The Rai in Nepal.

The Rai, also known as the Khambu(people of Khumbu region). They are one of Nepal's most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. The Rai(Khambu) belong to the Kirati group or the Kirat confederation that includes the Limbu, the Sunuwar, Yakkha Dhimal, Koche, Meche,Hayu ethnic groups.According to Professor Dor Bahadur Bista(anthropologist,Tribhuvan University) and late Professor Suniti Kumar Chatterji(linguist and Kiratologist,Calcutta university)Kirats migrated from east via north Burma and Assam along the mid-hills(lower mountains) along with their pigs in ancient times.(ref.30,31).According to Prof. Suniti Kumar Chatterji(linguist and kiratologist) and other prominent linguists,Rai,Limbu,and Dhimal languages are Pronominalised(Austric/Kol influence)strongly indicating earliest migratory wave of these peoples compared to other Tibeto-Burmans whose languages are non-pronominalised.(ref.31)The traditional homeland of the Rai(Khambu) extends across Solukhumbu,Okhaldhunga (Wallo Kirat or Near Kirat), home of the Bahing,Wambule subgroups), Khotang, Bhojpur and the Udayapur districts (Majh Kirat or Central Kirat),home of Bantawa,Chamling etc. in the northeastern hilly/mountainous region of Nepal, west of the Arun River in the Sun Koshi River watershed. Rais are also found in significant numbers in the Indian state of Sikkim and in the northern West Bengal towns of Kalimpong and Darjeeling.

Cottage indrustries in Nepal.

As early as 1952, the Nepalese government recognized that industrialization would have to take into account the severe limitations imposed by the country's geography. Cottage industries—the local production of traditional handicrafts—were seen as a way to engage the underemployed rural population and contribute towards export earnings. In Nepal, these industries have included pottery, handmade paper and products, woodwork, metal work, weaving, embroidery, and basket making, and draw on artistic traditions dating back centuries. However, even with the creation of Cottage Industries Training Centers across the country, many of these crafts have been in decline. Still, they contribute about 60 percent of industrial production, with the garment and carpet industries showing rapid growth since the 1980s and earning 84.3 percent of export earnings from countries other than India.

Economic Sources in Nepal.

GDP (2007/2008): $12.69 billion.Annual growth rate of real GDP (FY 2007/2008): 4.7%.Per capita income (gross national product, FY 2007/2008): $470.Avg. inflation rate (Consumer Price Index, mid-October 2008 est.): 14.1%.Natural resources: Water, hydropower, limited but fertile agricultural land, timber.Agriculture (32.12% of GDP): Products--rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, oilseed, jute, millet, potatoes. Cultivated land--25%.Industry (7.6% of GDP): Types--carpets, pashmina, garments, cement, cigarettes, bricks, sugar, soap, matches, jute, manufactured goods, hydroelectric power.Trade (2007/2008): Exports--$892 million: carpets, pashmina, garments. Major markets--Germany and the U.S. Imports--$2.79 billion: manufactured goods. Major supplier--India.Central government budget (FY 2008/2009): $3.14 billion; military allocation $163.43 million.Official exchange rate (as of September 19, 2008): NPR 75.00 = US$1.00.Fiscal year: July 16-July 15.

Everest Base Camp Trek.

Everest Base Camp trek, a very well known mountain trek, starts at the upper Phakding and follows the Dudh Kosi valley which climbs up to the Sherpa capital of Namche, a bustling bazaar that’s a junction for trekkers, the local Sherpa and expeditions en route to the mighty Mt. Everest. All along this part of the trail, villages are interspersed with magnificent forests of rhododendron, magnolia and giant firs. In both the early autumn and late spring, the flowers on this portion of the trek make it the kind of walk you will remember for a long, long time.From Namche, we trek along a high traversing path where we have our first good views of Everest and then head towards Thyangboche Monastery, which is a 2 hour climb. The monastery sits at 3867m in a clearing surrounded by dwarf firs and rhododendrons. The monastery is structurally located on a ridge top with commanding views of the Everest landscape. The view from this spot, seen to best advantage in the morning, is absolutely mesmerizing and stunning and is rightly deemed to be one of the most magnificent in the world.We then descend to the Imja Khola and continue to the villages of Pangboche and Pheriche before finally approaching the Khumbu Glacier. We then follow the glacier, first to Lobuche, a vantage point for some spectacular views of the Ama Dablam, Taweche and other peaks and then hike to Gorak Shep for a breather.We also have the opportunity to ascend Kala Pattar [5554m] from where we can get some awesome views of the Himalayan giants which literally numb your senses with breathless admiration that beholds the eye; and makes up for the lung-bursting climb

Sir,Edmund Percial Hillary.

(20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. He was named by Time Magazine as one of 100 most influential people of the 20th century.Hillary became interested in mountaineering while in secondary school, making his first major climb in 1939, reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier. He served in the RNZAF as a navigator during World War II. Before the successful expedition in 1953 to Everest, he had been part of a reconnaissance expedition to the mountain in 1951 and an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho Oyu in 1952. As part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition he reached the South Pole overland in 1958. He would later also travel to the North Pole.Following his ascent of Everest he devoted much of his life to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, which he founded. Through his efforts many schools and hospitals were built in this remote region of Nepal.

Measuring Mt.Everest in Nepal.

After taking six readings, the surveyors came to six different results. They decided to take an average, which came to 29,000 feet. However, Waugh considered this figure to be too neat for nature, so he and his team settled for a height of 29,002 feet. Waugh named this tallest peak after his predecessor, George Everest, but although the name has remained the same, its official height has not. Chinese and Indian surveyors took their own readings and came to a different measurement of 29,030 feet. These variations were put down to the shifting ice on the peak of the mountain.

Mount Everesat in Nepal

Everybody knows that the world highest mountain is in Nepal.Officially, Mt.Everest has been set 8,848 meters high and this measurement is under review due to more recent measurements.The Asian continent is always colliding with the out crops of India, forcing the mountains up wards, but it does not end there. Attempts, to measure the height of Mt.Everest have been going on since the great trigonometric survey of India was commissioned in 1808 and it is still being reviewed.