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!)

No Image - suraj blog

Suraj Shrestha blog logo

suraj shrestha

With friends at Mahendra Cave

Address: Airport
Telephone Number:  +977-1-4467768, 2062121

Address: Dholahity Sales
Telephone Number:  +977-1-5570191,5571620

Address: Hattisar Sales
Telephone Number:  +977-1-4445012, 2004144
Reservation: +977-1-4490103, 4468884, 4490844

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

Address: NAC Building

Telephone Number:  +977-1-4220757, 4248625
Fax Number:  +977-1-422548
GPO Box: 401 ktm
Email: info@mac.com.np
Website: www.royalnepal-airlines.com


Address: Domestic Sales
Telephone Number:  +977-1-42245, 4224497

Address: General Service Department
Telephone Number:  +977-1-4225311

Gorkha Airlines

Address: Panipokhari (H. O. )
Telephone Number: +977-1-4435122, 4424012
Fax Number: +977-1-4444525
GPO Box: 9451 KTM
Email: gorkha@mos.com.np
Website: www.gorkhaairlines.com

Cosmic Air (P) Ltd.

Address:Airport Domestic
Telephone Number: +977-1-447478
Fax Number: +977-1-4467432

Address: Durbar Marg
Telephone Number: +977-1-4215525, 4215563
Fax Number: +977-1-4467558

Buddha Air

Buddha Air
Airport: +977-01-4491384, 4499680
Fax: +977-01-4491448

Hattisar: +977-01-4438915, 4437677
Fax: +977-01-4436033

Jawalakhel (H.O.): +977-01-5521015, 5542494
GPO Box: 2167 (KTM)
Fax: +977-01-5537726

Sinamangal: +977-01-4477321, 4477320
Fax: +977-01-4477018

Agni Air

Agni Air
Address:: Shanti Nagar: 977-01-4107812, 4107813
GPO Box: 23650
Email: marketing@agniair.com

Nepal Mountaineering Association(NMA) organized press conference at Nepal Tourism Board on 22nd December to felicitate Ms. Sushmita Maskey for her successful climbing of highest mountains of seven continents i.e. Seven Summit. This program was inaugurated by reading the message of welcome and congratulation send by Prime Minister Mr. Sushil Koirala. Dr. chiranjibi Nepal, Financial Advisor of Prime Minister was the chief guest for the program. On this occasion NMA awarded Rs.4,00,000/- to her. During this program, Ms. Maskey shared her experience of her journey. Mr. Suresh Man Shrestha, Secretary of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Mrs. Yankila Sherpa, Chief Advisor of NMA, Mr. D.B. Limbu, President of JTCC Congratulated on her achievement. The chief guest Dr. chiranjibi Nepal also appreciated and congratulated her for this success.

Swargadwari is a hilltop temple complex and pilgrimage site in Pyuthan District, Nepal

Swargadwari is a hilltop temple complex and pilgrimage site in Pyuthan District, Nepal commemorating the special role of cows in Hinduism. It is said to have been founded by one Guru Maharaj who spent most of his life in the vicinity herding and milking thousands of cows. According to traditional stories,

KATHMANDU, Dec 23: With an aim to promote domestic tourism in lean season and to retain foreign tourists, who normally return to their country for Christmas and New Year, tourism entrepreneurs of Pokhara and Sauraha have been organizing various programs in the last week of December for the past many years.

POKHARA, Nov 14: The Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN) is going to organize the 16th street festival in Pokhara from December 28 to January 1.

Different cultural programmes and opera dances, adventurous and competitive programmes, photo exhibition among others would be organized on the occasion under the slogan ´eat, enjoy and dance on the road´.

Photographer of these pictures Mr. Kumar Lohala shares his interesting story about how did he take these photos: "These pictures were taken in Lauribinayak to Gosainkunda. On 10th October, 2014 I started my trek, which is the best season to trek in Nepal but due to hudhud cyclone in India the weather changed unexpectedly (that is 12th and 13th Oct). That change in weather made my trek more adventures. For whole day I had to walk in rain and got wet, just to reach my destination (Gosainkund Lake).

11th Chitwan Elephant Festival is happening now 
Sauraha, Chitwan, Nepal 
सौरह, चितवन्, नेपाल
see more: http://markerstone.com/pages.php?pageID=329 

11th Chitwan Elephant Festival

Boudhanath Stupa

(CNN) -- Mention Nepal and most people think snow-capped scenes, of 7,000-meter mountains and the climbers raring to conquer them.

Is there much to the country beyond its mighty Himalayan peaks?

Yes.

Thankfully, for those who don't consider it a vacation to hike for days, eat out of tins and do their business in a hole in the ground, it's possible to "do" Nepal without scaling anything.

Here are six ways to experience mountain country minus the mountain climbing.

SAURAHA, DEC 19 - The 11th edition of the Chitwan Elephant Festival is scheduled to be held in Sauraha from December 26-30 on the occasion of Christmas and New Year 2015.

The festival is aimed at promoting tourism and spreading awareness about wildlife preservation, said Suman Ghimire, coordinator of the event. It started in 2004 as an international elephant race and since then it has been celebrated as a festival.

Nepal-Lanka air links set to resume by Feb

KATHMANDU, DEC 19 - Direct air links between Nepal and Sri Lanka are set to resume after a break of two and a half decades with Colombo-based carrier Mihin Lanka planning to begin services by February, Tourism Ministry officials said.

The low-cost airline, which is owned by the Sri Lankan government, has officially applied for operating authorization to conduct daily flights between Kathmandu and Colombo.

Early morning view of Himalayas from Sarangkot, Pokhara

Early morning view of Himalayas from Sarangkot, Pokhara. Photo by Nanu Thapa Galami Magar
www.suraj.markerstone.com

Feature: Nepal's first aircraft museum to boost tourism in far west region

by Shristi Kafle

KATHMANDU, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The opening of Nepal's first aircraft museum in Dhangadi in the far western part of the country, some 500 km from Kathmandu, has attracted local and foreign tourists to the much-neglected region.

Just three months after its opening, the aircraft museum has been the talk of the town and thousands of people have flocked to view the different miniature aircraft on display.

S.N Name Country Date Route Name of the Team Leader
1 Tenzing Norgay Nepal 29.5.1953 South Col British Expedition Lord John Hunt
2 Edmund Hillary Newzealand 29.5.1953 " " "
3 Ernst Schmied Switzerland 23.5.1956 " Swiss Expedition Alber Eggler

S.N Name Country Date Route:
1 Mrs. Junko Tabei Japan 16.5.1975 South Col
2 Ms. Wanda Rutkewicz Poland 16.10.1978 "
3 Ms. Bachendripal India 23.5.1984 South E. Ridge
4 Ms. Stacy Marie Allison USA 29.9.1988 South Col
5 Ms. Santosh Yadav India 12.5.1992 S.E. Ridge

World Record on Mt. Sagarmatha (Everest):

1922: 7 Sherpa climbers died in an avalanche becoming the first reported deaths on Mt.
Everest.

1953: First Summit on May 29, 1953 by Mr. Tenzing Norgay of Nepal & Sir Edmund
Percival Hillary of New Zealand via the South-East Ridge Route. (Lhotse face is to
the South-East Ridge).

Mt. Sagarmatha or Everest
Mt. Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) is the world's highest mountain. Sagarmatha
rises to 8848 meters (29,028 Feet) above the sea level.
Since the late 19th century, adventurous spirits have been fascinated with the

Foreword
Nepal has eight of the world’s fourteen highest mountain peaks. It is the
home to some of the highest, most rugged and difficult terrain in the world. The
highest peak in the world-Mount Everest (Sagarmatha) and other high peaks

Bhedetar of Sunsari

Photo Feature: Bhedetar of Sunsari

Rapists should be hanged till death

"Rapists should be hanged till death"
आवाज बुलन्द गरौं ! दिदिबहिनीको सुरक्षार्थ,आत्म स्वाभिमान, अधिकारको लागि आवाज बुलन्द गरौं।संविधानमा मृत्यु दण्ड अपिहार्य!

Nepal is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of bio-diversity due to its unique geographical position and altitudinal variation. The elevation of the country ranges from 60m above sea level to the highest point on earth, Mt. Everest at 8,848 m, all within a distance of 150 km resulting into climatic conditions form sub-tropical to Arctic.
www.suraj.markerstone.com

Central Zoo, Jawalakhel, Nepal

Central Zoo, Jawalakhel, Nepal 
सदर चिदियाखाना, जावलाखेल, नेपाल । 
Caption: Hungry Hippopotamas | जलगैंडा । 

www.markerstone.com
www.suraj.markerstone.com
info@markerstone.com

Cycling in Upper Mustang

Cycling in Upper Mustang
Photo feature: NagarikNews
www.suraj.markerstone.com

Cycling in Upper Mustang

Cycling in Upper Mustang
Photo feature: NagarikNews
www.suraj.markerstone.com

Dashera Mela, Khaptad

Dashera Mela, Khaptad. Photo/Bharat Bandhu Thapa
www.suraj.markerstone.com

Elephant bath at Sauraha, Chitwan

Elephant bath at Sauraha, Chitwan. Photo/Sirish BC
www.suraj.markerstone.com

11th Chitwan Elephant Festival 2014

11th Chitwan Elephant Festival 2014
26th - 30th December 2014
Sauraha, Chitwan, Nepal 
----------------------------------------------
२०७१ Poush देखी १५ गते सम्म
सौरह, चितवन्, नेपाल
see more: http://markerstone.com/pages.php?pageID=329

Nepal Culture

Nepal People

Nepal Plants

Nepal Wildlife

Nepal Nature