Kathmandu has numerous identities. It is renowned as the city of gods; it is also called the city of open museums and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites capital as it houses the highest number of World Heritage Sites listed in UNESCO. It was also entitled as the most colorful city in the world several times.

The devastating earthquake of April 25 took its heavy toll upon these heritages sites, and tourists visiting these sites plummeted sharply.

Appearance of these sites is completely different from what media have portrayed so far, or from our imagination harbored from the images of post disaster sites. Though reflection of disaster is apparent, World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu—Swayambhunath, Bouddhanath, Pashupatinath, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Changunarayan, Patan Durbar Square and Basantapur Durbar Square – are marked safe for visit, and the government formally opened the sites for visitors by organizing an event.

Nepal government has urged both internal and external tourists to visit these sites as they stand tall, and look serene and sound as always.

Worlds Longest 260 km Traffic Jam in China

Nagarkot

Nagarkot is located 32 kms, east of Kathmandu (see map), Nepal. Nagarkot thrills visitors with its unrestricted view of the mountain range from Annapurna in the west to the mighty Everest in the East.It is a 30-minute drive from Bhaktapur, a 45-minute drive from Tribhuvan International Airport and an hour’s drive from Kathmandu. Taking a helicopter, it is just a 7-minutes’ ride from Tribuhavan International Airport.

Historically, Nagarkot was a place for the royals of Nepal to escape the scorching heat of summer and a hectic city life. In the 60’s explorers would battle the shivering winds and sleepless nights to see the stupendous sunrise and sunsets. Today, still people from all over World, from different walks of life, travel to Nagarkot, to enjoy the picturesque rural scenery of terraced rice fields, green pastures, the sunrise and sunsets; but all in the comforts of a world renowned hotel- Club Himalaya.

7200 ft above sea level : ideal for acclimatization if you are going to high altitude treks or to Tibet or Bhutan .
Summer (May-September) : Nagarkot is windy throughout the year and is 7 Deg C cooler than Kathmandu in summers
Himalayan View : One can view Mt Everest on the North – East to the Annapurna in the North- West with a maximum range of the Himalayan peaks.
Full of legends & History :
Birth of the world – Mahadev Pokhari
Birth of Kathmandu – Manjushree gufa
Unification of Nepal – Prithivi Narayan Shah & his Fort
Summer Palace of the Ranas – Bhangeri Durbar
Sun Risies & Sets with hashish – The Hippie era
So near, yet so far away from the hustle and bustle of caotic Kathmandu
Near the international airport (25km/45minutes) ideal to relax and recover*recoup from jet lag before starting a hectic tour or trekking.
Village walks to experience rural Nepal – Tamang, Newar, Chhetri & Bahun villages within walking distance.
Nagarkot now a tourist hub with many hotels and restaurants to choose from.
Forest walks to see the flora and fauna o the hills as well as bird watching.
Club Himalaya is the jewel on the crown of Nagarkot.
Mountain biking or hiking to Changunarayan, Bhaktapur or Swayambhu.

The temple of Bagh Bhairab at Kirtipur

Hope remains …

The powerful temblor and its aftershocks
Left all Nepalis heart-broken
As it shattered warm relationships
Of almost ten thousand innocent people
Creating a lot of tension
Making our lives miserable.
Tremendous explosions were heard on the fateful day
Thousands of houses were flattened
Followed by clouds of dust in the air
Ancient monuments, temples and
towers were
Permanently wiped out
Before any human soul could shout.
Countless workers and passersby perished
Buried by mudslides and rubble
While the unfortunate nation sobbed
and wept
The ruthless tremor not only destroyed
urban infrastructure
It created havoc and destruction
Of lives and livelihoods in rural areas too.
Millions rendered homeless and
Many are still missing, a true count will
Never be ever made.
Enormous number of children was killed
Babies and toddlers were cruelly
Snatched out of their parents’ arms
Alas! The cost in human trauma and agony
Is beyond estimation.
Heart-rending tales of the tragedy
are endless
It’s a dreadful calamity
It all seemed to have happened
In the space of just fifty-six seconds.
The destructive quake cost lots of lives
Cultural heritage and properties
Affecting all of us physically, emotionally
and mentally
Leaving nothing, but the feeling
of hopelessness
Fear, trauma, anxiety and sense of loss.
Schools and colleges have collapsed
Making our bright future insecure
Selfless Samaritans were seen
working tirelessly
Rescuing trapped victims, organising
relief distribution
and burying the dead.
Alas! No clothes to cover the bodies with
flies buzzing everywhere with ease
Oh God! The tragic scene was pathetic
What times we were living
Before the terrifying earthquake struck
Our never ending peaceful country.
But let’s stay positive in times of crisis
And learn to face the reality of life
Because every human becomes helpless
In the face of nature’s fury
But never useless and hopeless.
So it’s time for all of us to come together
To help rebuild our shattered country
By joining hands and building a strong wall
Let’s rise as a nation
with greater
Resilience, unity and courage
Though everything is gone, hope still remains.

Nepal Once is Not Enough

Ropain - the rice planting festival

Ropain - the rice planting festival

Rice is one of the most important commodities in Nepal. Every summer, as the rains set in the valley, its time to celebrate the showers by making a celebration of the planting of rice. This year, we invite you to participate in this event at Bajrabarahi, Lalitpur in the southern outskirts of the valley. Things cannot get more local than this.

The memories of this day will stay on! Gauranteed.

Come participate in this event, play with some mud, get a bit wet, and mingle with the local’est of local traditions in the Kathmandu valley, planting rice. Accompany this with a newari feast of sorts, and this makes for an excellent day out.
Children are most welcome (and will enjoy the mud part the most!)

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With friends at Mahendra Cave

Address: Airport
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Telephone Number:  +977-1-5570191,5571620

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Caged Ancestor

Our ancestor has been caged within the boundary of four corners of Jawlakhel zoo at Lalitpur. They need jungle, their own natural habitat where their races are continuing their generation. Every life needs their freedom to be with their own. Different conservation area with different names and with different prospects has been established throughout world including Nepal. Protecting their genome in-vivo (natural condition) is fine rather than caging them in limited small boundary harassing their freedom.

Diseased Leaf of Tomato infected by Plasmopara viticola

Diseased Leaf of Tomato infected by Alternaria solani

Leaf spot disease causes loss in productivity of the crop yield due to degradation of photosynthetic area. Downy mildew of tomato is caused by Plasmopara viticola. Disease severity is severe during rainy season in field condition and during winter in plastic houses (green house condition). Different factors affect the severity to cause a disease in plant. Factors like favourable climatic condition, optimum amount of pathogens, susceptibility of host plant, etc are not only the conditions to maximize the disease severity. Not a sole pathogen is singly responsible to cause a particular