the traditional naming ceremony for the baby, the feeding of the first grain of rice, an ordination, celibacy of the youth, his coming back to domestic life and finally marriage. So the structure as it stands after the ceremony resembles a living person in that it has symbolically undergone everything that an adult person has. “It might not be an exaggeration if one were to say, based on this description of the sthapana details that the installation of such a structure, worshipped as a god here-after, is practically modeled from the life of a mortal,” says Bajracharya as he finally sits upright and closes his books. Such an image, especially a Chaitya now becomes an important part of the community, with many a ceremony and celebrations being performed in its presence.

The art of stone craft is one that has been painstakingly preserved in Nepal; painstak-ingly because the people who are involved

in the actual masonry are paid peanuts compared to the exorbitant prices at

which they might be sold to affluent clients. Most times middle men end up with the lion’s share of the profits. Even under such harsh conditions and in a crippled econ-

omy, artisans have managed to keep passing the baton to younger genera-tions. With renewed interest in stone

craft and interest from foreigners regarding ancient techniques as

well as the construction of struc-tures in their own countries, there is hope that such events will pump some much needed financial initiative into the field. It’s the least that can be hoped for, for an art form that repre-sents Nepal and its artistic his-

tory so beautifully.

Bhagvan Sthapana too has been a tough torch to bear for the people involved in such rites and rituals. Puja ceremonies of every kind, some that create peace to some that invite prosperity into the home are still very much the rage today. But in a world of quick fixes, invoking life into a deity and then worshipping it as god might lose its charm easily if not well preserved. Like the mortals around whose life their invokement is modelled, in these troubled times, gods too it seems, could do with a little luck.


YAK & YETIh o t e l

Who in Nepal (and beyond) hasn’t heard of the hotel of the exalted fame

the Yak and Yeti? Well, as a kid born and raised in Kathmandu, I certainly

had. I had imagined woolly humongous yaks and shaggy big footed yetis

roaming around the huge hotel the moment I had heard of the unique and

imaginative name. So it was no wonder that I was looking forward to visiting

the Yak and Yeti Hotel.

Text by Yesha Malla

HOTELS&CASINOS

HOTELS&CASINOS


he history of the Yak and Yeti hotel starts with one visionary: Boris Lis-sanevitch, who had come to Nepal

through the Russian Army. A famed food connoisseur, he built the instantly popular and now restored to its earlier glory - the Chimney. With its wide success, the idea of opening a hotel was conceived in the early seventies. Kathmandu had then just opened its gates to outsiders when Boris set up the country’s first western-type hotel in a very opulent, very Nepalese-type palace and welcomed the first batch of foreign tourists to visit the ‘forbidden kingdom’. The hotel had its sanctum at the Lal Durbar or the Red Palace.

The Lal Durbar was the third palace of Ma-harajah Bir Shumsher built at around 1885 A.D. during his reign as the Prime Minister of Nepal. While little survives of his other two homes, the Seto Durbar and the Phora Durbar, the Lal Durbar has been well pre-served. Inspired by Victorian design, the Lal Durbar was renovated and now comprises the palace wing of the hotel, still maintain-ing its regal glory and flaunting the Neo-Classical style from Europe that the Ranas were so fond of. The Maharaja’s former private quarters now function as the hotel’s ballrooms and convention halls. All of them retain the original Rana decor.

Located at Durbar Marg, the hub of Kath-mandu, the hotel Yak and Yeti isn’t very dif-ficult to find. As I made my way through the ornate doorway at the boulevard of Durbar Marg to the premises, flanked by the mag-nificent Lal Durbar; trees lined the way and the intricately decorated waterspouts and the three temples at the corner gave the feel of antiquated glory. And I was still only in the parking lot!

Adorned with statues and sculptures from dif-ferent eras of the history of Nepal, the presi-dential wing is a sight to behold. The hotel was bustling with activity as porters helped new arrivals with their luggage, the recep-tionists at the lobby attended to customers, and guests chatted with each other, at home

Modern day sophistication greets

cultural heritage in the ample grounds

of the 100-year-old palace and newly

designed structure of the hotel.


in the hotel’s soothing atmosphere. The lounge was filled with people relaxing with their friends, being offered drinks and pastries by the friendly waiters. The well-stocked bar nearby boasted a selec-tion of fine liquor and other beverages. The piano at the center of the lounge promised great musical evenings.

The Sunrise Café next to the lounge is yet another well-designed feature of the hotel. It’s a charming café with cordial chefs and waiters intent on giving guests a memorable gourmet journey. Pieces of art dot the small cozy area and the huge windows let in streams of light that leave everything and everyone pleasantly sun-kissed. The café offers delicious in-ternational cuisine throughout the day, and additionally organizes theme nights throughout the week where the chefs choose a particular cuisine from a foreign country.

Besides the Sunrise Café, Yak and Yeti Hotel also offers superb dining experi-ence at the Chimney with its traditional historic feel and the savory food or the Pub where people relax with their friends and family with their choice of exotic drinks or varied choice of freshly baked pastries, cookies, cakes, breads and choc-olates at the Bakers Basket.

The Yak and Yeti’s gardens are beautiful. A cobbled path leads around the prem-ises and tables are laid out for guests to hang out at. Kids splash about in two swimming pools with pristine water, as grownups sunbathe in deckchairs a few yards away. A couple asked me to take pictures of them near the numerous trees surrounding the lawn. Another couple played tennis in the court at the end of the ground. A family enjoyed themselves in a hearty conversation in a table not far away; a picture of contentment and hap-piness.

The Yak and Yeti’s lawn has many promi-nent landscape features. The little statue

of the Garuda in a tiny temple on top of a small hill adds to the aesthetic beauty of the place. A small statue of the Buddha in peaceful meditation nestles in the shady recesses of a thicket of trees at the edges of the gardens. The cobbled path leads to a pond with ducks and a small wooden bridge arching over the water leading to a small clearing with a bell and a small temple dedicated to the Kumari (the liv-ing Goddess) in the middle. The replica-tion of nature at its best; the attention to detail and the tranquil contemplative at-mosphere it creates is definitely worthy of a mention.

The hotel offers 270 guestrooms that like the rest of the hotel reflect its fusion of contemporary and antique furnishings. The hotel originally had 120 rooms when it was completed in 1977. After a successful run of 12 years, with the need to enhance the hotel’s size and facilities, the hotel un-derwent an extension of 150 deluxe rooms and suites (designed to harmonize with the special features of the Lal Durbar) to supplement the existing accommoda-tions.

All of the guest rooms are comfortable and well equipped. With a 5 star hotel status to uphold, the rooms are provided with ame-nities at par with international standards, with a multitude of in room conveniences

such as en-suite bathrooms, international Direct Dial telephones and a fully stocked mini bar to name a few. The hotel suc-ceeds at meeting the needs of both busi-ness and leisure travelers. The hotel also boasts of a Jacuzzis, a full gymnasium, spa and sauna facilities, as well as an on-site Casino for guests to try their luck in the evenings. I was intrigued; it must be im-possible to be bored at the Yak and Yeti!

The hotel focuses on the blending of the past with the present, in its rooms. As mentioned earlier, the hotel provides many modern conveniences, but hasn’t forgotten to titillate the aesthetic senses of guests. The Newari Wing is the tradi-

AFTER A SUCCESSFUL RUN OF 12 YEARS, WITH THE

NEED TO ENHANCE THE HOTEL’S SIZE AND FACILITIES,

AN EXTENSION OF 150 DELUXE ROOMS AND

SUITES WERE BUILT TO SUPPLEMENT THE EXISTING

ACCOMMODATION.

Reception Desk1.

Sunrise Cafe - Coff ee Shop2.

The Chimney Restaurant3.

Garden Garuda Temple4.


tional wing of the hotel with rich authentic Newari woodcarvings framing inlaid brick-walls set against peacock blue and autumn décor. The Durbar wing is the latest con-temporary addition to the hotel’s accom-modation where international elegance is evoked in gentle shades of peach and pale yellow. Subtle Asian mysticism lingers in the museum pieces adorning each room. The Durbar wing also offers Kathmandu’s first and only non-smoking floor.

Suites offered include the Junior, Business and the Executive suites. The Junior Suite

offers contemporary accommodation ac-cented by seemingly antediluvian treasures and a cozy living area. The Business Suite is the discerning business traveler’s home with sophisticated facilities specifically included for the convenience of a busy executive. The Executive Suite is ideal for large family or business travelers requiring extra accom-modation with a plush king size master bed-room and adjoining twin bedroom. Each room offers a garden or a city view with the grandeur of the Himalayas serving as a natu-ral backdrop.

I may have entered the Yak and Yeti hotel for work and research but I left feeling I had done nothing but enjoy myself. The rich history, the beauty and the hospitality of the hotel wins over anyone who spends time there, no matter how little that time might be. No wonder this deluxe oasis is consid-ered one of the finest hotels in Nepal. The Yak and Yeti is a perfect medium with which to experience Nepal.

THE HOTEL OFFERS 270

GUESTROOMS THAT LIKE

THE REST OF THE HOTEL

REFLECT ITS FUSION OF

CONTEMPORARY AND

ANTIQUE FURNISHINGS.

Superior Room1.

Executive Suite2.

Deluxe Room3.

Club Room4.


Jhamiskhel, Lalitpur; Ph No: 5528732; G.P.O Box: 8975 EPC: 1206; Email: [email protected]

&

Walter

Restaurant

& BarPlease

Contact for

Latest

Mouth

Watering

Selection...

BABER MAHAL REVISITED, KATHMANDU, PHONE: + 977 (1) 425 3337

[email protected]

365 Restaurant with Hookah Bar

Pulchowk, Lalitpur

Tel: 2110800

Speciality: Arabian

Baryo Fiesta

Naxal, Kathmandu

Tel: 4414395

Speciality: Tandoori, Taas

Bhumi The Restro Lounge

Lazimpat, Kathmandu

Tel: 4412193

Speciality: Newari

Boddhi Garden Vegetarian

Restaurant

Maharajgunj, Kathmandu

Tel: 4721939

Speciality: Various Veg

Tastes

Bourbon Room

Narayanhiti Marg, Kathmandu

Tel: 4441703

Speciality: Continental, Italian,

Oriental

Cafereena

Sherpa Mall, Kathmandu

Tel: 4231313

Speciality: Thai, Multi

Café de Patan

Patan Durbar Square, Lalitpur

Tel: 5537599

Speciality: Newari Foods

Cherry Lounge & Bar

Lazimpat, Opp. Shangrila Hotel

Mob: 9741 115143

Speciality: Cherry fl avour drinks

Chopstick Restaurant & Bar

Buddhabari, Teku, Kathmandu

Tel: 4104503

Speciality: Chinese Cuisine

Chez Caroline

Babarmahal, Kathmandu

Tel: 4263070

Speciality: French

Dhaba Restaurant & Bar

Thapathali, Kathmandu

Tel: 4100510

Speciality: Indian

Flavour’s Café & Restaurant

Bouddha, Kathmandu

Tel: 2140277

Speciality: Chinese

Green Organic Café & Salad Bar

Thamel, Kathmandu

Tel: 4215726

Speciality: Nepali, Continental

Hot Breads

New Road, Kathmandu

Tel: 4429031

Speciality: Confectionery

Holiday Karaoke Restaurant & Bar

Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu

Tel: 4445731

Speciality: South, East, Asian

K-Too Bear & Steak House

Paryatan Marg, Kathmandu

Tel: 4700043

Speciality: Thai

Koto Restaurant

Durbar Marg, Kathmandu

Tel: 4226025

Speciality: Japanese Cuisine

Lakhe Restaurant & Bar


Tel: 4256606

Speciality: Lebanese, French,

Italian

Layaku Restaurant

Durbar Square, Bhaktapur

Tel: 4781104

Speciality: Multi

Matsuri

Sherpa Mall, Kathmandu

Tel: 4229032

Speciality: Chinese, Japanese

Mike’s Breakfast

Naxal, Kathmandu

Tel: 4781104

Speciality: American. Mexican,

Italian

RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS&BARS

Restaurant & BarMANGAL BAZAR, LALITPUR

TEL: 5538980

SPECIALITY: MULTI

The AmbianceThe Ambiance

LA ROTISSERIE GRILLED CHICKEN & SANDWICH & ICE CREAM PARLOR

It is an European style of cooking system, which stops the spit for a period of 20 seconds in front of heating element every 180 degrees. It allows meat to constantly baste itself, sealing in natural

juices while letting fat drip off . The Rotisserie off er delicious, low-cholesterol, healthy grilled chicken

and many more to all of valued customers...


Now relocated at Jhamsikhel (near the British school)

Italian, Continental, M

exican, African

CONTACT 2114075

Chitwan: Hatisar, Sauraha, Chitwan, Nepal (Tel: 977-56-580159,550431)Kathmandu Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal (Tel: 977-1-4232953 Fax: 977-1-4215581)Email [email protected] www.hotelparkside.com

hotel parksideyour safari dream....

Remember us for all the

JUNGLE activities

Nhuchhe’s Organic Bistro

Baluwatar, Kathmandu

Tel: 4414383

Speciality: Organic Foods

OR2K

Thamel, Kathmandu

Tel: 4422097

Speciality: Israeli, Arabian

Road House Cafe

Pulchowk, Lalitpur

Tel: 5520524

Speciality: Italian

Red Dingo

Jawalakhel, Lalitpur

Tel: 01-6914930

Speciality: Australian

Royal Saino Restaurant & Bar


Tel: 01-230890

Speciality: Indian, Continental

Royal Thai Restaurant

New Baneshwor, Kathmandu

Tel: 4781104

Speciality: Thai

Rum Doodle

Thamel, Kathmandu

Tel: 4701107

Speciality: Steak & Pizza

Sandwich Center

Tridevi Marg, Lalitpur

Tel: 4426267

Speciality: Sandwich

Shogun Japanese Restaurant

Babarmahal, Kathmandu

Tel: 4263720

Speciality: Japanese

Seoul Arirang Korean Restaurant &

Bar

Nagpokhari, Kathmandu

Tel: 4429052

Speciality: Korean

Tukuche Thakali Kitchen


Tel: 4225890

Speciality: Authentic Nepali

The Lazy Gringo Restaurant

Jawalakhel Chowk, Lalitpur

Tel: 01-2210527

Speciality: Mexican

Tamas SPA Lounge

JP Road, Kathmandu

Tel: 4257658

Speciality: Multi

Tantra Restaurant & Bar

Jyatha, Thamel, Kathmandu

Tel: 4218565

Speciality: Mixed Fusion

Tushita

Lazimpat, Kathmandu

Tel: 4432957

Speciality: Continental, Nepali

Wunjala Moskva

Naxal, Kathmandu

Tel: 4781104

Speciality: Newari, Russian


FOODRINK

Text by Arjun Bhandari

Some love it while some think it’s over rated. But before

you form an opinion, fi nd out what all the fuss is about.

RAISE A GL SS!


IN SIDEWAYS, a charming movie about two friends who plan a getaway to a vineyard before one of them gets mar-ried; Virginia Madsen’s character compares wine beauti-fully to people as she coyly cradles a bottle in her hands. “I like to think about the life of wine. How it’s a living thing. I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it’s an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I’d opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it’s constantly evolving and gaining com-plexity.” Madsen’s seductive drawl drives the point home - who loves not wine, women and song, remains a fool his whole life long.

THE LIFE OF WINE

Wine is as old as civilization itself and has held a significant place in many ancient cultures. Ancient Greece and Rome both celebrated wine and revered the god of wine Dionysus or Bacchus. When we contemplate the wine in our glass, we are looking at one of the oldest known agricultural product in the world which is still popular today.

Wines of all types can be classified by either the primary grape variety or the region where the grapes were grown. Even within types of wine there is a great variety of flavor and texture, due to the climate of growing regions. A warm, wet year will produce grapes with a different flavor than a cooler, dryer growing season. This is why some labels and years are more valu-able than others.

Generally, there are five (red, white, rose, sparking and fortified) types of wine produced worldwide from red and white grapes. Red wine is made

from red grape while white wine is made from white grape varieties. However, making of rose, sparkling and fortified wines are manipulated from red, white or both grape varieties. For example, sparkling wine is mostly made from white grape variety using spe-cial carbonation technique, where as rose wines

are mostly made from red grape varieties using bleeding, minimum skin contact technique.

All around the world, wine producers have their own secret recipes and variations

in production methods, which make each type of wine distinctive.

A GLASS FOR GOOD HEALTH

Already well-known as heart-healthy, drinking wine in modera-tion might help you lose weight, reduce forgetfulness, boost your immunity, and help prevent bone loss. Wine is also said to help you prevent clots and reduce blood vessel inflammation, both of which have been linked to cog-nitive decline and heart disease. Alcohol also seems to raise HDL, the so-called good cholesterol, which helps unclog your arter-ies. As little as half a glass may also guard against food poisoning caused by germs like salmonella when people are exposed to con-taminated food.

Generally speaking, a standard (10 to 13 alcohol percentage) glass of wine for female and two for men a day is good for people with high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. Wine has been histori-cally recommended for the treat-ment of iron deficiency, anemia and to help vegetarians increase their mineral absorption. The keys to the beneficial aspects of wine drinking are regularity and moderation.


PAIRING OF FOOD AND WINE

Wine can enhance the flavor of food. A good match will bring out the nu-ances and enhance the flavors and unique characteristics of both the food and the wine. The basic flavors that occur in food are also found in wine which is, after all, another type of food. They are sweet, tart (sour, acidic), bitter (puckery, astringent sen-sation) and salty (which isn’t found in wine, but affects its flavor). In addition wine has alcohol which adds aroma and

body, making the wine feel richer.

While pairing wine with food, remember that red wines go best with red meat (goat,

lamb and beef), while seafood and poultry are the best options for white wines. Memo-

rable food and wine pairing is achieved when you find similarities and/or contrasts of flavor,

body (texture), intensity, and taste.

ENJOYING WINE

While it is easy to find wine lovers across the world, hardly a few of them know the right way of drinking. Most of us just open the glass, pour the wine and drink it. First of all, you will need to bring the wine to the right temperature for drinking. In case of white wine, you will need to chill it in the fridge for at least an hour before drink-ing and for red wine; it is best served at room tem-perature. After uncorking

give the bottle cork a small inspection, to make sure that there is no mold or discoloration and in case there is, it does not extend beyond the top. Otherwise, do not drink wine from the bottle. Thereafter sniff the cork, to make sure that there are no unpleasant aromas indicating spoilage. In case your wine contains any sediment, you will need to decant it. In other words, pour it into another container, through cheesecloth, wire mesh or coffee filters. An old wine is always decanted just before serving, while younger wines need to be decanted a few hours before drinking to remove grit.

Choose the wine glass carefully; as a rule, wines usually go in larger glasses, especially if served at dinner. Now, let the wine settle (rather “breathe”) in the glass, for a moment or longer to allow the complexity of the flavors to come through. Smell the wine once again, this time to deeply inhale its scent. This will contribute a great deal to its taste. Finally, take a sip of the wine and hold it in your mouth for a moment. After you have been able to notice the different flavors of the drink, it is the time to gulp it down, though gently.

Yes, wine tasting is an art. Wine connoisseurs around the world are swirling ambrosia liquid in their quaint glasses and enjoying blissful sensuous moments on their own. So why not indulge yourself in wine too? Have a wine party, and have a quiet, peaceful and classy evening with your friends and fam-ily. And remember, everything involving wine is a matter of your own taste. If you like it, don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t. This hobby and enjoyment is only for you.

STORING YOUR BELOVED WINE Wine is a living liquid and if it not treated respectfully, it will die prematurely so careful consideration should be taken for

storing your beloved wine. Wine cellars work to protect your precious bottles from the elements, and they also give you a nice

place to show off your collection and store those vintage labels.

When planning your wine cellar, plan ahead of time and know how much space you need, even if budget and room aren’t restrictions.

Pick a dark area that is free from vibration and noise with consistent temperature between 12° to 18°C and humidity level between

50-70%. Proper insulation will do this, but don’t forget to close the door, as temperature variations can occur with the smallest bit of

airfl ow.



MARK DAVIDSON

Mark Davidson, company director of Tamburlaine, manufacturer, senior winemaker and international vineyard consultant, was born in Sydney, Australia

1955. His interest in wine and vineyard persuaded him to enroll in one of the most prestigious universities of viticul-ture- Charles Sturt University, Australia where he graduated in oenology. In 1980, Mark Davidson bought a small winery-

Tamburlaine, and has been at the vortex of the wine production and business op-eration ever since.

Mark, a strong believer of organic farming quotes, “We didn’t inherit the earth from our forefathers; we are borrowing it from our descendants”. With this principle he has embraced the practice of organic farming, with focus on producing high quality wine with cutting edge and at the same time environment friendly sound production techniques. His skill for re-vitalizing degraded land to productive farming using century old natural farm-ing method has won him many awards and accolades. Today Tamburlaine has

grown into a multi-million dollar busi-ness with a reputation for innovation and is among the largest organic wine pro-ducing wineries in Australia as a result of Mark’s sheer determination and commit-ment to achieving excellence.

ABOUT MARK DAVIDSON WINE

One of the most popular and extensively liked Australian wines in Nepal- Mark Da-vidson wines are produced in Tamburlaine, an outstanding five star winery in Australia. Mr. Mark Davidson, the company director has introduced three outstanding quality of wine under his name “Mark Davidson”; these wines are extensively popular in dip-lomatic community, five star hotels and quality restaurants all over Nepal. Tambur-laine Winery recently introduced a new selection of wines with unique names such as: Sanctuary Farm Chardonnay, Mail Run Riesling, North Bore Shiraz and Three’s a Crowd Merlot Cabernet.

“We didn’t inherit the earth from our forefathers;

we are borrowing it from our descendants.”

authentic flavour from china

Tian Rui Chinese Restaurant & Bar Pvt. Ltd.Thapathali, Kathmandu, Phone - 4243078, Fax - 4249162

Email - [email protected]

TIM

ES0

9




NATURE&WILDLIFE

LIVING IN HARMONY WITH

Text by Prita Malla

Photo Courtesy: WWF

Photo by : Francois Xavier Pelletier/ WWF – Canon ©

SEPTEMBER 2009 79TIMES SESEPTTTTTTEMEMEMEMMMEMMMMEMMBEBEBEBEEBEBEBEBBEBBBEBEB RR RRRRRRRR 202020202220202000200202000022 0909090909090909099090909000090909909990999 79977797977TITIMEMEST

When we imagine a

dolphin, we tend to

envision them jumping

in the vast blue sea

but many people will

be amazed to know

that these creatures

are also found in

land locked countries

such as Nepal, which

lies in the laps of the

Himalayas.

DOLPHINS, one of the most charismatic and enchanting aquatic mammals, are amongst the most intelligent animals in the world. Their friendly appearance together with a seemingly playful nature also makes them irresistible to all. Dolphins have a universal appeal, symbolizing freedom, joy, grace and serenity, uplifting the spirit of people all around the world. It is sheer pleasure watching dolphins jump clear of the water executing intricate flips and bar-rel rolls in the air.

All dolphins are toothed whales belong-ing to the sub-order odontocetes, of the or-der cetacea and found in oceans, seas and freshwater. Anatomically, the bodies of these mammals have become streamlined to move effectively in their aquatic habi-tat. Dolphin’s ears are barely noticeable, marked only by a small hole just behind the eye. Their hind limbs have disappeared, their front limbs have developed into flip-pers, and their powerful tail provides them with their chief means of propulsion. A dol-phin’s skin is hairless, thick and lacks glands unlike most mammals. Like all other aquat-ic mammals, below the skin, dolphins have developed a thick layer of blubber to insu-late them from heat loss. The adaptation of the mammal into an aquatic environment seems complete.

Besides being popular for their playful, carefree, childlike nature, dolphins are also famous for their intelligence. It has been maintained that dolphins are the most intel-ligent creatures in the planet, second only to humans. So much so that many mytholo-gies around the world believe dolphins to be originally humans who fell in love with the ocean and never left or were cursed to never leave the waters. Dolphins have an impres-sive ability to learn and imitate behavior

which is attributed to their intelligence. Hu-man have 50:1 brain weight to spinal cord weight -an accurate factor in determining a species’ level of intelligence; in dolphins it is found to be about 40:1, suggesting that dolphins have a level of intelligence compa-rable with humans. The level of folding in a dolphin’s brain also supports this theory.

When we imagine a dolphin, we tend to en-vision them jumping in and out of the vast blue sea but many people will be surprised to know that these creatures are also found in land locked countries such as Nepal, which lies in the laps of the Himalayas. There are five species of freshwater dolphins: Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) and La Plata River Dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) in South America, Yangtze River Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) and Indus River Dol-phin (Platanista minor) in Asia.

The Ganges River dolphin, commonly known as sonsh or susu, is restricted to the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers. In Nepal, they are found in Koshi and Kar-nali river systems. These animals are nearly blind—they lack eye lenses and their eye openings are no bigger than a pinhole. As a result, they rely almost entirely on echoloca-tion to forage for food and navigate in the river. Ganges River dolphins weigh about 70 - 90 kg (170 - 200 lb) and has a length of 2 - 2.5 m (6.6 - 8.2’). They have plump, gray bodies with a strikingly long snout that they use to root in river bottoms for their prey. They have 26 to 39 pairs of teeth in both jaws. The teeth in the front of the mouth overlap and are visible even when the mouth is closed. They breathe through a blowhole located on the top of their head and appear at the surface every 30 or 120 seconds for this purpose.

KINGDOM

PHYLUM

CLASS

ORDER

SUB-ORDER

FAMILY

GENUS

SPECIES

ANIMALIA

CORDATA (VERTEBRATES)

MAMMALIA

CETACEA

ODONTOCETI

PLATANIST IDAE

PLATINISTA

GANGETICA

Photo by : Simon de Trey White/ WWF – UK ©


The Dolphins breed during the months of April to June. After a gestation period of 11-12 months, a mother dolphin gives birth to her calf about 70 cm in length, in shal-low water. The birth process is rapid and the baby slips easily through the birth canal - tail first. As soon as the baby is born, the mother quickly escorts the calf to the water surface to breathe deeply for the first time in air. The mother supports her baby with her flipper for about one and a half month and then releases the baby to its independence. The baby will however stay with its mother for almost 3-6 years. This is the time when they learn about feeding techniques, social interaction and group foraging for their fu-ture survival.

These dolphins however have a tough life in freshwater. A burgeoning human popula-tion, rapid economic development and pol-lution threaten the survival of these incred-ible mammals. Dolphins are particularly threatened in the upstream reaches of the smaller tributaries, where their population is often isolated behind barrages and is more vulnerable to human activities because of the reduced habitat area. Although dolphins were once abundant in Nepal throughout the Koshi, Narayani, Karnali and Mahakali rivers and their feeder streams, due to con-struction of barrages across these river sys-tems for irrigation and flood control, over exploitation of prey species, illegal killing and a range of other human disturbances, the dolphin population has more or less be-come restricted to Karnali and Koshi river systems.

Though the Ganges River dolphins are list-ed as endangered species, they do not get much attention in Nepal. There is very little awareness in the country about dolphins, which adds to the problem. Local residents do not see dolphins as a resource, or the potential to attract tourist revenue to the area and elsewhere in the country. However INGOs such as WWF is working with local communities to raise awareness and con-serve the habitat of dophins. Saijana Village is an island surrounded by Gerwua River, a tributary of Karnali River on all sides. Many people here are involved in fishing and dig-ging gold from the sand banks of Karnali, which hugely impacts the dolphin com-munity. Here a project supported by WWF Australia, has mobilized the local commu-nities to enhance traditional practices and promote sustainable livelihood techniques to live in harmony with dolphins. Commu-nity managed tourism could be promoted in this area, which would also help to improve the local economy.

We all love to see dolphins and for many people the only way to do this was by visiting an aquarium. However viewing dolphins in their natural habitat is a completely differ-ent experience. Kothiaghat on Karnali River can be promoted as the prime location for dolphin watching during low water seasons. It is not to far from Bardia National Park and can be accessed quite easily.

Watching a pod joyfully surf the waves, or swim in perfect synchrony together, viewing a dolphin swiftly accelerate after a fleeing fish, or witnessing a protective tender mo-ment between a mother and her calf, is pure joy. If you are lucky enough to see dolphins in the wild please remember these simple rules.

* Do not harass the dolphins - give them space. A dolphin slapping its tail on the water in the wild may be a sign of an-noyance. Head nodding and violent jaw clapping are signs of aggression so don’t go close. They are very powerful animals and are not there for your amusement.

* Never attempt to feed a wild dolphin. It is illegal and could easily result in the dolphin’s death through incorrect food or bacteria in the fish.

* Do not throw rubbish in the river, and please clean up any that you see. Many dolphins die from swallowing foreign ob-jects.

* Many dolphins are injured by boat mo-tors. Make sure the boat you are in drives carefully near dolphins.

However, viewing dolphins

in the wild is a completely

diff erent experience.

Kothiaghat on Karnali River

can be promoted as a

prime location for dolphin

watching during low water

seasons.

Photo by : Simon de Trey White/ WWF – UK ©


KATHMANDU

FIRST REVOLVING RESTAURANT OF NEPAL

Ratna Plaza, Newroad, Kathmandu

Contact: 4241712

For Reservation : 9851091404 / 9851091629 (Bishal)

Website: www.revolving.com.np

Step in for some delicious :

DIO

SHINESTUNNER

UNICORN AVIATOR

ACTIVA

Indian Cuisine Nepali Cuisine

Chinese Cuisine Continental Cuisine


ATALEOFVAGABOND

SAM’sPERMANENT

VACATIONA retired professional fi nally

sets out to see the world.


Interests

Photography (www.samsays.com), tennis,

hiking, traveling, theater

Education

CPA Illinois and California

MBA Drake University

BS University of Louisville (honors) -

Accounting

Philosophy

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass...

It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Countries visited

Australia, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia,

Canada, China, Egypt, France, India, Italy,

Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar (Burma),

Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico,

Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri

Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United

Kingdom, United States, Vatican, Vietnam

Types of People I enjoy

I enjoy all people from all cultures - and

haven’t found anyone that doesn’t off er

something new and interesting insights.

Teach, Learn, Share

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you

meet is fi ghting some kind of battle. Live

simply, love generously, care deeply, and

speak kindly. Leave the rest to God!

Current location

DeerHill Bay, Tai Po, N.T., Hong Kong

Few words to the readers and Travel Times

If you treat everyone you meet, regardless of

culture, race or religion, with respect, you can

learn lifelong valuable experiences in your

travels. Always try to be kind, understanding

and giving. We live in a fragile, shrinking

world - the more we understand each other,

the more we can become part of the solution

to a lasting peace.

If life is a book, those who do not travel, read but a page.

Sam W. Stearman seems to have taken this saying to heart

as he fl ips through the pages of life’s delightful book at

his own leisurely pace. To know more about Sam and his

delightful travels, Travel Times caught up with him. Here are

some brief excerpts from the conversation.

After a career in accounting and

fi nance, what motivated you to do travel

photography? Isn’t that quite a change in

lifestyle?

When I met young people who had put their careers on hold to travel the world, I would get envious. To be young, active, fearless and adventurous! But alas, I worked first and only now in my retired days do I have the opportu-nity to visit a few of the places that I dreamt about during my career. While my career did take me to some exotic places, all I saw were hotels and meeting rooms. I know now that no one ever looks back and wishes he or she had worked more hours, but almost everyone wishes they had spent more time with their family, friends as well as doing things like trav-eling. I am fortunate that I have my health and just enough money to see a few of the many wonders of the world.

To get back to the question – I guess you are referring to the left brain – right brain com-parison. A well-rounded person is one who constantly strives to keep both hemispheres in balance – and I have always tried to do that in business by thinking outside the box and also in my writings and in my hobbies – includ-ing photography. Since I can’t draw, paint or sculpt, taking photos is the most creative outlet I have.

Why do you like to travel? What made

you so enthusiastic about traveling and

photography?

I guess I am an explorer by nature. After read-ing about the wonders of our world, it was gratifying to finally see some of the same in person.

The world and its people are diverse in many ways and the more I see of them, the more I realize how similar we all are, no matter where we live, what we do for a living or what our beliefs are. So my experiences are the ba-sis of my commitment to do what I can to save our fragile planet and to promote love, peace and respect among all people.

Who has inspired you to travel?

My wife, Kai Ling, who loves travel as much or maybe more than I do inspired me. She is a wonderful travel companion, interesting in learning local customs and about the daily lives of locals as well as exploring historic sites on our visits.

What are the rules you abide by while

traveling?

I always try to learn as much as I can about the places I will be visiting, the local customs and people so that I can show everyone I meet, the respect and courtesy that they deserve. I have learned that we can learn from everyone we meet if we open our heart and our mind to them.

Lone Tree at Sunrise - Lake Wanaka - New Zealand South Island


How do you plan your trips?

We travel over holiday periods here in Hong Kong such as Christmas, the Chinese New Year and Easter, when we can travel while missing the least amount of work days. Our holidays are usually limited to 7 – 10 days (sometimes shorter).

We first check with Hong Kong tour groups which if available offer the best prices, but occasionally we travel on our own. Some-times I contact tour groups at our destina-tion. Once we have settled on a place to visit and have booked our tickets, I do re-search on the place we are visiting (Internet, library and by contacting residents through Couchsurfing.com) to learn as much as I can about the sights, local customs and their history.

What are your personal natural or man-

made seven wonders?

Foz Do Iguacu (Iguassu Falls)1. - The most spectacular waterfall that I’ve ever seen. Stunning!

The Great Pyramids of Egypt2. - What more I can say, they are on everyone’s list.

Angkor Wat3. and other temples at Angkor,

Cambodia – The glory that was abandoned and rediscovered in modern times.

Juizhaigou Valley, Sichuan Province,4.

China - Pure beauty in an unspoiled set-ting. The Great Wall and Terra Cotta Soldiers are more historic, but to me Jui-zhaigou Valley is the number one site to see in all of China.

Annapurna Mountain Range, Nepal5.

Walking in the foothills of these majes-tic mountain peaks comes the closest to my idea of heaven.

Taj Mahal, Agra, India - 6. An eternal monu-ment of love whose pictures do not do it justice.

Inle Lake, Myanmar (Burma)7. - Amazingly located on the summit of a mountain 3,000 feet above sea level, Inle Lake contains a complete ecosystem and is a joy to behold.

There are plenty of other places that are enchanting as well such as Lhasa, Moscow and St. Petersburg, Istanbul, Paris, Yosem-ite, the Amazon, Weligama Sri Lanka. And then, of course there are the places I haven’t been to yet.

What are your travel pleasures? What do

you do while traveling which you wouldn’t

do or get away with at home?

With so many countries and so many cities, towns and villages – we always go to places we haven’t been to before, so each trip is a new discovery – on a journey, we are com-mitted to make the best use of our time.

While most people like restful, lazy holi-days, I try to maximize the time we have to see as much as I can. After all, I can always

rest once we get home. If the weather co-operates, I’m up and about for sunrise pic-tures, then back to the hotel for breakfast be-fore exploring during the day. If we are on a tour, I normally eat lunch quickly (or not at all) and see the local stores and people. My wife and I walk in residential areas near the hotel at night to observe local people. Markets are also good places to catch local flavors.

Describe your perfect travel day.

A perfect day would be one where we get to see the great beauty of our world which we hadn’t seen before. Or it might be a chance to visit local people in new places with op-portunities to learn about their culture and daily lives.

What is the biggest reward for a traveler/

photographer?

Since it is a hobby and not work, the rewards are what I do – exploring, learning, just do-ing what I love doing the most.

What have you learned about yourself

through your travels?

A large dose of humility and that the most important things in life aren’t what we own, but what we can share with others. Friends, in all walks of life, are to be treasured.

The Mighty Waters of Foz do Iguacu

Inle Lake - Temple on Water, Myanmar

The Great Pyramids and the Sphinx in Giza, Egypt

Sunrise over Lake Wanaka - South Island New Zealand

Angkor Wat - landscape sunrise shot from across the lily pond

“PHOTOS ARE COMPOSED IN YOUR MIND. CAMERAS ONLY

CAPTURE WHAT YOU SEE. SPEND YOUR MONEY ON LEARNING

YOUR CRAFT AND NOT ON FLASHY EQUIPMENT.”


with political unrest. The most dangerous place would be Tehran, Iran during the 1979 revolution. I spent two weeks there during a very tense time and actually visited the Amer-ican Consulate there within a month. Armed citizens patrolled the streets, stopped cars (in-cluding mine) randomly and long-time resi-dents formed long lines every day stretching around the block to get exit visas.

I am positive that all calls were monitored, travel within the city was restricted and the government officials and business acquain-tances I met with were all tense. While I wasn’t that afraid, I was definitely relieved when my flight took off when I left!

Which foreign city would you most like to

live in for a year?

My favorite city is Hong Kong, and I have lived here for more than six years now. It is a wonderful city, the financial center of Asia, easy to get around in and combines the best of both the west and the east. It is also a great launch pad to see the world.

On our travels, my wife and I often look at living conditions and the real estate markets during our travels, and I have not found any city in any country that I like quite as much. While I am proud to be a US Citizen, Hong Kong is definitely my new home.

Any favorite experiences you want to

share with us?

I have definitely been blessed to see the places I have seen and each trip has been rewarding in its own way. I really would be hard pressed to pick a favorite, though these would probably rank right up there as being the most memorable:

• Hiking in the Annapurnas – experienc-ing the people, the majestic mountains and nature.

• Tour to Burma (Myanmar) – such beau-tiful people, such historic, beautiful sights, more or less enslaved by one of the worst governments in the world. It is definitely a place to visit (avoid gov-ernment owned hotels and tour groups). Your travel dollars are a major source of income for its residents.

• Driving on the coast of New Zealand’s South Island – majestic discoveries around every bend on the road.

• Driving down Highway one coast from Monterey to Central California – pure heaven.

Any tips for aspiring travelers/

photographers?

• Photos are composed in your mind. Cameras only capture what you see. Spend your money on learning your craft and not on flashy equipment.

• To become a good photographer, it is im-portant to learn the elements of composi-tion and the use of light and shadow.

• If you treat everyone you meet with re-spect and use common courtesy, they will respond in kind.

• Enjoy it. Life is a journey, go with the flow and document what you see.

After so many awards do you still

consider yourself as a “rank amateur

photographer”?

I consider myself a tourist traveler, one who also takes photos to document the journey – for my own enjoyment and also to share my experiences with an expanding list of family and friends from all over the world. As such, almost all places I visit are places that I will get to see only once. Whatever the weather conditions, whatever the time of day, I at-tempt to capture the highlights of each day – but within these restraints, I try to stamp my own style on what and who I see.

While my work is probably good enough to make some money as a ‘professional’, as many of my photographer friends will attest to, (http://www.samsays.com/GuestGallery.htm) it is tough to make a living doing it. There’s an old joke that I like: What is the difference between a photographer and a large pizza? While it is somewhat corny – the answer is that the large pizza can feed a family of four.

Among all the countries that you have

traveled how would you rate Nepal?

I’d definitely rate it a Top 5 location, one which I recommend to anyone and every-one I meet. It is such a historic country of diverse contrasts, with beautiful natural scenery and wonderful people.

What’s the most dangerous place you’ve

been to? What was the situation, person

or thing that made you fear for your

safety?

Since I am too old for adventure holidays such as mountain climbing or wilderness hiking, I’ve been most concerned in places

You can get to know more about me through my website: www.samsays.com

“NEPAL IS DEFINITELY A TOP 5 LOCATION. IT IS SUCH A

HISTORIC COUNTRY OF DIVERSE CONTRASTS, WITH BEAUTIFUL

NATURAL SCENERY AND REALLY WONDERFUL PEOPLE.”


Text by Utsav Shakya

PERFECTTAKEAWAYS


IN THE YEAR 2004, archaeologists unearthed 41 pea-sized shell beads in the Blombos Caves, South Africa, dated at 75,000 years. The shells were all punctured in the same place and showed signs of wear, as if they had been strung together into a necklace or perhaps a bracelet. They are the oldest re-cord of personal ornamentation ever found, suggesting that African humans from this time could think symbolically and were more culturally advanced than previously believed to be. This seemingly boring piece of information proves that beads have been ‘in’ for a long, long time now. So when you do buy beads for yourself or as souvenirs for your friends and family, you can be assured that you have history on your side.

Beads have a lot going for them. For one most beads are very organic in composition. A lot of times they are built from organic matter such as bones and horns of animals. Whereas all other parts of a carcass decom-pose, bones and horns do not. These bones

and horns are then cut into smaller, man-ageable pieces and then using different tools are morphed into desired shapes. Most of the beads available in the market today are made thus. Even in death, some animals prove to be more useful than most humans are alive! Understandably though, the idea of wearing something made from a dead animal might not appeal to many people, especially to vegetarians. Fortunately, all beads are not made from dead animals.

Perhaps keeping such people in mind, there are beads made out of wood, plastic, rubber, ceramic and even glass. But whatever beads are made out of, they are popular for a few simple reasons. Firstly, beads are just not as stuck up-looking as gold and silver jewelry. Beads have a minimalist look that goes well with laid back personalities. You probably would not want to take beads as a gift for your workaholic banker friend. On second thought, you could make him wear it and enjoy the repercussions of your action.

WHEN YOU DO BUY BEADS

FOR YOURSELF OR AS

SOUVENIRS FOR YOUR

FRIENDS AND FAMILY, YOU

CAN BE ASSURED THAT

YOU HAVE HISTORY ON

YOUR SIDE.


Beads are very versatile too. They are available in dif-ferent shapes, different sizes and can be arranged in a dizzying number of ways. Most shops in Kathmandu that deal with beads, besides already offering amazing designs also provide you the option of letting you design your own necklace or bracelet. All you have to do is select the beads

and then let your creative juices flow as you design a necklace yourself or ask the owner to do it for you. Al-though the services are not available in Nepal, at least not in shops in the tourist district of Thamel in Kath-

mandu, there are bead dealers who put a whole new twist to the word customizing. Some beads are even

made from blown glass ensuring no one else can ever have something that looks exactly like yours. The use of colored beads at some of these exclu-

sive shops is just mad. You name it and they can one up you with their crazy color themes and

crazier designs. Beads can also be used with a lot of other material to get some amazing designs. The most complementary materi-als used with beads are leather, stones and

silver besides rubber and plastic beads that contrast the more organic beads.

Beads have for a long time now, also been associated with the Rastafar-

ian lifestyle, primarily because of its laidback image. On the other

hand, they are also associated with a not so laid back life-

style - that of Hindu reli-gious fanatics who are

crazy about Rudraksha beads. There are plenty of variet-

ies of this s p e c i a l

bead. They grow on a broad leaved Rudraksha tree, something that is native to the area stretching from the Gangetic plains to the foothills of the Himalayas. These beads are mainly used to make Hindu rosaries, always using 108 beads. Rudrak-sha is also used in the treatment of various diseases in tra-ditional Indian medicine. Many mythological tales refer to the Rudraksha beads as the eyes of Lord Shiva. It is said to have many beneficiary qualities supposedly due to its unique electrical and magnetic properties. And because the Rudraksha is totally natural, no two beads are exactly the same. These too can be customized if you happen to be the sort of person who wants to get creative with something that usually is not and think that it is alright to have a little fun with religious and mythological beliefs (it is!).

But coming back to the point of buying beads as souvenirs, the fact of the matter is and this might sound bad but beads really are a safe bet. But not safe in the boring sense of the word but safe as in everyone I know loves beads. And every-one you know probably does too. And there are just too many varieties and designs and colors for you to go wrong. So the next time you are on holiday in Nepal and you happen to find yourself stumped over what to get for a friend, just bead it!

Rudraksha is said to

have many benefi ciary

qualities supposedly due

to its unique electrical and

magnetic properties.

For more information on beads:

HIMALAYAN ASIA CRAFT

(Manufacturer, exporter and wholesaler of Nepali Handicrafts)www.himalayanasiacrafts.com



FLASHBACK

I’m back from Lo Manthang but the memories of this enchanting place still haunt me. The experience of cycling on this Tibetan plateau will always stay close to me. The people, the place, the silence, the sights…..it’s a different planet! After our safe journey back, many people asked us if we were crazy, I had but one answer, “I’m addicted to adventure.” The brave at heart have booked their saddle and want to join us on our next cycling trip, while the rest have asked us to make our wills.

Like someone said, “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” We’re planning a dirt biking event to Mustang soon and if it’s your cup of tea, let me know. You can reach me at [email protected]

Adventure sports in Nepal is a wave we just cannot afford to miss. The National Geographic Adventure Magazine didn’t call Nepal one of the best destinations for adventure sports for nothing!

Excerpts from Travel Times’ July edition cover story. The author, David

Yonzan, was a part of the trio who rode their cycles to Lo-Manthang

and back.

LO-MANTHANGEXPRESS


IMA

GE

OF

TH

E M

ON

TH

By

PR

AS

HA

NT

SH

RE

STH

ATh

e n

igh

t lig

hts

in P

ata

n D

urb

ar

Sq

ua

re

To p

ub

lish

yo

ur

ph

oto

gra

ph

s in

th

is s

ect

ion

, su

bm

it t

o in

fo@

tra

velt

ime

s-m

ag

.co

m w

ith

ph

oto

an

d c

am

era

de

tails

.

So

ny

Cyb

ers

ho

t D

SC

-F71

7 F

/8 /

Ex

Tim

e 2

se

c.

TRAVELGALLERY


As the monsoons cease, the skies clear up - more

blue than grey. The rolling hills and imposing

mountains which surround the valley that until

now remained clouded over by overcast skies

become visible once again. The air is crisper.

Birds perch atop windowsills as gold yellow

leaves fl oat down from tall skeletal trees to the

ground. Children swarm the streets, steering their

kites or running after one that’s been cut off and

now sways in all directions as it glides down into

the hands of one lucky child. Autumn is here and

it’s quite a sight.

Nepali people have more reason perhaps to

rejoice the arrival of autumn than any other. The

Hindu festivals of Dashain and Tihar lie in this

season and with it, the country gets basked in

a celebratory mood. Dashain is a festival that

commemorates the victory of good over evil.

Starting of with Ghata Sthapana when the seeds

of ‘jamara’ are planted, the initial days of the ten

day festival mark the battle between good and

evil. The latter days mark fi rst, the victory of the

good forces and secondly a round of celebrations

for the same. Of the ten day long celebration, a

grand demonstration in the Tundikhel grounds

in Kathmandu which was originally observed by

members of the royal family and is now presided

over by the President marks Fulpati. On Tika, the

fi nal day of Dashain, elders of the family put Tika

- made of red vermilion, rice grains, milk curd and

water – on the foreheads of younger members

of the family. They also give the jamara which is

planted on the fi rst day. This act represents the

elders blessing the younger ones for good health

and prosperity.

Tihar on the other hand is a celebration of life.

Besides other rituals, the festival comprises of

a day to worship Laxmi -the Hindu goddess of

prosperity, Bhai Tika - a day to celebrate the

special relation between a brother and a sister

and Mha Puja - a ritual where people worship

their own selves. Both celebrations are popular

for consumption of copious amounts of home

made liquor called Aela in Newari, a variety of

traditional dishes and gambling. Gambling in the

form of various card games as well as ‘langur

burja’- a traditional board game played by

rolling three dices - are very popular amongst all

Nepalese during this season. There is no getting

away from kites either. Terraces teem with kite

enthusiasts, both old and young, as they try to cut

off the strings attached to other kites. The festive

moods - like the kites - soar up into the wide

expanse of the clear blue sky.

CELEBRATIONS IN

THE AUTUMN

FESTIVALWATCH

DASHAINTIHAR

&&


Wouldn’t you want to make your holidays more memorable with an

exciting tour of some of the world’s most sought after destinations? We

already envision you being bombarded with too many ideas and too many

suggestions, Travel Times brings to you its own travel planner to help you

narrow down your choices. y

We asked some of our well-traveled colleagues and came

up with a range of eclectic answers. All of the seven

popular getaways we have chosen fall in Asia. Some are

metropolitan centers so dense with history and culture

that you would not be able to walk a block without

stumbling upon something worthy of admission. Others

remain almost untouched by modernity. No matter where

your feet carry you, give this a read!

Text by Prabindra Shakya

PERFECTGETAWAYS77BHUTAN The pristine environment, strong

sense of culture and traditions

of Bhutan defi ne it as “the Last

Shangri-La” in the modern world.

There’s nowhere on earth quite like

Bhutan. The last remaining Himalayan

kingdom is a land apart, where

Bhutanese men stroll the streets clad

in traditional robes and knee-length

argyle socks, and local astrologers

still guide people through life’s major

decisions.

What you get for your tourist

surcharge in the “LAND OF THE

THUNDER DRAGON” is a guided tour

of the country’s unique and dramatic

dzongs (a cross between a monastery

and feudal fort), pilgrimage sites,

ancient Tibetan-style temples and

spectacular festivals. Add to this a

trek through pristine forests towards

stunning eastern Himalayan views

and you can be pretty sure this will be

the trip of your lifetime.

More than this, a trip to Bhutan

off ers a peek at an admirably

alternative vision of what’s important

in life, and a last bastion of pristine

Tibetan-infl uenced culture that few other

travelers have experienced. As travel

becomes more homogenized, Bhutan

stands out for being unique; the kind of

place that, long after you’ve returned

home, you start to think was all a dream.

If Shangri-La exists today, Bhutan is your

best hope of fi nding it.

Why India:

Why Bhutan?

Unique religion and culture,

medieval tradition and

customs, splendid arts and

crafts, pristine ecology,

trekkers’ paradise.

TRIPCLIPPER

For more information and detailed itinerary to

Bhutan, log on to www.gorkhatravels.com or

call 9841 593441


INDIA

CHINA

Want to travel all over Asia

authentically? More a world of its

own than a country, India is what high

defi nition cameras were made for.

Grab a cup of chai by the roadside

and watch the mingling of religions,

customs, people, colors and cows

as they parade by, oblivious to your

presence. India is your brain on fi re,

yet as soon as you leave, you’ll itch to

return, even if it’s just for the cellular

service.

Bounded by majestic Himalayan

ranges in the north with splendid

foothill valleys, bordered by plateaus,

tropical rain forests and sandy

deserts further south and edged

by an endless stretch of golden

beaches, India is a vivid kaleidoscope

of landscapes, magnifi cent historical

sites, royal cities, misty mountain

retreats, colorful people, rich culture

and festivities. Modern India is home

to the tribal population with their

anachronistic lifestyle as well as to the

urban jet-setter. The timeless mystery

and beauty of India can be experienced

only by visiting this ancient land. There’s

just one thing you’ll need to travel

through 5000 years of culture and

tradition- a comfortable pair of sneakers.

As mythical as the dragon, China

takes the best of the past, present

and future and blends it into a

diverse and ever-changing society.

The clash of infl uences and eras

scattered throughout the country,

such as the old world European

design of shops along the Bund

facing the ultra modern Oriental

Pearl Tower in revived Shanghai

never ceases to amaze even the

most jaded traveler.

China is forever linked to its ancient

civilization, friendly people, and

many of the world’s most revered

treasures, such as The Great Wall,

Terra-Cotta Warriors & Horses and

the Yangtze River – to name just

a few. Natural scenery as sparse

as the Gobi desert in the north

or as lush as the Yangtze River

draws thousands of tourists to this

country every year. Today, one can

also fi nd spectacular architecture

and towering skylines in Shanghai

and Beijing (site of the 2008

Summer Olympics), a wealth of luxury

accommodations – and as always –

exquisite cuisine. These attractions are

just a few of the impressive experiences,

but to truly travel Asia you must visit the

Far East.

Why India?

Diverse religions, rich

cultures and festivities, vivid

landscapes, magnifi cent

historical sites and royal

cities, towering temples,

artistic landmarks, exquisite

delicacies… we could go

one and on!

Why China?

Blend of ancient civilization

and modern architecture,

exquisite cuisine,

archaeological masterpieces,

diverse natural sceneries.

For more information and detailed itinerary

to India, log on to www.gorkhatravels.com or

call 9841 593441

For more information and detailed itinerary to

China, log on to www.gorkhatravels.com or

call 9841 593441


THAILAND

MALAYSIA

With some of the world’s most

over-the-top hotels and resorts,

incredible food, high style, warm

people, unrivalled spas, beautiful

landscapes and sea beaches, this is a

country with something for everyone.

Sun-seekers can bliss out on achingly

beautiful beaches and swim in the

clearest turquoise seas, Foodies get

to enjoy one of the most distinctive

and delicious cuisines of the world,

sleek bars and restaurants to play in,

while shoppers get their retail fi x in

cool designer boutiques and colorful

local markets.

From exclusive service to superior

opportunities for sightseeing,

accommodation, dining and

shopping, you will fi nd plenty to

appreciate here. No matter how many

times you’ve visited before, there is

always something fresh to discover in

Thailand. Variety is indeed the spice

of life here. Bungalows on a deserted

beach, full moon parties, bargain

shopping, royal palaces and religious

Wats make Thailand one of the most

exciting and diverse destinations in

Southeast Asia. Whether you’re looking

for extreme sporting adventures,

leisurely boat rides through the canals of

Bangkok or a night on the town where

anything goes – Thailand, the land of

smile, never disappoints.

Two extremes - from postcard-

perfect national forests and marine

parks with beaches that stretch on

forever to high end resorts skimming

the surface of Malaysia’s hidden

treasures. Travelers will get to

experience small town culture, its

history and culture as well as relaxing

shopping in its capital city Kuala

Lumpur; all of this punctuated with

some of the best food in the world.

A multicultural lifestyle has not only

made Malaysia a gastronomical

paradise, but its also made

Malaysia home to hundreds of

colorful festivals. It’s no wonder

that celebrations and socializing

are so common here. As a people,

Malaysians are very laid back, warm

and friendly. Geographically, Malaysia

is as diverse as its culture. Cool

hideaways are found in the highlands

that roll down to warm, sandy

beaches and rich, humid mangroves.

One of Malaysia’s key attractions

is its contrasts. Towering skyscrapers

look down upon wooden houses built

on stilts, and fi ve-star hotels sit several

meters away from ancient reefs. For the

perfect holiday full of surprises, eclectic

cultures and natural wonders, the time is

now, the place is Malaysia.

Why Thailand?

Beautiful landscapes and

sea beaches, lavish lodging,

shopping paradise, superior

sightseeing and dining

opportunities, diverse

leisure activities, tradition

and culture…

Why Malaysia?

Perfect national forests

and marine parks with

beaches, relaxing shopping,

diverse small town cultures,

relaxing shopping, fi ne

accommodation and dining…


to Thailand, log on to www.gorkhatravels.

com or call 9841 593441


to Malaysia, log on to www.gorkhatravels.

com or call 9841 593441


SINGAPORE

TIBET

Casual travelers, unable to look

past the steel and concrete, quickly

dismiss Singapore as one giant mall.

But the country’s unique style, culture

and identity stems from its mix of

inhabitants from China, India, Arabia

and Britain. A sprinkling of spices,

languages and superstitions, there’s

more to Singapore than meets the

eye.

A single day’s trail through this

dynamic city with a harmonious

blend of culture, cuisine, art and

architecture will swing you back

and forth between the past and the

future, from a colorful ethnic enclave

to an effi cient business centre, from

serene gardens to sleek skyscrapers.

Brimming with unbridled energy and

bursting with exciting events, the city

off ers countless unique, memorable

experiences.

Singapore is truly a city like no other,

a world of possibilities. With its

friendly and welcoming people, state-

of-the-art infrastructure and something

new happening everyday, your stay will

be a memorable mix-and-match of all

the things you have always wanted to

do. Visit and enjoy countless fascinating

experiences, and take away memories

that are uniquely Singapore.

One of the most politically disputed

regions in Asia, Tibet off ers plenty of

opportunities to observe Buddhism,

local culture and beaming smiles i.e.

once the altitude sickness wears off .

Known as the ‘top of the world’, Tibet

is famous for the spiritual leader, the

Dalai Lama, stunning vistas of Mt.

Everest and its incredible white and

ochre citadel, the Potala in Lhasa.

Spiritual traditions, temples and

monasteries, lakes and rivers, and

mighty snow clad peaks are just

a few of the intoxicating wonders

to be experienced by adventurous

travelers destined to visit this land

of rich natural resources and ancient

cultures. Tibetan history, culture and

religion are mixed well and infi ltrate

every aspect of social life. Tibetan

religious art has a distinctive style

with adoption of Indian and Chinese

Buddhist infl uence.

There are various festivals in Tibet.

The Tibetan New Year, their largest

festival, is followed by others such as

the Wangkor Festival and also some

amazing horse races. The awe-inspiring

treks and temples of this Himalayan

hideaway certainly make you feel, as the

Tibetans say, that you have crossed over

into another world.

Select your destination and make this holiday a memorable one. For further enquiry, contact at:

Gorkha Travels Pvt. Ltd.

Marcopolo Business Complex

P.O.B. 629, Kamalpokhari, Kathmandu, Nepal

Phone : 977 1 4440761, 4440765, 4440780

Fax : 977 1 4440763 E-mail : [email protected]

URL : www.gorkhatravels.com

Why Singapore?

Top shopping destination,

mixed but unique culture

and style, colorful ethnic

communities, state-of-

art-infrastructure, new

happenings…

Why Tibet?

Stunning view of the

Himalayas, temples and

monasteries, ancient religion

and cultures, awe inspiring

trekking…


to Singapore, log on to www.gorkhatravels.

com or call 9841 593441



Documents

Travel Times :: 3rd Edition