In Nepal NOW | Recovery Tours & Short Breaks

Photo courtesy Rocky Prajapati

Post quake, we have been working hard at developing new limited edition experiences to highlight Nepal’s strength and resilience in recovery, and also focus more on income rather than aid. Check out our hand-picked selection of experiences in Kathmandu and one from Pokhara here. Book your spot for one off trips, or combine them to make it into a short break of an inspirational journey of discovery.

All these trips can be booked pretty much last minute but some are popular and all have limited capacity. Most can be conducted daily. 

Download the PDF brochure here -https://www.dropbox.com/s/508k3so5gf9x8xh/CAT2015-11.pdf…‪#‎nepalNow‬ ‪#‎stillSmiling‬

Post Quake, we have been working hard at developing new limited edition experiences to highlight Nepal’s strength and...

Posted by Socialtours on Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Rebuilding Heritage in #nepalNOW | Shantipur Temple, Soyambhunath

The Shantipur temple in Soyambhunath has damages on the outside wall and the inside wall and is now closed for worship, though devotees still worship the door outside - there is no stopping that.

I attended a small meeting at Soyambhunath in the morning, and was pleasantly surprised that it was teeming with devotees (supposedly, three days after the August Full Moon, devotees from Bhaktapur have to come to Soyambhunath). I never knew that, and it always surprises me how many times I feel like a tourist in my own country, every time I come in contact with a new tradition from the over 100 ethnic groups we have.

The first thing that struck me was how young the group in the meeting was - and how diverse. Some were the priests family, some were the custodians of that space, the youth club, the sponsors etc. The discussion was revolving around traditions - with the earthquake and the recovery, whether to modify the traditions or find ways to preserve. Fascinating debates that happens in Nepal now.

So here is the story. The main sanctum sanctorum of Shantipur can only be opened by the priests, and no other person is ever allowed to enter. So no one really knows what is in there, even today, except this young guy sitting around the drinking tea (who I secretly hoped would take me aside and tell me, but it was not to be) who comes from the priest clan, and whose grandfather, now 92, is still head priest of this temple. It is said that this slightly bent man with a pacemaker suddenly walks straight when inside this deepest part of the temple. The devotees can only come to the second level, just outside, and of course around the temple too.

The decision. We cannot modify tradition. Tradition and belief systems are a combination of known and unknown, and if you make the unknown known, we destroy ancient beliefs and this is the beginning of the end. If there is way to keep the mystery there, we will preserve tradition. Everyone is agreed on that!

Hence an interesting solution for recovery comes up and is agreed upon. Wood panel walls will be constructed to keep the accessible area separate from the inaccessible. A walled area will be outside the temple, and there will be walls to separate the sanctum sanctorum from the outside too… the priest clan will go inside and work there on their own, doing the restoration and recovery of what is their responsibility, the outside can be done by other people. However, all of them have to be raised from the ground up together to keep the building stable and earthquake resistant.

The most fascinating thing in this whole discussion, I think, is that there is no questions of architects, painters, masons, technique. We know that already - this has been preserved through the ages. The discussion on funds is casual - the Indians, the Thai, the government have all promised something, but no one goes to them… when they are ready to fund, they have to come to these committees who hold the keys to each structure. The agreement - let them figure it out. When they are ready, they will come to us!

Shantipur Temple, Soyambhunath, Kathmandu

Later, someone laughs about how lucky we are that the earthquake happened after 86 years of the last one. If it was after a 100 years, everyone who had experience in restoration of these structures would be already dead! That way, Nepal is lucky - this cycle of 80 odd years of earthquakes preserves ancient traditional skills - as the ARTISANS rise again, every time disaster strikes.

We leave after drinking some really, I mean really sweet tea, and feeling a deep sense of pride - in our own ability to restore our heritage.

Check out the RISE of the ARTISAN - a trip focussed on exactly this - the artisan who rebuilds structures that have fallen.

Recovering from the quake

Photo by: Rocky Prajapati

Every century, with a cycle of around 80 years, a devastating earthquake shakes up the two continental plates below Nepal, jolting all life above it. With each repetition, buildings collapse, lives are lost, and normalcy turns upside down for a while.

Yet every time it happens, the country comes together, gets stronger, and works harder to build back. And build back it does. Better, stronger and more resilient. This has been proven time and again.

The two major earthquakes of 25th April and 12th May caused widespread damage in some districts in Nepal, no doubts about that. That was the earthquake doing its thing.

The reaction of the people, considered to be one of the best crisis managers in the world, was extraordinary. Before the government or international aid could kick in, the youth, business-people, monks, nuns, schools, colleges all started to work in relief, and before anything had even arrived in Nepal in terms of aid, had conducted an astounding amount of relief runs, mobilising funds and resources and moving tons upon tons of relief into areas that needed it.

In the far flung villages, the youth had dug up bodies, cremated them, and had started on emergency shelters within a few days already, conditioned by centuries of living in isolated small valleys and knowing how to be self-sufficient.

This strength and resilience is something worth experiencing, the nature of this incredible mix of over 100 ethnic groups living in this stretch of land that is Nepal, nestled between giants of China and India, never colonised and never conquered.

In tourism, the reaction was similar. First priority was getting everyone home safe, so rescue missions were organised to get stranded travellers out of the way. After that, companies started looking after their own - staff, guides, porters etc who needed help. After that the industry rallied together to start a recovery process, running as we write and which has developed into a very unique industry led initiative thats taking the lead in turning the tourism of this country for the better. An understanding of this process and the participation in it, can change ones understanding of how an industry should react in disasters of this magnitude.

At socialtours, we are working hard on several aspects of the recovery process

1. Leading an industry initiative to recover tourism through engaging in designing of mitigating strategies and actions to back it up. A big positive results of this has become the new recovery website endorsed by the government www.nepalNOW.org . We urge all partners to also endorse this, as this is beneficial for the one voice that is required to drive customers to buy trips again. 
2. Developing post quake recovery products that are experiences that encompass what we have described above. Most of our trips have already become relevant in the recovery process, as travellers can now meet survivors, relief workers and real champions in order to understand how a country responds to something like this. This is a strong promise and in Nepal NOW easy to deliver. We ourselves are survivors and socialtours alone has organised and is implementing over 50,000 USD worth of relief works and we continue to do so since day one. 
3. Initiating confidence building campaigns like the I AM IN NEPAL NOW and I AM GOING TO NEPAL campaigns that are viralling on social media. 
4. Finding ways to make the travellers in this two year window feel even more welcome, sometimes things as little as finding out which room is allocated and leaving a nice note for them.  

Together in Tourism!

Why coming to Nepal NOW would be the best thing you ever did!

pic: Urban Adventures | the Boudhanath Rebuild

The human race is amazing - its capacity to fight hard times, to be resilient, strong, and yet still find energy to bring out the act of pure humanity is absolutely inspirational. After the earthquake, Nepal has changed tremendously. Yes, we have houses down, grieving families and an economy that is down, but the people and their spirit are stronger than ever. We have regained our pride in ourselves, in our strength, in our resilience, in the skill we have to build back, and build it back better.

The youth came out in force and even before the first aid plane had landed in Nepal, they had mobilised hundreds of tons of relief into the needed areas, and are still continuing to do so. In the mountains, the youth dug roads, set up supply lines, made shelters and protected communities.

The police have never been on a bigger high. Mobilised within minutes of the quake, they dug out bodies, protected supplies, made huge missions on dangerous landslide prone territory, and were later even performing on the streets providing music therapy, seen here in a video that went viral on facebook.

SuperHeroes Nepal Police | Gangnam style cover - for Therapy
RECOVERY UPDATE | Real SuperheroesThe Nepal Police... They react fast to the earthquake, rescue people, protect supplies, and then provide music therapy. Was a bit emotional with pride and respect.#WeAreNepali - never conquered, never colonised - an earthquake will not beat us!
Posted by Raj Gyawali on Tuesday, May 26, 2015

The tourism industry, which took a huge huge hit, immediately started mobilising and for the first time ever, started even meeting up together and forming joint strategies and actions and aligning with all players to bring back tourism to its feet again. Overnight, the designed online viral campaigns like the "I AM IN NEPAL NOW" and the currently viraling "I AM GOING TO NEPAL" to regain customer confidence. This is huge - it rarely happens, but it did and it continues and this will make the industry stronger and better. No doubts about that!

Overnight, skilled persons got together to save objects of heritage when monuments fell, turned back bulldozers to break apart the monument brick by brick to preserve each piece for the rebuild, and at World Heritage Site locations like Boudhanath, started the rebuild, without any aid money, less than a forth-night since the quake hit, on pure faith! That, in todays world, is pure gold!

The stories continue, on and on! We have changed, and for the better!

This is probably no different than anywhere on earth. At times of urgent need, humans step up the game, and synergise the necessary change that is required to uplift themselves - both in spirit, economically, or what have you!

So here is the reason why you should come visit. One can only witness this strength - this capacity to change the game, this constant shift brought about by synergies, these improvements in quality - in places where an event of this proportion has happened. And for now, this is where we are, in Nepal.

You do not get many chances to experience this spirit. Its rare, and it will not last for very long. If you do not come now, you will miss it - this opportunity to again be proud of being human.

Of course, the mountains and the biodiversity that make Nepal one of the places to visit in your lifetime is intact. The draw is still there!

And of course we are Nepali - we are #stillSmiling and still one of the friendliest people in the planet. Only we have got stronger!

Come witness the recovery of Nepal. It will inspire you and change you forever!

Ropain: The rice planting festival 2015

Pic courtesy - https://www.facebook.com/jaysan.photography

Carrying on with the tradition of celebrating ROPAIN as in yesteryears, socialtours organized a group of expatriates and tourist to travel to the southern ridge of the Kathmandu Valley to indulge in one of Nepal’s most colorful and exuberant festivals. After the earthquake of April 25th this was one of the major events to take place.

On 27th June, 2015, the journey towards the paddy fields began at 8 am and we reached the Bajrabarahi temple after an hour of driving through earthquake damaged village houses and well manicured terraced fields. A brief stop at the temple and the team was on its way to the fields. After a quick change of clothes the planting began in earnest. Fifteen minutes of rice planting then gave way to over three hours of fun and frolic in the mud. Mud wrestling, tug of war and mud racing then over took rice planting.

In between local rice beer, rice wine, Newar style sautéed buffalo meat and spicy potato was served. This served as an energizer for the mayhem in the mud to continue for another two hours. After another hour in the fields mingling with the local farming community and giving continuity to on the spot invented games, it was time to relish a typical village Newar lunch. After shower and change of clothes under the open sky an eight course Newar lunch was laid out. Food was as varied as from beaten rice, chicken, bamboo shoot to your regular potato curry. 3 pm and we were pulling our tired bodies into the bus for the ride back home.

This year the crowd was smaller than in previous years due to the earthquake, but let me assure the fun wasn’t. It was an occasion that everyone relished and spoke highly of. It was also a measure of how far we had come after the earthquake in terms of getting our lives back to normal. socialtours has come back stronger and better after April 25th and we promise you a bigger and more eventful ROPAIN 2016.

All photos sourced from https://www.facebook.com/jaysan.photography

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