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editorial
Editorial Dear Readers,
We hope you had a wonderful Dashain and got to spend some quality time with your family and friends, whether it was at home or away- traveling and experiencing new things. It is a great time to be outdoors right now; the weather is just perfect for traveling and photography.
Publisher: Travel Times Media Pvt. Ltd. Kupondole, Lalitpur, Nepal P.O. Box 24206, Kathmandu, Nepal DAO Lalitpur Regd No : 63/065/66 Tel.: +977 1 553 6733 /209 3290 Fax: +977 1 553 6733 E-mail: info@traveltimes-mag.com URL: www.traveltimes-mag.com editorial team Chairman Deepak Bhatta Managing Director / Editor aasha Ram Tandukar Associate Editor Shambhu Tandukar Creative Head Mahesh Tandukar Director Sales & Marketing Tilak Khatri Asst. Marketing Manager LABIN MANANDHAR Copy Editor Utsav Shakya Layout Supervisor Suman Maharjan Inhouse Writer NISHA SHAKYA Photographer Suresh Maharjan rOCKY PRAJAPATI Advisors anand rungta Sushil Bhatta Upendra Hirawat Abhishek Anand Deepak Jain Ramon Shrestha Partners China Southern Airlines Gorkha Travels Craft Garden Dakshinkali Hill Resort nextyatra.com eticketnepal.com Color Separation: CTP Nepal Pvt. Ltd Hattiban, 5250466, 5250468 Printing: Jagadamba Press, Hattiban, 5250017 distribution: R. B. Newspapers - traders Travel Times is published by Travel Times Media Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved in respect of articles, illustrations, photographs, etc. published in Travel Times magazine. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher and the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. We welcome your feedback. Please send us comments, suggestions or ideas for improvements at feedback@traveltimes-mag.com Writers are encouraged to be part of Travel Times by sending their stories along with relevant pictures and contact address at articles@traveltimes-mag.com
Nepal is a great destination for travel around the year. The country and its people have a lot to offer for tourists; a great deal of which still remains unexplored and for which the potential is promising to put it modestly. Amongst the avenues of travel that Nepal is best known for today is of course trekking in the land of the Himalayas. Every year thousands of trekkers hit some of the most amazing trekking trails in the world and bring back memories to last a lifetime. Most of these trails are not what you would call comfortable or leisurely. Many of the wayward villages that trekkers will move through are reeling under acute poverty and the little that they earn through their teahouses is their only source of income. Even so, these people have kept their unique culture and traditions alive; something that trekkers will revel in. In this issue, our affable in-house photographer Suresh Maharjan and regular contributing writer Kapil Bisht, put up with the late monsoon
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november 2010
TIMES
Tihar brings to mind the rich delicacies that the valley folk gorge on during the festival. While Dashain was all about the meat, Tihar is about the sweets. Find out more about Tihar and about the traditional Newari sweets. We also talk to the gregarious Mingma Dorji Sherpa of Last Frontiers Trekking and get his views on the state of Nepal’s tourism and his innovative travel ideas. While most of Nepal closed for the holidays, we at Travel Times were busy working into the night to bring to you this issue of the magazine. Just to make sure your travel companion is always with you, whenever, wherever. Happy Traveling! The Editorial Team
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this year to trek through Gorkha’s Manaslu trail. The stories they brought back make up our cover story. It tells of life in the mountains, of the importance of religion and culture in such remote places, of hardships faced by the locals and about the relatively untouched charms of the circuit. For our Nature & Wildlife section, Kapil writes about some fascinating discoveries regarding new species of animals and birds in the country. Our suggestion? Take off if you have a few days leading up to Tihar and keep your eyes open to spot a new species!
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