OJM Travel Blog

Sanu is the latest recruit to Himalayan Footsteps and the OJM team. A young Nepali student passionate about tourism, her country, and all the good things tourism can do for Nepal.

Sanu is currently studying for a bachelors degree in Travel & Tourism Studies at Kathmandu Academy of Tourism & Hospitatlity. Her part time work with us compliments her studies and gives a great opportunity for work experience. She works closely with our senior guides and UK team to learn about the business with a view to taking a more senior role when she graduates.

Personaly speaking I am excited about the energy and ideas Sanu brings to my company, in my meetings with her she shows competence and a keen mind.

Listening to the views of young Nepalis, like Sanu, about where they think the direction of tourism should go is key to innovation and responsible tourism.

Welcome to the team!

It is so funny but do you still want to know the reason why?

I was born and bought up in the New Road area at the heart of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. After I finished my schooling, I choose the faculty of business administartion for my further studies. 

The accounts module was the most difficult subject for me, so I decided to go for extra classes at Asan Chok which is hardly 10 minutes walk from New Road. I used to take the straight way to Asan Chok via Indrachok but few times I also took the short cut when I went with my friends. There are so many small and narrow streets in Kathmandu, it is very confusing.

And that was the day when I was alone, still decided to take the short way… I got lost and was late for my class, oops!

At home I spoke with my sister and told her what happened - she immediately gave me a new name called “KATHMANDU KO PAKHEY” which means a “Pakhey of Kathmandu”. Pakhey, is actually a villager from a completely Remote Area, who doesn’t even know how to cross the road as he might not have seen a car in his life. It was actually very embarrassing as she just didn’t care and called me with this name infront of anyone and teasing me all the time. The limit is there for everything. I challenged her “ONE DAY I WILL TAKE HER AND SHOW HER EVERY PART OF NEPAL, JUST NOT KATHMANDU”.

After graduation, I took training for Tourist Guide and did a diploma in Tourism Management & Ticketing, as well and further studies on Tourism Trade and destination management .

So the day came to prove, I am not “PAKHEY” at all.

I was out for a walk with my dear sister and I asked her pointing different temples, monuments, if she knew anything about it?  She replied “Nooo”. I explained to her even about who and when it was built. And without losing a second I said “You don’t know because you are a “KATHMANDU KO PAKHEY”. WOW, THAT WAS ACTUALLY A GREAT MOMENT. AAAHHHH, I was so relieved.

And till now I am involved with tourism, with work experience in different countries in tourism, now working for OJM Travel & Himalayan Footsteps.

I would like to congratulate the people of Bundanoon, 100 miles south of Sydney, Australia, for banning the use of bottled water.

I would like more people, especially tourists to start purifying and filtering their own water for drinking.

The amount of waste produced by bottled water is just out of control. Even here in the U.K people have been conned into buying bottled water, even though we have some of the safest cleanest drinking water in the world.

I suggest for travellers to get a recyclable reusable drinking bottles and go online or to your local camping shop to get your purifying kits before you go. You can also get good advice from all good travel clinics

Please check out this link for more water facts…..

http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/sundries.html
http://www.allaboutwater.org/environment.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottled_water#Waste

I have arrived safely back after having a spectacular experience.

I most enjoyed meeting my colleagues in Nepal and it was a great chance for me to see how they worked. They helped me enhance my knowledge of the culture and language, I had great fun trying out phrases and asking for translations. I highly recommend that when you travel to put shyness out the window and get stuck into those phrase books!!! It really makes some memorable times …especially when trying haggle for a bargain!!

It was amazing going to Gosaikunda  “Shiva’s sacred lakes”, the Sherpa’s who helped us all trek up there, were fantastic and we were welcomed into tea houses and local sherpa/ Tamang homes along the way , which really made me humbled to be so well looked after .

I also enjoyed being accepted by such a lively student group, for many it was the first time travelling without parents and their first time out of the E.U. I hope that this has opened them to travel the world as Responsible Tourists.

They were fantastic with the children from the Rainbow and Ratnamaya  orphanages. I loved meeting all the children and Goma (the house mother) a beautiful bright gaggle of children, who I am looking forward to be working with to help improve their education and living standards.

I really enjoyed helping the students enhance their time in Nepal. After this experience am looking forward to Organising the next expedition!!!

I am putting together a full diary of my trip.. I don’t want to miss anyone out that I met or the hotels I reviewed, so keep an eye out for this.

A fantastic chance to see 3 short films about very entertaining stories from Nepal made by Nepali’s. This is a second showing after a very successful debut in May at Edinburgh’s Filmhouse – read earlier blog.

I have seen these films before, they are very good, I will be at this event too, hope to see you there as guests of Himalayan Footsteps.

The details are below:

NEPAL CHAUTARI EVENING FILM PROGRAMME with Aman Adhikary

Where? Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
When? Thursday, 23rd July

18.30 Drinks and snacks RBGE conference room.

19.00 film 1: SUK BAHADUR ADHIKARI, CLASS IV: a quest of a 79 year old man for education. Duration: 23 minutes, Lecture Theatre.

19.30 Food and drink – “Pot Luck” in the conference room.

20.15 film 2: …AND THIS IS MY STORY: a deaf girl’s struggle in the real world. Duration : 7 mins, Lecture Theatre.

20.25 film 3: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOONGEY DAI: the one with the moustache. Duration : 15 mins, Lecture Theatre.

21.15 Depart

Today Josie is off to Nepal for 2 weeks training including one week trekking, meetings with our hoteliers, and a visit to an SOS Children’s Village that we hope to support. On her visit she will gain invaluable experience that she can use to inform her customers and prepare better holidays.

I would like to thank www.funtosee.com for donating some beautiful wall stickers for Rainbow Children’s Home in Nepal that we are supporting.

I am going to spend some time with the children at the end of June to help brighten up their home and to see where else we can help, THANK YOU FUN TO SEE.

This week I would like to report on a new and rather surreal experience that I had. It all started when I looked at my diary and the months of preparing I thought I had for going to Nepal had suddenly slipped into two weeks to go…hahaha…it happened again!

I got a couple  of  inoculations  last month at my doctor’s but not all the ones required (as I had some out of date) but I was confident I would have  time to book for the other jabs. Well, let it be a huge warning, all travel clinics were booked up for the next 3 weeks (just my luck)…PANIC…so I had a little flap at some doctors who seemed to hum and haw a little at my predicament then they said, “go to Superdrug, they will have these inoculations”….so off I went and sure enough amongst the lipstick and washing powder was a lovely nurse ready to make my arm feel like a younger brother or best mate at school has given you a dead arm.. quite an odd place to find a travel clinic?

She was kind and efficient, it was painless and I managed to get some shopping in for on my trip too. I think this new generation of high street private clinics is a winner bringing better health access to the people.

Please don’t do as I have done GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME to get organised.

On Tuesday 2nd June we were honoured to get a visit from Annabel Goldie MSP, leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

Annabel and her party were campaigning along Morningside high-street and we are very grateful for the time she spent meeting our staff.

Only if the politicians would visit when there isn’t an election.

I was very excited to attend yesterday the debut showing of documentaries made by Aman Adhikari, a young man from Nepal, living in Edinburgh and studying to be a film maker.

One by one we gathered outside the Filmhouse on Edinburgh’s Lothian Road. I wasn’t expecting a big turn out for such a narrow topic of film but many people attended and the auditiorium in the presitgious Filmhouse was nearly full.

I have known Aman for over a year but am ashamed to say I never new about his filmaking, today was the big coming out party, he was nervous about his debut.

These documentaries are the fruits of a long struggle to realise his dreams, the scrimping, saving and discipline is remarkable to save enough money for his trip once a year home to Nepal.

This show had short documentaries themed around the people of Nepal. Aman’s first film was titled: “…and this is my story”.

Parvati Shrestha is deaf. She has faced many hardships because of her disibility but her optimism and hope are unwavering.

His second film is titled “A Day In The Life Of Joongey Dai”.
Thick, curly moustaches are not the only impressive thing about Uddaz Bhattari, it’s also his work ethics and honesty. A remarkable story of an ordinary Nepali.

Both films were excellent and the subject matter compelling. I look forward to many more to come.