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MARCH 26, 2005
After a 15-hour long direct flight from Toronto to New Delhi, an overnight
stay in Park Hotel and 1.5-hour long flight the following mornin g,
I am back in Kathmandu. This is my fourth visit in the last six years
and I should be able to tell you a bit about it. But how do you describe
the place that defies any conventional description? The capital of Nepal
is a jigsaw puzzle of controversies, a mixture of 30 ethnic groups,
several languages, and religions. It is full of several-century old
temples, modern buildings, opulent palaces and dirty hovels. In the
winter when the air gets a bit cleaner, you can see the mighty Himalayas
120
kilometers to the north. However, it does not happen very often.
Hundreds of thousands of cars, bicycles, trucks,
and buses create a permanent light blue cloud over the city.
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its 27 million
citizens create a gross domestic product (GDP) of about US$1,400 per
person per year. This is about 5% of the GDP per person for Canada. When
I ask you about the first thing that comes to your mind when you think
about Nepal, it will be mountains. However, it is in Nepal where you will find
the greatest difference between the lowest and the highest point. In Kanchan Kalan the elevation is only 70 meters above the sea level. The
peak of Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, is at 8,850 meters
above the sea level.
The view of Nepal from the NASA Space Shuttle clearly shows the
complicated geography of the land. The Indian Plate continues to slide
under the Asian Plate c ausing
the Himalayas to grow at a rate of about 3-5 millimeters per year.
Monsoon winds, laden with moisture, travel across India with a
minimal loss of water. When facing the Himalayas they have to rise up.
The results are similar to the weather in Canada’s west coast. Most of
the moisture condenses in the form of rain, which falls on Nepal almost
continuously from the beginning of June until the end of August. In the
higher mountains, this moisture forms glaciers and snow, which cover
most of the peaks above 5,000 meters. Only a tiny fraction of the moisture
passes to the north. Tibet, the roof of the world, with an average
elevation of more than 3,500 meters, is almost as dry as the Sahara. It is
hard to believe that Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, enjoys more sunshine
hours per year than Arizona (more than 8 hours per day).
Nepal is one of the very few places in the world where the average life
expectancy of a male at 60 years is higher than a female at 59 years.
Among other factors, this is caused by one of the highest fertility rates
in the world at 4.29 children per woman. Approximately 86% of the
population practice the Hindu religion, 8% are Buddhists, and 4% are
Muslims. Around 80% of the population is engaged in a primitive form of
agriculture. Nevertheless, the country produces more food than it
consumes, a unique situation in Asia.
Kathmandu
People have lived in the Kathmandu Valley for more than 1500 years. The
golden age of Newari, the original inhabitants of the valley, peaked in
the 17th century. Most of the temples and palaces were built
during that time. The unification of many small city/states in the
second half of the 18th century created a country within the
present borders. Shortly after the unification at the beginning of the
19th century, the country rulers closed the borders. Nepal
remained isolated until the mid 20th century. In 1950, Nepali
people commenced a long struggle against the kings and their
governments. Only in 1989, Nepal was finally granted democracy. The
political fights among the various factions continue until today, with
Maoist Party causing the recent unrest.
 
     Click
on the map to visit major attractions.
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