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Nepal, the Himalayan Country & the Heaven on earth.
A General Information About Nepal.
Nepal, world's only Hindu Kingdom, enjoying Multi Party Democracy with constitutional Monarchy covers only 0.3% of Asia & 0.03% of the globe. Renouned for it's high Himalayas, Nepal is world famous for nature, so called Tourist destination. China has included Nepal as it's 9th destination which is enough to prove that. Also known as The Zone of Peace, proposed by Late King Birendra during his accession to the throne, is famous for it's rich flora & fauna, people of different tribes, languages, culture & religion living in harmony. Kathmandu, the present day capital has following places enlisted in the World Heritage Sites: Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, Swayambhu & Bauddha. Other Heritage sites beyound the valley are Janaki Temple in Janakpur, Lumbini; birth place of Lord Buddha. Other tourist attraction sites are: Mt Everest, Pokhara: the tourist capital, Royal Chitawan National Park, etc.
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Into The Mountain Kingdom...
Anyone who has flown into Kathmandu will know that the descent into the valley is among the most spectacular rides offered by commercial aviation. As the plane dips into the valley, it has to negotiate a series of spectacular cliffs, each of them snowcaps and depending on the time of your arrival, awash with the warm colours of the sun. Just before the plane touches down, as it is coming in on its final descent, you fly over a low hill capped with a little village cottage. Commercial pilots, who fly the route affectionately referred to this house as Mr Bean's house. they say this because the plane flies so low over its roof that one can't help but imagine that the occupants make Mr Bean like faces at the sight of an incoming fully loaded A300 airbus.
Of course, it's no wonder that the airbus is fully loaded. Afterall, this is Kathmandu, long celebrated as the trekker's & hippies' capital of South Asia. But the crowd is more diverse now. And a combination of camera-armed families and Japanese guided tour groups flood the stylish new concourse at Tribhuvan International Airport. What lies in store for them, as for anyone who goes to Nepal, is the richness and diversity, not to mention, hospitality unrivalled anywhere on the earth. And then there are the mountains.
I take a cab that whisks me past the countrysides into the heart of Nepal's sleepy but grand capital, not far from the Royal Palace at the Anna purna Hotel. I grab my gear- and step right into the opulence of the bygone age! The Annapurna is stylish and extremely comfortably appointed. I strike up a conversation in the lobby with a young Dutch couple out to live up a truely generation X honeymoon. They are here to escape the tired and tasted- and tell me that they want to feel the atmosphere of cosmic love vibes in the thin air at Everest base camp. romantic, if a little bit difficult to enjoy. But it floats their boat, why not?
And speaking of boats, if mountains aren't your thing, Nepal offers some of the wildest white water rafting in Asia. In fact, that is the real charm of Nepal, that such a widely diverse group of people can find such a widely diverse group of things to do. It's no cliche to say that there's something for everyone.
After unpacking, I head down to catch a van to the Kathmandu valley's major sites-Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, Pashupatinath, Swayambhu in a couple of days, you could just as easily spend three or four days at each site. Bhaktapur and Patan are beautifully preserved and renovated historic cities and the main tourist area centres around wide public squares surrounded by renovated religious & civic buildings. The intimately wood carved facades and window frames done up in the characteristic workmanship of Nepal are simply breath-taking. The ornamentation littered around the sites gives a clear sense of the cultural influences that have touched & left the stamp on Nepal. Lion motifs and dragon motifs recall the influence of China & Tibet respectively, and Devas and Buddha and Bodhisatvas recall Nepal's natural relationship with the cultures of the Indian subcontinent. In fact, although Siddhartha Gautam, the Lord Buddha, was born in the plains of the terai to the far south of Nepal, Nepal is the only country in the world where Hinduism is the state religion.
For a fascinating introduction to the Shaiva Hinduism that has been supported by Royal patronage and popular devotion, one ought to go to visit the Pashupatinath Temple. Although there are restrictions to entry for non believers, it is possible to walk the perimeter of its grounds and partake as a voyeur in the quiet & elegant devotions of the faithful. By contrast, Swayambhunath is far less forbidding and can even be interactive for tourists. As one of the few major stupas in the Kathmandu valley, Swayambhunath is a compelling religious monument with its glistening white curves and the fluttering of prayer flags in its vicinity. All around the stupa are traditional Buddhist prayer wheels which anyone can give a turn. The idea in fact behind the prayer wheels is simply gorgeous: that with each turn a worshipper can fling the wisdom of the Buddha to the four corners of the universe.
But travel cannot be all about the serious business of learning about another country's culture & past. If you are looking for a good time and a good buy then the place to go is Thamel. not only can you pick up the finest in Newari, Tibetan and Kashmiri arts & crafts but you can aslo sample a surprisingly wide array of cuisines at the many restaurants. Thamel is also home to internationally famous Freak Streets so named for the locals' impression of the hippy tourists that frequented the area. Although the street is now much tamer than it was once reputed to be, I couldn't help but notice three straggly, grungy Europeans sitting dazed by a gutter, obviously the result of one too many Bhang lassis.
Since I wasn't in the mood to have Tibetan meat dumplings called momo at one of Thamel's many eateries, I hotfooted it back to the Annapurna to enjoy some fine Indian fare. In case you are over there, the Tandoori chicken is fabulous.
One can hardly write about Nepal without mentioning the mountains. They are beautiful. There I've mentioned them. Next chance you get, go to Nepal. It's well worth the trip.
by Ali Hamdani.
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