Dasain is here, the festival of family and travel. The spirit is dampened this year because of the flood disaster, and many highways are still blocked.&nbsp; But Nepali Times takes the occasion of this ten-day festival to present Top Ten Peaks that are <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/women-on-the-move">off the beaten trek</a>, and offer stunning views. They are not too demanding but take you far from the madding crowd. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-journey-is-more-interesting-than-the-destination">Escape</a>. 1. Kori Peak Most visitors to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/letter-from-sikles">Sikles </a>are en route to Kapuche, the l<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kah-phu-che">owest glacial lake in Nepal</a> (2,450m). But for better views hire a local guide, and cross the Madi Khola to climb to Kori (3,800m), a ridge-top summer pasture. There will be no trekkers on this little known jewel of the Himalaya. Lamjung Himal is dead ahead, and the adventurous may want to continue on to Namun La, the old trading route to Manang. 2. Panchase Hill&nbsp; This long ridge walk can be stretched as long as you want. Start at the Peace Stupa above Pokhara, and hike the forested ridge overlooking Phewa Lake with spectacular 120 degree panoramas of Dhaulagiri to Himalchuli. Along the way are villages untouched by the trekking industry. The highest point at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/economic-benefits-of-saving-the-ecology">Panchase</a> Hill is ‘only’ 2,500m. Binoculars are a must for bird-watching.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241004041056_a62462e446decb0356b35138abd277ca122af0e8baa404087c8ae980c12fc114.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20241004041056_a62462e446decb0356b35138abd277ca122af0e8baa404087c8ae980c12fc114" data-rendition-name="original" width="1363" height="669" loading="lazy" alt="Trekking map NT"> </figure>  3. Khumai Peak Directly north of Pokhara is this 3,245m peak that is becoming popular since a road to Hemja now cuts short the trek for a two-day-up-one-day-down hike. At the top you look up to the imposing south face of Machapuchre. The trail is not well trodden yet (that is why you are there) but lodges have sprung up. Hike further up to Korchan Danda (3,710m) for the magic of a Himalayan sunrise. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 4. Mulde Peak If you have been there and done that on Poon Hill, then<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/mulde-peak,1759"> Mulde (3,637) is higher, wilder and quieter</a>. The trail branches off at Tadapani from the Ghandruk-Ghorepani route and climbs steeply through thick forests draped with lichen and orchids. There is a lodge at the base for overnight stay. Next morning ascend for one hour to the top for a breathtaking sunrise over the Annapurna ramparts, Machapuchre and Dhaulagiri. For more, trek on to Khopra Ridge and Hidden Lake.&nbsp; 5. Pikey Peak  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241004051028_2d1071364abec8b2a37fa620c1a641c7e4c8449b8bc4384a36ffc58f34c67c7f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20241004051028_2d1071364abec8b2a37fa620c1a641c7e4c8449b8bc4384a36ffc58f34c67c7f" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1001" loading="lazy" alt="Pikey peak "> <figcaption>Photo: MANISH PAUDEL / NEPALI TIMES ARCHIVE</figcaption> </figure>  The <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/lifetime-experience-on-pikey-peak">must-climb in Solukhumbu is Pikey</a> (4,065m) that none other than Edmund Hillary described as one of the best lookouts in the Himalaya. On a clear day you see eight eight-thousander peaks all in a row: (east-west) Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Cho Oyu, Shishapangma, Manaslu and Annapurna. If the highway to Phaplu is not repaired by Dasain, fly to Phaplu from where it can be three days and two nights up and down. 6. Pathibhara Peak Combine pilgrimage with a hike to climb up to Pathibhara (3,794) after either driving or flying to Taplejung. Nepal’s most scenic peaks all have temples on top. The view from Pathibhara of Kangchenjunga, Jannu, Makalu and Lhotse-Everest feels sacred even if you are not religiously minded. It is one day up, and half-day down. Good idea to strike Pathibhara off your bucket list before the cable car gets there.&nbsp; 7. Gokyo Ri  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241004051028_83417ded1111fd19aaa2b321625681fedd3a1c7aa47f28c44444a343d691e3d2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20241004051028_83417ded1111fd19aaa2b321625681fedd3a1c7aa47f28c44444a343d691e3d2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="View from Gokyo"> <figcaption>The last light of the day highlighting Mt Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse 20km away, captured from the Gokyo Ri. Photo: AÏSHA MACDOUGALL / NPALI TIMES </figcaption> </figure>  Everest Base Camp is crowded and desolate, with no view of the highest mountain in the world. Head off, instead, from Khumjung to the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/go-gokyo">Gokyo Valley and along the Ngozumba</a> (Nepal's longest glacier) to a village by the lake that is the highest all-year human settlement in the world. Charge your head torch, and head off on a 2-3 hour climb up to Gokyo Ri (5,357m) to watch the sun set with all its glory on Mt Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Kangchenjunga, and Cho Oyu. The trek can be extended up Renjo La to Thame, or Cho La to Everest Base Camp. &nbsp; 8. Sailung Peak&nbsp; Take a right turn on the Jiri Highway at Mude along a rough road till Lamche Ahal and then hike the next morning to Thulo Sailung Peak (3,146m). This is one of the highest points in southern Dolakha district and the view is spectacular with everything from Manaslu to Numbur, a 200km sweep of the horizon. Dominating the scene is Gauri Shankar (Chomo Tseringma). Nepali hikers have started going to Sailung to shoot YouTube videos. 9. Panch Pokhari This is one of the nearest and most accessible treks from Kathmandu, starting after a five hour drive to Okhareni via Chautara to five sacred lakes dominated by a ridge (4,250m) with full frontal views of Dorje Lakpa and Phurbi Ghyachu of the Jugal Himal Range. You have the trail mostly to yourself. The path climbs through forests of dwarf rhododendron teeming with birdlife.&nbsp; 10. Kyanjin Peak  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241004051036_4eab1082528a9bc8ce5ee6429bdb6f6edbb2caf15460dd6a7c10056146930fd7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20241004051036_4eab1082528a9bc8ce5ee6429bdb6f6edbb2caf15460dd6a7c10056146930fd7" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1125" loading="lazy" alt="Kyanjin NT"> <figcaption>Kyanjin is the highest settlement in the Langtang Valley. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption> </figure>  Langtang National Park is the closest real wilderness area near Kathmandu that also offers culture and adventure. Start walking from Dhunche, one night stop and we are in Langtang Valley passing the village that was buried in the avalanche after the 2015 earthquake. Kyanjin Gompa (3,835m) is now called ‘Thamel on the Hill’, and that is not a complimentary description. But it is a good base camp to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-story-of-langtang-cheese">explore the Valley</a>, including climbing Kyanjin Ri (4,773) for a grandstand view of Langtang Lirung (7,234m).

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Peak Season

A 4-day family trek last month was vivid proof of the truth in the old adage: it is the journey and the people that truly matter, not just the destination. It was word-of-mouth recommendation that brought us to the sustainable tourism company Three Sisters, owned and run by women. The guides assured us our children would be well taken care of and our group of novice trekkers would not be rushed. As we negotiated the uphill steps, passing gushing waterfalls and forests ablaze with rhododendron, we had plenty of time to get to know our two experienced guides and the eight support staff. Their life stories highlighted the transformative power of sustainable, ethical, and empowering tourism in shaping lives and journeys. THE GUIDES Yasudhara is literally a trailblazer. A mother of a 7-year-old, she has had to seamlessly blend her caring role at home with her professional responsibilities as a guide in a male dominated and uncertain industry. Besides leading the pack, Yasudhara kept our children motivated and entertained, leaving an indelible mark on them. By the journey’s end, the little ones of our foreign friends soaked Nepali phrases. “जाम जाम” became their spirited rallying cry as we moved up and down the trails. Even as Yasudhara sometimes told them to slow down with “बिस्तारै बिस्तारै” it was the rhythmic chant of “जाम जाम” that followed.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240427020412_b57170cc61b35c07e370e48b7e93d916e4cd9bfa72d7230b93a39eedd8e5a48e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240427020412_b57170cc61b35c07e370e48b7e93d916e4cd9bfa72d7230b93a39eedd8e5a48e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1125" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Sustainable tourism in Annapurna"> </figure>  When she first became a guide, Yasudhara recalled she had to defy her family’s wishes. They were skeptical of her choice of career to lead foreigners through Nepal’s remote, rural landscapes. The workplace was equally challenging. At that time, no one was accustomed to female guides, and accommodations were scarce. Yasudhara slept in dining rooms and outdoors, keeping her distance from male guides who often drank and indulged in unwelcome behaviour. But times have changed. Female-led teams from Three Sisters now guide trekkers all over Nepal. But now, Yasudhara grapples with the guilt of leaving her child behind, even though she is shaping a future where her son will understand the power of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. “I want to earn my keep, without having to rely on my brothers and husband,” Yasudhara tells us during a rest stop. Tila is in her mid-30s, and thrived as a guide before the pandemic, navigating and overcoming many gender stereotypes and challenges in her profession. Starting as an assistant at the agency, she steadily climbed the ranks to become a permanent guide, earning a modest base salary and commissions. She enjoys preferential access to trips involving foreign visitors. During peak seasons, work flows steadily, allowing her to hibernate during quieter times. She also seized learning opportunities provided by her employer. She participated in courses on the ecosystems of trekking regions, cultural sensitivity, first aid and emergency response, navigation and route knowledge, and sharpening her English proficiency.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240427020412_5fbd0826aaa69f65f3872bf89fce702ad6391fec4fb2e51bb101101ce3a9225d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240427020412_5fbd0826aaa69f65f3872bf89fce702ad6391fec4fb2e51bb101101ce3a9225d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1125" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Sustainable tourism in Annapurna"> </figure>  Then, the pandemic struck. Trekkers vanished. Tila’s gratitude for finally returning to work is tempered by the reality that Nepal’s trekking industry has not fully recovered. This was her fourth consecutive trek, leaving her cautiously optimistic. Yet the trail ahead remains uncertain. &nbsp;THE ASSISTANTS The eight assistants who accompanied us, three women and five men, were more than ‘porters’. This was a group of eight remarkable individuals, distinct from traditional porters found on trekking trails and their significance extended far beyond carrying our gear. Kusum, 19, harbours dreams of being the first in her family to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from a college in Pokhara. Her motivation for joining the trek was twofold: to earn enough to pay for her accommodation expenses, and eventually to earn the experience to be a guide herself one day. With every step she took, she carried not only her backpack but also her aspiration for a brighter future. Sita, 36, is a single mother with three children. She is from a landless Dalit family, and lives in a rented house by the highway. Entrusting her 17-year-old to care for younger siblings, she works for Three Sisters during peak trekking season and returns to her village to take up the odd agricultural work with meagre wages. Despite challenges, she finds solace in the decent work provided by the trekking company. For women like her from disadvantaged backgrounds, these opportunities are lifelines. “There is so little work in my village, and the money I earn on these treks helps educate and feed my children,” she says. Yogesh, like many young Nepali men, wants to migrate abroad. He is at the crossroads of his past and an unwritten future. “Our villages are empty, there are few young people left,” he says. “All my friends have gone overseas for work. I am thinking of doing the same.” For Yogesh, this trek symbolised a bridge between two worlds, a chance to bear the costs of recruitment fees for a job overseas instead of his family having to pay. Khem is an older migrant returnee. His weathered hands bear the calluses of hard labour, each crease etched with memories from 15 years at a construction site in Dubai and two years in Qatar. He recounts how limited opportunities in Nepal drove him out, and his experience in the Gulf: “It was backbreaking work, so far away from my loved ones.” Dhak Bahadur is in his late-40s and carries the weight of responsibility for his Dalit family back home. His two sons and daughter, on the cusp of adulthood, look up to him. “I want my children to have a better life, they should not endure the hardship I have known,” he says. His broad shoulders carry not only our rucksack, but dreams of education, stability and dignity for the next generation.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240427020412_3e8f08df5ed34e991aebd9e314c3903b90fbc80c2d146694493608e31d42c0a7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240427020412_3e8f08df5ed34e991aebd9e314c3903b90fbc80c2d146694493608e31d42c0a7" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1125" loading="lazy" alt="Sustainable tourism in Annapurna"> <figcaption>Bimbika Sijapati Basnett (far left) with Three Sisters trekking guide. Sijapati is a researcher and practitioner working on gender and social development.</figcaption> </figure>  Three Sisters upholds a strict rule: Assistants carry no more than 10-12kg each. As customers, we also left a small space in our own rucksacks for their belongings. However, this essential work practice remains far from universal. Despite laws against heavy loads, most ‘porters’ are made to carry 30kg or more of trekking gear. After decades of carrying heavy loads up and down mountains, many have chronic spinal problems and headaches. At rest stops, the men conversed among themselves, and I glimpsed the value they embraced: women led the way. The Three Sisters are leaving a legacy. Dhak Bahadur confides, “I want my daughter to be fluent in English and become part of a women-led tourism company too.” A Nepal trek gives visitors a glimpse of the impact of migration and remittance on rural areas. Nearly half of the households have at least one family member working abroad, or someone who has returned from overseas or India. They are predominantly men aged 20-44, and form the backbone of the country’s most productive workforce. Along the trail, we can see evidence of newfound prosperity from remittances, allowing many families to break free from poverty and deprivation. Yet migration is far from being a seamless journey. It begins with the challenge of pooling resources to cover direct and indirect costs. Upon return, a lingering question returns, 'what next?' as migrant returnees grapple with reintegration. Migrants, dreamers, carriers of hope shuffle along with silent footsteps along stone steps amidst a stunning backdrop of Annapurna and Machapuchre suffused in the golden light of sunrise. Each step is a promise that every ascent, every descent, is a collective endeavour towards a world where equality, opportunity and compassion bloom brightly like the rhododendron.

What sustainable tourism means in practice

When Marinel de Jesus was growing up in her first-gen Filipino family in the United States, parents wanted her to become a doctor or a lawyer because it meant financial stability and respect. She chose law, and went on to be a successful public prosecutor in Washington DC. She had it all: a career, a house, and proud parents. “It was the American dream,” recalled de Jesus, now 47. “But something felt missing.” &nbsp; Seven years ago, de Jesus decided that a seemingly perfect life that made her parents proud was not what she truly wanted. This epiphany came during a hike in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240310060344_5075fe7368b871319d626ef6be6fa837feee1c2227886e128ebbb42a0873709f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240310060344_5075fe7368b871319d626ef6be6fa837feee1c2227886e128ebbb42a0873709f" data-rendition-name="original" width="900" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Marinel De Jesus"> <figcaption>Marinel De Jesus.</figcaption> </figure>  For Mingmar Dolma Sherpa, following her passion was easier since some of her relatives are mountain guides. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/lifetime-experience-on-pikey-peak">Pikey Peak in Solukhumbu</a>, looking out to a sweeping panorama from Annapurna to Kangchenjunga that she saw her future in the profession.&nbsp; Now 25, Sherpa has a trekking guide licence, but her challenge has not been in climbing up and down mountains so much as overcoming the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-female-guides-prepare-for-trekking-season">male hierarchy in her line of work</a>. She says, “Female guides really have to struggle to get jobs during the trekking season.”&nbsp; Marinel and Mingmar met ahead of the GHT to trek <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/building-back-a-beyul-in-tsum">the Tsum Valley</a>, and they hit it off. They shared not just a love for nature, but a desire to prove themselves as women. Which is when they decided to walk <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/peddling-the-great-himalayan-trail">the Great Himalayan Trail</a> (GHT) which is not just a distance of 1,700km but requires constant ascending and descending steep mountain paths. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240308120332_01bc8f0a01809bfec39ac93234115a4f6f878ebbcd696d72d9fd3132b591f146.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240308120332_01bc8f0a01809bfec39ac93234115a4f6f878ebbcd696d72d9fd3132b591f146" data-rendition-name="original" width="1250" height="733" loading="lazy" alt="GHT map"> <figcaption>Map: The Great Himalayan Trail (www.greathimalayatrail.com)</figcaption> </figure>  The two women started their trek from Kangchenjunga Base Camp last month, and were immediately hit by blizzards. Suffering long-Covid, Marinel had difficulty on steeper sections.&nbsp; They decided to do the Makalu section later, and are now backtracking from Rolwaling to Everest Base Camp. This is just the beginning of the GHT. The two will now continue through Langtang, Ganesh Himal, Annapurna, Dolpo, Mugu, ending up in Simkot of Humla in May. They are doing a hydrid route &nbsp;that combines high passes with lower valleys and hope to complete it in 140 days. “It is rare for clients to ask us about doing the Great Himalayan Trail, and it is even rarer to find people who actually complete it,” says Santosh Adhikari at Nepal Trekking Company, who himself has never done the GHT.&nbsp; Marinel de Jesus calls herself the ‘Brown Gal Trekker’, and her transition from lawyer to full-time trekker has not been an easy one – especially since after overcoming one challenge she keeps giving herself an even more difficult one.&nbsp; She admitted in a Facebook post after the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-kangchenjunga">Kangchenjunga</a> section that the cold and difficulty was tougher than she anticipated.&nbsp; “Being a lawyer is a high stress job,” de Jesus told us before setting off last month. “But despite the physical strain, trekking in the Himalaya puts your mind at ease.” For Mingmar, this is a chance to prove herself and her endurance, and highlight the role and status of female Nepali mountain guides who are rarely recognised in a male-dominated industry.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240310060344_3f51001a5f7c425066e5575f2157ea28f40aa3c80c72f0f3fe8c67b2cb56eb8a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240310060344_3f51001a5f7c425066e5575f2157ea28f40aa3c80c72f0f3fe8c67b2cb56eb8a" data-rendition-name="original" width="900" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Mingmar Sherpa"> <figcaption>Mingmar Sherpa</figcaption> </figure>  She says: “Nepali women have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously and to prove our worth.” As a US public prosecutor, de Jesus was tired of the competitive nature of the job, arguing all the time on matters of child protection and human rights law. Hiking was a way to de-stress. She felt nurtured and healed by the natural world. “I resigned from my job as a lawyer and went on a 5-day trek at Kings Canyon National Park in California. If I regretted quitting, I would know that very week but I came back happy,” de Jesus recalls. Marinel now owns a travel company called Equity Global Treks, that aims to make tourism responsible and socially just so locals have a say in the way the industry is run.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240310060344_fd649f24f42627de04df0ca4af71e60f5cbc25f5e734d28a0aeb45ca0c9b9bd0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240310060344_fd649f24f42627de04df0ca4af71e60f5cbc25f5e734d28a0aeb45ca0c9b9bd0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1536" height="2048" loading="lazy" alt="Marinel De Jesus and Mingmar Sherpa"> <figcaption>Marinel De Jesus and Mingmar Sherpa at Rolwaling Valley last week.</figcaption> </figure>  “At 13, it was my parent’s decision to leave the Philippines. I had to leave my home and friends,” &nbsp;she says. “Today, I have given up my lucrative career and left home. But it is my decision, and mine alone.” On Day 18 of 140 on Tuesday, de Jesus described her trekking experience so far as “raw, rugged, and real”. She added, “This is the longest I will be with mountains and nature. What else can I ask for?” &nbsp; To support the GHT Women Leaders Campaign, go to the <a href="https://www.browngaltrekker.com/nepal/ghtwomenleaders2024">website</a>.

Pinki Sris Rana

The great Himalayan trial

In 1973, the writer Peter Matthiessen spent two months trekking in this remote trans-Himalayan region of western Nepal with wildlife biologist George Schaller. The trip was made legendary by his 1976 book, The Snow Leopard.&nbsp; In it, he documented his pursuit of Zen Buddhism at a time of personal loss, Schaller’s pursuit of blue sheep and snow leopards to justify setting up a new wildlife reserve, and a timeless land that hadn’t changed much in 800 years.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_5539fce28afa4b839fe493c238965417b8e26bb8447e4ab337c35c8c8e88f0c7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231229111220_5539fce28afa4b839fe493c238965417b8e26bb8447e4ab337c35c8c8e88f0c7" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 1/2"> <figcaption>(Left) Ringmo village in 1993. The traditional, flat-roofed, rammed earth houses had changed little in the preceding 800 years when this photograph was taken. (Right) Ringmo village on 30 May 2023. Remarkably, little change has occurred in the interim with the exception of a few more traditional houses. Road access in the very near future will assuredly bring with it new building materials (i.e., concrete), architectural styles, and new hotels to take advantage of the beauty of the nearby Phoksundo Lake. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_afa4e31e9826f7a974890dbd50b4a6f8b61f2c120b4fb3d32ac1c1eb67e99567.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231229111220_afa4e31e9826f7a974890dbd50b4a6f8b61f2c120b4fb3d32ac1c1eb67e99567" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 3/4"> <figcaption>(Left) Chorten near Phoksundo lake in 1971. (Right) The same chorten near Phoksundo lake on 30 May 2023 showing practically no major changes having had occurred, with the exception of a new paint job, in the interim. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111228_2f582bd6366a0261a662704958b042b13a7f3be7e31dce5b9128bf7ba16aafed.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231229111228_2f582bd6366a0261a662704958b042b13a7f3be7e31dce5b9128bf7ba16aafed" data-rendition-name="original" width="1400" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 5/6"> <figcaption>(Left) Bridge near Ringmo village in 1971. (Right) The same bridge near Ringmo village on 30 May 2023, some 52 years later. Such traditional wooden bridges have been replaced with steel throughout much of the rest of Nepal. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>  There were no tourist lodges, the trails were primitive and exposed, food was scarce, and given their late November start the weather was unpredictable and uncertain.&nbsp; Shey Phoksundo National Park was established 11 years after Matthiessen's trek. But even though Dolpo had been ‘discovered’ by adventure tourists much earlier, it has still remained comparatively inaccessible and mysterious because of its remoteness, and expense. Only 600 tourists visited in 2022.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111224_b01f7a3719daf2834c6b4d31799911df35d3ce7b8128816c9e449b488850685d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20231229111224_b01f7a3719daf2834c6b4d31799911df35d3ce7b8128816c9e449b488850685d" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 7/8"> <figcaption>(Left) Bon Gompa near Ringmo and Phoksundo lake in 1993. (Right) Bon Gompa on 30 May 2023, showing virtually no change from the 1993 image with the exception of several structures having been painted in red. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111216_1665201aeb35844444707e95b4a02f1e627baf182699275db75ceeaf382a4e02.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231229111216_1665201aeb35844444707e95b4a02f1e627baf182699275db75ceeaf382a4e02" data-rendition-name="original" width="2900" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 9/10"> <figcaption>(Left) Bon Gompa in 1993. The purple colour on the distant hillslopes and deep blue colour of the lake are most likely the result of colour saturation of the original slide film, as well as age. (Right) Several new buildings had since been constructed at the Bon Gompa when this photograph was taken on 30 May 2023 that partially obscure the foreground. The village of Ringmo, to the left in the background, appears to be more densely tree covered than it was 40 years ago. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_1a162841d53fd30941204eb7a28a6cf84ac78b0e8769d6f95aa8bbed3197f9f4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20231229111220_1a162841d53fd30941204eb7a28a6cf84ac78b0e8769d6f95aa8bbed3197f9f4" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1400" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 11/12"> <figcaption>(Left) Four young lamas walk along a trail at the Bon Gompa in 1993. (Right) Photograph taken on 30 May 2023 of new structures built in the interim show parts of the 1993 view partially obscured. All four of the young lamas are now senior lamas in Kathmandu. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>  &nbsp;This, however, is about to change. Mustang and Dolpo are increasingly being connected by roads, and every major village within Shey Phoksundo National Park will soon be linked Between May-July 2023 my wife Elizabeth and I spent 40 days trekking in upper Dolpo, photographing wild flowers for the Godavari Botanical Gardens (including the first photograph of the rare Primula ramzanae ever taken), making plaster casts of snow leopard pugmarks for the Natural History Museum, and noting the impact of yarsagumba harvesters upon the fragile, high-altitude landscapes.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_adcf95099774d11f754f7f5a9bf62138fa42885a26a61e9fbc43e1e096512449.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20231229111220_adcf95099774d11f754f7f5a9bf62138fa42885a26a61e9fbc43e1e096512449" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1400" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 13/14"> <figcaption>(Left) Porter on the trail above Phoksundo lake in 1971. (Right) Jitendra Rai above Phoksundo lake on 1 June 2023. The lookout point with green roof in the background is the only real change that has occurred since Reinhard’s photo was taken in 1971. The lakeshore region in the background, however, will most likely be converted to a tourist hub with the coming of the new road, replacing traditional architecture with new homes and hotels made of cement, hotel-based as opposed to adventure tourists, automobiles, buses, and other modern amenities. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_ac2d5bbf8d482f56b547c6ca9ab4332256888bf2149326580fec508561565a5d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20231229111220_ac2d5bbf8d482f56b547c6ca9ab4332256888bf2149326580fec508561565a5d" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 15/16"> <figcaption>(Left) Porters on the trail above Phoksundo lake in 1993. (Right) Trail above Phoksundo lake on 1 June 2023. Little appears to have changed in the landscape since 1993, although the dangerous and exposed trails described by Matthissien in 1976 (some of which he crawled over on all fours) have since been improved. Yaks and mules, however, routinely fall to their deaths at certain narrow points. This section from Ringmo, crossing the 6,000m+ pass to Shey Gompa, might remain as a trekking trail. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_db0d239e5c262395b269309171dade512de245f9b336de5076e838d62d24832f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20231229111220_db0d239e5c262395b269309171dade512de245f9b336de5076e838d62d24832f" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 17/18"> <figcaption>(Left) View to the north-east above Phoksundo lake in 1993. The extremely deep blue of the lake may be a result of colour saturation of the original slide film, and age. (Right) The same view photographed on 1 June 2023, with little evident change having occurred in the interim. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>  We also replicated 16 photographs of the villages and landscapes taken by noted anthropologist Johan Reinhard in 1971 and 1993 to assess the changes that had occurred. Dolpo is still described as a roadless region by trekking agencies, available literature and websites. But new roads are planned and/or under construction from the Chinese border to Chakra Bhot, across to Saldang, down to Dho Tarap, and on out to Jomsom.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229091220_e3a6a6c428b25526f4f2831d77ad7a132901df29f1eafd70dc52a526374756d6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20231229091220_e3a6a6c428b25526f4f2831d77ad7a132901df29f1eafd70dc52a526374756d6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1386" height="800" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo road network NT"> </figure>  Contoured ‘mountain bike’ trails have been excavated by local communities from village to village to help bulldozers, which will link the remotest settlements within a few years. The Shey Gompa monastery featured in Matthiessen’s book will be linked as will Phoksundo Lake.&nbsp; Our original trek route had to be drastically revised as a result, as we played ‘dodge the new road’ to stay on traditional trade and trekking trails in upper Dolpo.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111216_1ec923e67778e2f3cdf52e5597e4d9ea3da13394a73026523331b52c2f7a852f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20231229111216_1ec923e67778e2f3cdf52e5597e4d9ea3da13394a73026523331b52c2f7a852f" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 19/20"> <figcaption>(Left) Trekker campsite near Shey Gompa in 1993. (Right) The same campsite on 10 June 2023. With the exception of a new stupa and several buildings in the floodplain to the right, very little is different from the image above taken 40 years ago. This, however, will change in the very near future when roads connect Shey with the outside world. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_c236bd4523441f367fa965eddfb8ff70fa4f5bdaabdb789ccefc757a0c162a0c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20231229111220_c236bd4523441f367fa965eddfb8ff70fa4f5bdaabdb789ccefc757a0c162a0c" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 21/22"> <figcaption>(Left) Scene from above Shey Gompa in 1993. (Right) The same scene on 10 June 2023. Only the red structure in the foreground, with its rectangular roof bordered with willow and juniper fuelwood, is new. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_fad02525d46b34135fb839504c5663c1a7d0ae57805e3fabc7293d40c9079914.jpg" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20231229111220_fad02525d46b34135fb839504c5663c1a7d0ae57805e3fabc7293d40c9079914" data-rendition-name="original" width="2900" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 23/24"> <figcaption>(Left) Shey Gompa in 1993. (Right)  Shey Gompa on 10 June 2023, showing remarkably little change over the past 40 years. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>  The repeat photographs thus took on an entirely new and unexpected meaning. The photographs actually show how little change appears to have occurred in the villages, monasteries, and landscapes that we replicated.&nbsp; But with the coming of roads, we can expect unprecedented changes within the next few years, such as new cement hotels, lodges, houses, and other infrastructure. Roads can bring positive (improved access to health care) as well as negative impacts (increased landslides, poaching). We left with the hope that the benefits will outweigh the negative, and that the magic and mystery of Dolpo will continue to prevail in perpetuity. &nbsp;&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_45fdaa2f4fe92fe1c41b265d374a0259e5a81c19f1bdd160455b2e2338400920.jpg" data-media-id="editor_13" data-image-id="20231229111220_45fdaa2f4fe92fe1c41b265d374a0259e5a81c19f1bdd160455b2e2338400920" data-rendition-name="original" width="1700" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 25/26"> <figcaption>(Left) Tsakang Gompa in 1993. This meditative center near Shey Gompa was featured in writer Peter Matthiessen’s 1976 book The Snow Leopard. (Right) Tsakang Gompa on 11 June 2023 showing that little evident change had occurred in the interim period. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / LAKPA NORBU SHERPA (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_d1df43d7caec38690fa4e0dde53cb109e42600b5063b5e8c6e1b2964d6227ae3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20231229111220_d1df43d7caec38690fa4e0dde53cb109e42600b5063b5e8c6e1b2964d6227ae3" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 27/28"> <figcaption>(Left) Mother and daughter lodge owners in Yak Kharka identifying photographs of local people taken in 1971 and 1993 by anthropologist Dr Johan Reinhard. (Right) Ladies near Amchii Hospital identifying photographs of their friends taken in 1971 and 1993. Naturalist and mountaineer Lakpa Norbu Sherpa of Family Alpine Trekking and Mountaineering is to the left is holding the photographs. Photos: ALTON C. BYERS</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229101224_ff6bcc5bb843c6eea3f1f30ae5fbe6e92a5ad8837e92d8003f03e1c9a2a73e17.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="20231229101224_ff6bcc5bb843c6eea3f1f30ae5fbe6e92a5ad8837e92d8003f03e1c9a2a73e17" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo repeat photographs NT 29"> <figcaption>Elizabeth Byers (left) and the Head Lama of the Bon Gompa near Ringmo identify changes in landscapes and monastery structures from photographs taken in 1971 and 1993. Photo: ALTON C. BYERS</figcaption> </figure>  The historic and recent repeat photographs should provide a solid baseline for young Nepali scholars to conduct future studies on the impact of roads in Dolpo, one of the last of the remote, hidden, and mysterious treasures of Nepal and the world. Alton C. Byers, PhD is a Senior Research Associate and Faculty at the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado at Boulder.

Time catching up with timeless Dolpo

When Nepal opened up for trekking and mountaineering, it restricted foreigners from travelling to trans-Himalayan districts like Mustang and Dolpo because of the cultural sensitivity and limited ecological carrying capacity of the land.
Later in 1992, they were opened up, but unlike other trekking areas visitors had to pay the Annapurna Conservatioon Area Project (ACAP) $500 for 10 days and an additional $50 per day for any extra duration.&nbsp;
Since then, Nepal has become a federal republic and there is now a highway connecting Pokhara to Jomsom and Lo Manthang right up to the Chinese border, and locals say it does not make sense to charge such high fees anymore, saying it is impacting on the local economy.
“The permit fee for the restricted areas is too high and we would get a lot more tourists and raise local incomes if it was revoked,” argues Tashi Norbu Gurung, the elected chair of Lo Manthang Rural Municipality. “This is severely affecting our livelihoods and businesses.”
With support from local residents, hoteliers and village councils, Gurung along with the chairs of adjoining rural municipalities recently submitted a petition to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Chief Minister of Gandaki Province Surendra Pandey and Minister of Forest and Environment Birendra Kumar Mahato to remove Upper Mustang from the list of restricted areas.
Most of the fee goes to ACAP, and local municipalities complain that they do not really benefit from the extra charges on tourists.&nbsp;
Says Rinjin Gurung of the Waragung Muktikshetra Rural Municpality: “Because these are at present restricted areas, tourists cannot easily access them, and this has affected us all negatively.
Of the total 71,707 tourists who visited Mustang in 2022/23, only 3,388 visited Upper Mustang, paying the ACAP premium fee. Trekking traffic to the region has been climbing to nearly pre-Covid levels with more than 3,000 tourists in the first nine months of 2023. The number of Nepali visitors to the region has also grown exponentially, with most travelling by motorcycle or jeep from Pokhara.
“It is important that we set up fees and create a system that is appropriate for tourists of all classes and economic status,” says Vikal Sherchan member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly. Indeed, there is fear that opening up Upper Mustang to mass tourism can lead to some of the negative effects seen in other parts of Nepal with unregulated building, high costs, theft of antiquities and an impact on the region’s fragile ecology.
Upper Mustang in Nepal’s trans-Himalaya is a major tourist attraction with arid and desolate mountain landscapes, ancient Tibetan culture with monasteries and chortens and places of historical importance. In fact, in a lot of ways Mustang is geologically, culturally and linguistically closer to Tibet than Nepal.
Many visitors to Mustang are also Hindu and Budhist pilgrims who come worship at the Muktinath shrine. Trekkers often traverse the Thorung La pass from Manang to Mustang, for which they do not have to pay the extra ACAP fee.&nbsp;
New high-end hotels have now come up in Jomsom, Lo Manthang and along the trail in between. Some of the investors in these hotels feel lifting the premium fee will increase the footfall in Upper Mustang.
Adapted from RSS
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/comings-and-goings-in-mustang">Comings and goings in Mustang</a>, Shrijan Pandey

Call to scrap Upper Mustang tourist fee

Kanchan Rai caught the travel bug young. During holidays, he would spend the entire day roaming around Kathmandu, coming home late into the evening, much to the dismay of his mother. She called him ‘ghumante’, a wanderer. The obsession with wandering never left Rai even when he grew up, and the nickname stuck. Over the years he explored parts of Nepal, far from the beaten track.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/top-dasain-destinations">Top Dasain destinations</a>, Nepali Times He has now built the Ghumante brand that has through social media inspired a whole new generation of Nepalis to pursue the roads less taken. “Ghumante is not an insult anymore,” says Rai. “There are now many other accounts on social media that have the word ghumante in their ID.” Ghumante first started as a blog back in 2013. As an IT professional, Rai was aware of the emerging trends and he wanted to set up a travel blog to earn a side income from Google ads. A friend familiar with SEOs helped him to ensure rankings. He also started a Facebook page, where he crowdsourced photos from fellow travellers.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023101913100_84eafbd78eb77309d62f2e66e807b6ed541d55e7b94761e33bc9c31cf65f0eb1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2023101913100_84eafbd78eb77309d62f2e66e807b6ed541d55e7b94761e33bc9c31cf65f0eb1" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="3000" loading="lazy" alt="Ghumante NT"> <figcaption>Kanchan Rai </figcaption> </figure>  Initially he asked his siblings for photos from their travels to ensure regular posting, as he could not travel as often due to work. He also collaborated with another friend, Prakash Buda, a photographer. They also gave away t-shirts to contributors. The blog and Facebook page saw modest success.&nbsp; “I was conscious about copyright, so I did not lift things from the internet, even though I could have got more followers,” says Rai. The turning point came in 2015, as the internet pivoted to video. Rai was working in Thailand and travelled to Nepal every holiday. He bought a GoPro and also found a group of Nepalis with similar interests. Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/top-10-treks">Top 10 treks</a>, Nepali Times At the end of 2015, they went to Gupha Pokhari, and documented the trip, learning video editing and script-writing as they went. In 2019, he returned to Nepal for good, and that was when travelling became a full-time occupation. He dedicated time and resources for YouTube with a team. Then Covid-19 hit. “That was the time I wished I was a journalist. Getting travel passes would have been much easier,” recalls Rai. “But it was amazing traveling when no one else was.” Ghumante’s YouTube channel now has 125 videos spanning the mountains and plains with a total of over 24 million views. Rai paid for it with savings in the beginning, but now they have partners and sponsors.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023101913104_5b9bc41fa208b56a2bf44294fc20a6e4a5b2915e52387d3d3663dcd80076387f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2023101913104_5b9bc41fa208b56a2bf44294fc20a6e4a5b2915e52387d3d3663dcd80076387f" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="Ghumante"> </figure>  Planning for videos can take anywhere from 2 months to a year. The team researches the location including the altitude, settlements and whether there are clear trails, then they find local contacts who can help them navigate and introduce the village to them. “One should travel because it broadens one’s horizon,” says Rai. “Those who don’t travel only read one page of the entire book that is life.” He is happy that people take his video as reference when traveling but says he feels an added responsibility these days thinking of the aftermath on the environment and culture of a place when a lot of people visit a new place. “It is important to respect the culture, landscape and people when we travel,” says Rai. “We need to be responsible travellers and leave nothing but our footprints--a message we are trying to give through our videos.” Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/where-are-you-going-this-dasain">Where are you going this Dasain?</a>, Sikuma Rai When they travel, they also try to convince the locals to preserve their own culture and identity in food and architecture to attract the tourists--like you don’t need a cement building in community homestays, traditional architecture should be kept intact.&nbsp; “We don’t need ugly view towers on mountain tops. Binoculars would be better,” says Rai, who now wants to produce full-fledged travel documentaries. &nbsp; 10 Ghumante Travel Recommendations Note from Ghumante: When choosing the destination, consider time, budget, your own physical condition, and research and respect the place, its culture and customs. 1. Millennium Trek, Tanahun and Syangja In 2000, a new trekking trail through the culturally rich Gurung and Magar villages of Tanahun and Syangja was initiated. Due to the conflict, the trail never took off. Although the highest point of this trek is no more than 1,800m, this fairly easy trail offers unprecedented views of Annapurna, Manaslu and Dhaulagiri.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121032_c3ac6b8070d3ae030070a146ee789e9e413109c37e2fb163a40426b9bd1f4273.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20231019121032_c3ac6b8070d3ae030070a146ee789e9e413109c37e2fb163a40426b9bd1f4273" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1124" loading="lazy" alt="Millennium trek "> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_qWgugTzCm0?si=PLp_0ZjK0YBnTrN4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> &nbsp;2. Badimalika, Bajura More popular as a religious destination, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Badimalika-a-ridge-too-far,3328">Badimalika</a> can also be a pilgrimage to nature. The remoteness of the place has kept it preserved from the outside world and ‘development’ that has accompanied other tourist spots. Trek there any time, except in winter.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121048_207e0b66036aba24112107f59e796029903bd6082d43929c04e01b4a32e1e33e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20231019121048_207e0b66036aba24112107f59e796029903bd6082d43929c04e01b4a32e1e33e" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Bdhimalika"> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9iXhMmPtqRE?si=v0QKzyqFQ-RfbUgZ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> &nbsp;3. Ramaroshan, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-rural-lifeline">Achham</a> With 12 lakes and 18 alpine meadows at a height of 2,500m, the wetland of Ramaroshan is a hidden gem. Now easily accessible by road and air, travellers cross rhododendron forests and grazing horses, waterfalls, and mallard ducks in the clear waters. They can also visit Kinemini maidan, a former Maoist training ground.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121048_560b6ee91f56dc88f24502115396f28d53720a4169dee01a69969fb1ff66ca16.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20231019121048_560b6ee91f56dc88f24502115396f28d53720a4169dee01a69969fb1ff66ca16" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1332" loading="lazy" alt="Ramaroshan"> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VTq6NA18xeM?si=bjFu7mQrIZrNOAVQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> &nbsp;4. Janakpur Often overlooked due to the lure of the mountains, Nepal's plains offer an equally enriching experience. Home to more than 70 shrines including the Janaki Temple and numerous ponds, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Federalism-in-the-capital-of-Tarai,3449">Janakpur</a> boasts a rich history and culture. It is noted for its arts, languages, and literature.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121048_4ee366063fb4f5f378b25f5c10b6aea42aa45e4721df27e986e84f69f4405cf8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20231019121048_4ee366063fb4f5f378b25f5c10b6aea42aa45e4721df27e986e84f69f4405cf8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1024" height="1536" loading="lazy" alt="Janakpur"> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aDVwQwLHqeE?si=UO-NdBeq4CpmE2kY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> &nbsp;5. Tharu Community Lodge, Nawalpur Experience the rich <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/displacement-and-defiance">Tharu culture and architecture</a> against the backdrop of mesmerising sunsets reflected on the Narayani River. Hire a local guide and book a safari to the Chitwan National Park. Even better, time your visit for the annual Holi festival for an experience of a lifetime.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121052_b7740e2d6bb329ca5d4bfbe894c9dad5b521906762354831cc579d33f1d195f9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_17" data-image-id="20231019121052_b7740e2d6bb329ca5d4bfbe894c9dad5b521906762354831cc579d33f1d195f9" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Tharu Community Lodge Nawalpur"> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bkmScIO8K5E?si=71TiCPdxIdPwZLxt" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> &nbsp;6. Kangchenjunga <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-kangchenjunga">The Kangchenjunga Base Camp</a> trek is enough to satisfy even the most avid traveler. Perhaps one of the most diverse treks in Nepal, the altitude goes from 200-300m in the lowlands of Jhapa to 5,140m. The trek is doable in 15-20 days.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121052_c7b09810d6439e67ea27f5baf1496419ca683bfc2ef7b6a7d45a4be230b42f95.jpg" data-media-id="editor_20" data-image-id="20231019121052_c7b09810d6439e67ea27f5baf1496419ca683bfc2ef7b6a7d45a4be230b42f95" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="1350" loading="lazy" alt="Kangchenjunga"> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBa0F1kzToI?si=CiS_loVwGUtlJ2hc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> 7. &nbsp;Api Base Camp, Darchula Mt Api, 7,132m, is the westernmost peak. Camp at the edge of a coniferous forest and wake up to see the sunrise to the sound of chirping birds and a gurgling brook. Off the beaten path, Api lies in the most remote and hardest-to-get-to parts of Nepal, but the people, views, and culture make the arduous journey worthwhile.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121052_a7cfc7ee445967dc75fbf3d26638c5f3370a4ee576c4b404fc03a273461f784c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_22" data-image-id="20231019121052_a7cfc7ee445967dc75fbf3d26638c5f3370a4ee576c4b404fc03a273461f784c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1439" loading="lazy" alt="Api Base Camp"> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D6iGgWyd_F4?si=N68MeN8G-z9vlJTu" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> &nbsp;8. Mugu Mugu is popular because of Rara lake, but the district has much more to offer. From its beautiful pastures to Swangeri, a unique mountain with a big hole on the top, which local folklore says was made by the arrow of Pala Gopo, Mugu's potential for tourism remains untapped.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121052_c634db7ffc06446bdd83d11c2fca23c19fcfeb491b0836ce83a8761989a22715.jpg" data-media-id="editor_24" data-image-id="20231019121052_c634db7ffc06446bdd83d11c2fca23c19fcfeb491b0836ce83a8761989a22715" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Mugu"> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MdERyxqw_I4?si=iXjZPYsKOmJ3UpsL" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> &nbsp;9. Pikey Peak, Solu&nbsp; One of the best-kept secrets of trekking in Nepal is <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/lifetime-experience-on-pikey-peak">Pikey Peak in Solu</a>, which offers a view of seven of Nepal's eight-thousanders from one place, including Mt Everest. The 4,065m peak was bypassed by most trekkers on the Everest trail. Now, the road from Kathmandu to Jiri and the Solu Highway has reached Phaplu via Okhaldhunga, and Pikey is accessible to trekkers of all ages.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121056_fb22519283cd5d9d8bdba5ba99fa28fb2abb73209797e945e398e1a9853ddb02.jpg" data-media-id="editor_27" data-image-id="20231019121056_fb22519283cd5d9d8bdba5ba99fa28fb2abb73209797e945e398e1a9853ddb02" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1332" loading="lazy" alt="Pikey Peak"> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ngQLVloeNwU?si=dR7tbJvl5yhtEO1H" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> 10. Panchpokhari, Solukhumbu, Ramechhap, Sindhupalchok&nbsp; There are many Panchpokharis in Nepal, most of them sacred ponds in the mountains. From lush green grasslands to colourful wildflowers and breathtaking mountain views, the Panchpokhari of Sindhupalchok is perhaps best known with shamans and pilgrims flocking the holy site during Janai Purnima. But there are other Panchpokharis in Solukhumbu and Ramechhap.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121056_c82a9074cecf34ba19e0f9491a8eff8243acb9733a635bd5336a7fb469bb3b36.jpg" data-media-id="editor_29" data-image-id="20231019121056_c82a9074cecf34ba19e0f9491a8eff8243acb9733a635bd5336a7fb469bb3b36" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="Panchpokhari"> <figcaption>Panchpokhari, Ramechhap</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019121056_4908f6f24bea125b2c58f7a909a1c2efee6d07c4e9dad3bea9a8742fc638e56c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_30" data-image-id="20231019121056_4908f6f24bea125b2c58f7a909a1c2efee6d07c4e9dad3bea9a8742fc638e56c" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1499" loading="lazy" alt="Panchpokhari"> <figcaption>Panchpokhari, Sindhupalchok</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023101913100_51e01bb85da1a62a976b288deb8b3bc251e4aac1a21e73accb1e3fc7bff0eba3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_31" data-image-id="2023101913100_51e01bb85da1a62a976b288deb8b3bc251e4aac1a21e73accb1e3fc7bff0eba3" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1332" loading="lazy" alt="Panchpokhari"> <figcaption>Panchpokhari, Solu</figcaption> </figure>  <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uRcnEWvPZA4?si=o_E2t5BFUHxbucuo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> &nbsp;

The journey is more interesting than the destination

Sherli Doma Sherpa goes hiking regularly in Shivapuri National Park. She has trekked around Lamjung, explored Parsa district in scorching heat, and decorated houses in Dharan. Last month Sherli went on a seven day trek to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/with-the-shamans-of-gosainkunda">Gosaikunda</a>, skipping up the steep slope like a mountain goat in freezing sleet.&nbsp; Sherli is just four years old. But her travel atlas can make even the grown-ups envious. Parents Anamica Gauchan and Prem Tsering Sherpa have also taken Sherli to Surkhet, Bhojpur, Kaski. &nbsp;&nbsp; "We wanted her to explore her country’s geographical, social and cultural <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/culture-cannot-be-an-afterthought">diversities</a> as much as possible from a young age," says Anamica Gauchan. “She can value her roots, the place she is born in and experience the majestic charm our country can offer.” Sherli's explorations actually began when she was just five months old, when she joined her mother and father on a work trip to Dhading district.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230331190344_f003f0e170310e2831c544fdb685daa3407142005988b9b876df3f1aecfd5f03.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230331190344_f003f0e170310e2831c544fdb685daa3407142005988b9b876df3f1aecfd5f03" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1536" loading="lazy" alt="Prem Tshering Sherpa"> <figcaption>Photo: PREM TSHERING SHERPA</figcaption> </figure>  Living in a nuclear family, the parents knew that it would be just the three of them till she started school. The two adopted the philosophy of exposure and experience as much as possible. Sherli's<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/visit-nepal-again"> travel took a break during the pandemic</a> hit. And even though she started pre-school this year, her parents manage to take her out when they can.&nbsp; In early March, Prem planned a trip to Gosaikunda with two of their family friends. At the very last minute, it was decided that Anamica and Sherli would join the trip as well. They informed Sherli’s school and went off on a week-long trek.&nbsp; Though Sherli had traveled to quite a few places, she had never been to such a high altitude. So, unlike the traditional route from Dhunche, the group started their journey from Kutumsang (2,371m) of Sindhupalchok to ensure that she adjusted to the altitude.&nbsp; “I was a bit worried since it was their first time,” admits Prem. “But she finished the trek without a hitch.” One complaint she did have was not seeing any <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-red-panda-house">red pandas</a> along the way. Her parents had promised red panda sightings, but the only one they saw was on a poster along the way.&nbsp; When she was not busy matching her steps with the four adults, Sherli &nbsp;played with innkeepers' children along the way, making friends despite the occasional language barrier. “Snow and eggs,” Sherli says, were her favourite part of the Gosaikunda trip. Throughout the trek, she would fuel up on eggs at the start of the day for the journey up snow-bound trails. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/for-children-about-children">For children, about children</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230331190348_3f20cb7125f9a55bf806b8a8db3c6c8f0648f3141b0c18277d34c465e31dd06e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20230331190348_3f20cb7125f9a55bf806b8a8db3c6c8f0648f3141b0c18277d34c465e31dd06e" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1536" loading="lazy" alt="Sherli 2 NT"> <figcaption>Photo: NIRJALA SHARMA</figcaption> </figure>  It had started snowing on the third day at Ghopte (3,430m), giving Sherli the first snowfall of her life. She took it all in her stride in her white sneakers, singing rhymes and eating snacks. Her parents carried her only when the road got too slippery. “She constantly surprised us,” says Anamica. “She taught us the true meaning of gratitude like when she turned up to the sky and suddenly uttered ‘Thank you God’ in between the trekking days when the weather forecasted rainfall, but turned sunny and bright.” Trekkers they met on the way often commented how brave the ‘babu’ was. Sherli would promptly correct them: “I am not babu, I am nanu.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230401030444_a980fc7c71678132a6e6529bd16106936213b0b4db36510b5d012edaa92206e8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20230401030444_a980fc7c71678132a6e6529bd16106936213b0b4db36510b5d012edaa92206e8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1536" height="2048" loading="lazy" alt="Sherli goes trekking 4"> <figcaption>Photo: NIRJALA SHARMA</figcaption> </figure>  When she is not out and about, just like any other children her age, Sherli spends time doing art, reading and enjoys going to school. Following the trek, Sherli’s parents have noticed she has become more assertive. ‘Diva meets Dora’ is how her mother Anamica describes her personality. “She has a sense of adventure, is kind and empathetic but knows how to stand up for herself,” she says. Named after two cultures Sher’pa’ and Thaka’li’, Sherli’s sense of adventure runs in the family. Apart from her own parents who enjoy their time outdoors, her great grandfather was the late <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/more-equity-on-Mount-Everest,2183">Min Bahadur Sherchan</a>, who became the oldest person to climb Mt Everest in 2008, before Japanese climber Yuichiro Muira beat his record. Her parents want to nurture Sherli’s sense of adventure as much as possible. Next year at age five, the parents want to take her on the Everest Base Camp trek. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/adventures-of-a-little-dumpling-named-momo-and-other-books">Adventures of a little dumpling named Momo</a> , Sahina Shrestha

Sahina Shrestha

Sherli goes trekking

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131156/63723bc89c7e80680e0c95e1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2296" height="1384"/><figcaption>Satellite radar image showing position of the heaviest rainfall on Thursday morning. The system is now moving north, and will bring more rain to the central Himalaya.</figcaption></figure>Unseasonal late monsoon rains across Nepal are causing floods, damaging paddy fields ready for harvest, and early snowfall in the Himalaya has stranded trekkers and festival travellers.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 16px; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">Relentless rain battered Kathmandu and other areas in the middle of the Dasain festival season, when many people are on the road or at airports travelling to their home districts.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; min-height: 16px; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">A highway accident in Bara on Thursday morning which appears to have been caused by the bus brakes failing due to aquaplaning in heavy rain killed 18 people. Landslides and muddy roads cut off other areas of the country. There have been no flights to and from Pokhara since Tuesday.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology Early Warning Centre forecasts more rain for at least two more days, mainly concentrated in western and central Nepal. The monsoon front that brought this precipitation is being pushed back by a westerly, bringing more snow to the central Himalayan areas.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">Kathmandu got 70mm of rain on Thursday, with the heaviest in Rupendehi and Chitwan which recorded 200mm in 24 hours, and 80mm in Dang. Kathmandu is expected to get more rain by mid-day Friday and into the evening.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131156/63723bcb9c7e80680e0c95e2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="450"><figcaption>Manang on Thursday afternoon was blanketed in unseasonal snowfall, trapping trekkers on their way to Thorung La and Tilicho. Photo: RSS</figcaption></figure>The Babai and West Rapti Rivers were flowing above the danger mark on Thursday evening, while the Narayani in Devghat was rising up to its 9m danger threshold. The Department has warned people living close to the Narayani in Nawalparasi and Chitwan to take extreme care.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">Meanwhile, the monsoon depression dumped more than 2m of snow in the Himalaya, forcing mountaineers on Manaslu, Dhaulagiri and Mt Everest to cancel their expeditions. Two Nepalis were killed in avalanches on Manaslu, while an American extreme skier was killed after she fell to her death from near the summit of the world’s eighth highest mountain.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">Humla, which had got the first unseasonal snowfall of the season at the end of September, got more of it on Thursday. In Manang, the blizzards this week blanketed Ngisyang and Narpha, trapping yak herders and trekkers.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">"There was only snow from Wednesday night, now it is sleet and snow in Humde,” said  Kancha Ghale, Chairman of Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131156/63723bce9c7e80680e0c95e3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2406" height="1502"><figcaption>Rainfall map of Nepal with heaviest precipitation on Thursday reported in Nawalparasi, Rupendehi and Chitwan, where rivers are flowing above the danger mark.</figcaption></figure>The head of Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Area Office in Manang, Lekhnath Gautam, said 60 trekkers headed up to Thorung La (5,416 m) and Tilicho Lake (4,919 m) were stuck in the town waiting for the snowfall to stop.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">Another 150 trekkers are at Yak Kharka, Ledar, Thorung Phedi and High Camp on the way to the Thorung pass. There are also trekkers in  Khangsar and Srikharka on the trail to Tilicho.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">Manang’s Chief District Officer Rabindra Prasad Acharya said that trekkers have been asked to stay where they are as there are risks of landslides and avalanches due to heavy rain and snowfall higher up the mountains.<p style="background: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-stretch: normal; word-spacing: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 8.05pt 0in;">Floods have also damaged the Besisahar-Chame road, which was rough even at the best of times. Landslides at Khotro, Dharapani, and Timang had blocked traffic since Wednesday.

More rain and snow forecast for Nepal

Off the beaten trek in Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a259c7e80680e0b5587jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="602"/><figcaption>All photos: ABHYU GHIMIRE</figcaption></figure>Scientists have found <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/34/3/775/2967141?login=true">genetic evidence</a> that dogs were first domesticated by early humans on the Tibetan Plateau, and interbreeding with the Himalayan grey wolf gave them the ability to adapt to high altitude living. So, it is no wonder that dogs feel so much at home in the mountains.When a team did the first traverse of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19057#.YhnstC2B2CR">the Great Himalayan Trail</a> in 2017, a mastiff they named Setuk joined the group for 300km from Khumbu to Helambu, even climbing over the 5,700m high Tashi Labtsa pass. Setuk once <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19216#.Yhnsti2B2CR">accompanied mountaineers</a> up the Khumbu Icefall to Camp 2.Another <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17935#.Yhnsui2B2CR">Tibetan mastiff named Tashi</a> once walked back from a village in Ramechhap to Kathmandu after his Japanese owner, at the end of his job in Nepal, took him back to the place where he adopted the puppy.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a279c7e80680e0b5588jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="563">Dogs often trail trekkers in Nepal, they bond with them acting as guides and camp watchdogs in return for food and adventure. Some of these dogs stay on in the mountains and are feral, hunting in packs like their evolutionary ancestors. Wild dogs have been known to attack yaks in high pastures in Khumbu.A community dog from Dingboche once accompanied us on the climb up to Nangarshang peak. He was a perfect gentleman (a gentledog if you will), and carried himself with much dignity. Not obtrusive or greedy, he was just there all the time, walking ahead of us on the trail.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/a-dog-with-altitude/">Tibetan mastiffs</a> look intimidating at first glance, but they seldom quarrel among themselves when resources are plentiful. They however can be loyal and fiercely protective of the yaks, sheep or humans that they watch over, and do not hesitate to attack “outsiders”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUNCMaIlNB4There is a difference between domestic dogs confined to households, and community canines that watch over the whole village they belong to. As an example, this particular tourist dog was attacked by local dogs at Namche Bazaar. As my patient wouldn't let me suture the lacerations, wounds were cleaned and repaired using staples.Lately, however, I have noticed that with the drop in tourism following the pandemic in the past two years, previously <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/a-tibetan-mastiff-pup-who-dares-to-dream/">friendly community mastiffs</a> in the Khumbu have become more aggressive.As a doctor here, I have had to treat an increasing number of dog bite cases. Not only have the incidents of dog-attack increased, but the injuries are also more serious. No longer are they casual fang marks and scratches, but deep wounds as if the predator had the intention of killing and eating its prey.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a2a9c7e80680e0b5589jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="445" height="462">Some people have stopped walking alone along village trails, and children are warned by parents not to go out alone. I had to treat a child who was attacked by a group of dogs in Pangboche and had deep life-threatening injuries on her back. She was lucky, as neighbours chased away the dog pack in the knick of time.There used to be a puppy in Dingboche that used to play with a yak calf which was about his size. He was being raised by the community to be a watchdog to protect the yak herd from wolves and snow leopards.Recently, the pup was killed and eaten — not by a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-leads-in-snow-leopard-study/">snow leopard</a>, but by other feral dogs. There have been other instances of dog-eat-dog, a phenomenon locals here had never heard of before.The people of the Khumbu rely heavily on trekkers for income, and the collapse of tourism has had a domino effect on families here. The fall in income has also meant that the dogs now do not get enough to eat<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/bhaktapurs-dog-catchers/">Community dogs</a> that used to be well-fed, and sleep all day in the sun, are now showing more aggressiveness. Triggered by hunger, they have fallen back on their primitive wolf instincts.They hunt in packs, and there are frequent territorial gang wars between rival groups. Dog fights have become more common, and dogs do not hesitate to eat their own kind if one is killed in a fight.Khumbu’s langur monkeys, which were wary only of snow leopards and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/crying-wolf/">wolves</a>, are now being attacked and eaten by dogs. In Dingboche, one unfortunate monkey met such a fate and was left half-eaten by dogs.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a2c9c7e80680e0b558ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="329" height="462">It is an indication of how much locals are worried about dog attacks that the deeply religious people here, who usually do not harm animals, have started requesting the authorities to poison rampant dogs. This is against what doctors believe in and practice, and hence was denied.Luckily, with the Covid-19 pandemic tapering off, there is a trickle of trekkers. With more food available, the number of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/dog-bites-man-is-still-news-in-nepal/">dog bite cases</a> at the health posts in the Khumbu is going down noticeably.This behavioral change in Khumbu's dogs should be studied in more detail but what we witnessed first hand was thousands of years of domestication fading away in a matter of months, as a result of food deprivation, an interesting side <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/singha-darbar-dogs-go-hungry-in-lockdown/">effect of the whole Covid-19 pandemic</a>.Abhyu Ghimire is a Medical Officer at The Mountain Medical Institute at Namche Bazar and Dingboche in Solu Khumbu.

Khumbu dogs go wild after tourism decline

In the black and white photograph, General Wangdu smiles broadly in front of the dusty cactus garden in Kathmandu’s Annapurna Hotel. With an ill-fitting jacket and shaggy hair he looks benign enough, but this was the last leader of the Tibetan freedom fighters who led the resistance against the Chinese from their remote mountain hideouts in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/comings-and-goings-in-mustang">Mustang</a>. Five months later, Wangdu was dead. Snapped in March 1974, I had only recently arrived in Nepal. How did I meet this legendary fighter? Possibly with his devoted camp follower, Lynne Klapecki, and probably in the Om Restaurant near Freak Street which was the preferred <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/hippie-trail-nostalgia-in-kathmandu">hippie hang-out</a>. Om Lobsang and his brother Yeshe were <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/earthquake-brings-back-memories-of-camps-for-tibetan-refugees">refugees from East Tibet </a>whose cafe offered a friendly welcome and<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/momo-loco"> the best momos</a> - they became my in-laws after I married their eldest brother Tenzin, but that was a decade later.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1583" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Photo: LISA CHOEGYAL</figcaption> </figure>  Wangdu’s English was enthusiastically rudimentary, but even riding around town with him on the back of an aging <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-new-motorbike-museum">motorbike</a>, he was a commanding presence. Always flanked by armed outriders, impressive scars marked his forearms and a pistol hung from the cord around his neck. A charismatic guerrilla leader, Wangdu was celebrated by his followers for his tough commitment and respected for his measured pragmatism. He seemed so young to have shouldered such a responsibility of command, leading hundreds of hardened <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/50-years-after-the%20raid-into-Tibet,1012#google_vignette">Khampa combatants </a>through what had been a particularly <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/heavy-snowfall-over-nepal-himalaya">brutal winter in Mustang</a>, the last bastion to hold out against the Chinese invasion of their Tibetan homeland.&nbsp; The freedom fighters of Tibet, known as the Chushi-Gangdruk, had emerged to resist the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/territorialism">Chinese takeover</a> of Tibet during the 1950s. Estimated to be 80,000-strong at the time of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/what-or-who-after-the-dalai-lama">the Dalai Lama</a>’s final escape to India in 1959, the sheer number of Chinese deployed into Tibet eventually forced the Chushi-Gangdruk to retreat to Mustang, From this high Himalayan stronghold, they continued cross-border raids on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) throughout the 1960s.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1114" height="676" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Guerrillas known as the Chushi-Gangdruk emerged to resist the Chinese annexation of Tibet during the 1950s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>  Their Kathmandu base was a small discreet lodge in a back lane near Rani Pokhari. Sipping sweet tea from a blue mug with a chipped lid, I sat bemused in a corner of the Mustang Hotel room whilst Wangdu and his cohorts received a battered brown suitcase from their CIA connection, a tousle-haired American in a leather jacket. Heaved onto the dingy bedspread that covered the thin mattress, it was clicked open to reveal piles of neatly stacked dollar bills.&nbsp; I cannot think why Wangdu allowed me to witness this handover but I was clearly no threat, a newly arrived world traveller with no understanding of the stakes nor any Nepali or <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/tibetan-music-in-nepals-sacred-valley">Tibetan language</a>. Despite armed guards in the corridor,Wangdu radiated confidence and bravado, and there was a practiced familiarity to the tense transaction. This deadly dance for many years had been funded by the Americans, tolerated by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-kingdom-within-a-republic">Mustang’s residents</a>, and permitted by King Mahendra and the Nepali authorities who it suited to turn a blind eye.&nbsp; But Mahendra died in 1972, and times were changing. Richard Nixon’s ping-pong diplomacy thawed the cold war and signalled a fresh entente with China. Nepal’s yet-to-be-crowned <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-birendra-was-alive-nepal-could-still-be-a-monarchy">King Birendra </a>was under pressure to curb the irritating incursions against the PLA launched from the Nepali territory of Mustang. Keen to appease his northern neighbour, on several occasions the King summoned Wangdu for peace talks but, despite increasingly overwhelming odds, Wangdu refused to surrender.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1055" height="885" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>General Wangdu flanked by two Tibetan resistance fighters in Mustang in the 1970s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31" data-rendition-name="original" width="1044" height="792" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>King Birendra with General Wangdu (right in dark glasses) taken in 1974 possibly in Mustang after one of their few attempts at negotiation. Photo courtesy: RAJRNDRA KUNWAR</figcaption> </figure>  While I naively rode pillion around Kathmandu in the spring sunshine, Wangdu was in the midst of what turned out to be his final round of negotiations with the Nepal government. Refusing to cease hostilities with the Chinese, Wangdu must have suspected the cost of his decision, making his cheerful smile in the photograph all the more poignant and brave. It was only much later that I appreciated the significance of the moment. Wangdu had been sent to replace the first resistance leader in Mustang, Baba Gen Yeshe, a much derided corrupt character who stole money meant for his troops and exploited fleeing refugees by seizing their treasures. Baba Gen Yeshe never forgave Wangdu,and sought revenge in May 1974 by betraying him and his commanders to the Nepal authorities. Renewed Chinese incursions from the north, active PLA collusion with the Nepali forces under the new King, and treachery from within the Chushi-Gangdrukranks combined to seal their fate.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1400" height="769" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>British television journalists George Patterson and Adrian Cowell embedded themselves with Khampa guerrillas and accompanied them from Tsum Valley on a cross border raid on a Chinese Army convoy in 1964. Photo: ESSAYS ON NEPAL / SAM COWAN</figcaption> </figure>  Mikel Dunham, renowned author of Buddha’s Warriors, writes: ‘It is possible that Wangdu was waiting for some cue from the Dalai Lama’s government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. It is equally possible – during that last, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-human-cost-of-nepal-s-yarsa-gold-rush?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR31-Cqw8oyIwMPzf_35e4Skr0ululJvLf3_vDkzHn-AYG2h8uPw2rqqErg_aem_tGVn5coY1-jA7fze_xqhew">desolate winter </a>– that he made the decision to go out in glory rather than admit defeat. Over the last fifteen years, Wangdu had experienced Tibet’s organized resistance being squeezed and shoved around by every conceivable outside force.&nbsp; First they had been pushed out of their own country by the PLA; then they had been refused sanction while on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/nepal-india-trans-boundary-bonds?fbclid=IwAR0PpJ5zUEbwdug3g_U3ar6FUugngRY0S8Tl2v_7wqzrsHmXWcXsKjvL4t4">Indian soil</a>; then they were abandoned by the Americans because, apparently, Nixon wanted to make friends with Wangdu’s mortal enemies, the communists; then they had been betrayed by the vampiric Baba Gen Yeshe – a Tibetan and, even worse, a fellow Khampa; and now, finally Wangdu’s army was being evicted by the Nepalis. One thing was certain: Wangdu was a warrior. To imagine Wangdu simply giving up and settling down in the pacific squalor of a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/elderly-left-in-bhutan-refugee-camp">refugee camp </a>was unthinkable.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49.jpg" data-media-id="editor_20" data-image-id="2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="746" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>The much derided Baba Gen Yeshe, the first Tibetan resistance leader in Mustang, who betrayed Wangdu for personal gain. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_21" data-image-id="2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="656" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Aditya SJB Rana of the Royal Nepal Army whose team ambushed Wangdu and his cohorts at the top of Tinker Pass in Darchula, West Nepal. Photo courtesy: GAUTAM SJB RANA</figcaption> </figure>  By August 1974 the game was up. Wangdu and six of his exhausted party were killed on their horses by <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7270">the Royal Nepal Army</a> on the brink of escape. The officer in charge, Aditya SJB Rana, cleverly predicted their route into India after they failed to silence a police radio in Yari. A carefully laid ambush trapped them near the summit of the Tinker Pass in Darchula,at 5,000 meters the highest military operation of its time. Wangdu’s body was helicoptered to Kathmandu, and a big show made of the royal Nepal victory.&nbsp; The Tibetan armed insurgency against China had reached its end.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_23" data-image-id="20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> </figure>

The Last Days of the Khampa

The newly-formed Himalayan Art Council is set to launch Nepal’s National Art Protection Platform that seeks to preserve <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage">Nepal’s unique cultural heritage </a>using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/artificial-censorship"> AI-powered tools</a>. The Council seeks to safeguard <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places">Nepali art works</a> from neglect, theft and counterfeiting as well as preserve existing artwork and celebrate living masters by giving them a cultural space to continue the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival">sacred art traditions</a>. "We are introducing a new digital platform designed to preserve, verify and elevate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-new-generation-of-alternative-artists">Nepal’s art for generations to come,</a>” says a statement from the Council, adding that the digital platform will use AI told for authentication and blockchain to keep track of works of art. Artists can now be protected by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/ayo-ai?fbclid=IwAR1uwmTVq4gUB70ljfRezjzukD9ArWXPuMnUikopeQ8PoiZMjicToPSwhKE&amp;=1">AI tools</a> that detect forgeries, identify their work even when unsigned, and ensure they receive proper recognition and credit. The archives will be searchable with translated inscription and interactive guides. Says curator Meena Lama: “AI and blockchains are tools that give us the power to detect fakes and identify unsigned paintings and track every piece. With these tools we can restore trust, secure authorship and give artists the dignity they deserve.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53" data-rendition-name="original" width="1300" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum."> <figcaption>Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum.</figcaption> </figure>  The Council is also holding an exhibition of Nepali cultural masterpieces with 50 historical <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671">thangka and paubha </a>by past masters and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/between-the-sacred-and-everyday">contemporary works by current artists</a>. This curated collection is a living tribute to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">Himalayan culture</a> with economic depictions of deities, mandala and sacred narratives. The exhibition at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present">Patan Museum</a> also provides an opportunity to meet painters and custodians of art and culture. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/golden-deities">Golden deities</a>, Sewa Bhattarai ‘The exhibition is only the first step in a long journey to ensure that Nepali art is no just seen but fully understood, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Narratives-of-Faith-and-Memory-Remembering-the-Lost-Sculptures-of-Kathmandu-exhibition,987">protected and remembered</a>,’ the Council says. Artist Kailash K Shrestha of Artudio has spent decades promoting thankha and paubha traditions because of their beauty and devotional meaning. But he also says artists are underpaid, exploited and ignored. He adds, “AI and blockchain are not just buzzwords, they are powerful tools that can protect Nepal’s artists from fraud, verify authenticity and build a permanent record of provenance.” Traditional Art Exhibition Till 17 May Patan Museum

Digital protection for Nepal’s art

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prabalgurung/" target="_blank">Prabal Gurung</a> left Nepal for New York in 1999 to escape years of bullying, sexism and homophobia, and to pursue his dream of becoming a fashion designer. He <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqN0VaoAI5w" target="_blank">realised his dream</a>, but did not escape discrimination and racism in the new world. Propelled by passion for fashion, Gurung overcame everything America threw at him. He has attained <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/prabal-gurung-recalls-his-first-met-gala-when-zoe-saldana-was-at-his-side?srsltid=AfmBOooy-H0oGgxMit864FnW_Pmw8mUnV8rYrh-co-f6OyYK6m2ip5hP" target="_blank">fame and recognition</a> for his haute couture dress designs while remaining true to his Nepali roots, and is even more resolute in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSmNauyzACk" target="_blank">fighting prejudice</a> in all its forms. Prabal Gurung’s newly-released memoir <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Walk-Like-Girl-Memoir/dp/B0DG11HCDQ?fbclid=IwY2xjawKZfpxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHuZcIJO2OXyXcRm1oq1iG6wzeoF7VJFrQ7GXOFI0YxuZZ4id_CNvSZSZZIna_aem_pG_mOKG73RTnYvN8JaC4fA">Walk Like a Girl</a> is a saga of harrowing abuse in boarding schools in Nepal and India, only finding himself facing a different kind of bullying in the US. He prevails over it all to be where he is today: an award-winning American fashion designer with his own label. Walk Like a Girl was launched last week in New York at a time when everything Gurung fought for — tolerance, inclusion and diversity — are in retreat in his adopted country because of a president who has espoused a culture of bullying. The book is a searing, raw exposé of how cruel and abusive people can be even at a young age in school. On the other hand, it also shows that there are generous, compassionate and open-minded souls out there. In his book, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4le_uWX7YE">Prabal Gurung</a> calls out those who tormented and tried to hold him back (some of their names have been altered). The moral of his story is: resist, never stop believing in yourself, do not let others define you, never lose sight of your dream, and help those who have been kept out. “Walk like a girl” was a slur used by bullies back in school in Nepal and India for Gurung’s effeminate ways. He fought back then, and he is still resisting by turning those words into something to be proud of.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170544_4ffc9c3f565dd2cfa754d10b224816897b82bb31ebaee91b6d79d469fc96f14e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250519170544_4ffc9c3f565dd2cfa754d10b224816897b82bb31ebaee91b6d79d469fc96f14e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1253" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung NT"> <figcaption>Prabal Gurung at home in Kathmandu in the 1990s.</figcaption> </figure>  “Living through it all was one thing, but writing about it is one of the hardest things I have done in my life,” admitted Gurung during the launch. “I broke down constantly during the six-year writing process.” He continues: “I did not want this to be a victim’s book. I did not want to burden my readers with my emotions. I wanted my struggle to be an inspiration for others facing what I faced. I am grateful to those who bullied me in school, they made me a stronger person ready to face the world.” Indeed, this book is a departure from his earlier one titled simply, Prabal Gurung (Abrams, 2019), which was a lush pictorial autobiography of his career in fashion. Walk Like a Girl is not a typical fashion book, it is an intimate tale of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16997">Gurung’s travails and triumphs</a>, and how he willed himself to succeed. Prabal pays a lavish tribute to his mother Durga Rana. We find out she is a descendant of the first wife of the eldest son of Jang Bahadur Rana who was banished to Palpa in the late 19th century. Prabal’s father served in the Singapore Police and that is where he was born before the family returned to Nepal when he was four. Gurung relates with brutal honesty about the violence his mother endured from his father. Durga raises three children as a single mother in Nepal, and Prabal credits her for his fierce determination to resist patriarchy and injustice, which in time manifests itself in his hyper-feminine and subversive dress designs. Writing the book has been a cathartic experience for Gurung, who says he is now relieved of the burdens of his past. It no longer haunts him, and he does not have to prove anything to anyone anymore. Walk Like a Girl has life lessons not just for the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJmOcSgxdWz/" target="_blank">fashion industry</a>, but for every other profession. How can my job serve a greater cause? Gurung tells us his work is <a href="https://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/why-designer-prabal-gurung-doesnt-want-just-stick-fashion" target="_blank">bigger than just making clothes</a>, it is about making the world a better place because it could do with a lot of improvement.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170544_d75296ad8bfdc00d88935f40d23543c6fea3d4d6a10e61a99d6cfc6127f2ee5b.png" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20250519170544_d75296ad8bfdc00d88935f40d23543c6fea3d4d6a10e61a99d6cfc6127f2ee5b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1516" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung"> </figure>  This story of chasing the American dream may sound familiar to many immigrants: knocking on doors for jobs, rejections, trying to survive from day to day on expensive rent, and dealing with subtle racism in white America. Gurung finds racism is rife, and he is often mockingly called ‘gaysian’. He writes: ‘There was a strong hypocrisy — this idea of independence felt like a marketting ruse … and for all the talk of feminism in America, these high society women were trapped by the patriarchy just like in Nepal and India.’ After a trek to the Khumbu region in 2013, Gurung is inspired to use the colours, palette and textures of Nepal for his collection exhibited on Manhattan’s 8th Avenue. A major buyer tells him bluntly: “Stick to making pretty dresses … if I need to see a collection like this, I could buy a copy of National Geographic.” The New York Times was equally dismissive: ‘The designer tries to draw connections between blistered techo-fabric used to construct it and the topography of his homeland, Nepal. But, at the moment, he has lost his map.’ One potential investor tells Gurung he cannot design for Americana because “you do not look American”. Gurung wants to use expletives, but restrains himself. After a fundraiser in New York for the Nepal earthquake in 2015, some belittled his effort, saying: “Here comes the saviour."&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/prabal-gurung-by-prabal-gurung">Prabal Gurung by Prabal Gurung</a>, Kunda Dixit The Gurkha DNA must be dominant in Prabal Gurung’s genes because he does not take such mistreatment lying down. When asked by a fashion publicist why he was designing clothes for fat people, he snaps back: “Because of people like you.” He joins the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, launches the Shikshya Foundation charity in Nepal, and has powerful allies among celebrities who wear clothes he designed: Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Sara Jessica Parker, Kamala Harris, Deepika Padukone … it is a long list.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519150556_48a5f4211991a23fa85b64bbd5377575ca7081d97309d7542035591dda5180fe.png" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20250519150556_48a5f4211991a23fa85b64bbd5377575ca7081d97309d7542035591dda5180fe" data-rendition-name="original" width="1114" height="1534" loading="lazy" alt="Being Prabal Gurung by design"> <figcaption>Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wearing Atelier Prabal Gurung’s design for Met Gala 2025 in which the theme was ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’. </figcaption> </figure>  “I don’t dress women to look beautiful, they already are,” Gurung says. “I try to bring out their innate strength and grace.” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17908766880140171/" target="_blank">Admirers</a> tell Gurung he makes it all look so easy, but he used to put up a strong facade to not show his own vulnerabilities in public. “I was closed because of my childhood experiences,” he says. “I was always on guard to defend myself because I never knew where the next punch would come from.” But in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVepzPA210" target="_blank">Walk Like a Girl,</a> Gurung comes to terms with his vulnerability, and bares his soul. It has not been easy, it took sustained will power and support from his mother, sister Kumudini and a circle of close friends. “I made unbelonging my power,” he says. “Nepal is where I still have my heart and soul. Nepal grounds you. It is where people go to find themselves. But I escaped.” Recently appointed vice-chair of the <a href="https://cfda.com/about-cfda" target="_blank">Council of American Fashion Designers</a>, Gurung says: “I can’t believe I am here, it feels like it is happening to someone else. Writing this book, the healing has finally begun.” <h2>‘Everything is better in color’</h2> The Met Gala was two weeks later, and my table was an example of everything I’d been fighting for all these years as my guests represented everything I believed in: dynamic, powerful, influential women who were unapologetically original and unabashedly graceful. I was grateful to Anna for inviting me to host and dress a table that reflected my ethos—and for her guidance in doing so. I was also aware of the privilege as one of the first-­ever Asian fashion designers—not just from Nepal, but from the entire continent— to get the opportunity to do so. That fact was not lost on me. I reached out beyond the expected Hollywood celebrities and well-­known socialites to curate a table of exceptional women who inspired me. I invited Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt for their first-­ever Met Galas, as well as Michelle Yeoh, Mindy Kaling, Camila Cabello, Ashley Park, Denée Benton, KiKi Layne, Quannah Chasinghorse, and Grace Elizabeth. Together we checked many boxes: Asian, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous, each woman undeniably chic and powerful, a dazzling array of skin tones and experiences that proved my decades‑in‑the-­making hypothesis: everything is better in color. Excerpt from Walk Like a Girl Viking © 2025 by Prabal Gurung  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170520_6b91d560e9f072c37d16876901058c073a51ffa05e7ad1b9461d19e1c9c28215.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="20250519170520_6b91d560e9f072c37d16876901058c073a51ffa05e7ad1b9461d19e1c9c28215" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung book details NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170520_345240c21be400e2ce2ec629b52bd82bb53890e5bd86fe95b48340d84b5f1748.jpg" data-media-id="editor_17" data-image-id="20250519170520_345240c21be400e2ce2ec629b52bd82bb53890e5bd86fe95b48340d84b5f1748" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung book details NT"> </figure>  &nbsp;

Being Prabal Gurung by design

Starting 17 September Turkish Airlines will fly daily to Seville, one of Spain’s major tourist draws. This is Turkish’s sixth destination in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, and Bilbao. Seville is in the Andalusia region on Spain’s south coast with a rich Moor history. There are approximately 30,000 Nepalis living in Spain.&nbsp;

trekking