Category Archives: Culture

2014 – The Year That Was

2014 could arguably be the best year of my life. This is the year I wrote most number of my blog posts compared to any other year. The year I travelled to various parts of Nepal, albeit didn’t manage to get to all districts as had planned but sure did spread my wings across the border to India, West Bengal and Sikkim to be specific. Come to think of it, I actually made it to China as well, at least the border town of Khasa. I still hope to travel, still want to make it to all the districts of Nepal. Continue working on 100s of other things that I have started but not yet completed.

This year-end review would be incomplete without Kathmandu. I need to be honest about the realities of living in the capital city. It is not so easy to live here, not that I imagined otherwise. Food prices are through the roof, the usual power cuts, the perpetual water crisis, what else am I missing? But I was able to live fairly comfortably in Kathmandu. However, not as comfortable as it is in the US. Internal heating system is still the first thing I miss during winter. I work from home and the constant/intermittent internet interruption, power cuts, significantly affected my work hours during an earlier part of 2014. Although looking at the brighter side, since my day one in Kathmandu – till today I only see things getting better and I am not fabricating. In the first few weeks, if the internet was out for 3 hrs every day, now it’s down to let’s say 3 hrs twice a week. Comparatively, it’s gotten much better. Since I was the one who chose to take this step, I guess I have to suffer the consequences as well. At the same time I know I am a very lucky few who can say that they were able to live comfortably in Kathmandu. For many who comes to this city in hopes of making it big, can’t imagine how they survive in this beautiful ancient place that can be cruel to them at times.  As an honest citizen of this nation, yes, I have had the lowest of lows but every day I see better things happening from the citizens’ standpoint. Government on the other hand continues to disappoint me. But that’s beside the point, we don’t stop living just cause government fails to do its job.

While traveling across few parts of the country, I did get a glimpse of politics here and there, mainly relating to the constitution writing process, printed on the walls of abandoned, dilapidated buildings, or gigantic rocks. But I don’t think general public gives a shit about constitution. They are worried about bigger problems like how to put food on the table.
I don’t believe Nepalis have faith in the government and I think they moved on long ago. Cause had they been waiting for proactive governance, they would be waiting forever. But I know how integral constitution is for a stronger foundation of this nation. But guess what, life hasn’t stopped because of incomplete constitution. Constitution, by default should be a work in progress. However, having said all that, it is not as bleak as I may have sounded. There are a few good things happening too, even if they are far and few between.

This year I met some old friends, made some new friends. We had a great conversation, out of which came great ideas. Those ideas are something I am still working on. 2014 gave me a head start, hope to give continuity to all the work that I’ve been doing in the years to come. My best days are surely ahead of me.

As Rumi once said, destroy your reputation, be notorious, I hope you’ll do your best to chase your dreams, and not be limited by class or caste or political ideologies or any other social norms, I hope you break some rules in 2015. Here’s wishing you and I an adventurous year ahead!

2014 Collage

2014 Collage

  1. 2014 kick started with attending a lot of weddings, of my own cousins. Hence, I had to post at least one of the photos of the wedding parties.
  2. As I travelled to a few parts of this country, I flew as well to certain areas. This is just one of the perks of being on board.
  3. I find Pokhara highly overrated. But when I was there this past May, this street took me back to my childhood days and I couldn’t stop myself from clicking a photo. I’ve spent significant amount of my growing up days in Pokhara, this is just one of the streets I associate my childhood days with.
  4. My upper Mustang trek was definitely a highlight of 2014. A great shot of a beautiful landscape that is upper Mustang.
  5. Illustrating my point above, political slogan relating to constitution. You’ll come across plenty of those while traveling across Nepal.
  6. Witnessing Tibetan kitchen was a cultural experience in itself.  The kitchen of those who in live in upper Mustang area is so rich and sophisticated, in fact the entire household speaks all things ancient Tibet.
  7. That’s me with my short hair. I’m just posting it here cause I wanted to make a big deal of the fact that I chopped off my long beautiful hair.
  8. The office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). I had the opportunity to visit the KMC office this year. It was such a beautiful ancient palace, that’s slowly turning into a ruin. This palace should be turned into a hotel or a museum. It’s too precious to be left around in the hands of people who can’t take well care of it.
  9. I thought this was the best invention of the year. For the first time in my life (in Nepal) I didn’t have to ask for an opener! Tuborg beer bottle it is!
  10. Our house is full of dogs, two more are missing in the picture. They are all stray dogs. These two have really grown up since then. You gotta love stray dogs, if you love Kathmandu, adopt a few of them.
  11. I guess, the most important part of 2014 is the fact that I set up my own company. No, it’s not an auditing company. It’s just a picture of my company’s audit report. There’s much more I want to do before I reveal it all. But yes, I did set up my own company. That feels like an accomplishment on its own.

How to Get Nepali Machine Readable Passport (MRP)?

(Updated: Feb 21, 2016) When I had applied for passport, government website didn’t have any relevant information. Since then Department of Passport’s website has improved leaps and bounds. I recommend you to visit their site for the most accurate information: http://nepalpassport.gov.np/

However, information given below is still relevant to get an idea on how to apply for passport in general.

This page has information on all your general inquiries.
If above link doesn’t work, access the same document here [Latest version: Jan 19, 2016] .

(Information below was posted Nov 6, 2014)

* This blog post contains information relevant to those born in Kathmandu district. If you were born outside of this district, this information may not be valid for you.

Office: Baneshwor/Anamnagar (The same office where we get our Citizenship card)
Office operation hours:
Sunday to Thursday: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Pre-requisites (Required Documents/Items – applies to Kathmandu office) :

  • Rs 5000 – this is for a regular processing fee, this will get you the passport in about 2 months (or less).
    Rs 15 thousand to get it the same day.
    Rs 12 thousand to get it the next day after the submission of the application.
    Rs 10 thousand to get it in 3 days.
  • Special MRP photos: at least 3 [Please keep in mind this is not your traditional passport size photo. Make sure you get this taken from true professionals and save yourself some time and money]
  • Original Citizenship card and its copy: 2
  • Old passport copy (of the page that has your personal contact information): 2
  • Print out of Passport application with all the required fields filled.
    Citizenship verification document (Although I had this document printed out, it wasn’t used)

While I was researching about the process I realized, there are people who help you fill up the form as well outside the passport office in return for a couple 100 bucks. I didn’t do any of that. I filled out the form all by myself and printed it appropriately. They have this information for you on how to printIt didn’t apply to my OS. Regardless of whatever option you see, the point is to print 100% with no modification to the layout.

First of all make sure to fill up the form provided here and print it out.
They’ve also provided the link to a sample form if you need help.

Before you head to Baneshwor/Anamnagar office make sure you have a copy of all the documents mentioned in the Pre-requisites section above (keep multiple copies just in case). Please keep in mind the steps given below may not match precisely. I’m just giving you an idea of the process and what I went through:

Step 1: Get to Baneshwor/Anamnagar office of the DOP with all the required documents.

Step 2: Citizenship verification: room no. 105. Located on the extreme right-hand-side area of the compound.
The actual process begins by submitting your original citizenship card and its copy to room no. 105. Funny thing was on this site , it says we need to print out this document as well.
And submit it to the concerned person/department along with an original and a  copy of your citizenship card. But that document was never used. I don’t know why.
Depending on the volume of requests, you will have to queue up.

By god’s grace if your citizenship information is still available in their office and the person manages to find it. Your document will be verified. The concerned officer will sign a copy of the citizenship card. Then you go to room no. 107

Step 3: Take all your documents to room no. 107 and get those signed from the concerned officer.

Step 4: Take all your documents to room no. 106 and get those signed from the concerned officer.

Step 5: Take those documents to room no. 303. This is a different building within the same compound. Get your document(s) signed again.

Step 6: Go to the bank right next to the DOP office (on the left). You need to fill out the voucher with required information then pay Rs 5000 to the bank. If you’re lost, asks the guard for the voucher. Bank will give you one of three vouchers you fill out.

Step 7: Keep that voucher with you, you will need that to collect your machine readable passport. Now go to room no. 107. They’ll ask you for one more photo, make sure you give copies of all the required documents incase they forget. They’ll then tell you to come after 50 days (or 2 months).

Passport collection:

Office: The same office in Baneshwor/Anamnagar
Sunday to Thursday: 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Friday: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

— Post 50 days —

Must carry: Your old passport if you have one, citizenship card (or driver’s license would work too)

  1. Head back to Baneshwor/Anamnagar office.
  2. Before you queue up, you need to first find your serial no. It will be on a sheet of paper littered on the table. You find the no. based on the date you submitted your application. Refer to your voucher for information.
  3. Get the no. Queue-up.
  4. Give your voucher, also your old passport if you have one, so they can cancel the crap out of it. Get your brand new passport.
  5. Go to room no. 106 to get your passport signed and you are officially done!

Now you can go wherever you want in this world provided you have valid visas.

Happy Travels! 🙂

My Life Changing Journey to Upper Mustang

I’ve traveled to many parts of the world, but nothing quite like what I experienced in upper Mustang. As I progressed towards Lo-manthang from day one – leaving behind lower Mustang, my journey transformed into all the more emotional and spiritual joyride. I still cannot fully fathom how these landscapes changed me. All I know is; it affected me, to the point I would almost burst into tears. It was unlike anything I had ever seen or experienced in my life.

My stops and their elevation

My Stops

Planning to visit upper Mustang? my friends have built this awesome map, please do check it out! 

As I left for Chele from Kagbeni, that’s when it slowly began to dawn on me, this journey was going to be one of a kind. Just a few minutes walk towards Chele in the break of dawn – I find myself all alone. If an alien abducted me, or if I fell off the cliff and died, my body would remain untraceable. Nobody would know where I took my last breath. The isolated nature of this place was terrifying, at the same time deeply moving. Turns out, it was just a beginning, the best and the most thrilling part had yet to come.

I took the last flight to Pokhara from Kathmandu on May 16, 2014. Stayed overnight and flew to Jomsom the next day. I cannot talk about this trip without mentioning the Jomsom flight, cause it was mind-blowing. The airplane literally flies in between the hills. You can see the trees so up close, it is ridiculous!. It was the very first flight to Jomsom and I started trekking pretty much right after I landed.

Jomsom Flight

Jomsom Flight

Jomsom Airport

Jomsom Airport

 

At Jomsom Airport Runway

At Jomsom Airport Runway

 

Outside the Airport - Jomsom

Outside the Airport – Jomsom

Given below is a synopsis of all my stops:

The hours mentioned is the time it took me to get to the destination. Depending on your pace, it may take you shorter or longer. On top of that, I also got lost on the way so, if you know where you are going, it shouldn’t take you that long.

Jomsom – Kagbeni:  3 hours
This was the shortest walk and still one of the most tiring ones for me. I got the taste of what the trek would be like on the way to Kagbeni. This was still a busy route with a lot of people going back and forth. So, it felt pretty normal. The first hotel I went asking for room said they were full. I freaked out and I immediately agreed to stay at the second hotel I checked; with a fear that I may not get a place to stay. There was an old lady – when I asked about the wifi, she showed me the router. So, I thought it would be cool. But nobody knew the password. In the entire trip it was the worst hotel I stayed at. Clogged toilet/bathroom. Didn’t get to shower. They were having some puja. I was so hungry – but didn’t get to eat until the Lamas did. Still having said that, it was relatively cheaper.

Kagbeni

Kagbeni

Kagbeni

Kagbeni

Kagbeni – Chele: 6 hours
The moment I left Kagbeni – that’s when I started getting lost. I got lost almost everyday, then on. But Chele wasn’t too bad, considering there were other people near by as well. After walking for hours I was glad I was very close to Chele. But then, I realized it was on a top of a hill. I took the longer route that jeep takes cause I did not think I could conquer the hill. I asked this guy about the path to follow, who was washing his jeep. He said- I was taking a longer route obviously (pointing at the sheeps grazing) he continued, “just follow the sheeps.” Those sheeps were walking uphill almost on a 90 degree angle. I was like, are you serious? After a lot of fuss, I managed to conquer my fear and got all the way to the hotel called Bishal Guest House. By then I was so hungry, I ate a plateful of rice. And it was the best food I had tasted in the entire journey.

chele

Chele

Chele – Syanboche: 6 hours Syanboche – Ghilling: 2 hours
Chele to Syanboche is an absolute thrill, this is where you get the most awe inspiring views but not so easily, you’ll have to first cross a few hills to get the best views. This was the hardest one for me. As I had to climb up and get down multiple hills, it seemed like an unending journey. But the views were just amazing! Syanboche has just about 10 houses. Only stopped there for lunch, then trekked another 2 hrs or so to Ghilling.
Spent a night at New Kunga hotel.

Way to Syanboche leaving behind Bhena

Way to Syanboche leaving behind Bhena

Ghilling – Ghami: 4 hours
I was extremely tired by the time I got to Ghami and the fact that I got lost (again!) and had to climb one extra hill, wasn’t very happy about it. It was from here that my back started bothering me quite significantly. But all that changed when I got to Royal Mustang Hotel. The weather was perfect. If I could show the world what happiness means, it was that moment. When I was sitting on the chair, with the sunlight on my face. Feeling relieved that there was no more walking to do, no more back pain, soaking in the beautiful scenery, accompanied with great food, a total bliss!

Ghami

Ghami

Ghami – Tsarang: 5 hours
The way I got lost on the way to Tsarang; it was truly into-the-wild kind. I was supposed to get to Tsarang in three hours. But I had already crossed 4-hr timeframe and I wasn’t seeing a single settlement. Then it hit me, I am royally lost.
Funny thing is, at a time like this your brain works both ways. It tells you, now you will die. Also, it triggers survival instinct- gives you all kinds of ideas to find a way to survive. Thankfully my survival instinct overcame my fear and of course, like every day with a little sobbing and still with a lingering thought of death – I kept walking and walking and walking and saw a few houses miles away. Turns out it was another small village called Tarang, I kept walking straight up the cliff – then I spotted a bigger village on the right. That was Tsarang. Saw an old man listening to a radio. He confirmed, the one on the right is Tsarang. Now, all that I had to do was keep walking. Here I stayed at Maya’s Inn.

On the way to Tsarang

On the way to Tsarang

Tsarang – Lo-Manthang: 4 hours
Finally after walking for hours I got the glimpse of Lo-Manthang. Picture below shows the very last leg of the journey. In Lo-Manthang I stayed for two days at Himalayan Guest House, before heading back to Kagbeni-Muktinath.

Overlooking Lo-Manthang

Overlooking Lo-Manthang

This was technically a solo journey; hence I cannot emphasize enough how safe this place is, considering I came back alive and well. I didn’t have a guide. If you are going on your own I would recommend you to hire a guide. It’s only been a few months that road was introduced to upper Mustang. It is still at an early stage. Only jeep runs on the traditional trekking route. The bus or trucks take the path of Kali Gandaki, away from the trekking route. If you want to enjoy the view, trekking is still the best way to get to Lo-Manthang. I took the jeep on my way back to Chuksang/Kagbeni/Jomsom, cost me Rs 1200. What took me days, took only 5 hours on jeep. From Chuksang, you have to walk about half-an-hour, take either private jeep or public bus to Kagbeni/Jomsom (If you are traveling close to Monsoon season, as you have to cross Kali Gandaki). Public bus leaves two times a day at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Chuksang. Transportation would not be an issue on your way back.

Mustang is a kind of place that can either change you or not. Its landscape can fill you with awe or leave you feeling empty. No matter where you go in Nepal, each place has the potential to change you internally. But I’m pretty sure, Mustang experience is one of a kind. If you open yourself up to this place, it will embrace you. It will take you inside-out and leave you so bare, exposed – with just you, allowing the truest part of you to experience the magnificent beauty of this barren landscape. Its vast dessert mountain, sparse vegetation, its wild animals, birds, everything I saw affected me. It was a kind of place where I just wanted to quietly sit and be awed by the surroundings; as barren as it was, it was equally breathtaking. If you plan to visit a part of the world next year, make it upper Mustang. You will not be disappointed.

Get a glimpse of my trip:

Upper Mustang Trek from Shailiza Manandhar on Vimeo.

Having issues with Vimeo? The same video is also available on Youtube.

Top 10 Things to Pack for Upper Mustang Trek: http://wp.me/p2ImKX-hB

Why I love traveling in Nepal

Let me tell you what I like about traveling in Nepal. It is not always the overtly romanticized natural beauty of this country. Not because it is comparatively cheaper than traveling to other parts of the world. Not because majority of Nepal is still untouched by the world outside. Well, yes, all that plus – what I like the most is the warmth of the people.
It helps me connect with the place much faster and makes my travel a more meaningful experience. This is something I really miss when I go outside of Nepal especially in the western region. They have a great tourism industry, very well developed infrastructure. They have everything you need to make your travel a luxurious experience. But they lack the intimate connection I seek when I’m traveling, which has nothing to do with money. It is something I feel from inside that I cannot explain.

Chisapani, Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park

Chisapani, Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park

Pick-Your-Own Fruits and Vegetables Farm

There is a growing demand for handmade products in America. The culture is slowly but surely shifting from accepting homogeneous mass products to crafty meticulously handmade items. On top of that American consumers are also willing to spend more money for such products. With the subsequent advent of Etsy an e-commerce site that lets users buy and sell handmade items, and other similar online portals this trend is only moving upward. Not surprisingly, pick-your-own farm is growing equally popular in the U.S. Pick-your-own or you-pick (U-Pick) farm allows you to literally hand pick fresh produce directly from the farmer’s farm. It is as simple as going to a farm thats signed up for this program and hand picking produce you want to buy.

Picking my own vegetables directly from the farm is something I have never done. So, it seemed like an exciting opportunity to get in touch with nature and build that intimate relationship with the food that I would devour. Recently, made a trip to the farm near by and picked 3 pints of raspberry. The first and foremost reason this trend is gaining popularity is the luxury that gives people to hand pick their own fresh produce. Also it significantly reduces the carbon footprint when you cut out the middleman, making it very cost effective for farmers as well as the consumers.

Considering the fact that the farm was about half-an-hour drive – adding the fuel cost plus carbon emission and merely 3 pints of raspberry that I bought. It wasn’t necessarily a very ‘green’ experience for me. Had I bought tons of fresh produce, it would have perfectly fit the bill. Nonetheless, it was still a great experience. If you buy bulk products – this is definitely a great way to save money, reduce carbon footprint, and find fresh produce.

And what do you know! I managed to capture a few moments of my berry picking experience. Here’s the video for some inspiration:

Berry Picking from Shailiza Manandhar on Vimeo.

It’s an Imperfect World

Today is 4th of July, America’s independence day – declared July 4, 1776.
If that gives you any idea, Nepal is an infant compared to America or probably not even conceived at the moment.Nepal - mapAlthough never been colonized by the British. Nepal became free from brutal Rana reign in 1951, who ruled for 100 years leading this nation into the dark age. Post liberation, Nepal established multi-party constitutional monarchy that didn’t exactly go too well –  as soon after followed a decade long civil war between maoists and government forces. Fast-forward to 2013 Nepal is still reeling from long suffering. For a country who’s been through so much in such a short time, I would say we are not doing too bad. Unfortunately we are not doing so great either. But this is a good reminder that we still have a long way to go. The goal is not to look at the US (or any other country for that matter) and see where we need to go. The goal is to look within ourselves and tread our own path. No country is perfect, not even the most highly developed nations of the world. So, keep an open mind, keep the faith, be hopeful, do what you do best, do good, be good and everything else will fall into place.