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Mustang-Nepal, Among Top 10 in Best Travel 2013

Mustang in north central Nepal has been named one of the world's top 0 regions in Best in Travel 2013, published by Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world.

The guide book has described Mustang as being best for activities, off the beaten track and culture. Mustang lies "behind the Himalaya" and has been called "little Tibet" or "the last forbidden kingdom". Though it is politically part of Nepal, in language, culture, climate and geography, it is Tibet, the guide book says. It was opened to tourism in 1992 with the number of visitors limited to a few hundred annually.

The completion of a motor able road linking Mustang to China and the rest of Nepal is expected to transform the lifestyle and economy of the region, thus heightening the urgency among explorers to visit the region before it changes.

Life in Mustang revolves around tourism, animal husbandry and trade. Last year the region trekkers, up 36.4 percent. In the first six months of 2012, over 1,000 have already visited the place. Tourist arrivals in Mustang increase heavily during September-November, and hotels are unable to accommodate all visitors.

The place has become a centre of attraction for nature and cultural lovers and also for researchers. Deserted dry hills and valleys keep this area isolated from modern civilization.

The other nine destinations in Lonely Planet's Best Travel 2013 are Corsica, France, Negev, Israel and the Palestinian Territories: Yukon, Canada: Chachapoyas and Kuelap, Peru, the Gulf Coast, USA: Carinthia, Austria: Palawan, The Philippines: Inland Sea, Japan and Campania, Italy.

Guerrilla Trek Set to Promote ‘War Tourism'
 

(Guerrilla Trek Set to Promote War Tourism in Nepal)

Nepal has long been a popular trekking destination for foreign tourists. However, the country now has something new to offer altogether. Tourists can now experience a ‘historic’ trekking route named the ‘Guerrilla Trek’ that starts from Myagdi and passes through Rukum and Rolpa, once a “seething pot of war.”
On Tuesday UCPN-Maoist Chairman Puspha Kamal Dahal launched a map and a guide book produced by an American, Alonzo Lyons, amid a programme here. 

The trail has been divided into three sections and is a 19-day walk over rugged mountains, rivers lined with lush wheat fields, caves and centuries-old villages. The Guerrilla Trek follows trails where thousands of Maoist guerrillas once dug trenches and ambushed their enemy during the insurgency (1996-2006). When the Maoists attacked Beni in 2004, hundreds of Maoist guerrillas trekked up and down the rugged mountains of Rukum. Hundreds of combatants lost their lives in the battle for Beni, the district headquarters of Myagdi. During the war, the Maoists carried their wounded along the route which was used to connect Rukum, Rolpa and other surrounding areas. With peace restored, the Maoist party has now transformed the districts into a “war tourism” destination. The vision is more or less showing visitors how the people’s war began and spread from Rukum. “As all know, Nepal has seen big political upheavals and the people’s revolution will be of no value unless the country goes through an economic transformation,” Dahal told the programme.
He said Guerrilla Trek has the potential of becoming a “war tourism product” like in Vietnam, Russia, and China. “As war tourism has been promoted worldwide for economic benefit, Nepal’s Guerrilla Trek also holds the potential to grab the world’s attention.”
A part of the attraction is the Kham community, from which most of the guerrillas were recruited at the initial stage of war. The trek also consists of the Yarsagumba Trail and the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. Addressing the programme, Tourism Minister Post Bahadur Bogati said Rolpa and Rukum that have been conjured with images of the war carry a vast tourism potential. Former Tourism Minister Lokendra Bista Magar said many countries have portrayed their historic war in the form of “war tourism,” and Rukum—an area also known as the district of “52 lakes and 53 hills”—could be a hit among tourists.
Lyons said there is “plenty of sunshine for the remoteness of Rukum and Rolpa that was quelled into a seething pot of war once upon a time.” Villages like Khara, Khawla, Jhimkhani, Jibang, Khabang, Bafikot, Kunakhet, Pipal, Rukumkot, Maring, Kakri and Tuksara stand witnesses to the war and retain the scars of a decade of fighting. The trail research is promoted by Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal, Nepal Tourism Board and the District Development Committee, Rukum, and explored by Changing Nepal and supported by Sinse Martyr Foundation and Dynamic Youth Society, Rukum.

Siddhartha Gautama ( सिद्धार्थ गौतम), the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, Nepal. Lumbini is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha.

Visit Lumbini Year 2012

Nepal is celebrating Visit Lumbini Tourism Year 2012. The objective of Visit Lumbini Tourism Year 2012 is not only limited in promoting about the Birthplace of Lord Buddha, but also try to give positive message throughout the world. The holy place Lumbini, the world heritage site, is the property not only of Nepal but the universe. Lumbini is the common destination of all the pilgrimages from all across the world. Once you dream about the birthplace of lord Buddha, then you will definitely reach there and this is the power of positive vibe.

As part of its ongoing commitment towards tourism development, the government of Nepal is inaugurating Visit Lumbini Year (VLY) 2012, launching Tourism Vision 2020 and simultaneously announcing completion of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY 2011) Campaign on January 14, 2012 at Central Canal in Lumibini.
The successful completion of campaign, Nepal Tourism Year 2011 has given clearly two messages to the world: one, Nepal has come to peaceful and stable situation after a decade long political uncertainty; and another, tourism has been unanimously regarded as a vehicle of economic transformation.
After the successful completion of Nepal Tourism Year 2011, Nepal is celebrating yet another event – Visit Lumbini Year 2012. The reason behind celebrating VLY is to unite the world to work towards creating a peaceful society through the Buddhas peace message; and to make the birthplace of Buddha a centre of global attraction.
Lumbini is located in the southern pat of Nepal, and can be reached by plane, private vehicle or public bus. It is the birth place of Buddha, popular for the pilgrimage tour and can be visited throughout the year.
There are several hotels found in Lumbini, and different kinds of food are also available there. You can visit Lumbini for two days one night, if you wish, you can extend your stay in Lumbini to allow yourself better absorb its unique atmosphere.

There will have lots of attraction and events going on for the tourists in the Visit Lumbini Year 2012. Therefore, it is wise to visit Lumbini in 2012 to experience the highlights offered by the Lumbini Visit Year 2012. This could be a lifetime experience of your Nepal visit, and you shouldn’t miss it!

Our company, Red Panda Himalayan Adventure Pvt. Ltd. offers the package to Lumbini for any kind of duration as per the tourist’s interest and time frame. While visiting Lumbini, you can combine the trip to Chitwan, Palpa and Pokhara. Looking forward to another successful year of tourism in Nepal.

Women lost in Nepal ate Grass‚ Bamboo to Survive

KATHMANDU, JUN 10 - A Japanese woman who was lost in Nepal's mountains for nearly two weeks said Friday that she survived by eating grass, drinking river water, taking shelter in small caves and praying.

Makiko Iwafuchi, 49, of Chiba, said she left her hotel May 25 for a short stroll near the Goshainkunda lake. She left the main trail and could not find it again.

She said she walked for days but was unable to find the trail or come in contact with any villagers until Tuesday, when she heard voices.

"I screamed, saying, 'Hello! Please help me!'" she told reporters after returning to Katmandu on Friday. "It was a miracle. I felt at ease and thanked God."

Aside from some visible insect bites, she appeared to be fine three days after her ordeal about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Katmandu, at an elevation of more than 14,000 feet (4,300 meters).

Iwafuchi said that when she got lost roughly 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the trail, she waited for help in the area for two days. When no one came, she decided to search for a way back.

The local police and soldiers had begun a search a day after she went missing, but they found no trace of her.

She said she walked from dawn to dusk for days, eating grass and bamboo and drinking river water. She took shelter in small caves on the mountain and under rocks, covering herself with leaves.

"The weather was not cold. It only drizzled a few days," she said, though she added that one night she did get soaked when she had only a tree to protect her from the rain.

"I knew there were not dangerous animals in the area, so I was safe," Iwafuchi said.

"I prayed if I survive I will change. I will be kind to people and more generous. There was a couple of times that I feared I will not survive, but I still believed that God will give me a second chance," she said.

After Iwafuchi was found, she was carried to the local hospital. She said doctors treated her blistered toes but found her to be in good health otherwise. Iwafuchi plans to continue trekking, but not by herself.

Separately, not far from where Iwafuchi got lost, rescuers in Nepal removed the body of a Japanese woman who died in an avalanche while trying to scale the 19,172-foot-high (5,844-meter-high) Naya Kanga peak in Rashuwa district.

The body of 63-year-old Masue Yoshida was flown by helicopter to Katmandu on Friday and taken to a hospital, where relatives and representatives from the Japanese Embassy received the body.

The avalanche struck Yoshida and her Nepali trekking guide Saturday, killing them both. Rescuers have not yet found the body of the guide.

First Buddha Film from Nepal

Alarmed by Bollywood training its lenses on the Buddha, Tulsi Ghimire is now making the first Buddha film from the Himalayan republic to bolster its claim to the founder of Buddhism.

Ghimire, who moved from India’s hill town of Kalimpong to Mumbai first to learn acting and film-making and then made Kathmandu his home, has begun making “Gautam Buddha”, the first Buddha film from Nepal, the birthplace of the apostle of peace.

The 60-year-old, who gave the Nepali film industry such hits as “Kusume rumal” and “Balidaan”, says he was inspired to make the film after a conversation with Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka and other places.

“First, there was this Bollywood movie, ‘Chandni Chowk to China’, that claimed the Buddha was born in Nepal,” Ghimire told IANS in an interview. “Then there are reports of renowned Bollywood director Ashutosh Gowarikar making an epic film on the Buddha.

“We are concerned whether there isn’t some political motivation - to lay claim to the Buddha. If Gowarikar builds the sets of Kapilavastu, the kingdom in which the Buddha was born to its ruler King Shuddhodan, the Indian state where it is erected may be regarded by many people as the birthplace of the Buddha.

“Some puzzled Sri Lankan monks actually asked me whether the Buddha was born in India or Nepal. I told them, he was born in Kapilavastu, when neither India nor Nepal existed. Archaeological ruins

 prove Kapilavastu was in southern Nepal. You can still see the remains of the old palace and the garden where the Buddha was born.”
“Gautam Buddha”, to be dubbed in English, Hindi, Sinhalese, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and German, is going to be an animated film and the first animated feature film from Nepal.
“It would have cost far less had I chosen people to play the roles,” he says ruefully. “But I found that impossible.
The Buddha literature available details minutely the 32 auspicious signs Prince Siddharth possessed, that made him a king among men. He had arms that reached his knees, the large kindly eyes of a cow, and a voice as deep as an echoing well. I realised it would be impossible to find such an actor.”
Incidentally, Gowarikar is said to be on a manhunt to find the perfect face for his Budd

ha. “The Little Buddha”, the 1994 feature film made by Hollywood director Bernardo Bertolucci, obliquely presents the story of the Buddha and his quest for enlightenment, with Keanu Reaves playing the role.
Ghimire’s film will be ready by 2013. However, he has a sneak preview for the media in mind later this year when only a few scenes will be shown.
Ghimire says he read all the literature available on the Buddha that he could get, including Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s “The Buddha and his Dhamma”, and Indian vipassana guru S.N. Goenka’s writings about the Buddha and Buddhism.
“There are three schools detailing the Buddha’s life,” he says. “The Mahayana Buddhists chronicle a logically believable life while the Hinayana Buddhists depict Prince Siddharth as a reincarnation of god. The Vajrayana school, on the other hand, invests him with tantric powers.
“I have tried to adopt a middle path in my story-telling.”
Ghimire says his 110-minute film will explode some of the common myths about the Buddha,

including the one that said the prince left the luxury of the palace in shock after he saw an old man, a sick man, a dead man and a monk.
“The prince was 29 when he renounced worldly life,” Ghimire explains. “It is therefore impossible that he didn’t come across any old man in that time. His own father must have been old at that time.
“Actually, he gave up all claims on his kingdom to avert a clan war as his infamous cousin Devdutta was gearing up for battle.”
His film, Ghimire hopes, will also bring into light the character of the prince’s wife, Yashodhara, of whom little is known.
“She was a pillar of support to her husband,” he says. “They had met before they were married and those scenes bring romance to the film.”
It is rather unusual to see an Indian director championing the cause of another country. Ghimire has a vey simple answer to that.
“I just want to present the facts,” he says.