Kathmandu: ‘Final destination on hippie trail’
Kathmandu, Nov 19 - National Geographic Adventure Magazine has listed Nepal as “one of the best adventure destinations in the world” and BBC ranks the country “one of the 50 places to see before you die”. The country’s perceived exoticism attracts over 350,000 tourists every year.
But it now seems the balloon has gone higher. Kathmandu is “heaven on earth to hippie travelers”, according to Toptenz, a Virginia-based website, which compiles top 10 lists of the best things and places across the world.
According to the list posted on the website on Tuesday, Kathmandu, was the number one destination, followed by Vancouver, Canada; Chefchaouen, Morocco; Panajachel, Guatemala; Goa, India; Arembepe, Brazil; Christiania, Denmark; Nimbin, Australia; El Bolson, Argentina; and Ibiza, Spain.
Kathmandu, according to Toptenz, attracts hippies from around the world, due to the seemingly arduous travel to get here and the relatively negligible cost of living.
“Freak Street—tucked away at the edge of New Road and Durbar Square—still remains a magnet for hippies, alluring many travelers,” it said, claiming that hashish can be found in “copious amounts” in Kathmandu.
The inclusion of Kathmandu as the world’s “top hippie travel destination”, came as a surprise to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and travel operators, drawing harsh condemnation from them.
“What does top hippie travel destination mean? How did the website come with such a finding?” asked Subash Niraula, senior director of NTB. “This is a baseless listing, which holds no weight. They (Toptenz people) came up with the ranking without any research.”
He also smelt a rat. “It could be a deliberate attempt to defame Nepal by adding the hippies’ famous’ destination tag.”
Nepali tour operators also echoed Niraula’s concerns. Ram Kaji Koney, President of Nepal Association of Tour Operators, said the move is condemnable. “Travel agencies will work with NTB to dig the intention out.”
Tourism Secretary Nagendra Ghimire, however, refused to co-mment on the issue.
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