At around 3 pm, Nepal Tourism Board released a press statement about it’s new strategies.

“In an effort to promote the Visit Pokhara Festival cost-effectively, the board has decided to use Nepalese Diaspora who have now been given the full responsibility to promote this festival where-ever they live. They shall attend seminars and so forth. We believe this will drastically reduce our expenditure such as air tickets, food and accommodation.

We are trying our best to keep those unhappy guys inside our building, who had already planned for a year-long world-wide tour. The board further said, Nepalese Diaspora as well as Nepalese Consular Generals and Ambassadors, who have the local knowledge would do a better job in attending seminars, distributing CD Roms, Brochures, organising cultural shows, showing Nepali movies, and talking to local people and ultimately encouraging people to visit Nepal.

After reading that press release, I went to the Internet. To my surprise, I see every single website carrying a banner of VISIT POKHARA 2007. Owner of Every Nepali travel sites, steps on the door of web design company. Tons of sites offer special packages fully dedicated to this magnificent festive season, some sites are even better than the others in providing accurate break-down of costs, showing details of trekking permit Fee / mount expedition royalty fee / National Parks Fee and so on. Tears roll down from my ugly eyes, and drops on the keyboard and splashes every-where. Some sites say, NTB is our family, but we will help this organization promote this festival through our individual efforts.

I witness the entire celebration of the festival on Nepali Web. Some of the popular Nepali blogs made my tears run like a Himalayan river! They were writing more about the festival than Democracy and Republic!

I see every Nepali talking about this festival. It looks like now or never for our tourism industry. Every Nepali adds the line “Hope you will visit Nepal soon!” to their signature in snail -mails and emails.
And then, out of the blue, I hear…
Meow……. Meow…..
Meow……. Meow…..

?@#~!@!~@~!@!~ Get a way from meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Oh, it’s you Lali~ Laliiiii, Lali… Did you not eat well last night ?

Say hi to these folks Lali. And for heaven’s sake, please don’t ever wake me up when I am having such a beautiful dream. okay ?

Lali loves Dal Bhat and Tarkari and spicy food, i gave her the name long before she knew food.
I will tell you more of the dream in my next post.
For Visit Pokhara 2007,
Let us all keep our hands dirty…