ExoticBuddha Blog

As travelers are already aware, Nepal has seen an increased hours - 12 hours per day- of load shedding. So, we do not get electricity to carry out simple activities like not being able to surf the net and watch TV whenever we want. 

How will this affect the people who travel to Nepal? There was a news on the ekantipur.com about the tourists shortening their travel days in Nepal. In my opinion, it affects the general atmosphere of travel - people can not travel as freely as they would have liked. There is a sense of insecurity when they roam around in the streets. They are less inclined to go out during the night for dinners and to have drinks. And the cost of serving the tourists also increases due to lack of refrigeration, need to provide backup power. So tourists would be charged more than they would have been if there was electricity. Eventually, it becomes a less attractive destination due to costs and the general atmoshpere of travel. 

Looking this issue from a brighter side, if people come here to see real Nepal, then lack of electricity should not be a problem. But how many come here for that and how many of them are prepared to forego their love of say, internet, TV for the sake of that? 

We would love to hear from you.

Preparations for the New Year Eve Celebrations are taking place around the country. Many hotels, restaurants, bars have promoted the event in newspapers, TV, magazines. Those of them not promoting the event will also be hosting new year parties for people who travel to Nepal and the local customers. 

There is street festival in Pokhara from December 28 to January 1. The food festival in Sauraha is taking place from December 29 to January 1- Sauraha hosted the International Elephant Race 2008 just before this event. 

Just a day before the new year eve as per the Gregorian calendar, the Gurungs in Nepal are celebrating their new Year, Tamu Losar, as per the Tibetan Calendar. There are many cultural celebrations in Kathmandu and Pokhara on the ocassion of the Tamu Losar.

Kathmandu Durbar Square showcases the medieval temples, palaces and houses. This place, near Thamel, has been a center of power for many centuries - the palaces, courtyards, temples, other statues and other artefacts all have historical significance. If you want to get a sense of the architecture of that time, then it is the right place for you to be in. This place will be a perfect place for sightseeing activity worth half a day for people who travel in Kathmandu Nepal because of the ease of accessibility and for what it offers. 

woodwork at a temple

Most of the heritages are preserved in their original forms by renovations and other conservation projects. The site’s importance has been highlighted by the declaration of it as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We have written a more detailed post about the Kathmandu Durbar Square. Here is the excerpt: 

Kathmandu Durbar Square, which covers a total area of 5 acres, has a number of temples, palaces, courtyards, ponds and quadrangles on display. Kathmandu Durbar Square is also referred to as ‘Hanuman Dhoka’. This is because a large statue of Hanuman, the Monkey God and a devotee of Lord Ram, is placed in front of the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace is believed to have been constructed by King Shankaradev. King Pratap Malla is said to have erected the statue of Lord Hanuman in front of the Royal Palace, in the belief that Hanuman would protect the Palace. The Royal Palace was home to the royalties of Nepal until the 19th century. Though Narayanhity Royal Palace is the present home of the royalties, important occasions like the coronation of the King still take place in the Nasal Chowk of the Kathmandu Durbar Square.

For full article, please visit Kathmandu Durbar Square.

The Christmas Eve Celebrations are planned for by many hotels, restaurants and bars in Kathmandu. Travelers to Nepal can visit those places to celebrate the Christmas Eve and enjoy the night. I saw the advertisements on the newspapers by the top end hotels and bars on today’s edition. I also saw, for example, a christmas tree set up at Hotel Shangrila in Lazimpat. 

There is a strong Christian community in Kathmandu and the celebrations planned will be quite eventful and full of people. 

Merry Christmas and hope you have a great night !

Nepal is a travel destination for people to explore the cultural and architectural heritages. The cultural heritages are mainly found in the Kathmandu valley with some others outside the valley. Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, Changu Narayan Temple, Budhanilkantha Temple are the Hindu cultural and architectural heritages. Bodhnath and Swayambhunath are the Buddhist cultural and architectural heritages. Most of these heritages are several centuries old. 

The Janaki Temple in Janakpur, though constructed in the early twentieth century, offers another unique cultural and architectural heritage of the terai plain and the Mithila culture.

Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, offers cultural heritage and showcases the different types of architecture from the countries with significant Buddhist population.

Nepal Tourism Board, a government agency assigned for promoting travel to and inside Nepal is celebrating its tenth anniversary today. 

The board headquartered in Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu has been providing free information to tourists. It has opend information centers in the entry points to Nepal and in the major cities which are frequently visited by the tourists to Nepal. The board also promotes Nepal in the international markets by participating in travel fairs and running advertisements in popular media like the BBC. 

Have you used the services of the Nepal Tourism Board? How do you like its services? Have you made a decision to travel to Nepal because of the promotion by the board?  We would love to hear from you.

Nepal Tourism Board has been promoting travel to Nepal internationally. It has broadcast two ads on the BBC World and other programs of the TV channel and placed photos of Nepal on the online version of the BBC including news on demand. 

Nepal's ad in the BBC website

It has claimed success in the marketing campaign. I have seen the 30 second ad on the BBC World News several times. The ad touched on what one might do in Nepal, like bungee jumping, paragliding, rafting, visiting temples and the sort. It was quite short and I am not sure whether it would make an impact on prospective travelers.  And I liked the ads promoting travel to Malaysia. 

Have you seen the ad promoting Nepal? Did you explore about Nepal after seeing the ad? We would love to hear about that.

Just wanted to write about the current state of the Nepal for travelers and the ever important question.

Is Nepal safe to travel right now ?

My answer is yes , YES, and YES !!!.

and the security situation in Nepal for travelers has never been better and the records prove it.

By the way, happy Tihar (Dipawoli) one of Hindu main festivals is starting in tommorrow. Festival of lights as they call it.

We regularly update Nepal travel advisories on this log here.

http://www.exoticbuddha.com/english/2007/10/10/is-nepal-safe-for-travelers/

Few Excerpts from there “Yes, Nepal is safe for travelers.

Until 2 years ago there was a Maoist insurgency, which since has been solved by having a successful peace process. Right now, the country is building a new constitution after having a successful election for the members of the constituent assembly.

Although there have been instances of sporadic violence in southern regions, tourists have never been harmed. The Hilly and Himalayan region, including the capital Kathmandu, are safe for travel. In the past two years, I have heard only of less than five reported instances of physical harassment of tourists in Nepal during the entire period………”

Happy trekking in Nepal to those of you who are already here.

enjoy,

Exoticbuddha team and nepal travel enthusiasts.

It seems that tourists to Nepal are traveling to the upper mustang a lot these days even though they have to pay a hefty entrance fee to the “forbidden” regions of upper mustang.

Only 1,000 foreigners are usually allowed each year. But this year it seems there are three thousand permits being applied. Seems like a lot of demand here.

The autumn season, the ideal time for traveling in Nepal, has begun. Tourists are visiting the country in very substantial numbers and the most seats in the airlines traveling to Nepal have been booked. So is the case with the hotels popular with the tourists. The trekking routes are being packed and the pressure on the domestic flights is increasing.

The Dasain festival, a festival worshipping Goddess Durga with animal sacrifices, has also coincided with the start of the autumn season. The festival is a ten day long festival started on September 30. The final day of the festival, Vijaya Dashami, is on October 9. On this day, people receive tika - rice grains coloured with vermilion- with jamara - barley shoots sowed on the first day of the festival. You can join with the Nepalese families who celebrate this festival to have a feel of it.