The hunt is on for Yarchagumba, a rare fungas that grows from the Ghost Moth caterpillar. Believed to have health benefits as far reaching as the treatment of cancer to fatigue and very rare, a kilo fetches around ?14,000 in China. ?Yet harvesting the bounty is difficult. ?It can only be found in remote areas of Nepal and Tibet, high up in the Himalaya around precipitous peaks, often claiming the lives of those who go in search of it. ?Summer season is the season for fungas, and already teams of explorers and ?treasure hunters? have?set off in search of it. ?Here is a photo of the ?yarcha.?
Category: News, Uncategorized
In Nepal there is such thing as a ‘wedding season’ ?where there is an abundance of weddings, at least more than usual. Here is one that I was invited too, and as you can see it’s a fun affair. ?Most ceremonies (particularly for Hindu marriages) are a three day event. ?The first day, the bride is collected from her family home; where she usually appears a demure figure among the throngs and processions of the smiling groom’s family who collect her. After rights and rituals, the party begins, and here you’ll see one in full swing. This was a ‘love marriage’ as opposed to the more common arranged ones. What a lovely day!
Category: General, Uncategorized
I recently travelled to east Nepal to Ilam, the country?s tea growing district. Ilam shares its border with India and Darjeeling,? another albeit, less beautiful setting for tea. I am not sure if you can buy Illam tea in the West, but it certainly is delicious.? The photograph here, a little hazy with the pre-monsoon heat, shows the road as it twists and turns up until we reach a sufficient altitude for tea production.? I?m investigating organic tea and the over use of pesticides in the West compared with the pure tea over here in Nepal.
Locals often infuse the tea with spices, or my favourite: Illam tea infused with black pepper ? it?s not a simple process of just adding pepper, instead the pepper has to be heated, crushed and then slowly fermented within the tea.? Next time you are in a supermarket, maybe check if they stock Illam tea, in my humble view, the purest and best in the world.
Category: General, Uncategorized
The link below takes travellers to see a range of photos taken by one of our travellers Richard from our trip last April with Angel Holidays. ? Here too, is a sample of one of Richard’s photographs of a Sadhu (sanskrit meaning good or holyman) ?- a religious ascetic whose aim is achieve moksa, a liberation from the cycle of life. Seems like he’s having a little trouble with it here.
Category: General, Uncategorized
Hi to everyone and just to let you know that we’re pleased that our tour this coming October is gaining a lot of interest particularly from recommendations from previous travellers. So a big thanks to those who have held us in such high esteem! We’ll shortly feature in the Guardian newspaper too. ?October once again is going to be an exceptional experience for all concerned, warm wishes, Steve.
Category: General, Uncategorized