Diversity is the key to the growth of tourism, and Nepal - which
has been labeled as a landlocked country by the courtesy of China and
India - has nevertheless been blessed by Mother Nature with incredible
diversity. And, we are speaking not merely of the geographical
condition, which indeed is distinctive with Hilly, Himalayan and Terai
belts but also of its cultural richness. In other words, the humble
territory of Nepal holds big wonders for the travelers, a few of which
are mentioned to be subjected for your curiosity.
1. Mount Everest: Top of the World
Just
the words "Mount Everest" will be enough to tickle that
geography-related memory in your literate mind, and you will immediately
cry out in excitement - that's the tallest mountain of the world, isn't
it? You bet it is. Towering to a mighty altitude of 8848m, Mount
Everest is the world's tallest peak and has been acknowledged by CNN as
one of the seven New Natural Wonders. Speaking of this new natural
wonder list, the noble Himalayas of Nepal has also been nominees for
this honor. As an adventurous traveler, you should sign up for a trek to the Everest Base Camp, or if you have some mountain climbing
experience, then try to follow Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's
footsteps (they were the first conquerors) to the summit of the world.
2. Lumbini: Birthplace of Buddha
To
my knowledge, there are four main religions in the world -
Christainity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Now, like Jesus Christ
(founder of Christianity) was born in Bethlehem and Prophet Muhammad
(founder of Islam) was born in Mecca - sorry to disappoint the Hindus
but you have no founding father/mother -, the Buddhists have Lumbini as
the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. And, it's a beautiful place for the
Light of Asia to origin from.
Speaking of Buddha, when you are at
Kathmandu (and you sure will be), you will be damned not to visit the
Swayambhunath Stupa. This Buddhist shrine sits atop a lovely hill,
accessible by a long stone staircase which you need to tread with
caution and while you are around here you got to behave yourself (beware
of the holy red monks... umm, monkeys; speaking of these pious monks,
if you're lucky you might see them performing amazing stunts at the
Monkey Pool).
3. Pokhara: Heralded as Paradise City of Nepal
I
did not believe in the existence of paradises (not because I read John
Milton's epic poem - Paradise Lost) but my doubt vanished after a tour
of Pokhara. It sure is a paradise or, you could say, it is a piece of
the real thing. Nestled under Mt. Annapurna, maybe around 200km away
from Kathmandu, Pokhara or the Lake City is a spectacular place,
blossoming with beauty and youth. One of the most picturesque places
would be the Fewa Lake with Fishtail Mountain showering its reflection
upon the poignant watery surface. Other incredible sites include the
Devi's Fall, Sarangkot (you must try paragliding; it's fun!), Mahendra
Cave, Barahi Temple and Seti Gorge among others. And, of course, while
you are at Pokhara, you should go out for trekking excursions, either to
the nearby Poonhill or all the way to Annapurna Base Camp.
4. Durbar Squares of the Three Royal Cities
Like
that ancient quote about all roads leading to Rome, you can say all
international flights to Nepal take you to Kathmandu. It's, after all,
the capital of Nepal, and hence the number one tourist destination spot
of the country. Kathmandu, in the olden days, was part of the three
royal cities (the kingship has recently come to an end). This goes on to
say that there are palaces, temples and artistic sculptors in all these
three Durbar Squares. Now the best part is that you can actually enter
these beautiful palaces (as they have been turned into museums)
containing royal relics and historical vestiges. If you want to find out
about Nepal, start here.
5. Chitwan National Park: Into The Wild
Jungle
Safari is always fun, and in Nepal, while there are many national parks
and wildlife conservation areas, the most popular one will be the
Chitwan National Park. It got this popularity thanks to the One-horned
Rhinoceros and the Royal Bengal Tiger, the two last species of exotic
wildlife on Earth. Before they completely disappear (not that Nepal is
not doing anything to preserve these beauties), it would be kind of you
to visit them in person and say hello (and the royal tiger will be happy
to give you a love bite!).
To leave the list of wonders with just
5 items ache my conscience. So, here's the 6th wonder - the cultural
diversity of Nepal. Imagine 4 main castes, cut into 32 small pieces
(excluding the hybrid castes emerging now and then), each with its own
distinctive cultures, rituals, gods, language, arts, craft and
festivals. It's a wonder that such cultural diversity could survive
within such a small territory.
Now the list demands for another
Nepalese wonder i.e. if we are to respect the magical number 7. So, to
speak out my personal opinion, I vote for their "Architecture" as the
7th wonder of Nepal. You just have to take a look at their temples, old
palaces and sculptures, and you will have that same wonder-struck
expression that had hit my face while travelling around Nepal.
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