Namas Adventure 9/24/16 Namas Adventure 9/24/16

Take any road today (the world is already yours).

Photo by Rabin Rana

It matters not where you go, what path you take, or how you get there. It matters only that you are going. Every road is a thoroughfare, which connects one to the other; the other to the future. The future to the past. Take one today and you shall be following the footsteps of the millions that went before you, as you too shall be followed soon after by the millions yet to come.

Because, you see, life does not ever really change that much. A thousand years ago, life was trying to survive. And the fact that you are here today, means that it was successful. You are therefore, its success story. But what we do, is not any different. We are still only trying to survive.

Thus, whether you are pragmatic, romantic, or irrational; your approach to life head on, or slightly hesitant – your existence remains an accumulation of everything that has already happened, and everything that has yet to happen. You are the driver inside the vehicle; you are the passenger in the back seat; you are the tarmac that ensures your smooth ride; the trees, and the sun.

Therefore, go! Take off now, and go where you must, but never forget that every thing you are bound to encounter is already a part of you. And the beauty of every sunset that always tends to take your breath away, is only your reflection. And hers. And his. And theirs.

By Dina Rai

Namas Adventure 8/14/16 Namas Adventure 8/14/16

Challenging perspectives: The roads of Nepal.

Roads and road ethics differ from nation to nation. Some countries have exceptional roads: even, smooth and tarmacked, alongside an extensive and efficient highway code. Other countries will be lacking drastically in both. Often their roads will be rudimentary and riddled with potholes and cavities. As for road ethics, you might as well tear up the highway code and forget everything that you have been taught so far.

Bhedetar , eastern Nepal | Photo by - Anand Lepcha

Nepal falls under the latter category. It is not a nation renowned for its even, smooth, tarmacked roads. Rather, the roads in Nepal regularly crop up in articles featuring the world's most dangerous roads; roads that you should think twice about, then thrice more before embarking on. And when it comes to road ethics, well let's just say things are done differently in Nepal.

But this does not mean that the roads in Nepal are untraversable, nor do the Nepalese disregard road safety and conduct. No the key word here is 'difference'. One cannot apply the same rules that works well in an even, smooth, tarmacked country to a country lacking in the basic fundamentals. Matters have to be addressed accordingly to the geography, the ethnography and the politics of each place. If things deviate from the norm, it is usually due to necessity. Fortunately humans are adept at making the most out of what they have, and it is usually in a country like Nepal, where many things are scarce, this is exemplified at its best.

To illustrate this here is an image of two men delivering a FRIDGE in a Rickshaw!

Whereas in countries where moving-vans can be found in abundance, scarcity offers these two men an alternative, no-nonsense solution.

Here is another example of a practical, no-nonsense solution to a problem caused by shortage.

The shortage of fuel in Nepal means that people have to sit on top of buses. Every space, even the most minuscule is used up. It is the conductors' job to squeeze as many human bodies as possible inside, on top and even on the sides of buses. A stoic solution that benefits all: the driver and the conductor gain maximum profit, while for the passengers the fares are cheap and thankfully the stops are not too far apart. And this is not just limited to buses.

Jeeps:

Micro-vans:

And motorcycles to name a few are all united in concord.

To a novice traveler visiting Nepal for the first time, these examples might cause a degree of discombobulation. But when you put them into context - lack of fuel - every idiosyncrasy will begin to make sense. Why would you not make the most of every inch, cm, mm when fuel is as scarce?

Of course not all roads in Nepal are underdeveloped. In the major cities of Nepal: Kathmandu, Pokhara and Dharan, there are many adequately constructed dual carriageways, which can provide a sense of form and order.

There are also some exceptionally well built roads outside the city.

But it will not be long, both in the city and the countryside, before you come across a road situation a little like this:

or this,

Driving in the city is also difficult because of the narrow congested roads. Here driver and pedestrian share the same road and there is no rule stating who should give way first. Drivers beep their horn until they are heard, while the pedestrians make way then return to the middle of the road completely unfazed and undeterred.

Thamel, Kathmandu | Photo by : Hassanein

Driving in the countryside is difficult for obvious reasons. The roads are under-developed; many roads are in poor dilapidated conditions, full of potholes, cracks and crevices. You will frequently find yourself being driven literally on the sides of half carved out mountains! (Don't look down). It takes both a strong head and a strong stomach to survive the eight to twelve hour journey from the city to the more rural areas of Nepal, where a lot of people still live.

In many remote areas of Nepal, roads (for auto-motives) have yet to be built.

It is not uncommon for a journey to be brought to an abrupt stand-still due to the lack of roads either.

Nevertheless, it is not the sorry state of the roads that is astonishing. But rather the fact that despite the atrocious conditions, nine out of ten times, the driver of the bus; the jeep; the motorbike, will safely deliver their passengers to their sought after destination.

One has to hand it to the drivers of Nepal. Whilst passengers are being sick in the back of buses; cars; and jeeps, their drivers will hasten across treacherous terrain, under terrible conditions, in vehicles that would probably fail every MOT test if they were ever to be assessed. These drivers are beyond fearless, and yet most of them won't even be aware of how dangerous their jobs are. Nor will they ever get credit for how many people they have helped and families they have reunited by choosing to undertake such formidable journeys daily. (There are unsung heroes in every corner of the world.)

So certainly the roads in Nepal are dangerous and road ethics can be found wanting. But these are an outsider's perception. To the native individual, a road in Nepal is simply a road; and every local driver is highly adept at beeping their mighty horn, whilst accelerating, decelerating and swerving pedestrians, animals and other unsuspecting objects. Therefore, do not see only what is lacking whilst travelling through countries like Nepal (of course a lot of things can benefit with a make-over or two; an investment here, an investment there; or a change in government). But rather marvel at how creatively, efficiently and marvellously the people have made the most out what they have.

It is not that any country is lacking, things are just done differently there. But to appreciate the difference, one has to first travel. Travel to Nepal today (I'm sure it is not just me who wishes to ride on top of buses and feel the wind caress my hair - whilst conserving fuel in the process).

Written by Dina Rai.

Namas Adventure 7/31/16 Namas Adventure 7/31/16

Momo: A nationwide favourite

One cannot visit Nepal without enjoying several plates of Momo. No. One cannot, and one should not. Visiting Nepal without sampling Momo is like returning from the beach without dipping your feet, then your entire body, into the ocean. It is just not done.

Momo is arguably the most popular dish among the Nepalese folks. It is a dish that can make the entire nation literally salivate at its mere thought. Here are several reasons why:

First, it is simple to prepare. Momo is essentially a type of steamed bun. The doughy exterior is made by mixing flour and water together. The filling is usually a mixture of ground/minced meat, spices and vegetables. Put the two together and voila you have MOMO!

Second, Momo is a fairly experimental and practical dish. There are no fixed ingredients, which means people from all over the world can pick and mix accordingly to the local produce available to them. Consequently, ever since the Newar merchants brought the recipe and the name 'Momo' from Tibet, its native land, to Nepal and modified the type of meat and seasoning of the dish with local ingredients, a variety of Momos have been improvised to suit the taste buds of even the most pickiest of all eaters.

Some of the most popular types of Momo's are:

Steamed Momo

Kothey Momo: half steamed, half fried

C-Momo, otherwise known as Chilli Momo (the name should give away the modified ingredients):

Fried Momo (either deep fried, or steamed first then fried):

Jhol Momo (jhol meaning a thick soupy base, usually spicy):

Open Momo (perfect to mix and match your chutney/sauce/condiments by filling in each open pocket with something different)

Buckwheat Momo (for the health conscious)

Paneer/Cheese Momo (vegetarian option, or you can just make a vegetarian filling)

Green Momo (the dough is mixed with spinach - for those who prefer to be deceived whilst consuming their greens)

The choices are endless. Therefore, if you ever find yourself making Momo at home, feel free to personalize. If you want to add eggs into the mixture, add it! Hot banana ketchup or a Samphire, add it! The world of Momo does not discriminate.

But won't too much experimenting (adding Marmite for example) spoil the broth? Good question. And the answer is: it might, especially if you add Marmite (but you never know until you try). Nevertheless, the appeal of Momo is more than just its taste (which is just heavenly by the way). For many, especially Nepali people who have grown up alongside the dish, Momo is also a food of habit, of memory, and somewhat of a legacy passed down from one generation to another (like what Kimchi is to the South Koreans).

Correspondingly, the third reason Momo is a national favourite can be pinned down to its level of availability. Wander through the streets of any part of Nepal and you are bound to come across a little cafe, a restaurant, or a make-shift little stand selling Momo. Wander into the houses and one out of five houses will surely be either making Momo, or will have frozen Momo in their fridges. Momo in Nepal is as routine as brushing your teeth. Often ordering Momo at a cafe or a restaurant will be automatic; it is a food you order guided by your instinct rather than by thought.

Making Momo is also, although slightly lengthy, a family and friendship affair. Because the process is so simple, it is common for families and friendship groups to gather together and spend half the day catching up and reminiscing whilst making Momo.

It is the best comfort food, but it is also the best party food; the best food to have when it's raining; when the sun is out; when your mood is low; when you are craving but you don't know what for. Momo's rate of satisfaction is so high (the taste, the taste is just to die for) that even when you know what you're craving, if offered Momo, you will opt for Momo.

It is this versatile and accommodating element that makes Momo popular, and also the fourth and final reason in this attempt to explain why Momo is a national favorite. Momo is not just a food you eat. All the moments you spend in between, whether with your friends or your family, whether you are spending a whole day catching up or meeting for a quick bite, is a memory. All the conversations and the laughter make up the Momo experience. And if it's a good memory, which it usually is if Momo is involved, then it is only natural for us to want to replicate and re-live the memory again, and again, and again - individually and nationwide.

Do we live to eat, or eat to live? Why not try some Momo today and find out one of the many pleasures of being alive.

Written by Dina Rai.

Namas Adventure 7/6/16 Namas Adventure 7/6/16

Everest Base Camp (to one day the Summit!)

Reaching the summit of the highest mountain in the world is not an easy feat. But then again nothing ambitious and foolhardy ever is. If success came easy in life, then it would not be called success. Nor would it be worthwhile the attempt. To accomplish anything, one needs to be willing to give, a little more than usual, and the greater the ambition, the more you have to give.

But we are a tenacious bunch, hence why we have been able to put a man on the moon. With skill, courage, and determination we have traversed the world and conquered the sky, the earth, and the oceans. The invention of writing, the internet, and antibiotics have altered life as we know it, and on the 10th of December 1948, the Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly, which declared all men (and women) to be equal and free to pursue their own right to happiness.

It is in our nature to make possible the impossible. Therefore, despite the herculean strength and effort, alongside the time (70 days) and expenses ($30,000-$70,000), required to climb Mount Everest, around 800 plus individuals attempt to climb the summit annually. Many fail and some failures are fatal, but the hold Mount Everest continues to have on our dreams, our goals and our imagination persist. For mountaineers, Mount Everest is the ultimate goal.

However, you don’t have to be a mountaineer or necessarily climb the summit to enjoy Mount Everest. The Himalayan trek to the foot of the highest mountain on Earth, otherwise known as Everest Base Camp, is a slightly less demanding and more achievable alternative for amateur climbers and intrepid adventurers who wish to get close to the rooftop of our world.

Trekker in Everest region. Image by : Range finder

The trek is considerably less in duration (2 weeks) and expenses ($1000-$2500) but the experience is still as rich and rewarding. The route will first take you through the heart of the Khumbu region where you will be able to acclimatize and appreciate the local culture, before taking you further up past smaller villages until you reach the base camp. Alongside the local Nepali culture, you will also have plenty of opportunities to experience the unique Sherpa culture by visiting monasteries and museums along the way. You will share your journey with fellow like-minded trekkers, porters and plenty of yak and cattle herders, while every step of the way the most breath-taking and grandest views on Earth will serenade you in all its beauty.

Nevertheless, the trek, although not as difficult as the climb to the summit, is not a walk in the park. To put this into perspective: Everest summit is 8,850 m, while Everest Base Camp is 5,340 m high and in any book 5,340 m is still steep! Furthermore, the length of the trek is around 40 miles, therefore, to arrive at the base in lieu with the schedule, trekkers will be required to walk three to six hours every day at high altitude (it is recommended that all trekkers prepare by doing some form of cardiovascular training several times a week two to six months before their expedition).

But the trek is not a competition, therefore the pace will not be brisk. Rather, the route to Everest Base Camp is a route especially created for personal enjoyment. If you enjoy walking, then your days will be filled with walking for the sheer pleasure of it. If it’s adventure that you seek, then the climb through stunning forests, rivers and swaying suspension bridges should more than satisfy your fearless soul. Whether you live to accumulate unique experiences, or live to accomplish personal achievements, the fact that the trek to Everest Base Camp takes you to the base of the highest mountain in the world should surely be worth the attempt. And who knows, once you get there you might even decide to attempt for the summit!

The world is your oyster. Work hard, dream big and succeed.

If you do have any more questions, please ask us below in the comment section or you can email us at bookings@namasadventure.com and our team will get back to you as soon as they can.

Stay well. Challenge yourself. Dare great things and live your story.

Written by Dina Rai.

Namas Adventure 6/29/16 Namas Adventure 6/29/16

Paddy Festival 2016 - Our Ode to Rice

It is a joyous time in Nepal with the arrival of rice plantation season, which in turn means it’s time for Paddy festival 2016. Paddy festival (Asar in Nepali) is a long-standing tradition for the farming communities of Nepal and they commemorate the end of planting season with major merry-making, believing that happiness and celebration brings good luck and prosperous yields.

Rice, a staple heavyweight in the Nepali diet, is also an important export for Nepal and like for most Asian countries, rice is also deeply symbolic and plays a significant role of in Nepal’s religion and culture. The use of rice is prominent in Nepalese weddings, religious festivals, first feeding ceremonies and education initiation ceremonies due to its life-sustaining qualities. In line with the upcoming Paddy Festival 2016, we at Namas have scoured the web to bring you some of the most interesting facts about rice, as well as the insanely useful ways rice can be used, so read on to be wowed (like we were) by this unassuming grain.

Rice facts

Rice, scale and scope: Rice is not only the most widely consumed staple food, contributing to more than one-fifth of the world’s calories’ consumed by humans. It is also the third highest agricultural commodity produced by the world with over 400 million tonnes of milled rice produced each year!

Rice and medicinal potential: Rice is also widely recognised for medicinal purposes. Traditionally it was used to treat skin conditions, stomach upsets, heartburn, nausea and diarrhoea to name a few. Recently laboratory studies found the antioxidant vitamin E compound in rice to have anti-cancer properties, as well as having the potential to treat other conditions such as diabetes, kidney stones and heart disease.

Rice and Symbolism in Asia: The cultural significance of rice is prominent in most, if not all, Asian countries. Associating its polished whiteness with primordial purity, the Japanese seal marriages with exchanged sips of “sake” (rice wine) and “mocha” (rice cake). For the Chinese rice is elevated and revered as one of the Twelve Symbols of Sovereignty which represents Chinese imperial authority. In Borneo it is only when a young girl can cook a perfect bowl of rice that she is considered eligible for marriage. In Sanskrit rice ‘dhan’ meant 'sustainer of the human race' and many names of ancient Indian kings was derived from it. Even Shuddhodana, the father of Gautama Buddha, translates from Sanskrit to 'Pure Rice' or, more literally, 'Pure Gift'.

Insanely useful hacks for rice today

Rice as heat pack: Do you ache? If you do rice makes an amazing DIY heat pack. Simply google ‘rice heat-pack’ and you will find many easy-to-follow tutorials. If you don’t have the time and need something urgently, then get a sock and fill it with rice. Tie/stich the end so you don’t have any holes where rice can fall from. Then simply microwave it for 30 seconds and you are good to go!

Rice as a rescue for wet electronics: Rice acts as a drying agent due to its hygroscopic properties which attracts and absorbs moisture. In light of this should you ever drop your electronic goods in the bath, sink, pool (generally submerge it in water), don’t panic or let the universal gut sinking despair overwhelm you. Instead, run to your pantry and look for rice. If you have rice, then rest assured help is at hand. First, retrieve your electronic good and resist the urge to check if it works. Instead, immediately pull the battery out, extract the SIM (if phone) and any SD cards that may be in the said electronic good. Dry off with a towel and then place your good in an airtight container full of rice. It is best to leave it there for as long as you can. From personal experience it took two days for my phone to work as normal so I would recommend to leave it in rice for two days minimum to guarantee results.

Rice to ripen food faster: As insinuated in the point above, rice is also a great way to ripen fruit/vegetable faster. Simply store the said fruit/vegetable in an airtight container containing rice, checking it until it reaches your desired state. Then eat ^-^. This is a hack that I swear by, especially effective with ripening avocadoes.

Rice for glowing skin: This miracle grain not only feeds you, warms you * DIY heat-pack*, ripens food for you, fixes your wet electronics, but can also keep you looking your best. Rich in antioxidants that makes skin glow and appear youthful, it also has oil-absorbing properties that keeps skin refreshed. Like the other DIY projects above, getting glowing skin with rice is a really uncomplicated process. First soak rice in water for 15-30 minutes. After 30 mins, swirl it around so that the vitamins seep into the water and you should see the water turn cloudy. Cloudy is good and what you want. Strain the rice water into a clean bowl and your rice water toner is ready to use.

For the sake of brevity this is where I will end, but believe me when I say this article indicates only the surface of what this phenomenal grain can do. In fact, it is no wonder this miracle natural commodity is recognised for its great importance, holding religious and cultural significance for many cultures (not just Asian) around the world. So, like the jubilant farmers celebrating in Nepal, let us too celebrate Asar’s Paddy Festival 2016 and give this humble grain the adoration it deserves.

Interested in Paddy Festival 2017? Please email us : namas@namasadventure.com

Written by - Shanti Rai

Namas Adventure 6/26/16 Namas Adventure 6/26/16

Travel (wise) Quotes...

“To see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. Buddha.”

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Lao Tzu.”

“You know more of the road by having travelled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world - William Hazlitt.”

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable - Clifton Fadiman.”

“A contended man is one who enjoys the scenery along the detours - George Herbert.”

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open - Jawaharlal Nehru.”

“To see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. Buddha.
Journeys bring power and love
back into you.
If you can’t go somewhere,
move into the passageways of the self.
They are more like shafts of light,
always changing, and you change
when you explore them -
Rumi.
”

Namas Adventure 6/21/16 Namas Adventure 6/21/16

Why Travel.

To travel is to temporarily live outside time. Travelling allows you to appreciate what you usually take for granted. Ordinary, everyday things like hopping on a bus, purchasing food from convenience stores, saying thank you (perhaps in a different language) to someone who gives you way in the street. It all becomes a charming and exciting experience. You are existing outside the familiar; in a place devoid of your usual routine, and everything is felt in the here and now.

There is a famous quote by author, philosopher Dagobert D. Runes that sums up one of the unique peculiarities of travel:

“People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home'.

It might sound a bit wry, but the statement is essentially true. A bus hurtling down a road full of potholes and danger, with people who are dressed different to you, look different to you and sound different to you, is a lot more exciting than riding your local bus from your house to the shops. Everything is immediate and outlandish as you are transformed into a fully conscious voyeur, watching life unfold in a way you have never experienced before.

But it is not encountering the unusual that is the most compelling aspect of travelling. Rather it is the moment when you begin to recognize the familiar in all the differences that the true essence of travel comes into force. The street vendor is a father with four beautiful children; the shop-keeper next door to the hostel you are staying at was once the school beauty who still thinks she is beautiful (and she is); the locals, the sightseers, the trekkers, the party-goers, the soul-searchers are all just people, all with their own past, their own history and dreams. Just like you, and just like me.

Live within the safety and confinement of your local community and you are bound to become complacent. Instead academics, travel writers/bloggers, politics and media will shape your understanding of the world outside. In time, with all the responsibility that being a human entails in our fiercely competitive societies you will cease to ask questions. The world will appear to be a place demarcated by borders and accepted for its alterity.

It is only when you travel and immerse yourself somewhere ridiculously unfamiliar will you realise that actually no place is foreign. No one is foreign. No view, no mountain, no ocean.

We all have our own reasons for travelling. But when we travel we all experience the same thing: that is, a re-connection with the world from which we all at one point become estranged. This occurs because we allow it to occur. We travel expecting to be fascinated by difference, but it will rather be the similarities in the differences: the friendships, the stories, the togetherness that will end up fascinating the most.

Travel, step outside time and rekindle your kinship with the world that has always been yours.

Written by - Dina Rai

Namas Adventure 1/20/16 Namas Adventure 1/20/16

Great news from ATTA

Namaste,

ATTA sent its team members with journalists and tour operators to see if Nepal really was up there to safely operate its adventure activities. See what they had to say.

So, its great news when it comes from the adventure organisations. We can proudly say Nepal is open for Business. Come and see the country for yourself, the great richness of our culture and heritage, great food with Dal bhat and delicious MOMOs, amazing welcoming Nepalese people and of course together we will travel to the great wilderness of mountains. In return the Nepal and its people will give you a new different experiences that you will enrich it for the rest of your time.

Visit Nepal where we at NAMAS are ready to welcome and deliver to you enriching and authentic experiences. Our team is ready to provide you an adventure of a lifetime.

We hope to be in touch, thank you.

Namas Adventure