September 22, 2023 • 40 mins
Prepare to embark on a virtual journey to the heart of the Himalayas as we explore the rich history and unique allure of Dwarikas Hotel and Resorts, a luxury heritage hotel in Nepal. Our guest is Vijay Shrestha, the scion of the family business that began this grand establishment in the 1950s with a mission to preserve Nepal's local architecture and traditional wood artistry. We will transport you straight into the opulent rooms, brimming with intricate carvings, blending the spiritual ideologies of Hinduism and Buddhism, making you feel as though you're living in a luxury museum.
As we venture further into this narrative, we discover the exceptional wellness activities offered at Dwarikas Hotel and Resorts, inspired by Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. Brace yourself for the enchanting experience of Himalayan lifestyle as we reveal the unique amenities such as color-changing cushions, a Himalayan salt room, and a crystal room. And as we all know, no journey is complete without delving into the local food culture. We will take you on a gastronomic detour into the delicious world of Nepali cuisine, which, though similar to Indian food, offers a unique lighter fare.
Finally, you'll hear Vijay's heartwarming tale about his spontaneous decision to join the family business and carry forward the legacy of preserving local architecture and culture. We'll delve into the world-renowned Nepalese hospitality and the cultural influences on treating foreigners. Furthermore, don’t miss out on the details about the exceptional spa experience at the resort based on Ayurvedic principles, and the best times of year to visit Nepal. So, buckle up and join us on this captivating exploration of luxury, culture, history, and art in the heart of the Himalayas.
Thanks for joining us on today’s episode of The Intrepid Traveler podcast! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please rate and review our show to help us reach even more aspiring travelers. Don’t forget to check out our website, visit us on Facebook, Instagram or follow us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on our latest epic travel adventures!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Have you ever wondered how the pros put
together epic tailor made traveladventures?
Welcome to the IntrepidTraveler Podcast.
I'm your host, robin Klein, andI'm going to explain to you
just how that is done during myconversation with today's guest.
When it comes to luxuryadventure and expedition travel,
the possibilities are endless.
(00:29):
In each episode, you'll hearfrom an expert in his or her
field about how theseexperiences, and more, are
created.
This episode of the IntrepidTraveler is brought to you by
Klein and Co Travel Consulting,a luxury adventure and
expedition travel planningcompany specializing in
un-Googleable experiences.
(00:49):
You can find us on the web atKleinandCoTravelcom.
On Instagram, at Klein and CoTravel, we have a private
Facebook group you are welcometo join.
You can find us on LinkedIn orcatch the video version on
YouTube.
With that said, let's welcometoday's guest, and today we are
traveling probably more thanhalfway around the world to
(01:12):
Nepal, and I'm very excited tohave Vijay Shrestha with us
today of Dwarikas Hotel andResorts.
So welcome, vijay.
Thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Well, before we started recording, we found out
we have something in common inthat we were both born in
Germany.
You had the advantage ofgrowing up there, though, so
your German is far better thanmine.
We've already discovered, soit's interesting.
So your mother is from Nepal,your father is from Germany, and
(01:49):
your grandfather is the one whostarted this company, so you
are now third generation, right?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
That's correct.
I'm a third generation.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Great, great.
Okay, so tell me a little bitabout how and why your
grandfather started Dwarikas.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So the Dwarikas Hotel basically that's how we started
in the tourism industry isabout art and architecture.
It's about architecturalrestoration.
So Nepal, and especiallyKathmandu Valley, has a very
distinguishable architecture,and my grandfather, he liked
(02:29):
architecture a lot and in the1950s these local architecture
was disappearing.
People were tearing down theold buildings and the new
westernized look was coming up.
But he was feeling like his ownidentity.
The architecture was just goingaway.
So he started collecting and thedistinguishable point of the
(02:55):
architecture is the woodenartifacts, the wooden windows
that are very intrinsicallycarved with either some Hindu
deities or some symbols Hindusymbols or some Buddhist symbols
in them.
So they're very beautifulpieces.
So these pieces weredisappearing.
Some of them were used forfirewood, some of them were just
(03:18):
destroyed and he started buyingthem.
This wasn't in the 1950s.
There was no heritageconservation at that point and
at that point people had novalue for them and he just saw
what is the future, that thisarchitecture is going to be gone
in some years.
So he started buying them.
He opened a workshop.
He hired carpenters, carvers,and they had those pieces which
(03:41):
were mostly already damaged.
Some of them are half-gorn, someof them were three-quarter the
left.
So we had them restored and,yeah, he just collected them.
And that went on for over 18years.
Oh wow.
And only in the 1970s then hestarted to come up with the idea
OK, I need to somehow fund mycollection, my restoration work,
(04:04):
and also there needs to be somesort of reason or some sort of
display.
What do I do with these pieces?
I put them in a shed, andhaving them restored is nice,
but when they're in the shedthere's no value for humanity.
So what can I do?
So he decided, ok, let me putthis in the hands of tourism,
let me put this restoration workin the hands of tourism.
(04:24):
And then he started with thehotel.
So we started with five roomsin 1972.
And over years we've grown andinvested the money that we
earned and grew the business andcontinued his mission of
restoration and preservation.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Wow, that's awesome.
So how big is the hotel now?
It started at five rooms.
What's the size now?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, today we have 80 rooms and we're building our
last wing, so we have one morewing that we're building and
that's basically the last partof the collection that we have,
which nowadays those pieces, ofcourse, you don't find them
anymore, right?
So in the new you have WorldHeritage Site, so there's some
(05:10):
of these restored places,restored squares.
There you'll find anarchitecture, but in the normal
houses, like it was back in thedays, you will not find this
architecture anymore.
So this is the last part of thepieces that he collected, and
so we're doing one morecourtyard with those pieces.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
That's amazing.
So everything that he gatheredand restored and everything is
incorporated actually into thebuilding and it's not just like
a museum, it's actuallyincorporated.
So the building itself is usingthat traditional architecture.
Is that correct?
Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
So those wooden pillars, those windows, the
buildings basically, weredesigned around those pieces.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Wow, and yeah, it's like a live-in museum.
I mean, our old piece datesback to the 13th century.
Wow, and then you havemasterpieces.
It's when you enter, you willfind it straight at the door.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Oh, my gosh.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
It's a beautiful piece displaying also the
symbiosis that you find inKathmandu between Hinduism and
Buddhism.
So you'll find that depicted inthat door, in the carvings of
the door.
So, yeah, it's a lot oftradition that we have here that
goes hundreds of years back,and all the pieces are visual
(06:29):
pieces that we display.
So these are all collectorpieces.
We were told that today we havethe biggest wood art collection
in the world.
Yeah, and today these piecesare priceless, wow.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
So it's really like getting to come stay in a luxury
museum.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Exactly, yeah, yeah, it's basically taking you back
in time, how Kathmandu Valleyused to be, how the Navari
architecture used to be.
Yeah, it takes you back with, Ithink, all today modern
comforts that you require, right, but you get a sense of the
true, original Kathmandu.
(07:07):
And that's also what we'retrying to do with everything
that we, in experiences that weoffer, is not only to look but
to feel, to smell Every sense.
We try to make you feel thatyou're in Kathmandu but, of
course, that you're 100%comfortable.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yes, yes.
So I think a lot of people andprobably including myself until
I got interested in thisbusiness think of Kathmandu as
like the jumping off point to goclimb Everest and you know, I'm
here to say right now I have nointerest in climbing Everest or
any other mountain but I thinkthat there's probably a lot in
(07:49):
Kathmandu that people can do andsee and experience without ever
having to go climb a mountain.
Correct, that's correct, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Kathmandu itself has seven world heritage sites.
Okay, I mean, kathmandu Valleyhas seven world heritage sites.
I mean there are countries whodon't have seven world heritage
sites, so we have it in one,basically one city.
It's a very interesting citybecause there's a different meat
of different cultures.
So we have the Hindu culture, wehave the Buddhist culture, and
(08:18):
they basically have submerged inone way of life.
So that's, you see, you havestupas, which are Buddhist
temples, and at the entrance ofa stupa, for example, you'll
find the Ganesh, which is theHindu elephant god.
So you can see how these tworeligions basically have
intertwined, and you will go tosome of the Hindu temples and
(08:40):
you will find the Buddha inside.
So it's a very uniqueexperience that you get here in
terms of culture.
And then, of course, you knowthe architectures.
It's also very unique thepagoda architecture, and not
many people know this.
The pagoda architectureactually was started in the
(09:00):
Kathmandu Valley and then wentthroughout Asia, and here you
can see the first style of it.
And then of course, with thesewooden carvings which so far I
think is also worldwide, a veryunique kind of architecture very
detailed a lot of craftsmanshipthat is involved there, so
there's a lot to see inKathmandu itself.
(09:23):
And then I mean we have theresort, for example, which is an
hour away from Kathmandu.
You don't need to track, youjust can go there.
It's a remote place and youhave beautiful views of the
Himalayas and your beautifulnature.
Yeah, you have a lot ofdifferent options for traveling.
Nepal is very diverse, althoughwe are a very small country.
We go from 8,848 meters to 70meters above sea level.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Really.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
I know I'm not gonna pass that.
And that within 180 kilometers.
So it's a very small countrybut it's a diverse.
It's very diverse because, youknow, we have people living at
4,000 meters.
The vegetation zones, thelandscapes are very different.
We have people living at 70meters above sea level but we
have dense jungles with tigersand rhinos and wild elephants.
(10:14):
So there's a lot to explore inKathmandu itself without just
going, for, you know,mountaineering.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Ah, interesting, interesting.
Okay, so we'll come back to theresort in just a second,
Because I do want to talk aboutthat a lot more, but so that was
something I had no idea aboutthe jungle and you know seeing
these.
So can you do basically like ayou know a safari, sort of day
or two or whatever, and go andsee the animals like you would?
(10:42):
In a vehicle you know in otherparts of the world that offer
that Okay.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Yeah, so we have.
We have these conservationareas, so you can you can do
safaris or Jeep safaris, see theanimals.
I mean, we are, I think, one ofthe biggest habitats for the
Bengal tiger.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yeah, so you can find the Bengal tiger.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
You can find rhinos.
I think we are the biggest inrhinos.
I'm not 100% sure, but we werealso the biggest in rhinos.
So those two animals you canspot wild elephants, deer,
monkeys.
There's a lot of wildlife todiscover.
And there's there's alsobeautiful hotels that you can,
(11:30):
you know, stay in there.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
So nice.
Yeah, that's great, that's,that's interesting.
So now tell me how the resortthen came to be.
So obviously the hotel startedfirst.
And, before we go on, the hotelis named for your grandfather.
His name was Dwadika.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Correct, Exactly so his name was Dwadika Das
Threshta.
So that's why Dwadika,Dwadika's hotel.
Okay, yeah, and then you know,as I grew up in Germany, you
know, after my grandfatherpassed away in 1992, so my
grandmother and my mothercontinued you know his work, so
(12:10):
the restoration work, and atsome point then the question was
, you know, do we want to grow,do we want to, you know,
continue?
Because Nepal has, you know,different aspects to it, is not
only the culture and thearchitecture.
So we said, yeah, we want to dosomething else as well and, you
know, make a difference inanother part, you know, of Nepal
, of Nepal, which is, was very,very special.
(12:33):
So we started the resort andthe resort basically is, is one
about that Himalayan lifestyle.
So, again, it's that symbiosisof Hinduism and Buddhism and
that's interpreted in thatwellness kind of aspect.
So I mean, nowadays even, let'ssay, in the US, it's very
(12:54):
popular yoga, ayurveda, so thesethings are, I mean, very
popular.
So then we have combined thatwith Buddhist medicine.
So there's a lot of holisticlifestyle experience at the
resort and every detail,basically, is designed around
these philosophies.
You'll find the details in therooms that are designed around
(13:16):
that.
For example, every day wechange the color of the cushions
according to the color of theday, which is Ayurvedic, hindu
philosophy that you follow.
You attract certain energiesthrough certain colors and,
according to the planetalignment, you wear certain
colors that attract the certainenergies.
Okay, I'll just give you anexample.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
So there's a lot of these kind of things.
Yeah, no, it's reallyinteresting.
Like those are things Icertainly didn't know and I'm
sure a lot of people listeningwon't have known either.
So your stay at the resortwould really be more focused on
a wellness kind of a stay andnot so much a place to stay that
you might go do day trips outfrom, or would it be both?
Speaker 2 (14:00):
It would be more a place for you to relax and stay
at, maybe at the end of yourtrip.
So we have a lot of peoplecoming at the end of the trip
once they do some tracking inthe Everest region or on the
Pune region.
Or let's say they went toBhutan and they come back,
because Nepal is very often usedas a gateway to Bhutan, so they
(14:20):
stay at the end of that tripjust to relax, because, also,
it's located on the hillside,it's 24 acres of land, it has a
very beautiful views of thesurrounding Himalayas, so you
can see the whole Himalayanrange and there's a lot of these
relaxing facilities.
We also have very uniquefacilities that so we have yoga
(14:40):
practice, we have a meditationand so on.
To enhance those practices wehave, for example, we have a
Himalayan salt room that's madeout of pure rock salt, which is
very beneficial for yourbreathing ways.
It clears your breathing ways.
Again, it's beneficial if you gofor yoga, meditation, which are
based on breathing.
We have a crystal room.
(15:02):
According to Ayurvedicphilosophy, christing have
cleansing energies, calmingenergies.
Again, very good to domeditation exercises in this
kind of environment.
So we have different things forthe guests to discover.
So people doing that at the endof the trip just to get down,
relax before they go back.
And then, of course, we alsooffer retreats.
(15:23):
So we have packagesrevitalization, yoga packages,
things like that that you canopt in and do a holistic retreat
from the resort.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
So what would the average stay be?
I mean, what would most peopleIf they're finishing their trip
there?
How many nights would theygenerally stay?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Normally what we see is about three nights at the
resort, because there's so manyactivities that you can do in
the daytime that you candiscover.
We also have some activitiesaround the resort that you can
do.
There's a beautiful monastery,a Nama Buddha monastery, which
you can hike to.
We have an organic farm that isclose to the resort.
(16:09):
One is right next to the resort, one is about an hour's hike
away, so you can hike to theresort and have, so there's a
lot of different activities youcan do.
We have a heliport for thepeople who don't want to climb
Everest, but want to see Everest.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
You can fly directly up to Everest.
That would be me.
Sign me up.
Yeah, I'll take the helicopterflight.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yeah, it's quite an experience.
So you can fly up to Everestand have a breakfast at Everest.
We call it.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Yeah, I like that.
Yeah, I like that.
That's a quite cool experience.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
There's things you can do from the resort itself,
but mainly what we see is peoplejust coming and relaxing at the
resort and then, of course,package and generally I mean we
start at about five nightswithout cleansing and
revitalization packages, butnormally people do a week Okay,
a week yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Yeah, sure.
What about the food, both atthe resort and in Nepal in
general?
What would we as Westernersexpect?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
At the hotel.
Like I mentioned, we haveorganic farms.
So we have four organic farmsthroughout the country that
caters our grains and vegetables.
So we're going to eat allorganic, naturally organic food.
And I mean the Nepali cuisineis.
I mean, for Westerners I wouldsay it's similar to the Indian
(17:36):
cuisine, okay, but in a more.
It's lighter, it's not so heavy, it's not so full of cream and
milk and bee and so on.
It's a lighter version, right, alittle more clean version, so
it's not that many things mixedup, okay, but it goes into that
direction.
(17:57):
So you have rice with lentilsand then a kind of chicken curry
, a vegetable curry, right?
So that would be like thetypical Nepali meal.
And then you have the mainNepali food that everyone likes.
It's like the Nepali dumplings,okay, it's called momo Uh-huh,
(18:19):
so that's like everyone'sfavorite.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
And what's in the dumplings?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
What's the?
So it depends on the stuffing,because we have a lot of people
here who, some of them, arevegetarian.
Yes, so the stuffing would bevegetarian.
Yeah, so, some of them not.
So, like Cetakatmandu, in theVaree community, they are
non-vegetarian, but more to thesouth, they are more vegetarian.
Right, so that would be likechicken.
(18:45):
Yeah, chicken dumplings.
But again, nepal is again verydiverse because we have those
different, you know, areas wherepeople live at 4000 meters,
people live at Kathmandu Valleyis at 1300 meters and 70 meters,
so they have, like, verydifferent food habits.
So you just do a culinaryjourney and try to discover the
(19:08):
different types of food that youfind in Nepal.
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Well, it is interesting.
You know different countriesand how diverse the diets are,
like you said, just based onwhere people live and what the
farming is like in the area andwhether it's conducive to, you
know, raising animals for foodor not and various things like
that.
So I find that interesting.
(19:33):
Is the resort?
How did you all pick or how didyour family pick the place for
the resort and what kind ofelevation is the resort?
Speaker 2 (19:43):
So the resort is at 1800 meters, so altitude is fine
, so there's no problems withthat attitude.
So basically that that spot waspicked by 50 guides.
Okay, so this, this was a.
It used to be like a large kindof a small, large kind of
(20:04):
resort before, and these guidesthen know 50 people doing one
business normally never endswell.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
So they want to sell.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
So we really love the location, we really love the
feel of it, we love the vibe ofthe place.
Yeah, we bought it in 2006.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
And I came to Nepal in 2010.
All right, and at that pointthen we, you know, we said, okay
, let's make this into a real,you know, jewel for Nepal.
So let's, you know, close thislodge down and rebuild it into a
way that we think you know weshould portray, you know, the
(20:48):
Himalayan lifestyle, the nature,the you know, nepal's nature,
and the beauty of the Mayas.
So then we basicallyrefurbished, we rebuilt
everything for three and a halfyears and then we opened in 2000
, end of 2013.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Okay, and so you said you, you said you came back in
2010.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Is that what you just said?
Okay?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Yeah, all right, and was it?
I mean, were you just from yourtime spending there with family
and stuff?
Did you always feel like thatwas going to be your path in
life, or did you, you know, makea change and decide to come
back and at another time?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Actually it was the idea of me coming back was was a
very spontaneous idea.
This was not something that I,you know, actually I didn't
think about it long, long time.
I was actually, I was, I was ina different sector.
I mean, I studied in MBA, I wasin finance and so on.
(21:52):
But I mean, you know, in Nepaland in this, you know this part
of the world, you know, familybusiness is very important, so
you grew up with it.
I mean, we grew up when I was,when I was a small boy, you know
, it was always part of thedinner table discussions.
You know, in the holiday timeswould come to Nepal and I would
see the constructions going onand I'd see how things you know
(22:12):
progress were built, how we, howwe came about.
So I was always interested init, but it was it was never,
like you know, a consciousdecision when I was small, okay,
let me go into tourism, and Ithought, yeah, but I never
really thought about, you know,going.
And then, from my grandparentsso I'm the eldest grandchild,
(22:32):
Okay, so I have a brother and mymother has a sister, but her
children are a little bityounger to me, Okay, so I was
always, you know the one who was, I think, most interested in
this field the heir apparent.
Not so much.
I think everyone was verysurprised when I told them okay,
(22:54):
I want to go to Nepal and andjoin the family business, Right,
Right, Like there was.
It was a shock for them andthey were happy, but it was like
, okay, really.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Yeah, are you serious ?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Do you think it's true?
So, yeah, and it was like aspontaneous decision.
I liked you know what we wantedto do.
I like what we stood for, soand I wanted to contribute to
this and I saw myself okay, Ican, I can give this, you know,
a new edge.
I can maybe lead this in thefuture and maybe, you know,
(23:26):
contribute to this, to thismission, and especially when you
I mean when you grow up inGermany to do your own
businesses it's a very difficultthing and it's very, you know,
it's not that common anymore.
And also, to find, you know, areal purpose was, was important
for me to find a purpose behindthe business why, why are we
(23:47):
doing this?
Speaker 1 (23:48):
and what does?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
this contribute.
And here in in this, it was,you know, very obvious, right,
what we were doing, and it was,you know, taught to me from a
small age.
So then, right, I was like itwas like it was just a light
bulb, and on and say, okay, Iwant to do this.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Yeah, well, and there's a legacy that you're
carrying on so there's aninvestment there that's, I think
, quite different than just afinancial one.
You know you're, you'reobviously your grandfather
started what he did and for youto carry that on as part of the
family and for this to still bea family business.
I mean that that is veryimportant to me when, when I
(24:27):
travel myself and when I bookclients is because I feel like
family run establishments have.
You know, there's a kind ofanother degree of of not just
investment but love, and I meanyou can really see that and I
can, I can feel that fromtalking to you.
(24:48):
You know that it's.
It's.
This was not a financialdecision for you to come back
and do this.
It wasn't like, oh, I'm goingto go live in Nepal and, you
know, make a great living off of, you know, these, this business
that my grandparents started.
It has as much to do with thelegacy.
It sounds like.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, yeah, I mean you, you're 100% right.
I mean, there's the.
There was, I think, two thingsthat drove me at that point
until today.
That drive me, you know one, is, you know it's, it's my family.
It's what we stand for is howwe identify ourselves.
We want to make a difference tothe society here.
(25:30):
We contributed in a especially.
My grandfather contributed in abig way to architectural
restoration, to preservation inNepal.
He bought an awareness whichwas not there before at all.
Now my mother.
(25:51):
She was the one who basicallybuilt it to.
You know where we became intothis I don't like the word, but
the luxury segment.
Sure, when my grandmother wasstill running, we were still
like a small guest house, butmaybe we stood for something and
people were interested in this.
But she brought us to a levelwhere we're okay.
(26:11):
Now we're at this, you know,we're at this premier level.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
I got it.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
And we were able to get into the hospitality in
Nepal.
So that was something whichalso was new, because Nepal is
always seen as this budgetdestination for most people.
Right, and here we are at theother end, yeah, and we are able
to convince the customer.
(26:36):
You know, it's worthwhilespending that extra money and
returning with a feeling thiswas amazing, yeah, this was a
good trip, this was a goodinvestment for me.
So also showing Nepal that thisis possible.
You know it's possible for lowbecause we are 100% local brand.
Yeah, every staff that we haveis Nepali, besides one.
(27:00):
We have a Japanese restaurantwhere we have a Japanese chef,
so she runs the Japaneserestaurant.
Besides that, all of ouremployees are all Nepali people.
Yeah, we're able to, you know,to be at the same table, like
when we go.
We're part of virtual also,we're part of pure yeah.
So when we sit at the tables,at like with the, with the
(27:22):
obroids and the amans and thefour seasons and the six senses,
and here we are, in the Nepalibrand, yeah, I mean, of course
we are tiny compared to them andwe're maybe not of that, of
that of that caliber, but we'resitting at the same table and
it's 100% Nepali brand.
Yes, I mean, I was lookingaround, but one of the only
(27:42):
really true Nepali brand thatexists in an international
market.
So that was something alsowhich motivated me personally to
say let's take this forward.
Yeah, let's make this into abrand that Nepal, you know, can
be proud of, and I considerinternational table with really
well established, really coolbrands out there.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Yeah, yeah, and you know what I'm hearing too is I
would even I'm feeling like ittakes it even a step further
than your own family when you'retalking about the people that
work there and you know their,their locals, and they're
working with you and they're notbeing managed.
I mean again, no disrespect tothe big, you know names that you
(28:25):
just mentioned and I love a lotof their properties and use
them, but the people that areworking with you there, you know
, you probably know them welland it's probably more of a
family feel for the staff too.
I'm sure you're very investedin their, their well-being and
(28:46):
their families, and you knowthat.
That is something that I thinkis another advantage to working
with a family owned business.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Yeah, and we're very, very invested in, you know, of
course, in our staff, but ingenerally in the public, very
invested, very, you know, proudof our heritage, very proud of
where we come from and what westand and what we have to offer.
Yeah, yeah, we try to showcaseit in the best way possible,
polish it in the best way andput it out there, because we
(29:16):
believe those are diamonds.
You know, that the world to nowhas not seen in that kind of
light, so we try to put theright light on it.
So far, people are, you know,giving a positive response, so
we're very, very happy aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
That's great.
That's great, would you say,that the Nepalese people are
sort of a hospitality mindedpeople in terms of welcoming
foreigners and enjoy showing offthe country and the customs and
the culture in general.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Yes, I would say so.
I would say so it is.
It is inherent in the way youknow the society structure, the
way if you would go to people'shome, how they would treat you,
how a welcome they are, how theylike to open their house to you
, how they like to feed you.
This is, all you know, inherentin the culture itself.
And you know, I I mean becauseI must have grew up in Germany,
(30:13):
so I, you know, germany is notthat open to try to get a little
bit more close, not that, youknow, open your own house to
strangers, and so that's morelike a.
So I see both countries.
So here, definitely it's, itcomes more natural.
So the people, and it's part ofthe you know how you brought up
the part of the society, yeah,anyway, so it makes it way
(30:37):
easier to run in hospitality.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Yeah, yeah, well, that's and that's that's really
what I was kind of getting at.
You know, and that's been myexperience in destinations that
I would say are, you know,somewhat similar in some ways is
, and I love that feeling whenyou go to a country and people
are really proud of showing itoff and making you feel welcome
(30:59):
and not giving you that sort ofoh my gosh, another American.
You know, it's always nice tohave that feel of being, you
know, being welcomed and notsort of looked down, looked, you
know, down on, so, and that'snot, you know that's not to say,
that's a blanket statement.
You know we can't say everybodyin the Western world is like
(31:21):
that.
But, I definitely, definitelyget it.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
I think it's just a trend, you know, it's more a
trend that is inherent in theculture, you know, and what they
they emphasis on.
Yeah, I mean, yeah, we could,we could definitely use in the
past some German efficiency,some planning and this kind of
thing, some structure, Germanstructure, but definitely use it
here, but I guess it's.
(31:44):
It's a you know, everythingcomes with the good and bad.
So every society has the youknow advantages and drawbacks.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Yeah, yeah, no, that's, that's that's enough to
experience both.
Yeah, sure, well, and you getto see both and maybe you can
bring a little bit of the bestof that part of Germany and help
that process Every day to bringthe structure, yeah, every day
to bring the more structure intothe company.
Right, right, right.
That's great.
That's great.
(32:12):
I love it.
There's one thing before we endthat I have not asked about,
that is important to most people, and that would be the spa
experience at either or bothplaces.
So tell me what that's like andwhat's available, so we have
our own spa company.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
It's called Puncia Cautia.
Puncia Cautia means the fivelayer of being, so we try to
address the five layers of beingwithin the therapies.
Now, all the treatments areagain based on, you know, the
Ayurvedic principle, areSudevadas, which are the Hindu
philosophy and the Buddhistmedicine.
(32:50):
So we have different therapiesderived from those philosophies,
for example, from the Ayurveda,you have the typical Ayurvedic
massages.
From the Buddhist medicine, forexample, you have something
very interesting.
It's called the singing bowltherapy, so it works with the
vibration of the water in yourbody.
(33:12):
Nowadays I think it also hascome to the West, so we have
those therapies, which is I findthem very relaxing, very
interesting because it workswith.
You know, I think our body ismade to 80 or 90 percent of
water and it works with thevibration of the water in your
body.
So it's very interesting.
So we have both philosophiesthat you can experience there we
(33:34):
have at the resort.
The spa, of course, plays abigger role.
We have an in-house Ayurvedicdoctor that is there so you can
consult with the Ayurvedicdoctor when you arrive to
determine, you know, your bodytype, see what kind of
treatments and, if you want togo further than that, what kind
of food, what kind of activities, what time of the day, what
(33:57):
kind of activities arebeneficial for your body type?
We lay it out there for theguests and if they want to dive
into it, it's all there.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
I'll tell you what Nepal wasn't like on the very,
very top of my list before westarted talking, but I'm as
really moved up the list aswe've been talking here.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
I'm like I'm ready.
I'm ready to like get it, I'mready to get on a plane and go.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
I'm glad.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
I'm glad, I'm happy to have you here.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Okay, what about times of year?
Are there better times of yearto come than others?
What is the?
What are the seasons like?
Speaker 2 (34:31):
So Nepal has been marketed and sold basically in
two seasons mainly.
So one is the spring season,which is like March, april, may,
and the other is the fall,which is like October, november.
I personally also love thewinter months, especially in
Kathmandu and then thesurrounding valleys around
(34:53):
Kathmandu, because the mountainviews the more you go to winter,
the clearer the mountain viewsare.
So you know the crisper theviews are and the temperature is
still quite pleasant.
I only know it in Celsius.
I don't know on Fahrenheit, butin Celsius, like in January,
normally, it'll be still like 17, 18 degrees Celsius a day.
(35:14):
So it's in its sunny, so it'svery nice, it's very pleasant
and the views are justspectacular, wow, okay.
So, also, like February,december are beautiful months to
visit Nepal.
Then for us the off season isthe summer month.
So basically, especially now,july and August, that's when,
(35:35):
you know, we have the monsoontime, so it rains a lot.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
It's not that bad of a monsoon.
So, for example, at the momentit's not raining, but it rains
like every two days, okay, andthe mountain views are not, you
know, not there Right In themonsoon time.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Sure, sure, okay, well, that makes sense.
And then obviously people wouldfly into Kathmandu and then
from there.
What are the roads like, as faras travel times and, you know,
getting to various places?
What would people expect onthat front?
Speaker 2 (36:11):
For example.
So the hotel is located about10 minutes from the airport, so
the airport is quite sensitivein the city, right?
So we're looking at about 10minutes from the airport, so
that's very less travel timefrom here, from the hotel, to
our resort.
It takes about one hour by car.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
It's about 30 miles, okay, way, okay, so it's not a
far way.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Okay, okay.
But, in general are the I mean,you know, when we're so spoiled
in the West, and you especiallyfrom Germany, all those great
roads, no no.
Yeah, and so I mean, but wouldit be paved roads mostly, or are
you going to have more you willhave paved roads.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
So it's mainly paved roads throughout the country
that are paved roads, I mean,but they're not in that
condition that you are used inthe US.
I mean there are some portholes that you will have to, you
know.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Well, there's some parts of the US that have pretty
bad paved roads.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
It's not.
I mean, we are still developingcountries.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
Sure, sure, sure.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
But I mean, the infrastructure is something that
we could definitely work on,but I mean, I think it's also
the, it's a little bit thebeauty of it, so that's not
developed Absolutely Of this.
You know, discovery, adventure,touch to it, yes, I completely,
completely agree with that.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
I mean, I think that it's.
You know, it's one of thosethings too where it's, if it was
easy, everybody would do it.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
And.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
I do believe that's all part of the experience, and
I mean it's.
You know, there are so manyplaces in the world that if
you're not willing to get offthe beaten path a little bit,
you're going to miss out.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
So, yeah, this is definitely off the beaten path
and I think also the nice thingis that it's still so.
It still has this mysticaltouch to it.
In Nepal there's so much todiscover, people to learn about,
and you know, when you hearthere's so much, like we talked
about so many different aspectsthat you can, you know, discover
be it mountains, wildlife,culture yeah, there's always
(38:25):
something you know, you candiscover.
I mean, we haven't even talkedabout that.
Buddha was born in Nepal.
I mean, most people don't evenknow that.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
I didn't know that.
Okay, that's great, that'sawesome.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
We have the birthplace of Buddha, which you,
for example, could also be.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
Wow, okay, yes.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
So there's I mean there's so much here.
It's, it's, it's culturally,naturally so rich this country
and unfortunately we have notbeen the best to package it and,
you know, showcase it to theworld.
We, as Dwarikas, are working on, you know, developing different
product and you know puttingthe light on certain things and
(39:04):
hopefully we can contribute alittle bit to put us on the map.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely Well, it's definitely
.
This conversation with you hasdefinitely put it far, like I
said, further up on my list andmore on my radar, so this has
been great.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
And I'm glad I could do that.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Oh, absolutely, and I really really appreciate you
taking the time to talk with metoday and can't wait to get this
out for everybody to listen toand hopefully we'll get to meet
in in real life, either in Nepalor well, actually I shouldn't
say either.
In in Nepal, I want to meet inyour life in Nepal.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Please, please, please, please, come and visit
us.
Okay, great Well, thank you somuch, thank you.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
That wraps up today's episode of the Intrepid
Traveler.
Thank you for tuning in andthank you to today's guests for
joining me.
I'll be back again in two weekswith another exciting episode
featuring another guest with astory that is sure to pique your
interest.
Please subscribe to theIntrepid Traveler on your
favorite listening channel andgive us a review.
(40:08):
Once again, today's episode hasbeen brought to you by Clining
Co Travel Consulting, a luxuryadventure and expedition travel
planning company specializing inun-Google-able experiences.
Have you ever wondered how the pros put
together epic tailor made traveladventures?
Welcome to the IntrepidTraveler Podcast.
I'm your host, robin Klein, andI'm going to explain to you
just how that is done during myconversation with today's guest.
When it comes to luxuryadventure and expedition travel,
the possibilities are endless.
(00:29):
In each episode, you'll hearfrom an expert in his or her
field about how theseexperiences, and more, are
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This episode of the IntrepidTraveler is brought to you by
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(00:49):
You can find us on the web atKleinandCoTravelcom.
On Instagram, at Klein and CoTravel, we have a private
Facebook group you are welcometo join.
You can find us on LinkedIn orcatch the video version on
YouTube.
With that said, let's welcometoday's guest, and today we are
traveling probably more thanhalfway around the world to
(01:12):
Nepal, and I'm very excited tohave Vijay Shrestha with us
today of Dwarikas Hotel andResorts.
So welcome, vijay.
Thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Well, before we started recording, we found out
we have something in common inthat we were both born in
Germany.
You had the advantage ofgrowing up there, though, so
your German is far better thanmine.
We've already discovered, soit's interesting.
So your mother is from Nepal,your father is from Germany, and
(01:49):
your grandfather is the one whostarted this company, so you
are now third generation, right?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
That's correct.
I'm a third generation.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Great, great.
Okay, so tell me a little bitabout how and why your
grandfather started Dwarikas.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So the Dwarikas Hotel basically that's how we started
in the tourism industry isabout art and architecture.
It's about architecturalrestoration.
So Nepal, and especiallyKathmandu Valley, has a very
distinguishable architecture,and my grandfather, he liked
(02:29):
architecture a lot and in the1950s these local architecture
was disappearing.
People were tearing down theold buildings and the new
westernized look was coming up.
But he was feeling like his ownidentity.
The architecture was just goingaway.
So he started collecting and thedistinguishable point of the
(02:55):
architecture is the woodenartifacts, the wooden windows
that are very intrinsicallycarved with either some Hindu
deities or some symbols Hindusymbols or some Buddhist symbols
in them.
So they're very beautifulpieces.
So these pieces weredisappearing.
Some of them were used forfirewood, some of them were just
(03:18):
destroyed and he started buyingthem.
This wasn't in the 1950s.
There was no heritageconservation at that point and
at that point people had novalue for them and he just saw
what is the future, that thisarchitecture is going to be gone
in some years.
So he started buying them.
He opened a workshop.
He hired carpenters, carvers,and they had those pieces which
(03:41):
were mostly already damaged.
Some of them are half-gorn, someof them were three-quarter the
left.
So we had them restored and,yeah, he just collected them.
And that went on for over 18years.
Oh wow.
And only in the 1970s then hestarted to come up with the idea
OK, I need to somehow fund mycollection, my restoration work,
(04:04):
and also there needs to be somesort of reason or some sort of
display.
What do I do with these pieces?
I put them in a shed, andhaving them restored is nice,
but when they're in the shedthere's no value for humanity.
So what can I do?
So he decided, ok, let me putthis in the hands of tourism,
let me put this restoration workin the hands of tourism.
(04:24):
And then he started with thehotel.
So we started with five roomsin 1972.
And over years we've grown andinvested the money that we
earned and grew the business andcontinued his mission of
restoration and preservation.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Wow, that's awesome.
So how big is the hotel now?
It started at five rooms.
What's the size now?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, today we have 80 rooms and we're building our
last wing, so we have one morewing that we're building and
that's basically the last partof the collection that we have,
which nowadays those pieces, ofcourse, you don't find them
anymore, right?
So in the new you have WorldHeritage Site, so there's some
(05:10):
of these restored places,restored squares.
There you'll find anarchitecture, but in the normal
houses, like it was back in thedays, you will not find this
architecture anymore.
So this is the last part of thepieces that he collected, and
so we're doing one morecourtyard with those pieces.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
That's amazing.
So everything that he gatheredand restored and everything is
incorporated actually into thebuilding and it's not just like
a museum, it's actuallyincorporated.
So the building itself is usingthat traditional architecture.
Is that correct?
Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
So those wooden pillars, those windows, the
buildings basically, weredesigned around those pieces.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Wow, and yeah, it's like a live-in museum.
I mean, our old piece datesback to the 13th century.
Wow, and then you havemasterpieces.
It's when you enter, you willfind it straight at the door.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Oh, my gosh.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
It's a beautiful piece displaying also the
symbiosis that you find inKathmandu between Hinduism and
Buddhism.
So you'll find that depicted inthat door, in the carvings of
the door.
So, yeah, it's a lot oftradition that we have here that
goes hundreds of years back,and all the pieces are visual
(06:29):
pieces that we display.
So these are all collectorpieces.
We were told that today we havethe biggest wood art collection
in the world.
Yeah, and today these piecesare priceless, wow.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
So it's really like getting to come stay in a luxury
museum.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Exactly, yeah, yeah, it's basically taking you back
in time, how Kathmandu Valleyused to be, how the Navari
architecture used to be.
Yeah, it takes you back with, Ithink, all today modern
comforts that you require, right, but you get a sense of the
true, original Kathmandu.
(07:07):
And that's also what we'retrying to do with everything
that we, in experiences that weoffer, is not only to look but
to feel, to smell Every sense.
We try to make you feel thatyou're in Kathmandu but, of
course, that you're 100%comfortable.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yes, yes.
So I think a lot of people andprobably including myself until
I got interested in thisbusiness think of Kathmandu as
like the jumping off point to goclimb Everest and you know, I'm
here to say right now I have nointerest in climbing Everest or
any other mountain but I thinkthat there's probably a lot in
(07:49):
Kathmandu that people can do andsee and experience without ever
having to go climb a mountain.
Correct, that's correct, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Kathmandu itself has seven world heritage sites.
Okay, I mean, kathmandu Valleyhas seven world heritage sites.
I mean there are countries whodon't have seven world heritage
sites, so we have it in one,basically one city.
It's a very interesting citybecause there's a different meat
of different cultures.
So we have the Hindu culture, wehave the Buddhist culture, and
(08:18):
they basically have submerged inone way of life.
So that's, you see, you havestupas, which are Buddhist
temples, and at the entrance ofa stupa, for example, you'll
find the Ganesh, which is theHindu elephant god.
So you can see how these tworeligions basically have
intertwined, and you will go tosome of the Hindu temples and
(08:40):
you will find the Buddha inside.
So it's a very uniqueexperience that you get here in
terms of culture.
And then, of course, you knowthe architectures.
It's also very unique thepagoda architecture, and not
many people know this.
The pagoda architectureactually was started in the
(09:00):
Kathmandu Valley and then wentthroughout Asia, and here you
can see the first style of it.
And then of course, with thesewooden carvings which so far I
think is also worldwide, a veryunique kind of architecture very
detailed a lot of craftsmanshipthat is involved there, so
there's a lot to see inKathmandu itself.
(09:23):
And then I mean we have theresort, for example, which is an
hour away from Kathmandu.
You don't need to track, youjust can go there.
It's a remote place and youhave beautiful views of the
Himalayas and your beautifulnature.
Yeah, you have a lot ofdifferent options for traveling.
Nepal is very diverse, althoughwe are a very small country.
We go from 8,848 meters to 70meters above sea level.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Really.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
I know I'm not gonna pass that.
And that within 180 kilometers.
So it's a very small countrybut it's a diverse.
It's very diverse because, youknow, we have people living at
4,000 meters.
The vegetation zones, thelandscapes are very different.
We have people living at 70meters above sea level but we
have dense jungles with tigersand rhinos and wild elephants.
(10:14):
So there's a lot to explore inKathmandu itself without just
going, for, you know,mountaineering.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Ah, interesting, interesting.
Okay, so we'll come back to theresort in just a second,
Because I do want to talk aboutthat a lot more, but so that was
something I had no idea aboutthe jungle and you know seeing
these.
So can you do basically like ayou know a safari, sort of day
or two or whatever, and go andsee the animals like you would?
(10:42):
In a vehicle you know in otherparts of the world that offer
that Okay.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Yeah, so we have.
We have these conservationareas, so you can you can do
safaris or Jeep safaris, see theanimals.
I mean, we are, I think, one ofthe biggest habitats for the
Bengal tiger.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yeah, so you can find the Bengal tiger.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
You can find rhinos.
I think we are the biggest inrhinos.
I'm not 100% sure, but we werealso the biggest in rhinos.
So those two animals you canspot wild elephants, deer,
monkeys.
There's a lot of wildlife todiscover.
And there's there's alsobeautiful hotels that you can,
(11:30):
you know, stay in there.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
So nice.
Yeah, that's great, that's,that's interesting.
So now tell me how the resortthen came to be.
So obviously the hotel startedfirst.
And, before we go on, the hotelis named for your grandfather.
His name was Dwadika.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Correct, Exactly so his name was Dwadika Das
Threshta.
So that's why Dwadika,Dwadika's hotel.
Okay, yeah, and then you know,as I grew up in Germany, you
know, after my grandfatherpassed away in 1992, so my
grandmother and my mothercontinued you know his work, so
(12:10):
the restoration work, and atsome point then the question was
, you know, do we want to grow,do we want to, you know,
continue?
Because Nepal has, you know,different aspects to it, is not
only the culture and thearchitecture.
So we said, yeah, we want to dosomething else as well and, you
know, make a difference inanother part, you know, of Nepal
, of Nepal, which is, was very,very special.
(12:33):
So we started the resort andthe resort basically is, is one
about that Himalayan lifestyle.
So, again, it's that symbiosisof Hinduism and Buddhism and
that's interpreted in thatwellness kind of aspect.
So I mean, nowadays even, let'ssay, in the US, it's very
(12:54):
popular yoga, ayurveda, so thesethings are, I mean, very
popular.
So then we have combined thatwith Buddhist medicine.
So there's a lot of holisticlifestyle experience at the
resort and every detail,basically, is designed around
these philosophies.
You'll find the details in therooms that are designed around
(13:16):
that.
For example, every day wechange the color of the cushions
according to the color of theday, which is Ayurvedic, hindu
philosophy that you follow.
You attract certain energiesthrough certain colors and,
according to the planetalignment, you wear certain
colors that attract the certainenergies.
Okay, I'll just give you anexample.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
So there's a lot of these kind of things.
Yeah, no, it's reallyinteresting.
Like those are things Icertainly didn't know and I'm
sure a lot of people listeningwon't have known either.
So your stay at the resortwould really be more focused on
a wellness kind of a stay andnot so much a place to stay that
you might go do day trips outfrom, or would it be both?
Speaker 2 (14:00):
It would be more a place for you to relax and stay
at, maybe at the end of yourtrip.
So we have a lot of peoplecoming at the end of the trip
once they do some tracking inthe Everest region or on the
Pune region.
Or let's say they went toBhutan and they come back,
because Nepal is very often usedas a gateway to Bhutan, so they
(14:20):
stay at the end of that tripjust to relax, because, also,
it's located on the hillside,it's 24 acres of land, it has a
very beautiful views of thesurrounding Himalayas, so you
can see the whole Himalayanrange and there's a lot of these
relaxing facilities.
We also have very uniquefacilities that so we have yoga
(14:40):
practice, we have a meditationand so on.
To enhance those practices wehave, for example, we have a
Himalayan salt room that's madeout of pure rock salt, which is
very beneficial for yourbreathing ways.
It clears your breathing ways.
Again, it's beneficial if you gofor yoga, meditation, which are
based on breathing.
We have a crystal room.
(15:02):
According to Ayurvedicphilosophy, christing have
cleansing energies, calmingenergies.
Again, very good to domeditation exercises in this
kind of environment.
So we have different things forthe guests to discover.
So people doing that at the endof the trip just to get down,
relax before they go back.
And then, of course, we alsooffer retreats.
(15:23):
So we have packagesrevitalization, yoga packages,
things like that that you canopt in and do a holistic retreat
from the resort.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
So what would the average stay be?
I mean, what would most peopleIf they're finishing their trip
there?
How many nights would theygenerally stay?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Normally what we see is about three nights at the
resort, because there's so manyactivities that you can do in
the daytime that you candiscover.
We also have some activitiesaround the resort that you can
do.
There's a beautiful monastery,a Nama Buddha monastery, which
you can hike to.
We have an organic farm that isclose to the resort.
(16:09):
One is right next to the resort, one is about an hour's hike
away, so you can hike to theresort and have, so there's a
lot of different activities youcan do.
We have a heliport for thepeople who don't want to climb
Everest, but want to see Everest.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
You can fly directly up to Everest.
That would be me.
Sign me up.
Yeah, I'll take the helicopterflight.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yeah, it's quite an experience.
So you can fly up to Everestand have a breakfast at Everest.
We call it.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Yeah, I like that.
Yeah, I like that.
That's a quite cool experience.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
There's things you can do from the resort itself,
but mainly what we see is peoplejust coming and relaxing at the
resort and then, of course,package and generally I mean we
start at about five nightswithout cleansing and
revitalization packages, butnormally people do a week Okay,
a week yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Yeah, sure.
What about the food, both atthe resort and in Nepal in
general?
What would we as Westernersexpect?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
At the hotel.
Like I mentioned, we haveorganic farms.
So we have four organic farmsthroughout the country that
caters our grains and vegetables.
So we're going to eat allorganic, naturally organic food.
And I mean the Nepali cuisineis.
I mean, for Westerners I wouldsay it's similar to the Indian
(17:36):
cuisine, okay, but in a more.
It's lighter, it's not so heavy, it's not so full of cream and
milk and bee and so on.
It's a lighter version, right, alittle more clean version, so
it's not that many things mixedup, okay, but it goes into that
direction.
(17:57):
So you have rice with lentilsand then a kind of chicken curry
, a vegetable curry, right?
So that would be like thetypical Nepali meal.
And then you have the mainNepali food that everyone likes.
It's like the Nepali dumplings,okay, it's called momo Uh-huh,
(18:19):
so that's like everyone'sfavorite.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
And what's in the dumplings?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
What's the?
So it depends on the stuffing,because we have a lot of people
here who, some of them, arevegetarian.
Yes, so the stuffing would bevegetarian.
Yeah, so, some of them not.
So, like Cetakatmandu, in theVaree community, they are
non-vegetarian, but more to thesouth, they are more vegetarian.
Right, so that would be likechicken.
(18:45):
Yeah, chicken dumplings.
But again, nepal is again verydiverse because we have those
different, you know, areas wherepeople live at 4000 meters,
people live at Kathmandu Valleyis at 1300 meters and 70 meters,
so they have, like, verydifferent food habits.
So you just do a culinaryjourney and try to discover the
(19:08):
different types of food that youfind in Nepal.
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Well, it is interesting.
You know different countriesand how diverse the diets are,
like you said, just based onwhere people live and what the
farming is like in the area andwhether it's conducive to, you
know, raising animals for foodor not and various things like
that.
So I find that interesting.
(19:33):
Is the resort?
How did you all pick or how didyour family pick the place for
the resort and what kind ofelevation is the resort?
Speaker 2 (19:43):
So the resort is at 1800 meters, so altitude is fine
, so there's no problems withthat attitude.
So basically that that spot waspicked by 50 guides.
Okay, so this, this was a.
It used to be like a large kindof a small, large kind of
(20:04):
resort before, and these guidesthen know 50 people doing one
business normally never endswell.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
So they want to sell.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
So we really love the location, we really love the
feel of it, we love the vibe ofthe place.
Yeah, we bought it in 2006.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
And I came to Nepal in 2010.
All right, and at that pointthen we, you know, we said, okay
, let's make this into a real,you know, jewel for Nepal.
So let's, you know, close thislodge down and rebuild it into a
way that we think you know weshould portray, you know, the
(20:48):
Himalayan lifestyle, the nature,the you know, nepal's nature,
and the beauty of the Mayas.
So then we basicallyrefurbished, we rebuilt
everything for three and a halfyears and then we opened in 2000
, end of 2013.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Okay, and so you said you, you said you came back in
2010.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Is that what you just said?
Okay?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Yeah, all right, and was it?
I mean, were you just from yourtime spending there with family
and stuff?
Did you always feel like thatwas going to be your path in
life, or did you, you know, makea change and decide to come
back and at another time?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Actually it was the idea of me coming back was was a
very spontaneous idea.
This was not something that I,you know, actually I didn't
think about it long, long time.
I was actually, I was, I was ina different sector.
I mean, I studied in MBA, I wasin finance and so on.
(21:52):
But I mean, you know, in Nepaland in this, you know this part
of the world, you know, familybusiness is very important, so
you grew up with it.
I mean, we grew up when I was,when I was a small boy, you know
, it was always part of thedinner table discussions.
You know, in the holiday timeswould come to Nepal and I would
see the constructions going onand I'd see how things you know
(22:12):
progress were built, how we, howwe came about.
So I was always interested init, but it was it was never,
like you know, a consciousdecision when I was small, okay,
let me go into tourism, and Ithought, yeah, but I never
really thought about, you know,going.
And then, from my grandparentsso I'm the eldest grandchild,
(22:32):
Okay, so I have a brother and mymother has a sister, but her
children are a little bityounger to me, Okay, so I was
always, you know the one who was, I think, most interested in
this field the heir apparent.
Not so much.
I think everyone was verysurprised when I told them okay,
(22:54):
I want to go to Nepal and andjoin the family business, Right,
Right, Like there was.
It was a shock for them andthey were happy, but it was like
, okay, really.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Yeah, are you serious ?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Do you think it's true?
So, yeah, and it was like aspontaneous decision.
I liked you know what we wantedto do.
I like what we stood for, soand I wanted to contribute to
this and I saw myself okay, Ican, I can give this, you know,
a new edge.
I can maybe lead this in thefuture and maybe, you know,
(23:26):
contribute to this, to thismission, and especially when you
I mean when you grow up inGermany to do your own
businesses it's a very difficultthing and it's very, you know,
it's not that common anymore.
And also, to find, you know, areal purpose was, was important
for me to find a purpose behindthe business why, why are we
(23:47):
doing this?
Speaker 1 (23:48):
and what does?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
this contribute.
And here in in this, it was,you know, very obvious, right,
what we were doing, and it was,you know, taught to me from a
small age.
So then, right, I was like itwas like it was just a light
bulb, and on and say, okay, Iwant to do this.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Yeah, well, and there's a legacy that you're
carrying on so there's aninvestment there that's, I think
, quite different than just afinancial one.
You know you're, you'reobviously your grandfather
started what he did and for youto carry that on as part of the
family and for this to still bea family business.
I mean that that is veryimportant to me when, when I
(24:27):
travel myself and when I bookclients is because I feel like
family run establishments have.
You know, there's a kind ofanother degree of of not just
investment but love, and I meanyou can really see that and I
can, I can feel that fromtalking to you.
(24:48):
You know that it's.
It's.
This was not a financialdecision for you to come back
and do this.
It wasn't like, oh, I'm goingto go live in Nepal and, you
know, make a great living off of, you know, these, this business
that my grandparents started.
It has as much to do with thelegacy.
It sounds like.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, yeah, I mean you, you're 100% right.
I mean, there's the.
There was, I think, two thingsthat drove me at that point
until today.
That drive me, you know one, is, you know it's, it's my family.
It's what we stand for is howwe identify ourselves.
We want to make a difference tothe society here.
(25:30):
We contributed in a especially.
My grandfather contributed in abig way to architectural
restoration, to preservation inNepal.
He bought an awareness whichwas not there before at all.
Now my mother.
(25:51):
She was the one who basicallybuilt it to.
You know where we became intothis I don't like the word, but
the luxury segment.
Sure, when my grandmother wasstill running, we were still
like a small guest house, butmaybe we stood for something and
people were interested in this.
But she brought us to a levelwhere we're okay.
(26:11):
Now we're at this, you know,we're at this premier level.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
I got it.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
And we were able to get into the hospitality in
Nepal.
So that was something whichalso was new, because Nepal is
always seen as this budgetdestination for most people.
Right, and here we are at theother end, yeah, and we are able
to convince the customer.
(26:36):
You know, it's worthwhilespending that extra money and
returning with a feeling thiswas amazing, yeah, this was a
good trip, this was a goodinvestment for me.
So also showing Nepal that thisis possible.
You know it's possible for lowbecause we are 100% local brand.
Yeah, every staff that we haveis Nepali, besides one.
(27:00):
We have a Japanese restaurantwhere we have a Japanese chef,
so she runs the Japaneserestaurant.
Besides that, all of ouremployees are all Nepali people.
Yeah, we're able to, you know,to be at the same table, like
when we go.
We're part of virtual also,we're part of pure yeah.
So when we sit at the tables,at like with the, with the
(27:22):
obroids and the amans and thefour seasons and the six senses,
and here we are, in the Nepalibrand, yeah, I mean, of course
we are tiny compared to them andwe're maybe not of that, of
that of that caliber, but we'resitting at the same table and
it's 100% Nepali brand.
Yes, I mean, I was lookingaround, but one of the only
(27:42):
really true Nepali brand thatexists in an international
market.
So that was something alsowhich motivated me personally to
say let's take this forward.
Yeah, let's make this into abrand that Nepal, you know, can
be proud of, and I considerinternational table with really
well established, really coolbrands out there.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Yeah, yeah, and you know what I'm hearing too is I
would even I'm feeling like ittakes it even a step further
than your own family when you'retalking about the people that
work there and you know their,their locals, and they're
working with you and they're notbeing managed.
I mean again, no disrespect tothe big, you know names that you
(28:25):
just mentioned and I love a lotof their properties and use
them, but the people that areworking with you there, you know
, you probably know them welland it's probably more of a
family feel for the staff too.
I'm sure you're very investedin their, their well-being and
(28:46):
their families, and you knowthat.
That is something that I thinkis another advantage to working
with a family owned business.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Yeah, and we're very, very invested in, you know, of
course, in our staff, but ingenerally in the public, very
invested, very, you know, proudof our heritage, very proud of
where we come from and what westand and what we have to offer.
Yeah, yeah, we try to showcaseit in the best way possible,
polish it in the best way andput it out there, because we
(29:16):
believe those are diamonds.
You know, that the world to nowhas not seen in that kind of
light, so we try to put theright light on it.
So far, people are, you know,giving a positive response, so
we're very, very happy aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
That's great.
That's great, would you say,that the Nepalese people are
sort of a hospitality mindedpeople in terms of welcoming
foreigners and enjoy showing offthe country and the customs and
the culture in general.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Yes, I would say so.
I would say so it is.
It is inherent in the way youknow the society structure, the
way if you would go to people'shome, how they would treat you,
how a welcome they are, how theylike to open their house to you
, how they like to feed you.
This is, all you know, inherentin the culture itself.
And you know, I I mean becauseI must have grew up in Germany,
(30:13):
so I, you know, germany is notthat open to try to get a little
bit more close, not that, youknow, open your own house to
strangers, and so that's morelike a.
So I see both countries.
So here, definitely it's, itcomes more natural.
So the people, and it's part ofthe you know how you brought up
the part of the society, yeah,anyway, so it makes it way
(30:37):
easier to run in hospitality.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Yeah, yeah, well, that's and that's that's really
what I was kind of getting at.
You know, and that's been myexperience in destinations that
I would say are, you know,somewhat similar in some ways is
, and I love that feeling whenyou go to a country and people
are really proud of showing itoff and making you feel welcome
(30:59):
and not giving you that sort ofoh my gosh, another American.
You know, it's always nice tohave that feel of being, you
know, being welcomed and notsort of looked down, looked, you
know, down on, so, and that'snot, you know that's not to say,
that's a blanket statement.
You know we can't say everybodyin the Western world is like
(31:21):
that.
But, I definitely, definitelyget it.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
I think it's just a trend, you know, it's more a
trend that is inherent in theculture, you know, and what they
they emphasis on.
Yeah, I mean, yeah, we could,we could definitely use in the
past some German efficiency,some planning and this kind of
thing, some structure, Germanstructure, but definitely use it
here, but I guess it's.
(31:44):
It's a you know, everythingcomes with the good and bad.
So every society has the youknow advantages and drawbacks.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Yeah, yeah, no, that's, that's that's enough to
experience both.
Yeah, sure, well, and you getto see both and maybe you can
bring a little bit of the bestof that part of Germany and help
that process Every day to bringthe structure, yeah, every day
to bring the more structure intothe company.
Right, right, right.
That's great.
That's great.
(32:12):
I love it.
There's one thing before we endthat I have not asked about,
that is important to most people, and that would be the spa
experience at either or bothplaces.
So tell me what that's like andwhat's available, so we have
our own spa company.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
It's called Puncia Cautia.
Puncia Cautia means the fivelayer of being, so we try to
address the five layers of beingwithin the therapies.
Now, all the treatments areagain based on, you know, the
Ayurvedic principle, areSudevadas, which are the Hindu
philosophy and the Buddhistmedicine.
(32:50):
So we have different therapiesderived from those philosophies,
for example, from the Ayurveda,you have the typical Ayurvedic
massages.
From the Buddhist medicine, forexample, you have something
very interesting.
It's called the singing bowltherapy, so it works with the
vibration of the water in yourbody.
(33:12):
Nowadays I think it also hascome to the West, so we have
those therapies, which is I findthem very relaxing, very
interesting because it workswith.
You know, I think our body ismade to 80 or 90 percent of
water and it works with thevibration of the water in your
body.
So it's very interesting.
So we have both philosophiesthat you can experience there we
(33:34):
have at the resort.
The spa, of course, plays abigger role.
We have an in-house Ayurvedicdoctor that is there so you can
consult with the Ayurvedicdoctor when you arrive to
determine, you know, your bodytype, see what kind of
treatments and, if you want togo further than that, what kind
of food, what kind of activities, what time of the day, what
(33:57):
kind of activities arebeneficial for your body type?
We lay it out there for theguests and if they want to dive
into it, it's all there.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
I'll tell you what Nepal wasn't like on the very,
very top of my list before westarted talking, but I'm as
really moved up the list aswe've been talking here.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
I'm like I'm ready.
I'm ready to like get it, I'mready to get on a plane and go.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
I'm glad.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
I'm glad, I'm happy to have you here.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Okay, what about times of year?
Are there better times of yearto come than others?
What is the?
What are the seasons like?
Speaker 2 (34:31):
So Nepal has been marketed and sold basically in
two seasons mainly.
So one is the spring season,which is like March, april, may,
and the other is the fall,which is like October, november.
I personally also love thewinter months, especially in
Kathmandu and then thesurrounding valleys around
(34:53):
Kathmandu, because the mountainviews the more you go to winter,
the clearer the mountain viewsare.
So you know the crisper theviews are and the temperature is
still quite pleasant.
I only know it in Celsius.
I don't know on Fahrenheit, butin Celsius, like in January,
normally, it'll be still like 17, 18 degrees Celsius a day.
(35:14):
So it's in its sunny, so it'svery nice, it's very pleasant
and the views are justspectacular, wow, okay.
So, also, like February,december are beautiful months to
visit Nepal.
Then for us the off season isthe summer month.
So basically, especially now,july and August, that's when,
(35:35):
you know, we have the monsoontime, so it rains a lot.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
It's not that bad of a monsoon.
So, for example, at the momentit's not raining, but it rains
like every two days, okay, andthe mountain views are not, you
know, not there Right In themonsoon time.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Sure, sure, okay, well, that makes sense.
And then obviously people wouldfly into Kathmandu and then
from there.
What are the roads like, as faras travel times and, you know,
getting to various places?
What would people expect onthat front?
Speaker 2 (36:11):
For example.
So the hotel is located about10 minutes from the airport, so
the airport is quite sensitivein the city, right?
So we're looking at about 10minutes from the airport, so
that's very less travel timefrom here, from the hotel, to
our resort.
It takes about one hour by car.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
It's about 30 miles, okay, way, okay, so it's not a
far way.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Okay, okay.
But, in general are the I mean,you know, when we're so spoiled
in the West, and you especiallyfrom Germany, all those great
roads, no no.
Yeah, and so I mean, but wouldit be paved roads mostly, or are
you going to have more you willhave paved roads.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
So it's mainly paved roads throughout the country
that are paved roads, I mean,but they're not in that
condition that you are used inthe US.
I mean there are some portholes that you will have to, you
know.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Well, there's some parts of the US that have pretty
bad paved roads.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
It's not.
I mean, we are still developingcountries.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
Sure, sure, sure.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
But I mean, the infrastructure is something that
we could definitely work on,but I mean, I think it's also
the, it's a little bit thebeauty of it, so that's not
developed Absolutely Of this.
You know, discovery, adventure,touch to it, yes, I completely,
completely agree with that.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
I mean, I think that it's.
You know, it's one of thosethings too where it's, if it was
easy, everybody would do it.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
And.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
I do believe that's all part of the experience, and
I mean it's.
You know, there are so manyplaces in the world that if
you're not willing to get offthe beaten path a little bit,
you're going to miss out.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
So, yeah, this is definitely off the beaten path
and I think also the nice thingis that it's still so.
It still has this mysticaltouch to it.
In Nepal there's so much todiscover, people to learn about,
and you know, when you hearthere's so much, like we talked
about so many different aspectsthat you can, you know, discover
be it mountains, wildlife,culture yeah, there's always
(38:25):
something you know, you candiscover.
I mean, we haven't even talkedabout that.
Buddha was born in Nepal.
I mean, most people don't evenknow that.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
I didn't know that.
Okay, that's great, that'sawesome.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
We have the birthplace of Buddha, which you,
for example, could also be.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
Wow, okay, yes.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
So there's I mean there's so much here.
It's, it's, it's culturally,naturally so rich this country
and unfortunately we have notbeen the best to package it and,
you know, showcase it to theworld.
We, as Dwarikas, are working on, you know, developing different
product and you know puttingthe light on certain things and
(39:04):
hopefully we can contribute alittle bit to put us on the map.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely Well, it's definitely
.
This conversation with you hasdefinitely put it far, like I
said, further up on my list andmore on my radar, so this has
been great.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
And I'm glad I could do that.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Oh, absolutely, and I really really appreciate you
taking the time to talk with metoday and can't wait to get this
out for everybody to listen toand hopefully we'll get to meet
in in real life, either in Nepalor well, actually I shouldn't
say either.
In in Nepal, I want to meet inyour life in Nepal.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Please, please, please, please, come and visit
us.
Okay, great Well, thank you somuch, thank you.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
That wraps up today's episode of the Intrepid
Traveler.
Thank you for tuning in andthank you to today's guests for
joining me.
I'll be back again in two weekswith another exciting episode
featuring another guest with astory that is sure to pique your
interest.
Please subscribe to theIntrepid Traveler on your
favorite listening channel andgive us a review.
(40:08):
Once again, today's episode hasbeen brought to you by Clining
Co Travel Consulting, a luxuryadventure and expedition travel
planning company specializing inun-Google-able experiences.
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