Nepal is open for business! Join us for one of our rebuilding trips, or learn more about our grassroots efforts to rebuild homes and lives. Also, save money on our  2016 trips to India, Sri Lanka & Bhutan
until July 30!
ANNOUNCING "REBUILD NEPAL" TRIPS
beginning October 2015

Wondering what can you do to help the Nepalese people recover from the recent devastating earthquakes? It's easy:

  1. Go to Nepal.
  2. Trek to remote Himalayan villages.
  3. Work side by side with locals to help them rebuild their homes from the rubble.

Our "Rebuild Nepal" tours - rebuilding trips that range from 14-20 days beginning in October - will provide an opportunity to combine elbow grease, dollars and love while participating in a historic rebuilding effort with people of all ages and levels of skill.

 

It's PERSONAL for us!  We will rebuild both homes and hope for four of our staff members who's villages were destroyed in the quakes. We will camp in comfortable tent villages, eat delicious food, and share laughter and hugs with people whose lives have been shaken beyond comprehension. We will also be rebuilding homes of those who would otherwise be unable to rebuild including elderly and disabled residents. 


 

Your help is needed! Inquire today to learn how you can be a part of this incredible life-changing opportunity!



NEPAL IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
Please help us spread the word.
TREKS TO NEPAL TO RESUME THIS FALL!

We are delighted to announce that Grand Asian Journeys will be running the majority of our scheduled Nepal trips this fall. This past month, we have - along with several other Nepal ese  organizations - conducted a review of all the areas where we  offer treks. Apart from  trips in the Langtang, Rolwaling and Manaslu areas, all our planned treks and bike rides will  proceed  as planned beginning in October.

 

Although there are reconstruction projects underway in Kathmandu, life there is mostly back to normal, and many damaged historical sites have already been partly rebuilt and are open for tourists. The government of Nepal reopened many of the Kathmandu area UNESCO world heritage sites such as Patan and Durbar Square on June 15.

 

Everest Area - The trekking trails in this area are now in operation all the way to Everest Base Camp, which is now also open again. There has been some damage to a few lodges but on the main Everest trail it is only in Pheriche where our "normal" lodge is not open for business. We will make alternative arrangement there if that lodge has not been rebuilt.

 

Annapurna and Mustang Area - This popular trekking area only suffered minor damage and the whole of the Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary are fully open.

 

Dhaulagiri and Dolpo - These areas in the west of Nepal were hardly affected by the earthquake. 

 

Kangchenjunga - Areas in the east of Nepal, also including Makalu, suffered very little damage.

 

Browse all our Nepal trekking options here . Tell your friends Nepal will be open for business soon!
What Happened to Maya Gurung?

For those of you wondering what happened to the young amputee Maya Gurung that we told you about in our last newsletter, we have some good news: i n a small world story, after Jwalant met Maya and we'd promoted their chance encounter on our Facebook page , a client sent us a link to a story that CNN.com had published about her plight, all before their life-changing meeting. 

Maya's family was in Kathmandu until recently but they had to return to their village.Since young Maya is still undergoing physio-therapy to learn how to walk on her new leg, and to make sure the fittings are just perfect. So she is now under the watchful eye of Jwalant living at his house. She's enrolled in a private school and is receiving additional tutoring to bring her up to her grade level. Because of the poor quality of education in the village schools, she is very behind and is going to begin in Kindergarten so she can catch up. 

See below a short clip of Maya recently... and notice the smile on her face!

Maya learning to walk with her new prosthetic leg!
Maya learning to walk with her new prosthetic leg

Fundraising Efforts Have Transitioned to Rebuilding:
WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Now that Jwalant's relief efforts are mostly over, he is shifting his sights to the horizon ahead, and that is rebuilding. There are four different villages that are home of ten of our Nepali staff.  Our goal is to rebuild 50 homes in those places including the homes of our staff and also of villagers (single mothers, elderly and disabled) who wouldn't be able to rebuild without our help. We are actively looking for ideas on how to raise $150,000, hoping to spark some inspiration in some of you.
  • Do you work for a company that might consider contributing $1,000 or more to help rebuild homes or schools in Nepal? 
     
  • Are you a part of an organization that regularly contributes to worthy causes? If so, would you be willing to champion the grassroots cause of rebuilding homes for villagers affected by the tragic earthquake in that organization? 
     
  • Do you know anyone who might be interested in sponsoring a house for one of our Nepal staff? Total cost $3,000 (or more). Please email us with their information!
     
  • Are you interested in joining a rebuilding trip to Nepal? We have departures available starting in October and they will be ongoing through next spring, and then again in fall 2016. If you are interested in learning more about these trips, click here.  Or do you know anyone who might be interested in joining one of these trips? Please share our unique village rebuilding trips with them!
     
  • And finally, would you be willing to post our "Rebuild Nepal" posters in your local coffee shops and stores? (We are just designing them and they should be available within a few weeks and we will send you as many as you are able to hang.) Email us your address and how many you'd like and we'll send them ASAP.
If you answered yes to any of the above, let us know and we will send you the necessary information. If you would like to contribute to our fund that has been set up specifically for rebuilding, please donate via Jwalant's personal site here. Note that all donations are tax-deductible through our partner Crooked Trails, a 501c3 organization.

We hope that you can help in our efforts to  Rebuild Nepal.
 
Relief Efforts: UPDATE

Thanks to those of you who supported Jwalant's effort to provide relief efforts to the hardest hit villages in Nepal. 
During that frantic fundraising effort that followed after the April 25 earthquake, Jwalant personally raised $23,160 (minus crowd rise and credit card charges).  He also contributed an additional $12,000 of his own money for this effort, and delivered 824 bags of rice (30 kilos each), 400 blankets, almost 800 tarps, 200 mosquito nets, 60 tents and almost $1,000 in cash to the hardest hit individuals that he encountered in those villages. Thank you to everyone who donated to those efforts! Your dollars were well spent, with very few overhead expenses since this work was all done by volunteers. 

Click here  to read a detailed account of Jwalant's efforts in the six weeks that followed the April 25 earthquake.  

Beat the winter blues in 
India, Sri Lanka or Bhutan in 2016
 
March 19-28, 2016
 
For travelers lucky enough to join this small group tour, you will delve directly  into the cultural and artistic heart of Bhutan. Traveling from west to east, you will see exquisitely built temples and shrines, hear the oral histories of the land and its inhabitants, and have intimate opportunities to meet the artisans and people who make Bhutan's culture one of the most unique in the world.  The tranquil kingdom of Bhutan is often called the "last Shangri-La." The combination of Buddhist cultural traditions and stunning landscape make Bhutan a cherished and peaceful destination. Be one of the few travelers to experience Bhutan's unique rural Himalayan life and arts.  Register by August 30 and save $150.

South India Festival & Culture Tour
January 15-27, 2016

This tour is back by popular demand! We offered it in 2014, but we're making it better for 2016 with the addition of a visit to a traditional Indian festival! South India is one of the most alluring and exotic destinations on Earth.  It's a dazzling mix of incense and romance, temples and tea, curry and coconut.  Our South India Festival  & Culture Tour will introduce you to the best of everything here; highlighting the uniqueness of the South with a visit to Pongal, a traditional regional harvest celebration and festival, and a special focus on the rich culture and culinary traditions in Tamil Nadu and Kerala including a private Keralan backwaters cruise. Join us for this one of a kind opportunity! Register by July 30 and save $150.

The Sri Lankan Wildlife Adventure
January 29 - February 8, 2016

Often called the teardrop of India, Sri Lanka conjures up images of ancient explorers and wild jungle scenes.  Lying just a few degrees north of the equator on the balmy water of the Indian Ocean the island boasts a diverse range of landscapes from the sultry tropical beaches, coconut plantations and lowland jungles of the coast to the cool green hill country with its mist-shrouded mountains, crashing waterfalls and endless tea plantations. Grand Asian Journeys' Pam Perry will be joining this tour and sharing her passion from her recent scouting trip there. Register by July 30 and save $150.


Beginning and ending in Delhi, this tour will take you on a 15-day odyssey through the culture, history, magic and grandeur of the historic land of India's rajas.  We'll stay at a wonderful mix of three- and four-star heritage properties, and have true local experiences in each city we visit including Delhi, Mandawa, Gajner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaipur & Agra. Cap off the tour with a dramatic visit to the Taj Mahal under the light of a full moon! Join Grand Asian Journeys' own Pam Perry for this 15-day/14-night tour, or we can plan this as a private excursion on dates of your choosing. Register by June 30 and save $150.



Other upcoming trips with space available:
The Crystal Mountain Trek: Upper Dolpo   - September 14 - October 18
Ultimate Everest Trek - October 5 & October 20 departures (23 days / 22 nights)
Everest Base Camp - October 5, October 19 & November 16 departures (19 days / 18 nights)
Mountain Biking Nepal: Kathmandu & Annapurna - October 31 - November 13
   (offered with the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance) 
Charity Trek:  Annapurna Sanctuary - January 9 - 24, 2016
Annapurna Skyline Women's Trek - March 7 - 19, 2016
Mustang Women's Trek  - April 25 - May 15, 2016 



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 Grand Asian Journeys | 888-586-7750 | info@grandasianjourneys.com | www.grandasianjourneys.com