Northstar

20 | www.travelweekly-asia.com NEWS UPDATE I left Nepal just one month ago, bidding the small Himalayan country one last "Namaste." The universally recognised word, expressing both hello and goodbye, is spoken and/or expressed in the graceful gesture of folded hands. Today, the country reels from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck on April 25 in both the centre of the country and the heart of every traveller lucky enough to have experienced its beauty. So far, there are no definitive assessments of the extent of damage to Nepal's tourism infrastructure, but it is clearly extensive, threatening a huge and lasting financial loss, given the crucial role tourism plays in the country's economy, just as it faces years of rebuilding. One of the poorest countries in Asia, the tiny nation has suffered a long string of setbacks. It is still struggling to overcome the legacy of a disabling 10-year Maoist insurrection that ended in 2006, and since becoming a republic in By Patricia Schultz NEPAL'S TOURISM WILL BE KEY TO ITS RECOVERY Travel Weekly Contributing Editor Patricia Schultz is the author of the New York Times bestseller "1,000 Places to See Before You Die." 2008, a fractious Nepali government has been unable to ratify a new constitution. "The only thing holding the country together, it often seems, is the strength, humour and tenacity of the Nepali people themselves," said Jeff Greenwald, the California-based journalist and author of "Shopping for Buddhas: An Adventure in Nepal," one of his three books set in the country. While I had seen just a glimpse of Nepal and its hospitable people during my too-brief, one-week visit, Greenwald has considered it a second home for 30 years. "This disaster tears at the roots of their society and will be very challenging to overcome," Greenwald said. The earthquake killed more than 7,000, destroyed 70,000 homes, left more than 10,000 people injured and 200,000 homeless. It left one million children in need of critical care and triggered an avalanche that killed 19 people (14 of them Sherpas) on Mt Everest. Best estimates suggest that Outside of town, the country club- like Gokarna Forest Resort, where we had lodged just weeks before, now serves as a refuge for hundreds of displaced families. We had been introduced to the religious rite of cremation at Pashupatinath, the gilded-roofed temple to Shiva and the country's holiest Hindu site. The temple, which also escaped earthquake damage, has long been a major pilgrimage destination, with pyres along the banks of the sacred Bagmati River, a tributary of the Ganges. The place was busy with cremations the day we visited; now it is said they are taking place around the clock as well as en masse across Kathmandu. More of the spirituality woven into this small mountain nation is on view at the Boudhanath Stupa, possibly the largest in Asia and partially damaged by the earthquake, and the epicentre for the large Tibetan Buddhist refugee community in Nepal, a group of people who now risk being displaced twice in their lifetimes. It is a swirling world of monks and devotees performing their ritual perambulation (walking clockwise) around the white-washed stupa wreathed with rainbow-hued prayer flags, turning prayer wheels on their way. It was one of many times we were touched by the country's deep attachment to time-tested religious ways, something that will be sorely needed in the months and years ahead. Nepal's tourism industry is the engine of its economy: One of every nine Nepali is involved. Some 585,000 international visitors arrived by air in 2014. Those who come for trekking and mountaineering (the Annapurna area near the lakeside town of Pokhara, Nepal's trekking hub, was relatively undamaged) will likely be the first to return when the post-earthquake dust settles. Four hundred climbers arrive annually to attempt reaching Everest's summit, paying tens of thousands of dollars. "Yes, the short-term tourism will clearly suffer badly," said Dr. Antonia Neubauer, founder of Myths and Mountains, who has been offering trips to Nepal since 1988. "But come the fall, returning will be very important to the people." Nepal: Before and After. some eight million of the country's 29 million population have been affected. "Aside from the human tragedy," Greenwald reminded me last week, "there's a cultural disaster to contend with, as well." Nepal, specifically Kathmandu and the Kathmandu Valley, have one of the world's highest concentrations of Unesco World Heritage Sites. Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur are each anchored by a Durbar (Royal) Square at their heart, studded with centuries-old palaces and multi-tiered temples, many of which are now in rubble. There is still no word about whether or when any of those treasures can be rebuilt. We had stayed in luxurious surroundings, guests of the well- known Dwarika's Hotel, eschewing the western ambience of the city's Hyatt Regency or Crowne Plaza for a self-contained world that exuded local character. An enclave of traditional architecture, the award-winning boutique hotel was the passion of visionary Dwarika Das Shrestha. I was relieved to hear that it had escaped serious earthquake damage, as had its new sister property in the nearby hills outside of town. Photos: courtesy of Lindsay Cope and Aapo Huhta/Finnish Red Cross.

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