“I was interested to read how you have been helping the boys and girls to prepare for this trip of a life-time and also that it is a first for you taking such a large and relatively young group to experience Nepalese life”.

“No doubt there will be challenges and adventures to come – good luck! I will look forward to hearing further news of your progress”.

Original Letter:

The intrepid Edinburgh troupe from South Morningside are being urged to ditch the cutlery and, instead, learn to eat with their hands as they do in the village of Chang Patan.

They’re being coached in what to expect by Nepal expert Olly Margry of Himalayan Footsteps who will join the Scots teenagers on their month-long expedition as part of an international scouting personal development and outreach programme.

Olly, who organises bespoke tours and volunteering in communities in Nepal, Tibet, India and Bhutan, has been helping the boys and girls – all aged between 14 and 18 – with lessons in Buddhism, Hindusim, yoga and even traditional Nepalese cooking ahead of their trip, on which they’ll take part in a five-day trek of the Himalaya, visit the children of Rainbow Children’s Home in Pokhara and help to rebuild the run-down local school in Chang Patan.

Olly, who’s been splitting his time between Eastbourne and Edinburgh to help prepare the Scouts, is excited about the adventure – which is also a first, in many ways, for him.

He said: “This is the first time I’ve been able to take such a large – and relatively young – group to experience what Nepalese life is really like.

“I’ve been trying to prepare them by encouraging them to eat with their hands on training weekends and briefing the girls on what to wear to be culturally sensitive.

“But I can’t take all the credit. Scout leaders Neil MacKenzie and Barry Hewitt have been also instrumental in helping to prepare the Scouts – so much so that they visited Nepal with me last year to get a feel for the country and be able to brief the rest of the unit.”

Neil, who’s a primary school teacher in Edinburgh, explained: “It was really important to Barry and I to visit the village the Scouts are going to volunteer in so we could brief them on exactly what to expect.

“We had an amazing time there and hope that they will too. It’s not going to be easy and it’s certainly not a holiday but it will be a life-changing experience for them which will help to grow their confidence, relationship skills and, of course, their international scouting skills.

“The Scouts have worked incredibly hard to raise money for the trip and have been fundraising in the local community by bag packing in supermarkets and doing odd jobs.

“Nepal is an amazing country and thanks, in part, to Olly, we think the Scouts will get on very well there. Hopefully they’ll form some lasting relationships with their Nepalese counterparts and the children in Pokhara and Chang Patan will, in turn, learn a bit more about Scotland.”

Olly added: “The Scouts are certainly in for the volunteering trip of a lifetime to Nepal. I just don’t know who’s more excited – me or them!”

Meaning of the flag

Two triangles – symbolise the Himalayan Mountains.
Crimson red – the colour of the rhododendron national flower.
Blue border – is the colour of peace & harmony.
Sun & Moon – represents permanence, the hope that Nepal will last as long as the sun & moon.

Why is the flag this shape and all other flags are four-sided?

Probably the answer is easier, if the question is asked the other way round: Why are all national flags (except for the Nepali one) rectangular?

The pretty uniform shape of the national flag can be probably explained by the fact that the national flag has its origin in a limited area (Europe and Mediterranean), as ship flags.

Certainly there had been different shapes in the early times, but rectangular clothes of an approximate proportion of between 1.5:1 and 2:1 seemed the most practical ones, so the countries “standardized” this shape.

Afterwards the ship flags had been adapted for terrestrial use. National flags of countries outside Europe only developed after European national flags had standardized their shape, so they were imitating the rectangular shape as well as some of the symbolic elements, vertical/horizontal stripes, for instance.

Older national symbols were transformed to the “European” flag shape but Nepal retained the original shape of its flag. The Nepali flag is probably the only one surviving, something like a “living fossil”.

Usually living fossils survive in rather secluded areas, such as Nepal, not having coastal access, and being mountainous, or like Switzerland still sticking to the square shape of its flags.

- Marcus E.V. Schmöger, 17 July 2004

Evolution of the flag

Until 1962 the flag of Nepal had human faces inside the sun & moon. They were removed to modernise the flag.

Earlier versions of the flag were based upon two separate pennants which belonged to rival branches of the Rana dynasty, which formerly ruled the country, see bottom.

1958 flag of Nepal         

1939 flag of Nepal

 1928 flag of Nepal

Kathmandu is the largest city of Nepal, some 1.74 million people live there according to a 2011 census. The city is situated in the Kathmandu Valley at a height of 1,300m and sprawls over the valley floor which also contains two sister cities namely Patan/Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, once separated by countryside but now an amalgamated metropolis.

An ancient city with a history spanning 2,000 years Kathmandu is littered with stunning old architecture and temples of the city’s predominant faiths Hinduism and Buddhism.

There are no railways in Kathmandu, buses, micro vans, and “tempos” suffice as public transport. Tribhuvan International Airport is a major landmark in the city with it’s one runway closely surrounded on all sides by buildings. The time difference of Kathmandu is 5hr 45min ahead of GMT.

One bone chilling morning last Friday Isha and I flew from London Gatwick up to a not so warmer Edinburgh Airport to stay with Neil Mackenzie the head leader of the South Morningside Explorer Scout Unit (SMESU). Neil runs SMESU with the help of other leaders such as Barry Hewitt, Ross Donald, Stuart Coyle and other hard working volunteers.

SMESU, part of the The Scout Association, is based in Edinburgh and  it’s purpose is to develop fine young people, the unit are always looking to give their members the best possible development experiences which has extended to a programme of international expeditions, such as expeditions to Denmark (’05), Malaysia (’06), Switzerland (’07), Uganda (’09), Switzerland (’10), and Portugal (’12), where Himalayan Footsteps come in is to organise their expedition to Nepal in 2013.

Neil, Isha, and I were chatting in his flat about the weekend and the conversation didn’t take long to get on to food, especially delicious Nepali food, in a matter of minutes Isha and I had committed to cooking for the whole Scout Unit, no less than 50 people! So then we went shopping to Morrison’s before catching our coach to Auchengillan Outdoor Centre, near Glasgow, where the training weekend would take place.

Isha and I only had to supervise the cooking on Saturday night of our mega Nepali Meal, Rice, Dal, Potato & Cauliflower Curry, and a Chicken Curry, there were so many enthusiastic volunteers who wanted to help prepare and cook that actually Isha and I did very little and all credit for the delicious meal should go to the scouts. During the washing up it got a little crazy as you can see in this you tube video Washing Up Turns Into Kitchen Conga.

The whole weekend was packed with activities and planning for their trip to Nepal, Isha and I feel very lucky to have been invited as it was a real privilege to witness and be a part SMESU’s energy and family atmosphere. All the scouts are remarkable people and we left feeling inspired! More personally for me it was great to be reminded about Scouting again after about 17 years since I was last a Scout.

Here are a bunch of photos from the weekend:

Know Before You Go
Before departing take a look at your itinerary and get a rough idea in your head about the times when you might need to tip to a avoid surprises or awkward moments, then budget enough money, to help even more take the time to do some research in guide books and websites.

Carry Cash
In Nepal and India it is perfectly acceptable and best to tip in local currency, Indian/Nepalese Rupees, or in US Dollars.

Etiquette
You are not expected to tip Taxi Drivers but you may have to part with some cash for to the following types of people whose income is mostly generated by tips:

Tour guides
Trekking guides
Porters
Naturalists/rangers
Waiters/Waitresses
Bellboys
Private hire drivers
Concierges
Receptionists
Bartenders
Tour boat captain and staff
Child minders
Locals who pose for photographs
Masseuses/beauticians/spa staff

Hotel, airport and train station porters should be tipped approximately Rs20 per bag.
Guides and drivers are approximately Rs300 , or $5-10 per day, best not to pay on a daily basis, better to pay all together at the end of the tour.
In restaurants, hotels, and lodges, if the service charge is not included and the service was good, tip approximately 10%, if they have one, it’s best to use the tipping box where all the tips are collected and distributed amongst the staff, this saves time on having to chase every individual that helped you.

Everyone’s In The Same Boat
If you forget to research the acceptable tipping practices of your locale, or simply don’t know what to do, look around and see what other visitors are doing and don’t be afraid to ask them.

We hope this helps but what are your tips for tipping?

Taj Mahal

Few visits to India would be complete without experiencing one of the world’s most iconic buildings, the Taj Mahal.  It is situated at Agra, some 130 miles south of Delhi, the capital of India and chief destination for the majority of international flights to the country, available on numerous airlines through travel experts such as Expedia.co.uk.  The Taj Mahal is a huge mausoleum built of dazzling white marble, erected by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his favourite wife.  Construction began in 1631 and was completed in 1648.  It is considered to be the nation’s pinnacle of Muslim art, and is universally admired as a masterpiece of world heritage.

Agra Fort

In addition to the Taj Mahal, Agra has an equally important Mughal monument – the Red Fort.  Built in the 16^th century, it is an enormous fortress made of red sandstone and was the Mughal Empire’s imperial stronghold.  Enclosed within its one and a half miles of walls are two beautiful mosques, a number of fairy-tale palaces such as the Khas Mahal and Jahangir Palace, built by Shah Jahan, and several audience halls including the Diwan-i-Khas.

The Himalayas

This mysterious mountain range thrusting to the skies to the north of India is a legendary destination, not simply as home to the world’s highest mountain, Everest, but for its rich natural and physical history.  The main destination for most travellers, backpackers, trekkers and mountaineers is the mystical Kathmandu, capital of the kingdom of Nepal.  Although the bulk of the Himalayan mountain range lies in Nepal and its northern neighbour Tibet, there are plentiful Himalayan delights on the Indian side of the border.

Valley of Flowers National Park

High in the western Himalayas is the Valley of Flowers National Park, a magnet for botanists, zoologists and trekkers.  This gentle landscape, although at high altitude, is home to many endemic alpine flowers including the Blue Poppy and the Cobra Lily, and its meadows are vistas of outstanding natural beauty.  Rare animal species roam here too, and visitors may be lucky enough to catch glimpses of Asiatic black bears, brown bears, blue sheep and the elusive snow leopard.

Nanda Devi National Park

In contrast to the adjoining Valley of Flowers National Park, Nanda Devi National Park is much more of a rugged mountain wilderness, surrounded by snow-covered slopes and with peaks that rise to over 25,000 feet.  The park is a trekker’s paradise and forms a transition zone between the Zanskar mountain range and Great Himalaya range.

The north of India can also be a stepping stone for treks to one of the Everest Base Camps, one of which is in Nepal, the other in China.  With so much to see, a new-year holiday to the Himalayas could be the perfect tonic and the gateway to a never-ending source of fascinating, challenging experiences.

The Dashain festival in Nepal is 15 days long and the whole country celebrates, government offices and institutions close, school holidays always coincide with the festival and relatives travel home from abroad to be with their families.

Unlike Christmas the dates change every year depending on the lunar calendar but the dates of Dashain usually fall within the months of September and October.

Forms of Celebration
Of course with any religious festival there are is the ceremonial spiritual side and also the other forms of celebration. The ways the Nepalese people make merry are as follows;

- “Tass” Playing cards. In my experience this is the most popular activity enjoyed by adults, from respected Headmasters  to hard working Mothers to all but the strictest priests. When dashain starts the cards come out, usually a pack of 4 normal decks shuffled together, one of the most popular games is called Marriage but whatever the game gambling is involved and all part of the fun.

- “Ping” Bamboo Swings. Communities come together to build them and often they are more than 20 feet tall! They are temporary especially for the Dashain period and mostly enjoyed by children however during Dashain every person should leave the ground at least once.

- “Masu” Eating Meat. Chickens, Goats and Buffaloes are the commonest animals feasted on during Dashain. In a country where eating meat maybe a weekly of monthly occurrence for families you can imagine the joy of having meat nearly everyday. The purchasing and slaughtering of the animal brings the community together.

-  ”Naya Luga” Shopping. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and at Dashain time they discount heavily for people to be able to purchase clothes and goods for their families. Common gifts from parents to children at Dashain are new clothes.

- “Raxi” Drinking. For those who do drink or those who don’t normally drink Dashain becomes the perfect excuse and everybody is happy to see their fiends or family a little merry. Mostly enjoyed with meat snacks large quantities of home-made Millet alcohol are consumed or whiskey amongst the more wealthy.

- Changa “Flying Kites”. A benefit of Dashain being in the autumn season is more wind and thousands of children love to fly kites.

The Religious Ceremonies
The goddess Durga in all her manifestations is worshipped in Nepal’s numerous temples and shrines by giving her offerings of fruits and thousands of animal sacrifices drenching the goddess for days in blood. Not all Nepalese people approve of this or watch or take part in this, and if you are a visiting tourist you can easily avoid any hint of blood if you wish.

The tenth day of the festival and the following five days are perhaps the most important time. This period is called Dashami and elders bless their younger relatives by putting tikas on their foreheads and giving them a small amount of money which the children love. Having observed and received this simple act of tika I can really say it bonds the family together.

1 – Stok Kangri

At 6153m, Stok Kangri is one of the more easily climbed Himalayan peaks, but still affords a great view over the rest of the mountain ranges, including Karakoram and the valleys. Not a technical climb, Stok Kangri is primarily distinguished by its altitude, and for its ideal positioning to see other mountains across the range, and the K2 Karakoram peak. Walks up to the peak involve navigating glaciers, as well as stopping off in Ladakhi villages. As with many of the peaks in the Himalayas, a permit is required for trekking. Most treks begin at Stok village, and travel up through passes and glaciers to the peak, before making a gradual descent back to Stok village.

2 – Mera Peak

This 6576m peak is defined by its higher altitude than many of the other, more easily achieved climbs, and represents a challenge for the average trek. Part of the Inku Valley, the Mere Peak is reached via Kathmandu and Lukla, and through the Khumbu region and the Zatwar-La pass. The trek up to the Peak is one of the most striking in the Himalayas, taking in wooded forests and a diverse amount of local wildlife.

The summit itself offers unbeatable views over the Hinku and Hongu valleys, as well as the surrounding mountains and Everest. Taking this kind of route, and climbing this peak, means being able to get the best sight of the taller mountains around the Himalayas. Most trips are carried out between April and May, and from October to November. It’s also worth noting that there is a slightly higher peak nearby, which reaches 6654m. However, this peak is much harder to navigate and climb.

3 – Lobuche East

Part of the Cho La Pass, this 6200m peak is relatively straightforward in terms of difficulty for most climbers. Lobuche East is distinguished by its excellent views, taking in a 360 degree panorama of the Solo Khumbu area, and a view back over the Renjo La and Cho La passes. You can also view the rest of the Himalayas from this vantage point, which tends to be, on average, less busy than Mera Peak and others discussed above. Most journeys to Lobuche East start from Kathmandu, and continue by plane and walking through Phakding and the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar, before continuing to the Cho La base camp, where the most significant part of the journey begins.

Rob James is a seasoned traveler who often uses holiday cottages UK based company Cottages Direct. Rob has travelled to many destinations around the world. In his spare time he can be found blogging about his many adventures.

I am a seasoned diner in Kathmandu, with more than 11 years eating out here, and my expectations are difficult to raise. I know that in Nepal menus are often the same in every restaurant, foreign chefs don’t run the kitchens, and to expect western style food is only building yourself up for disappointment. I accept all these facts and am always happy and grateful with what I receive. However something happened last night that has meant this morning I still can’t reconcile the rage that was thrust upon me by this restaurant, in fact by Thomas Kilroy himself, I shall explain why. 

Let me clarify again that on arrival to Kilroy’s of Kathmandu I had few expectations, just a fun dinner with family. It was our first time there; the entrance was an ‘emporium’, an overly grand word for what was a gift shop selling a naff Kilroy’s t-shirt. The other side of the gift shop opens out into a big courtyard with a massive, stand out, over-compensating-for-something man made waterfall feature which wasn’t working.

We climbed some stairs to the main restaurant and were struck by dozens of photos of Thomas Kilroy in chef’s whites, some photos in newspaper clippings, some were magazine articles, others were just photographs with so called celebrities. It portrayed that Kilroy certainly is good at what he does and also that he loves himself a bit too much.

We sat at our table and our waiter was first class, in fact the service all night was exceptionally good, he complimented me on my good Nepali and the evening got off to a good start. The trouble started when the menus were presented to us, they were huge in size, clearly the same size as Kilroy’s ego.

Written on the menus was the most hubristic introduction and waffle I’ve ever seen in my life but at the time it really gets your hopes up that you are some where special with good food.

‘Kilroy’s Wall of Fame’ shows a young, almost foetus looking Kilroy posing for pictures with Sir Edmund Hillary, The British Princess Royal, and Admiral Sir Michael Boyce.

Thomas Kilroy boasts he has prepared desserts for some of the most famous people in the world, from Bill Clinton, George Bush, Tony Blair, The Queen, Simon Le Bon, Jerry Hall, Mick Jagger, Alice Cooper, Shirley Bassey, and Jimmy White.

The food we ordered was ordinary, given the bombardment of PR from the moment you enter the restaurant you expect excellent food, well unforgivably the Nepali Dhal Bhat was plain, the duck my sister had came with no veg and was average, the Indian food I had was just that, Indian food nothing amazing. All these dishes had the ‘recommended symbol’ next to them on the menu.

Dessert came, I ordered a cappuccino creme brule that was so far removed from a creme brule it was just a runny foam that stank and tasted of nothing except millet beer. My sister ordered a chocolate fondant that was more like a chocolate bread pudding with unpleasantly long thick pieces of fruit rind threaded through it. My wife was the lucky one who didn’t order dessert.

The evening was a huge let down and what angers all of us is the extreme pride and arrogance in which this restaurant is self publisiced,  it is totally unjustified. As we walked out of the restaurant the view of the enormous waterfall looked like a poor gimmick, the gift shop felt like a punch to the stomach after tasting the food. It felt like Kilroy thinks he’s some kind of international brand like Hard Rock Cafe and he thinks customers will be compelled to buy a t-shirt with his name on it because of his cooking. Ha! What a joke.

I would never recommend Kilroy’s to my clients nor would I ever go back again. The whole setup is a vehicle for a deluded ego, my suggestions would be to actually stay in Nepal, work here full time, cook the food himself and completely tone down the vulgar misleading PR or make some real culinary achievements worthy of such boasts. My Google search on Thomas Kilroy found no other restaurants in Europe or beyond, only that he works for a commercial catering company in Oxford, England. No one special in my opinion unlike what the advertising suggests and that is the real problem.

So I don’t know why, perhaps because I’d never heard of it, I was expecting a small, uninspiring monastery building and a 20 min visit but quite the opposite was true.

We arrived at Seto Gumba, meaning white monastery, I was amazed to find a huge Bhuddist nunnery rich in Tibetan culture, paintings, statues, architecture, and awesome views of the Kathmandu Valley.

Approximately 300 nuns reside and practice in Seto Gumba. Everyday, they wake up at 3am and finish their day at about 11pm. The youngest nun is about 9 years’ old and the oldest, about 60 years’ old. They come from remote places in Tibet, Ladakh, Lahaul, Bhutan and Sikkim.

There is a gift shop and a coffee shop all managed by the nuns which allows them to be financially independent, the whole place is very friendly and welcoming.

There is no entrance fee to visit, it’s totally free, on arrival you queue up for a visitors badge which you hand back when you leave. The taxi to get there from Thamel is about Rs 500 one way.

As I mentioned it’s only open on Saturdays, this seems to have had a side effect of attracting many young Nepalese couples for whom Saturdays is their day off college. It’s sweet to see young love in such a beautful place.

The day I went I was the only foreigner there, this fact along with the fact that I had never heard about it during 12 years of travelling to Nepal convinces me that not many tourists go there, so pencil in your diary for a day trip next Saturday and enjoy a really good trip to somewhere which is beautiful, interesting, spiritual and feels non-touristy.

The garden was a private garden of Kaiser Sumsher, he created an exquisite ensemble of pavillions, fountains, decorative garden furnitures and European inspired features such as varandas, pergolas, blustrades, urns and birdhouses. He erected six impressive pavillions, each dedicated to one of the six seasons of Nepal.

After the demise of Kaiser Sumsher, the garden was handed over to the Government of Nepal. However it was not properly managed for decades and fell into ruin. The Garden of Dreams was restored in cooperation with Austrian Government from 2000 to 2007 and has revived the garden as per the original concept with added modern facilities although it is now half it’s original size but still impressive.

Here are my photos: