Nepal lies between China and India in South Asia. The country ended its long-standing constitutional monarchy in June 2008 when King Gyanendra, who'd come to power in 2001 after the tragic murder of the previous king, abdicated the throne. Nepal's first president was chosen by parliament the following month. This precipitous government transformation came after nearly 20 years of political turmoil, including an often violent Maoist insurgency from 1996 until 2005.
Most Nepalese live in the central, hilly region, which embraces the Kathmandu Valley, and in the southern plain known as the Terai. The cutting of trees for fuel—increased by demands of a booming tourist industry—causes erosion. Rivers that spring from the Himalaya generate electricity for local use and potentially for export. Nepal possesses the greatest altitude variation on the Earth, from the lowlands near sea level to Mount Everest at 8,850 meters (29,035 feet). Everest, named after British surveyor Sir George Everest, is known as Chomolungma by the local Sherpas, meaning "Goddess Mother of the World"—related to this is the Chinese name Qomolangma. The Nepali word for Everest, Sagarmatha, is often translated as "Forehead of the Sky." Sherpas benefit from the mountaineering boom and tourism in the Everest region, owning much of the lodging and transportation. They teach visitors about Sherpa culture and Buddhism's love of the land.
CURRENCY
Nepali money called 'rupees' comes in the note of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500 and 1000. There is no problem for changing any major foreign currencies such as dollar, pound, euro, mark, francs, etc. There are numerous money changing counters approved by government all around Thamel. Travellers with major credit cards such as VISA, MASTERCARD, JCB, AMEX, can use their cards without any problem to pay in most places. Travellers checks are bought and sold in all major banks such as Standard Chartered Bank, Himalayan Bank, Nepal Indosuez Bank, Nepal Arab Bank, Bank of Kathmandu.
VISA
Nepalese Visa can be had at any of the Nepalese consulate or Embassy abroad. But it is not necessary to have Nepalese Visa to buy a ticket to Nepal. Visa can be obtained without any problem at the International airport in Kathmandu upon arrival for US $ 50 a month. Once you enter Nepal, you can stay as long as five months with Tourist Visa and it can be extended for a price of US $ 50 a month for five months.
IMMIGRATION
All government offices in Kathmandu are open from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. from Monday till Friday. Saturdays and Sundays are government holidays. There are other numerous national festivals when these offices will remain closed.
VISITING HOLY PLACES
Kathmandu city is full of holy temples and shrines and both Hindus and Buddhists have their own sacred places of worship scattered all around the city. Tuesdays and Saturdays are the main worshipping days. Most Buddhist temples allow non Buddhists too but many Hindu temples are strictly for Hindus only. Whenever you visit one of these temples please make sure that you read the signboard that tells whether or not a non-Hindu is allowed. Most Hindu places restrict photography too and we request you to respect that. A lot of places in the narrow streets of Kathmandu, you will find stones with red powder, please make sure you don't step onto one of those as they too are holy spots.
MUSEUMS & ART GALLERIES
Kathmandu city also has a large number of museums that are open six days a week from 10:00a.m. till 4:00p.m. Basantapur Musuem has a large collection of historical Rana belongings and paintings. The house itself is one of the most beautiful architectures of ancient Nepal. Do not forget to climb the nine storey wooden palace. The views of the Kathmandu city from the top of the palace is awesome. Other museums are located at the base of Swayambhu Stupa. Natural History museum has a fine collections of birds and reptiles found in Nepal. Museum of Numismatics and sculpture is located just about 20 minutes walk from Natural History Museums. Patan Museum also has a large collection of fascinating handmade sculptures, woodworks and paintings.
CLIMATE & WEATHER
Nepal has a typical monsoonal two-season year. The dry season start from October and lasts till May and the wet season, the monsoon, from June till September.
In the summer (May till early part of June) Kathmandu, the capital city, get very hot with temperatures often in the 30s. Even during winter the bright sunny days often reach 20ºC although with nightfall the mercury may plummet to near freezing. It never actually snows in the Kathmandu Valley and higher up the coldest weather is also the driest weather so snow is unusual. Due to its lower altitude Pokhara is warmer and more pleasant than Kathmandu in the winter, but hotter when the temperature builds up and wetter during the monsoon. |
