|
Photo
courtesy of Peter & Marie Laursen
Photo
courtesy of Peter & Marie Laursen
Photo
courtesy of Peter & Marie Laursen
Photo
courtesy of Peter & Marie Laursen
Photo
courtesy of Peter & Marie Laursen
|
 |
 |
|
The
Himalayan Wonderland!
KINGDOM OF NEPAL
Your
companion one-half price & air!
November
21 - December 5, 2010
Nepal
is one of Asia’s most enchanting lands. Set on
the rugged flanks of the Himalayas, Nepal offers an
unsurpassed wealth of ecological and cultural diversity.
Two generations ago, Nepal was a kingdom isolated by
dense monsoon forests from the control of India’s
British Raj. Today the Nepalis are a proud but hospitable
people who have held tenaciously to customs and architectural
traditions that have vanished elsewhere on the Asian
Continent.
Highlights of this expedition include the cultural diversity
of Kathmandu Valley, the tranquil landscapes of Pokhara,
the traditional hill country of Tansen, and the wildlife
of Chitwan National Park.
Our journey starts in the Kathmandu Valley, spiritual
heartland of Nepal. Isolated in a mountain basin at
the congenial elevation of 4100 feet, Kathmandu was
long the center of trade between India and Tibet. Good
farming attracted settlers, and, over centuries, distinct
communities within the valley evolved customs and traditions
unlike anywhere else in Asia. Hindu and Tantric Buddhist
traditions intermingle in Kathmandu and this can be
seen in the complex architecture, rituals, and lifestyles
of the local people.
Even more singular are Kathmandu’s indigenous
traditions, like Kumari, a young girl who serves as
the Living Goddess of the Newar people. The historical
blending of Asian cultures from Mongolia, the Caucasus,
and Dravidian South Asia is expressed most vividly in
the faces of the Nepali people whose homeland, about
the size and shape of Tennessee, encompasses more than
sixty distinct local languages.
Our next destination, the town of Pokhara, lies along
a freshwater lake called Phewa Tal. Around Pokhara,
the
Himalayan foothills recede so that high, icy summits
like
Machapuchare (the Fishtail Mountain) and the Annapurna
range seem to rise directly from the lowlands. There
are few places in the world where it’s possible
to see
20,000 feet of vertical relief out in front of you!
Pokhara,
weather permitting, is such a place.
The old market town of Tansen is built up along a mountain
ridge on the far side of the dramatic Kali Gandaki River.
Still
today, its bazaars receive few foreign visitors. To
people from the remote mountain villages of Central
Nepal, Tansen is the culmination of a walking journey
that may
take several days. It is the place to sell mountain
herbs and buy manufactured goods, or to catch a bus
to the city. For us, Tansen offers a glimpse into the
life of Nepal’s Middle Hills where people tend
a landscape of orchards,
community forests, and exquisitely terraced hillsides
as they have for generations.
During our stay in Tansen, we’ll visit the traditional
bazaar and select from a variety of walking excursions
to meet farm families, photograph the Himalayan landscapes,
and look at some of the native birds. Beyond
Tansen, we’ll wind downward to the lowlands of
Nepal’s terai region and Chitwan National Park.
Along the way, we will stop in Lumbini, birthplace of
Lord Buddha. The most highly revered sites are set in
a tranquil grove of sal trees surrounded by grasslands
and small farms.
Our next stop is Chitwan National Park, a pocket of
grassland and riverine forest on the terai, the broad
alluvial plain that extends southward from the foot
of
the Himalaya. Chitwan—“heart of the jungle”—is
habitat
for endangered mammals, including elephant, Bengal
tiger and one-horned rhinoceros.
During our visit to Chitwan, we’ll stay in a rustic
but well-appointed lodge modeled after the facilities
in African game parks. Activities in Chitwan include
a
jeep safari and a misty-morning elephant ride through
the forest and grasslands, both good ways to safely
view wildlife in a place where the fauna includes tigers,
rhinoceros and sloth bears.
We’ll also have a chance to see migratory waterfowl
and resident birds, and perhaps garial crocodile along
the banks of the river that passes near our lodge. March
is a very good time to visit Chitwan because the grass
is short in this season (so you can see the mammals),
most of the winter birds are still around, and the resident
bird species are starting to get excited about the onset
of mating season. Those with binoculars and a little
patience can see babblers, barbets and bulbuls, yellow-naped
woodpeckers, paradise flycatchers, shelducks, storks,
and numerous other
memorable bird species.
Chitwan is the homeland of the Tharu, one of Nepal’s
indigenous ethnic groups. Here we may have the
chance to visit a Tharu village and learn something
about their cultural traditions.
Nepal offers an unsurpassed combination of
hospitality, cultural diversity, mountain landscapes
and subtropical wildlife. We hope that you will be
able to join us!
$3,295
+ air. Your
companion one-half price & air!
2010
Brochure (Requires an Adobe pdf reader to view)
Photos
courtesy of Peter & Marie Laursen
| |
