12
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NEPAL
1) Nepal
opened it’s borders to the world in the 1950s and 2011 is Nepal Tourism
Year! So make this year count and join
the celebration!
2) People in Nepal do not greet one another
with a handshake, but rather put their palms together and bow their forehead
and say Namaste (directly translated as “I salute the God in you”). This is the same greeting used throughout
India.
A little girl
on the Everest Base Camp Trek saying ‘Namaste’ to us.
3) A popular and cheap ‘fast food’ is the
Momo. Delicious dumplings made from
flour and water filled with different fillings like chicken, meat or vegetables
either fried or steamed and served with a dipping sauce. My favorites were the yak-meat filled ones at
the Yak Café in Kathmandu.
4) Nepal is home to one of the few places on
earth where you can see both the Bengal tiger and the one-horned
rhinoceros. We were lucky to see 3
rhinos on our safari!
5) The Annapurna region was voted one of the
top 10 best trekkingplaces on earth. The
trek to Poon Hill is a moderate 5-day trek with views that will blow you away!
6) Everest in the Nepali language is
Sagarmatha which means goddess of the sky and it stands at a staggering 8,848
metres (29,029 ft) above sea level.
7)
Bob Seger wrote a song called Kathmandu in 1975. He wrote it at a time when he wanted to
disappear from the record business, media and touring. Kathmandu represented a far
way land where no one would be able to find you.
8) Little Princes written by Conor Grennan is
about child trafficking in Nepal and spawned the NGO Next Generation Nepal
which reunites children and their families and aids rural communities. A must read and a portion of the proceeds
from every book go directly to the cause!
9) The Sherpas are an ethnic group from mostly
the eastern mountainous part of Nepal.
Many are employed as porters for mountain expeditions as they do not
suffer the effect of altitude and due to their genetics and upbringing. Many groups refer to their porters as
Sherpas.
A Sherpa
carrying a heavy load
10) Nepal is the birthplace for the Lord
Buddha. Lumbini and a pilgrimage for
many devout Buddhists.
11) Nepal has the densest concentration of World
Heritage Sites. Kathmandu valley alone has 7 World Heritage Cultural sites
within a radius of 15 kilometers.
12) The
Nepali flag is the only nation with non-quadrilateral flag.The two triangles
symbolize the Himalaya Mountains and represent the two major religions,
Hinduism and Buddhism.
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