Shaurab Lohani

After hearing a lot on social media and seeing pity videos of “Bhaktapur after earthquake” I decided to go take a short motorbike trip, with my friend and look around to check its authenticity. I wouldn't like to go on the contrary, as the videos were shot concurrently at the time for quake but would like to request the owners of the video should try and visit Bhaktapur and update the recent status of the periphery. Let me tell you my findings after walking and talking to the local authorities, locals and the vendors. First thing the entrance of the Durbar square still has a huge pile of rubble left from the prehistoric mud and brick gate but once we enter the durbar square periphery you will see it clean and ready to welcome guests. Not to forget that this vicinity I am writing about at the moment dates back to over 300 years and making hypotheses about not seeing the distress is completely a hypothesis itself. The museum suffered a major hit which is why only one of...

Nothing rocked this nation in centuries than the relentless tweets and status updates after the earthquake of 25 th April, 2015. Being persistent in either convincing or conveying the world of either “we are fine” or “how hard mother nature is hammering Nepal with unremitting aftershocks” has created such a huge buzz in the social media and news media that the consequences of our own actions are seeming to be looming in the Nepalese skies. I was shocked, dazed and in chaos as well with every possible mixed feeling after looking one of my tweets still being re-tweeted, the tweets posted at the initial days of the quake. Really! I took a moment of my own and thought of million Nepalese people who tweeted emotionally and let me think even my friends who never updated their facebook status were updating every seconds. It’s just my perception but what I believe there is still someone somewhere reading stale tweets or the links that we shared on the early days of the quake and cancell...

I was a spoken English teacher, I had 2 startups in the form of traveler’s hostel and a trekking agency and I was a public speaking trainer on Saturday’s until 25 th of April, 2015. It was a Saturday and one of my friends was giving her speech on “why everyone should volunteer” and everything started shaking. It was a session of around 25 people and most of them ran out, some were crawling and most of them were petrified and expressing their grief. Immediately my senses kicked in and started working for relief with my friends from Dormitory Nepal and Wonderful Everest view treks and expedition. I was astound with the fact that such a tiny project like ours which was successful to receive $7000-$8000 started receiving calls from big dogs in the field of charity organization. The names of the organizations have already faded but I do remember Bibeksheel Nepali, Rotary club, Rotract, Lions club and teach for Nepal knocking our doors for carrying out relief operations in their respe...

Everyone has their own favorites when it comes to seeing places and doing things and so do I. I am a big time foodie and a travel junkie and nothing stops me from munching around and nothing forbids me from the places I like to visit time and again, not even a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. 1.       The first on my list is mountain flights and it reserves a top spot on my list for the reason that it is an absolute stunner. The first time I had a seat right behind the pilot and copilot on a small aircraft which offered me a wide angle view of Himalayas stretched as far as India was awe-inspiring. It was 2010 that I had decided I would do mountain flight every once in a while if I had the shekels and luckily I have done is thrice since then. 2.       Walking around Durbar squares is another favorite Saturday fixation. I have had best times around these monument as a kid and visited them in field visits from schools very recurrently ...

When friends and strangers ask me why travel Nepal after earthquake and the devastation? I answer their question with another question “Why not travel to Nepal?” Something I  don't  understand is why people think that if a country is hit by any natural disaster it would completely halt the  country's  daily chores and sob about what has been left behind by the catastrophe. It has been more than two months now and it is people’s nature to be constructive and positive and look for what lies ahead and not what was left behind. The shops are open, the hotels, restaurants and recreation centers have come under operations and I have been to a theatre on the 8 th floor to watch avengers with my friends and still alive. I can sense the enthusiasm in the air in the old souks, see the people walking in the narrow  alleys  and even the children going to schools and being frolic. Yes there are obviously scars left from the quake that s...

Chinese tourists expected to return to Nepal in Aug Chinese tour operators at Nepal Tourism Board on Friday.  Photographer: photo courtesy: NTB KATHMANDU, JUL 11 - “You go first, and we’ll follow.” This is what Chinese travellers say to tour and travel operators selling Nepal packages. Although, the Chinese government has not restricted its citizens from travelling to Nepal, potential visitors from the northern neighbour expect assurances from their tour organizers that it is safe to visit, a group of Chinese tour operators said Friday. Currently, nine tour operators from China are on a Nepal visit. This is the first batch of tour and travel operators to visit Nepal after the April 25 earthquake. The operators said that Chinese travellers were likely to resume Nepal tours from August. “Initially after the earthquake, we were under the impression that everything had been destroyed, but we see that except for a few places, all are intact,” said Li...

Well I survived the earthquake of the century that hit Nepal on 25th of April, 2015! Its been a while since I have written anything and as I never had an edge in writing articles, I have a strong belief that I have lost whatever I had as a writer. It was 11:00am on a gloomy Saturday morning; amazing and unfamiliar day for a Spring season. We were at Tripureshwor in kathmandu School of Speaking, a platform for public speakers. The session started at 11:30 and we were done by impromptu session and were conducting members session. Nibedita Shrestha, a young lady and an employee of FNCCI. At that time I hadnt looked at the clock exactly but it was vaguely around 12 and I had just come back from the restroom when everything started moving and everyone started running. We all screamed "Earthquake" on our way out and tried to run but that was the only thing we could do! I remember being said when earthquake hits do not run but I believe me along with my friends senses were clog...

This as usual again happened over night, I had no plans to visit or travel yet I did and I guess that’s what’s “call of the mountains” means is!! It was immediately after the biggest Nepalese festival Dashain, one of my cousins, popped in at my home. We had dinner and we were watching T.V, that’s when he had a call and he was explaining what he has already packed for the trip and is ready to leave as early as possible. As its in we Nepalese blood to intervene in anyone’s business, I asked him, where he is headed for?? He quickly replied, I have couple week’s long break, so escaping this hustle and bustle for a week, may be to Mustang, more precisely “Muktinath”. I was explaining my cousin how I wanted to go with him but cant because mum was going to India and cannot leave the house and dog by itself. As soon as I dropped my words to my cousin, came a phone call to my mom saying her trip to India has been postponed for the reason that the train tickets have been postponed. I went to...