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Nepal

Great Heights
 

Nepal offers breathtaking views and plenty of bhang for your buck
 
Story and photos by Dennis Argenzia and Grace Cayosa
 
“I th

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Great Heights

 

Nepal offers breathtaking views and plenty of bhang for your buck

 

Story and photos by Dennis Argenzia and Grace Cayosa

 

19-Destination-Unknown2I think I’m goin‘ to Kathmandu.” Bob Seger got it right: the former kingdom of Nepal’s allure as a haven of escape and relaxation entices travelers from around the globe. Bordered by powerhouses China and India, landlocked little Nepal may be struggling economically, but it holds its own when it comes to manmade and natural attractions.

The first stop for many visitors is Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Loud, polluted and overwhelming to some, Kathmandu’s maze-like streets are filled with transport vehicles, markets and pedestrians. The constant buzz seems to become particularly focused in Kathmandu’s undisputed tourist hub, the lively Thamel district. Here, amidst fragrant smoke clouds, fresh apple pastries and colorful handcrafted trinkets, Nepalese cover bands—whose rock playlists strangely exclude Seger’s musical tribute—battle it out from rooftop restaurants that are barely 20 feet apart.

19-Destination-Unknown25For green fans, Thamel is one of several places where cheap, high-quality leaf and its derivatives are not-so-secretly sold; a very short walk through the narrow streets will garner multiple offers from rickshaw drivers. Technically illegal since 1973, the law is rarely enforced by police; if you are caught with an amount for personal use, a small bribe usually resolves matters quickly. However, it is still widely available throughout Nepal and is openly smoked by sadhus (holy men) hoping to achieve a higher meditative state.

Around February or March, the ban is temporarily lifted for the annual Shivaratri festival, when hundreds of thousands19-Destination-Unknown4 of Hindu devotees—and a few non-devotees—flock to Shiva temples and freely indulge in marijuana, hash (royal fingers or temple balls) and bhang (a preparation often mixed into sweets or drinks) in honor of Lord Shiva, who was supposedly quite fond of THC!

For a wider sample of Nepalese culture, there are no less than seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu valley: the Durbar Squares in the sister cities of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Boudhanath and Swayambhunath and the Hindu temples of Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan.

If thrill-seeking is at the top of the list, there’s seasonal whitewater rafting and river kayaking on the Karnali river, ultralight flights and paragliding in the Pokhara valley or jumping off one of the world’s highest footbridge bungee platforms (at the aptly named Last Resort). In the southern Terai region, the Royal Chitwan National Park has popular jungle safaris to catch a glimpse of the Asian rhinoceros or the elusive Bengal tiger.

19-Destination-Unknown1But what Nepal is truly famous for are its mountains: the Himalayas. Stretching along its northern border with China, Nepal’s section of the Great Himalayan range contains eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks, including the mother of them all, Mount Everest (at 29,029 feet). Adventurers with a taste for the technical climb have plenty of options to satisfy their need to summit at oxygen-poor altitudes. Just be ready to shell out some serious cash: climbing permits alone can approach $10,000 per person!

Not quite the crampon+ice axe type? Fret not: for those who prefer walking on [relatively] horizontal surfaces to scaling vertical bluffs, Nepal also has a fantastic selection of treks, which fall into one of two categories: teahouse treks and camping treks.

19-Destination-Unknown1819-Destination-Unknown24Teahouse treks follow many of Nepal’s most established hiking trails—such as the high-altitude Annapurna Circuit and the Everest Base Camp treks and the low-altitude Langtang Valley treks—and are so named because the trails pass through villages with teahouses (lodges) that offer basic accommodation (usually a pair of beds with communal bathroom) plus food, camaraderie and heat via dung-burning stoves. Larger villages may have Internet cafes and Western-style bakeries. 19-Destination-Unknown15Thus, travelers needn’t worry about carrying more than a water bottle and a minimum of clothing and toiletries.

In contrast, camping treks are about hiking with food, fuel, cooking gear and tents carried on the back of yaks and human porters. Not surprisingly, even basic camping treks are harder on the wallet than teahouse treks, but camping treks often offer access to more remote and less developed regions such as Mustang and Dolpo.

The best time to visit Nepal is October to November and then again in spring (late February to April).

www.welcomenepal.com, www.thelastresort.com.np, www.aviaclubnepal.com.

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