Destination Nepal
Kathmandu
Early explorers described Kathmandu as an unspoilt, flawless emerald. Kathmandu has been a traveller’s Mecca since the 1960’s. It is the largest city in the country and is the main centre for hotels and restaurants, which serve a cosmopolitan range of foods. There are narrow streets and lanes with carved wooden balconies above tiny ‘hole in the wall’ shops. The gap between the rich and the poor here is chasm, but despite the pressures of extreme over-crowding and poverty people retain a good-humour, self-respect and integrity.
Like other main towns and cities of the valley, Kathmandu’s historic centre is concentrated around a main square. In Durbar Square alone there are fifty or more temples. The square dates back from the old trade route from India to Tibet, and even now is the focal point of the whole city.
One of the most visited temple’s here is the one where Kumari Goddess lives. She is someone who the Nepali’s believe to be a living goddess. The Kumari is chosen from hundreds of girls aged three to five, and they’re actually chosen on 32 different counts, for example, their eye-lashes have got to be like a cow, their neck has got to be like a conch. The chosen few are then put in a room with a severed buffalo head where priests with grotesque masks bang drums to try to scare them, and the girl that doesn’t get scared and pulls through in the morning becomes the goddess. She is then worshipped everyday, but when she reaches puberty she is retired. You cannot film or photograph to Goddess as she is held sacred.
Another important temple is the Swayambhunath, or the monkey temple. 360 steps lead to this temple and Nepalis believe that if you pray faithfully at the top, it is worth 13 billion times more than any other prayer.
Nepalganj and Western Terai
Nepalganj is the biggest town in the Western Terai. It’s a densely populated city, and every possible ethnic group in Nepal is represented. Nepalganj is a border town that owes as much to trade as it does to its position as a major administrative centre.
Steady trickles of travellers come through Nepalganj on their way to Royal Bardia National Park or to Jumla. The Royal Bardia National Park is the largest wilderness area in the Terai. It is bordered to the north by the crest of the Chure Hills and to the west by the large Geruwa River, and a branch of the mighty Karnali, one of the major tributaries of the Ganges. A lot of travellers visit Bardia to see the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Nepalganj can also be a useful back-door entry into Nepal from Central Uttar Pradesh. The old part of town has the Bageshwari Mandir, a temple to honour Kali. There is also a vibrant bazaar selling almost everything known to man. It is well worth just to roam around the centre of the town and absorb all the sounds and smells.
Lukla and Kumba region
Nepal is famed for its trekking opportunities. 14,000 tourists trek here every year and towns like Lukla have boomed to accommodate them. Lukla is the main trekking point for hundreds of thousands of people who walk in the Kumba region. Lukla lies in the heart of the Everest trekking area in the Nepali Himalayas. It’s here, from Lukla to Kala Patar, that large numbers of trekkers venture into the Himalayan mountains to begin their treks, sometimes lasting weeks or months.
Far from a one yak town, Lukla is absolutely choc-a-bloc of people. There are several places to stay including the relatively expensive Trekker’s Cabin and Sagarmatha Hotel.
Pokhara
Pokhara is the most popular destination in Nepal after Kathmandu. The main attraction here is its natural beauty that it offers and its proximity to the mountains. Pokhara is a popular starting point for some of the most famous treks in Nepal, like the three or four day long Annapurna Skyline Trek, which provides fine views of the Annapurnas and the Pokhara Valley, where plenty of short walks and day trips can be enjoyed.
Spend a few hours at Gorkha’s Fort, palace and temple complex. This place has the earliest buildings in the area, dating from the early 17th century.
Pokhara is part of a once vibrant trade route extending between India and Tibet. To this day, mule trains can be seen camped on the outskirts of the town, bringing goods to trade from remote regions of the Himalaya. This is the land of the Magars and Gurungs, hardworking farmers and world-renowned brave-Gurkha soldiers. The Thakalis, another important ethnic group here, are known for their abilities as entrepreneurs.
Pokhara has an enormous number of good value hotels and restaurants, and although it’s undoubtedly a tourist town, still it provides a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.
By Nitasha Kulashreshtha
Destination – Nepal
