Maybe you remember me ranting about this before but it’s on my mind again lately. Nepal has tremendous opportunity and potential to be a vital economic and cultural figure in the region of southern Asia. The Kathmandu Valley has a remarkable heritage as being a trade center between Tibet and India, and it is a unique mix among the religious and intellectual philosophies or ancient cultures. Nepal does host a vibrant tourism industry and they have a lot of magic to share with the outside world, but it seems there is little else the people of Nepal have been able to pull together for their economy. They have gotten down subsistence farming pretty well, but that’s a system that can’t support the population levels and the modern social issues at the heart of Nepal. It has been a great benefit mutually to Nepal to get revenue and international exposure from the outside world and it is an intriguing experience for westerners to travel through the mysterious land. The mystic ways of the Nepalese have long allured the imagination of many adventurous travelers, but to be honest it seems like the charm could wear off. It has gotten much easier to travel to and access the wonders of the fabled land and now just about anyone crazy enough can make the excursion. Maybe after a while the Nepal experience will lose its novelty and, just like the Middle-Eastern countries when they run out of oil, won’t have much to fall back on for revenue and a national identity.