People often ask me: which country do you like the best so far? Nepal immediately pops into my mind. For doesn't this country have it all? The massive mountain range of the Himalaya. Wild rivers on which you can raft for days. Endless jungles with rhino's, tigers and crocodiles that you can sneak up on and admire. And its vibrant capital Kathmandu. Warm and slow in summer, cold and fresh in winter. But there's always something going on. And the Nepali people. With their generous smiles and warm manner. Yes, Nepal comes to mind.

I visited this fascinating country for the first time in 1995. Back then the streets where filled mostly with bicycles and cows. Things, like everywhere, have changed. Polluted air, clutched between the mountain range surrounding the Kathmandu valley, troubles your airways. Congested streets with loads of imported Indian cars beep their way through to small houses with big families.
But I still love it.

Apart from the smashing nature the flow of life in Nepal is nice. The way religion is entwined in daily life reminds me of India but it's just all a little bit more relaxed. Not as chaotic but nevertheless extremely colorful.

Of course as a tourist, tourism basically being Nepal's only source of income, it's mostly the good things you see. Politically Nepal has seen very hard times for centuries. Up until 1990 Nepal was in fact a dictatorship where the king ruled. A recent disastrous civil war that only ended in 2006 has cost thousands of Nepali their lives. And still today the huge differences between the elite and the poor are adamant. Ancient traditions block economic and social reforms. People are still afraid to speak their minds.

I've spoken to a young Nepali journalist who said that things are changing. But they are changing very slowly. He has to watch closely what he writes about. His father is a congressman.

Nevertheless, Nepal as a country is still one of the most beautiful places I've been. Go there and see for yourself.