Nepal may not be the most glamorous destination in Asia and doesn't have the edge in class even over Thailand let alone Singapore and Malaysia or the more picturesque Mauritius, Maldives or Seychelles. But there's something about the soul that beckons you and holds your awe. We went there sufficiently under-expecting and had taken with all plan Bs - no INR 500/Rs.1000 notes as they are banned in Nepal (because of fake currency scare), enough cash bundles stacked up closer to every body corners, no woollen clothing since the snows are melting and lightest clothing and some packaged food because you may not get vegetarian food.
Landing at Tribhovan Airport actually made us go back to India - the airport was that bad - unclean and ill-maintained - it looked like a cross between Rajahmundry Airport and Old Begumpet Airport to me - everything from carry handles to carousels was archaic - the lobby looked like some dingy old Annapurna Hotel reception area and the frisking and check-in counters were not well-equipped. But Indian tourists seem to be all over the place and there are good number of folks from SAARC countries, and trekkers from Australasia, Japan, and Europe. You then realise that you are in better company. There is great deal of respect for Indian tourists inside and outside Airport and it comes because Nepalis love most things Indian - they love Bollywood music, Indian Rupees, Indian films and Indian dresses and Indian tourists - because they are spending more and seem to tip well. I have never seen anywhere else a hawker's eyes light up over a Rs.100 note - not even in India @ 8.50 per cent Inflation rate.
As you step onto the roads, you realise its no different from Indian City roads with more pollution - smoke and honking- perhaps more chaotic with less flyovers and lesser public transportation - commuting is done mostly through taxis - Maruti 800's are the ubiquitous vehicles but there are the occasional Wagon-Rs and Santros. You get an idea that all the cars we moved out of in the last ten years are being re-used in Nepal. People are friendly to tourists despite a tendency to fleece - you have to haggle for every knick-knack you buy and talk down almost fifty per cent.
Nepal is responding to tremendous upheavals internally and externally with lot of courage and faith. Its now six years since the Royal feud happened and the Maoist government has driven out King and his suriving son to Nagarjun. The day we were in Kathmandu, right next to our hotel a few blocks away in the Parliament there were massive demonstrations on re-drafting of the new constitution - we were told that the government promised to give a new version in six months time. Maoists in Nepal unlike in India are quite open and transparent in their dealings - they contest politically and are trying to build bridges with public and business community. They are fighting the corridors of power with outcry and open agitations not through guerilla warfare as in India but they get plenty of support from China - they managed to stop Dalai Lama from visiting Buddha Lumbini - the birthplace of Buddha this year. The public is very stoic and dejected with the new ways of Maoist Government after the removal of the Royal Guard but seem to be quite patient and hopeful. Agriculture which used to be mainstay of Nepalis has now given away to Tourism. Nepal declared 2011 as the year of tourism and to win public symphathy the Maoists too have said they won't interfere with business or disrupt tourism flows - that makes this year one of the safest years to still visit Nepal - which has 8 of the 20 tallest mountain peaks of the world and has still the best scenic places on earth - Jumsum (resembles Kashmir), Pasupathi Nath temple (Shiva), Mukti Nath temple (Vishnu), Mana Kamna Temple (Shakti), Bodhnath Sanctuary, Pokhra (considered Nepal's honeymoon destination) and the peaks of Mt.Everest, Gowrishankar, Annapurna Devi which see huge trekkers' interest.
Even if you are not a trekker like me, Nepal will make you walk even if you see few places that require more than a walk through the clouds. One unforgettable experience is the mountain plane trip through the peaks of Mount Everest - at 25,000 feet above the world's highest landmass - you don't get more nostalgic and euphoric with an experience that cost less than a hundred-dollars.
But coming back to the economy a bit more, it looks Nepal is getting the benefits of globalisation and tourism - last year, Nepal received about $760 Million in remittances (nowhere compares to India's $50 Billion plus) and you will find many centres of coaching for GRE/GMAT/SAT. There are plenty of institutes offering English and foreign languages coaching and an even higher number of communication skill-development institutes - it apppeared that despite low literacy rates, Nepalese families are keen to send their wards to school. So thats a good sign.
Nepal has many sects within a pronounced caste system of the Hindus (who still form the majority @ 80 per cent) and Buddhists (mostly the Hinayana sect as seen in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Tibet and Singapore). There are more than 100 local dialects and depending on where you are from - you cannot make out the other language.
In Kathmandu and in Pokhra, it surprised me that shoppers are spoilt for choice on all the wares that are available in India and any other Southeast Asian country. You cannot miss out on the lovely Buddha statues in various postures and lovely pendants and exquisite handbags and paintaings. For those who love books, you get them at every nook and corner - almost one bookshop every fifteen "other" shops which is a surprise to me. One owner told me there is a good reading culture in Nepal - public libraries are well-thronged and the mountaineers also sell their books on their way to the peaks or descent down. Besides, most bookshops offer a unique facility - you can buy book and sell the same book at fifty percent of the original price. I thought I should henceforth buy books only in Nepal - besides one INR gets you One Nepali Rupee and Sixty Paise - that's 1.6 times more purchasing power. I didn't miss out buying my music either - Nepal has a very eclectic range of music - mountain music, Tibetan Buddhist music, world music, film music and western, classical and Indian music. Bijyoya Vaidya is one of the rock stars of Nepali music but even they listen to Ravi Shankar or Yanni or Indian legends as of Western composers. Music CDs - here is a tip- are available at throwaway prices - you can pick any CD for less than Rs.150 (INR). But books were a revelation - I found some enchanting books you don't get in Sunday bazaars in Hyderabad - that rare book of William Styron, that missing book of Pico Iyer or Amit Chaudhari or the rare banned book on the Gorkhas or the Karmapa or the more informed reportage on Nepal's political climate. In most streets when you shop, you can bike your way through motorbikes or bicycles charged per hour. Spirituality and materialism go hand in hand in Nepal but you won't find a synthetic culture here - the Nepalis have lived through so much tumult in the last ten years that nothing can dent their psyche further - many just eke out their living and want to put in an honest day's labor.
Food is quite good in Nepal not just for non-vegetarians as LoneyPlanet guide warned us. We found good food for vegans like us. You find plenty of jain, marwari, Indian restaurants and Chinese restaurants and must visit some exceptional mo-mo and other platter-rich cuisines - especially Nepalese and Thai cuisines. We found a restaurant that employs only deaf and dumb waiters and struggled to place orders in sign language. Playing Dumb Charades the previous day in transition to Pokhra helped a bit.
The public mood keeps swinging from despondency to realism and some optimism because the local economy is almost in shambles - so most people turn to tourism - there are others who are forced into drug-traffiking and sex-tourism and others who are "recruited" by the Maoist government to be infomers. There's great admiration for Indians in Nepal contrary to what the media projects outside - but somewhere I feel India is losing grip over Nepal - the momentum is with China now because of the Maoist Government. Massive Debt is being raised by the government with loans from IMF, China, Japan to build infrastructure for the country and the average debt is INR 15000 per capita today. The newspapers usually do not try to rabble-rouse but there seems to be a quality English and vernacular press that listens to what the people are saying. There are diversions for the people though - many folks work in India and China for low-skilled labor, that's what goes back as remittances and those that remain are happy to be bystanders to the passing parade of democracy. Others watch movies - Nepali movies are all about what can easily be done on screen that's why you have titles like " Himalaya" and "Sahasi" - sesi versions of Gladiator and Robin Hood. The fastest growing relligion in Nepal is Tibtan Buddhism and it was evidenced after a visit to Bodhnath Sanctuary. When oppression is rampant and the people have few outlets (many temples of Nepal have been closed down after the Royal Family massacre) and cultures are clashing, I expect Nepal to bounce back faster than the counterparts like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan or Sri Lanka but for that India must come forward and not allow China to infiltrate Nepal the way they did in Tibet - where the cultural identity of Tibet is lost to the world and Tibet is more of an idea than geography (and thank God that idea is buzzing in Dharmashala, California, Japan etc.
I do not know when Good times will return to Nepal - I definitely see green shoots of them in the eyes of the people, their undying optimism, their root-centeredness and the spirit of patient self-struggles, but I and my family had a wonderful time. And I think, Nepal is one of the places to see before you die. It connects you to your roots better than air-conditioned atmosphere cities.
Landing at Tribhovan Airport actually made us go back to India - the airport was that bad - unclean and ill-maintained - it looked like a cross between Rajahmundry Airport and Old Begumpet Airport to me - everything from carry handles to carousels was archaic - the lobby looked like some dingy old Annapurna Hotel reception area and the frisking and check-in counters were not well-equipped. But Indian tourists seem to be all over the place and there are good number of folks from SAARC countries, and trekkers from Australasia, Japan, and Europe. You then realise that you are in better company. There is great deal of respect for Indian tourists inside and outside Airport and it comes because Nepalis love most things Indian - they love Bollywood music, Indian Rupees, Indian films and Indian dresses and Indian tourists - because they are spending more and seem to tip well. I have never seen anywhere else a hawker's eyes light up over a Rs.100 note - not even in India @ 8.50 per cent Inflation rate.
As you step onto the roads, you realise its no different from Indian City roads with more pollution - smoke and honking- perhaps more chaotic with less flyovers and lesser public transportation - commuting is done mostly through taxis - Maruti 800's are the ubiquitous vehicles but there are the occasional Wagon-Rs and Santros. You get an idea that all the cars we moved out of in the last ten years are being re-used in Nepal. People are friendly to tourists despite a tendency to fleece - you have to haggle for every knick-knack you buy and talk down almost fifty per cent.
Nepal is responding to tremendous upheavals internally and externally with lot of courage and faith. Its now six years since the Royal feud happened and the Maoist government has driven out King and his suriving son to Nagarjun. The day we were in Kathmandu, right next to our hotel a few blocks away in the Parliament there were massive demonstrations on re-drafting of the new constitution - we were told that the government promised to give a new version in six months time. Maoists in Nepal unlike in India are quite open and transparent in their dealings - they contest politically and are trying to build bridges with public and business community. They are fighting the corridors of power with outcry and open agitations not through guerilla warfare as in India but they get plenty of support from China - they managed to stop Dalai Lama from visiting Buddha Lumbini - the birthplace of Buddha this year. The public is very stoic and dejected with the new ways of Maoist Government after the removal of the Royal Guard but seem to be quite patient and hopeful. Agriculture which used to be mainstay of Nepalis has now given away to Tourism. Nepal declared 2011 as the year of tourism and to win public symphathy the Maoists too have said they won't interfere with business or disrupt tourism flows - that makes this year one of the safest years to still visit Nepal - which has 8 of the 20 tallest mountain peaks of the world and has still the best scenic places on earth - Jumsum (resembles Kashmir), Pasupathi Nath temple (Shiva), Mukti Nath temple (Vishnu), Mana Kamna Temple (Shakti), Bodhnath Sanctuary, Pokhra (considered Nepal's honeymoon destination) and the peaks of Mt.Everest, Gowrishankar, Annapurna Devi which see huge trekkers' interest.
Even if you are not a trekker like me, Nepal will make you walk even if you see few places that require more than a walk through the clouds. One unforgettable experience is the mountain plane trip through the peaks of Mount Everest - at 25,000 feet above the world's highest landmass - you don't get more nostalgic and euphoric with an experience that cost less than a hundred-dollars.
But coming back to the economy a bit more, it looks Nepal is getting the benefits of globalisation and tourism - last year, Nepal received about $760 Million in remittances (nowhere compares to India's $50 Billion plus) and you will find many centres of coaching for GRE/GMAT/SAT. There are plenty of institutes offering English and foreign languages coaching and an even higher number of communication skill-development institutes - it apppeared that despite low literacy rates, Nepalese families are keen to send their wards to school. So thats a good sign.
Nepal has many sects within a pronounced caste system of the Hindus (who still form the majority @ 80 per cent) and Buddhists (mostly the Hinayana sect as seen in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Tibet and Singapore). There are more than 100 local dialects and depending on where you are from - you cannot make out the other language.
In Kathmandu and in Pokhra, it surprised me that shoppers are spoilt for choice on all the wares that are available in India and any other Southeast Asian country. You cannot miss out on the lovely Buddha statues in various postures and lovely pendants and exquisite handbags and paintaings. For those who love books, you get them at every nook and corner - almost one bookshop every fifteen "other" shops which is a surprise to me. One owner told me there is a good reading culture in Nepal - public libraries are well-thronged and the mountaineers also sell their books on their way to the peaks or descent down. Besides, most bookshops offer a unique facility - you can buy book and sell the same book at fifty percent of the original price. I thought I should henceforth buy books only in Nepal - besides one INR gets you One Nepali Rupee and Sixty Paise - that's 1.6 times more purchasing power. I didn't miss out buying my music either - Nepal has a very eclectic range of music - mountain music, Tibetan Buddhist music, world music, film music and western, classical and Indian music. Bijyoya Vaidya is one of the rock stars of Nepali music but even they listen to Ravi Shankar or Yanni or Indian legends as of Western composers. Music CDs - here is a tip- are available at throwaway prices - you can pick any CD for less than Rs.150 (INR). But books were a revelation - I found some enchanting books you don't get in Sunday bazaars in Hyderabad - that rare book of William Styron, that missing book of Pico Iyer or Amit Chaudhari or the rare banned book on the Gorkhas or the Karmapa or the more informed reportage on Nepal's political climate. In most streets when you shop, you can bike your way through motorbikes or bicycles charged per hour. Spirituality and materialism go hand in hand in Nepal but you won't find a synthetic culture here - the Nepalis have lived through so much tumult in the last ten years that nothing can dent their psyche further - many just eke out their living and want to put in an honest day's labor.
Food is quite good in Nepal not just for non-vegetarians as LoneyPlanet guide warned us. We found good food for vegans like us. You find plenty of jain, marwari, Indian restaurants and Chinese restaurants and must visit some exceptional mo-mo and other platter-rich cuisines - especially Nepalese and Thai cuisines. We found a restaurant that employs only deaf and dumb waiters and struggled to place orders in sign language. Playing Dumb Charades the previous day in transition to Pokhra helped a bit.
The public mood keeps swinging from despondency to realism and some optimism because the local economy is almost in shambles - so most people turn to tourism - there are others who are forced into drug-traffiking and sex-tourism and others who are "recruited" by the Maoist government to be infomers. There's great admiration for Indians in Nepal contrary to what the media projects outside - but somewhere I feel India is losing grip over Nepal - the momentum is with China now because of the Maoist Government. Massive Debt is being raised by the government with loans from IMF, China, Japan to build infrastructure for the country and the average debt is INR 15000 per capita today. The newspapers usually do not try to rabble-rouse but there seems to be a quality English and vernacular press that listens to what the people are saying. There are diversions for the people though - many folks work in India and China for low-skilled labor, that's what goes back as remittances and those that remain are happy to be bystanders to the passing parade of democracy. Others watch movies - Nepali movies are all about what can easily be done on screen that's why you have titles like " Himalaya" and "Sahasi" - sesi versions of Gladiator and Robin Hood. The fastest growing relligion in Nepal is Tibtan Buddhism and it was evidenced after a visit to Bodhnath Sanctuary. When oppression is rampant and the people have few outlets (many temples of Nepal have been closed down after the Royal Family massacre) and cultures are clashing, I expect Nepal to bounce back faster than the counterparts like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan or Sri Lanka but for that India must come forward and not allow China to infiltrate Nepal the way they did in Tibet - where the cultural identity of Tibet is lost to the world and Tibet is more of an idea than geography (and thank God that idea is buzzing in Dharmashala, California, Japan etc.
I do not know when Good times will return to Nepal - I definitely see green shoots of them in the eyes of the people, their undying optimism, their root-centeredness and the spirit of patient self-struggles, but I and my family had a wonderful time. And I think, Nepal is one of the places to see before you die. It connects you to your roots better than air-conditioned atmosphere cities.
