Kathmandu is a word that is almost synonymous with “exotic.” Part of that sense of exoticism comes from the mystery of being so far away, and largely unexplored by Americans. I count myself in that group. And yet the sound of that word “Kathmandu” is so enchanting, it seems to beckon one to come find out what it’s all about.
Cat Stevens sang about it.
Kathmandu, I’ll soon be seeing you,
and your strange, bewildering time
will hold me down
What did that mean? “Your strange, bewildering time.” It’s hard to say exactly. But just the sound of the song—the plunking guitar strings, the tactile images—it evokes an exotic world, a world that does indeed seem to exist in a different kind of time.
Chop me some broken wood
We’ll start a fire
White warm light the dawn
And help me see
Old Satan’s tree
Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal, a country lodged between India and China, and known mostly for being the home of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. The great Himalayan mountain range is called “the roof of the world” because it’s as high as you can get on earth.
Many people are driven by an urge to climb Mount Everest, to experience it, and to be able to say that they have climbed the world’s highest mountain. Most of us will never climb it, and in my case, I have no wish to. It sounds a little beyond my weight group. But at the USTOA Annual Conference and Marketplace in Los Angeles last week, I met a tour operator based in Kathmandu who said there are much greater things to experience in Nepal than climbing Mount Everest. At the top of that list is the Nepalese people.
“When people talk about Nepal, they talk about hiking and trekking,” said Sarala Sapkota from Nepal. “But it’s more than mountains.”
Sarala Sapkota is managing director of Aarya Village Travel, a destination management company based in Kathmandu, offering travel arrangements for Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, but mostly Nepal.
The fact that Nepal is so remote, from an American point of view, is at the heart of its allure. With the evolution of corporate globalization in the last few decades, the veneer of corporate commercialism has spread around the world, creating a surface of sameness in many places. It seems there are fewer places that feel really exotic, that present a strikingly different kind of experience to what we are used to in our daily lives in the Western world. But Nepal is one of those places that still exists in another kind of time. That is what makes traveling in Nepal a transformational experience. And that has something to do with why Sarala Sapkota says her clients from America often cry when they are departing.
“They get connected to our drivers and our service,” she said. There in Nepal, she is offering something to Americans that is rare and special: immersion in a really different culture, with different values. It can be a breath of fresh air, fire up your world and provide you with an altered perspective.
Luxury and Humanity
“Travel should be transformational,” she told me, “not just about making money. I am creating memories, by selling experiences.”
You could go to Nepal and stay in the Marriott, she said, and it would be the standard of luxury that you are accustomed to. But that wouldn’t be the best that the country could offer.
“We have luxury hotels that cost as much as $2,000 a night,” she said. “But the definition of luxury, for me, is people. We provide luxury with the people, the services.”
I suppose friendliness is, after all, the greatest luxury when you are traveling. And Aarya is offering true immersion in a culture that has a different way of looking at the world. Ninety percent of Aarya’s customer feedback forms answer that their favorite element of the trip was the people.
“They saw Mount Everest,” she said. “But what they remember is the people, and how they were treated.”
You could find lodging in a hotel in the Western standard that you are used to. Or you could cast off your cultural baggage and try living like a Nepalese for a while.
“It’s better if I sell what they don’t have,” she said. “Americans want what cannot be found in America. Here in America life is expensive, tough. People don’t have time to cultivate culture. They are busy most of the time. We are much happier. We don’t have much expectation.”
People in Nepal are not as affluent as in the states. But their lack of money and material goods doesn’t matter because their families and communities are close-knit and supportive. Their social lives are rich. There are festivals going on practically all the time where people can gather and mingle.
“Every 10 kilometers you can find different cultures,” she said. “You can trek in Nepal more than a month without carrying anything, because we have tea houses that were started in the 1950s.”
Tours and Activities
Aarya offers a series of basic itineraries in the categories of experiential, cultural, adventure, luxury and spiritual & wellness. The list includes, for example: Family Vacation, Experiential Tour, LGBTQ Tour, Traditional Wedding and Women Only Tour.
But those itineraries are not set. They are basic templates that can be used as a starting point to build a custom itinerary based on your own interests. Possible activities include: heritage sightseeing, hiking, boating, wildlife safari, village tour, or rickshaw ride.
It’s all about cultural immersion. There are myriad opportunities for it, such as workshops in weaving, painting, handcrafts, cooking classes with local people, meditating in a monastery with a monk, or visiting local artisans.
Authentic Nepalese Experience
Dealing with the tour operator is itself an immersive experience, with a personal touch. Aarya is Sarala’s personal enterprise, the actualization of her personal dreams and aspirations. She started her business 15 years ago, in October 2009 with $500. Her first guests were local people.
“We were not ready,” she said. “We only had carpet on the floor, and an old PC. We didn’t have a laptop. Local clients came to office and sat on the floor. We had been open two days after opening the office. We didn’t have international contacts. We realized we needed international clients. We went to an exhibition in May 2011, the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.”
Her path of discovery eventually led to the U.S. Tour Operators Association, which provides a gateway to the elite tour operators of America, who in turn provide access to the country’s top retail travel sellers across the country.
Before she started the company, she worked in another travel company. She gained experience and knowledge, but needed to spread her wings and go her own way.
“I wanted to open my own business,” she said. “I was not happy, not able to find out what is my passion, what I’m good at, when I was working for someone else. This is my passion. I love to meet new people, travel to new places. I can do it. I never feel like I’m working. Travel is the only thing you buy and become richer.”
Maybe Maya Angelou was right when she said that we human beings are the true wonder of the world. Maybe Nepal is a good place to find out.
Not So Fast!
Odd Random Facts About Nepal:
The Beatles went to Nepal
Buddha was born in Nepal
“Namaste” is a standard greeting in Nepal.
Nepal has its own calendar
Nepal is the only country with a nonrectangular flag
Nepal has never been colonized
There are 126 ethnic groups and 123 languages in Nepal
Nepal has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites
David Cogswell is a freelance writer working remotely, from wherever he is at the moment. Born at the dead center of the United States during the last century, he has been incessantly moving and exploring for decades. His articles have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Fortune, Fox News, Luxury Travel Magazine, Travel Weekly, Travel Market Report, Travel Agent Magazine, TravelPulse.com, Quirkycruise.com, and other publications. He is the author of four books and a contributor to several others. He was last seen somewhere in the Northeast US.
