Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has unveiled a 15- member squad for the ICC U-19 World Cup cricket being held in Bangladesh from January 22, 2016. Raju Rijal is the captain and Arif Sekh the Vice-Captain. Other players are Sandip Sunar, Sunil Dhamala, Dipendra Airee, Saurav Khanal, Prem Tamang, Sushil Kandel, Dipesh Shrestha, Rajbir Singh, Yogendra Karki, Sandip Lamichhane, Himansu Dutta, Shankar Rana and Ishan Pandey.
Kushal Bhurtel, Irshad Ahamad, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi and Nandan Yadav are the four substitutes.
When we arrived in Hidden Village in April this year we found a young woman had been in labour for three days. At 8 pm that night, a procession headed out, bearing her in a bamboo sling. Their challenge: an eight hour trek over a 3,250m pass to reach the nearest village, and more qualified medical help.
There are many scenic villages in Nepal but few so isolated and untouched as this one. It lies just two to three days’ walk west of Pokhara, nestling on a sun-bathed shelf, the sole village in the wild Dhaula valley. There are mountain views and flowering rhododendrons to rival Pun Hill, and no dusty roads or cement buildings to mar this traditional village which blends into the natural landscape. Yet, over the years, it has seen only a handful of trekkers. It is so hidden, nobody knows it is there!
This is set to change with the latest map from Himalayan Map House: Gurja Himal and Hidden Village. It has an expanded format, with the topographical map on one side, and a detailed trail guide with photos and information on the back side, saving trekkers from carrying an additional guide book.
Talking about tourism while many are still suffering from the impact of the 2015 earthquake may seem insensitive. But in the wake of the devastation there is an even more urgent need to keep tourists coming to Nepal in order to keep the economy afloat. The areas west of Pokhara were unaffected by the earthquake, and the roads and trails are safe to travel on.
This map features teashop and homestay routes, avoiding the burgeoning motor roads and crowds of tourists. Lying off-the beaten track may deter some, but for others it adds to its appeal. Those who seek a more intimate cultural experience will enjoy staying in people’s homes rather than in purpose-built tourist lodges.
Providing hospitality to travellers is a long-established tradition in rural Nepal. What is new in this particular initiative is that households traditionally excluded by their caste, are being trained to offer hospitality. Pro-poor trekking helps even the poor to benefit, while maintaining social values and traditional architecture. The supplementary income source assists children to remain in school and fathers at home rather than seeking migrant work. And the tourist gains an enriching experience of rural family life, and a slice of their smiling hospitality.
“The home” is, in fact, where trekking in Nepal began some fifty years ago. But it has been a victim of its own success, the village home modernised and replaced by cement lodges, alien to the landscape and local architecture. Over the years, a limited number of local families have been “winners” but a far larger number have gained no benefit. Tourism growth in Nepal needs to safeguard the cultural and aesthetic as well as the natural environment, and develop in a way which boosts the local economy and spreads the benefits more widely and equitably. Homestay tourism and pro-poor trekking ticks all these boxes.
Many tourists sign up for a camping trek organised by one of the large trekking agencies. While these are careful to leave minimal impact on the natural environment, they also leave minimal impact on the local economy. Porters, guides, and supplies are brought in from the outside, and profits go to the agency. But nowadays a new group of tourists is emerging – those who travel with a social conscience.
If you are one of them, a trek to Hidden Village offers many rewards. The views onto the Dhaulagiri range along the way are stunning, and the return trek fits easily into a week. For those who are fit and adventurous there are exciting alternative trails to make this into a longer circuit trek: over Rugachaur Pass (3900m) into Dhorpatan valley, or for the sure-footed, a precipitous route along the dramatic Dhaula Canyon.
Gurja Khani is a great place to relax for a few days. Activities include pony-trekking, craft instruction, and guided nature walks to honeyhunter cliffs, or further afield to Churen glacier and basecamp. All in all, a trek to Hidden Village offers visitors an enriching cultural experience, and the satisfaction of seeing their expenditure go where it is most needed.
What happened to the woman in labour? She gave birth near the top of the pass and returned with a healthy baby. “We cannot go on risking the lives of our young mothers in this way. We are determined to hire a qualified staff nurse from our own pockets,” says Jhak Bahadur, Chairperson of the Gurja Khani Tourism Development Committee. “We are hoping that homestay tourism will help us fund that goal.”
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