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Book Description
INTRODUCTION
Nepal forms the very watershed of Asia. Landlocked between India and Tibet, it spans terrain from subtropical jungle to the icy Himalaya, and contains or shares eight of the world’s ten highest mountains. Its cultural landscape is every bit as diverse: a dozen major ethnic groups, speaking as many as fifty languages and dialects, coexist in this narrow, jumbled buffer state, while two of the world’s great religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, overlap and mingle with older tribal practices.

Yet it’s a testimony to Nepali tolerance and good humour that there’s no tradition of ethnic or religious strife. Unlike India, Nepal was never colonized, a fact which comes through in fierce national pride and other, more idiosyncratic ways. Founded on trans-Himalayan trade, the dense, medieval cities display unique pagoda-style architecture, not to mention an astounding flair for festivals and pageantry. Above all, though, Nepal is a nation of unaffected villages and terraced countryside – more than eighty percent of the population lives off the land – and whether you’re trekking, biking or bouncing around in packed buses, sampling this simple lifestyle is perhaps the greatest pleasure of all.

But it would be misleading to portray Nepal as a fabled Shangri-la. One of the world’s poorest countries, it suffers from many of the pangs and uncertainties of the developing world; development is coming in fits and starts, and not all of it is being shared equitably. Heavily reliant on its big-brother neighbours, Nepal was, until 1990, run by one of the last remaining absolute monarchies, a regime that combined China’s repressiveness and India’s bureaucracy in equal measure. It’s now a democracy, but a very precarious one. Political freedom has done little to improve the lot of the average family, while corruption and frequent changes of government have led to widespread disillusion and spawned an intractable Maoist insurgency.

Travel within Nepal isn’t straightforward or predictable. Certain tourist areas are highly developed, even overdeveloped, but facilities elsewhere are rudimentary; getting around is time-consuming and often uncomfortable. Nepalis are well used to shrugging off such inconveniences with the all-purpose phrase, Ke garne? (What to do?). Nepal is also a more fragile country than most – culturally as well as environmentally – so it’s necessary to be especially sensitive as a traveller.

Synopsis
This updated edition of "The Rough Guide to Nepal" ranges from the easternmost tea hills of Ilam to the grasslandsof the far west, from Tibet to th Indian border and from Everst to Kathmandu Valley. There are in-depth accounts of all the attractions, from Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas to wildlife reserves and mountain viewpoints. The best places to stay, eat, drink and shop are listed, along with information on trekking, rafting, rafting and mountain-biking.

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2 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   9 of 10 people found the following review helpful: Wonderfully useful book for travels in Nepal, 9 Jan 1999 By A Customer This review is from: NEPAL: THE ROUGH GUIDE. (Paperback) The best thing about this book is its vast coverage; especially those places off the beaten track. It has a lot of practical information and despite being 2 years old now, it was still fairly accurate. Other travel books attempt to be encyclopedic about Nepal,... documenting everything without prioritizing the places that people actually do visit. David's book goes into a lot of detail about places of interest, both historical and practical info. For example, the book had an excellent section on Chitwan national park. In fact, on our recent trip it saved us from getting a guide. I thoroughly recommend this book. The author even keeps a website to update the readers. Great.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   7 of 8 people found the following review helpful: Good alrounder but not for trekking, 29 April 2004 By  Mark Murphy - See all my reviews This book is great for all round use. However, i would not reccomend itfor anyone going trekking. there are many other booksspecifically aimed at trekking which have much more detail than thisone. But they will not tell you about any other part of thecountry outside of Khumbu or the Annapurna's  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 2 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews