The road to Kathmandu- a road less travelled

I love traveling to exotic places, and for someone from Southeast Asia, Nepal definitely fits the bill. As a young boy, I was fascinated by this mountainous, landlocked kingdom with a weird-shaped flag, and dreamt that someday I'll be able to visit the place- my dream came true. I pity that Nepal is unable to take off in tourism. They surely can be great tourist destination if the government will only strengthen their efforts by improving infrastructure and lessening corruption. There is only the Department of Roads in Nepal because there are only roads-- no highways exist. The Nepalese are a beautiful and friendly people. My hope is for their Tourism Year 2011 to be a success.

Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a country in South Asia located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the country's largest metropolis. Nepal has a rich geography. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest, called Sagarmatha in Nepali. It contains more than 240 peaks over 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized.

By some measures, Hinduism is practised by a larger majority of people in Nepal than in any other nation. Buddhism, though a minority faith in the country, is linked historically with Nepal. Many Nepali do not distinguish between Hinduism and Buddhism and follow both religious traditions. There are 3 different buddhist traditions: Himalayan Buddhism, Buddhism of Kathmandu Valley (mostly Mahayana and Vajrayana), and also the Theravada Buddhism. Their type of Buddhism is similar to the Sri Lankan Buddhism.

A monarchy throughout most of its history, Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty of kings from 1768, when Prithvi Narayan Shah unified its many small kingdoms. In 2006, however, a decade-long Civil War by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) along with several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties of Nepal culminated in a peace accord, and the ensuing elections for the constituent assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the abdication of the last Nepali monarch Gyanendra Shah and the establishment of a federal democratic republic in 28 May 2008. The first President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav, was sworn in on 23 July 2008.

On 1 June 2001, there was a massacre in the royal palace. King Birendra, Queen Aiswarya, Crown Prince Dipendra and seven other members of the royal family were killed. Dipendra was accused of patricide and of committing suicide thereafter. This outburst was alleged to have been Dipendra's response to his parents' refusal to accept his choice of wife. Nevertheless there are speculation and doubts among Nepalese citizens about who was responsible.

The Stamp Shops of Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand, the darling of tourism in Asia with over 15 million visitors yearly, surely knows how to tickle the fancy of its visitors. Anything the tourists wants, they can surely offer. Where can one see stamp shops inside a mall- only in Bangkok. In fact I was able to see two of these shops in the four malls I visited. These were located in the Pratunam district- the MBK Mall and the Siam Discovery Mall. The small but compact stamp shop of MBK mall was located at the first floor. I was here seven years ago and I was glad and relieved that it was still there after all these years. It has all the issued Thai stamps. Here, I met an Australian stamp collector specializing stamps from Thailand and Nepal. I was able to purchase the World Congress of Gastroenterology stamp and first day cover issued in 2002 and the block featuring a Thai violinist. At the fourth level of the Siam Discovery Mall, one can seen the House of Stamps. They had several stamps from other countries. I was able to obtain the Classic Album Covers sheet and some latin music stamps.

Flag, Stamp, Puzzle and Anthem of Nepal

There are no stamp shops in Nepal- this is what I learned in my 3 day stay in this mountain kingdom. There are many souvenir shops selling stamps but not a dedicated stamp store. I saw the anthem stamp I was looking for Durbar market but unfortunately it was not mint so I did not buy it. However, I was able to buy native Nepalese stuff like the meditation bowl- which emits a resonant tone when properly "stimulated", the "Lucky wheel" and the "shape-shifting" meta lwire puzzle. The seller claimed it can be formed into more than 60 shapes, but I was only able to make half of the number. Nepal is a beautiful country...the mountain flight to Everest alone was worth the visit.

"Sayaun Thunga Phool Ka" ("Made of Hundreds of Flowers") is the national anthem of Nepal. It was officially declared as the national anthem of Nepal on August 3, 2007 amid a ceremony held at the conference hall of National Planning Commission, inside the Singha Durbar, by the speaker of the interim parliament, Mr. Subash Chandra Nemwang. The lyrics of the National Anthem were written by the poet Pradeep Kumar Rai, alias Byakul Maila. The music is composed by Amber Gurung. The national anthem is simply worded, praising Nepalese sovereignty, unity, courage, pride, scenic beauty, progress, peace, cultural and biological diversity.

After the unanimous decision on May 19, 2006 by the House of Representatives (Pratinidhi Sabha) of the Kingdom of Nepal, the old national anthem was suspended. The National Anthem Selection Task Team (NASTT) on 30 November 2006, selected poet Byakul Maila's (real name: Pradeep Kumar Rai) song as the new national anthem of Nepal. The new national anthem was selected from a total of 1272 submissions made from across the country. It was officially approved on 20 April 2007. On August 3, 2007, Sayaun Thunga Phool Ka was officially declared as Nepal's national anthem by the House of Representatives.

"Shree man gambhira" was the national anthem of Nepal till May 19, 2006, when the century-old national anthem was suspended by the House of Representatives. It was adopted in 1962, as a homage to the ruler of Nepal and the country's national anthem. In English it may be named "May Glory Crown You, Courageous Sovereign" or "May Glory Crown Our Illustrious Sovereign." The music was composed by Bakhat Bahadur Budhapirthi in 1899 (Grandfather of musician Louis Banks or Dambar Bahadur Budaprithi), and the lyrics were written by Chakra Pani Chalise in 1924. After the April movement for democracy, The anthem was abolished as it was widely accused of being just a tune for monarchical glorification instead of representing the Nation as a whole.

The Menara KL and other Observation Towers on Stamps

I have never visited the Tower of Juche, nor am I planning to visit the place. I also have no desire to cross the demilitarized zone between South Korea and North Korea, although I have contemplated the thought when I was there twice. But this tower interest me, because North Korea issued a stamp in the nineties with its flag and national anthem score featured on it. Various attempts to avail of this stamp was an exercise in futility. Until now, I still don't have the stamp, so I you have it, please email me or give me a call.

I have however recently visited four observation Towers- the Coit Tower in San Francisco, California, the Menara Tower in Kuala Lumpur, the Macau Tower in China and the N Seoul Tower in South Korea. The Coit Tower is located in Pioneer Hill in San Francisco, California and built in 1933 at the bequest of socialite Lilly Hitchcock Coit. The art deco tower, made of unpainted reinforced concrete, was designed by architects Arthur Brown, Jr. and Henry Howard, with murals by 26 different artists and numerous assistants. Although it is also a monument to honor the firefighters of San Francisco, particularly the Knickerbocker Engine Company Number 5, the tower was not designed to resemble a fire hose nozzle.

The Kuala Lumpur Tower (officially known as Menara Kuala Lumpur; referred later as KL Tower) is a tall tower located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It took us one full minute to go from bottom to top in an elevator. Its construction was finished in 1995 and is used for communication purposes. It has an antenna that reaches 421 m (1,381 ft), which currently makes it the second tallest freestanding tower in the world. The roof of the pod is at 335 m (1,099 ft). The rest of the tower below has a stairwell and an elevator to reach the upper area, which also contains a revolving restaurant, providing diners a panoramic view of the city. Races are organized yearly where participants race up the stairs to the top. The tower also acts as the Islamic falak observatory to observe the crescent moon which marks the beginning of Muslim month of Ramadhan, Syawal, and Zulhijjah, to celebrate fasting month of Ramadhan, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Aidiladha. The tower is the landmark of Kuala Lumpur with nearby Petronas Towers.

The Macau Tower, also known as Macau Sky Tower, is a tower located in the former Portuguese colony of Macau, now a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The tower measures 338 m (1,109 ft) in height from ground level to the highest point. An observation deck with panoramic views, restaurants, theaters, shopping malls and the Skywalk X, a thrilling walking tour around the outer rim. It offers the best view of Macau and in recent years has been used for a variety of adventurous activities. At 233 meters, the Macau Tower's tethered "skyjump" and Bungee jump by world renowned AJ Hackett from the tower's outer rim, is the second highest commercial bungee jump in the world, after Vegas' Stratosphere skyjump at 260 meters . The tower was created by the architecture firm of Craig Craig Moller. The tower is one of the members of the World Federation of Great Towers. Besides being used for observation and entertainment, the tower is also used for telecommunications and broadcasting.

N Seoul Tower is a communication and observation tower located in Namsan Mountain, central Seoul, South Korea. Built in 1969, and opened to the public in 1980, the tower has been a symbol of Seoul and measures 236.7 m (777 ft) in height (from the base) and tops out at 479.7 m (1,574 ft) above sea level. It has also been known as the Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower. After the tower's original owner merged with the CJ Corporation, it was renamed the N Seoul Tower (official name CJ Seoul Tower). Many visitors ride the Namsan cable car up the mountain, and then walk to the tower. The tower features a gift shop and restaurants on the ground floor. Visitors may go up the tower for a fee. There are four observation decks (the 4th observation deck, which is the revolving restaurant, rotates at a rate of one revolution every 48 minutes), as well as gift shops and two restaurants. Most of the city of Seoul can be seen from the top. Close to N Seoul Tower is a second lattice transmission tower.

The miniature sheet above features the Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower issued in 1996.

The National Anthem of Malaysia

Before independence in 1957, each of the (then) eleven states of Malaysia had their own anthem (which they have retained to this day), but there was no unifying anthem for the whole country. When independence was approaching, Tunku Abdul Rahman, then the Chief Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (later Malaysia's first prime minister), led a committee to select a new anthem. Hundreds were recieved, but none were deemed suitable. Finally, the anthem for the Malaysian state of Perak was considered, and the melody, due to its "traditional flavour" was selected to be the melody for the new anthem.

In 1888 the Sultan of Perak was invited by Queen Victoria as a guest. When the Sultan's aide was asked what the anthem of Perak was, so that it could be played upon his formal arrival, the aide, not wanting to be embarrassed by saying that Perak did not have an anthem, perhaps giving the impression that his country was "backwards", proceeded to hum a favourite tune of his from the Seychelles, which is believed to have been composed by Pierre Jean Beranger. It was, therefore, from that moment on, the tune for the state anthem of Perak (and later Malaysia).

After an Indonesian opera performed it in Singapore (at the time, part of Malaysia), the tune became popular throughout all of Malaysia in the 1920s and 1930s as the love song "Terang Bulan" (Moonlight).Once the melody was selected, new lyrics had to be written for it. The panel of judges charged with selecting a new anthem wrote the lyrics, with Tunku Abdul Rahman leading the group. The anthem was entitled "Negara Ku" (My Country).

The stamp above features Jean Beranger, the anthem composer. Below is Abdul Rahman, the lyricist.

Malagasy Republic Anthem on Maximum Card

The first anthem of the Malagasy Republic (Madagascar), located in a book of national anthems from 1890, was used while Madagascar was a kingdom (known as Imerina), until the French protectorate began in 1896. The anthem mentions Queen Ranavalona; Ranavalona III was the last Queen of Madagascar, ruling from 1883 until the French colony was established (before her, from 1868-1883, was Ranavalona II); it is presumed that, if the anthem predates the rule of Ranavalona II and III, that the lyrics may have been altered to mention the current ruler's name (in much the same fashion as the Austro-Hungarian anthem was).

1. Andriamanitra ô!
Tahionao ny Mpanjakanay,
Dia Ranavalona:
Ho ela velona
Hifaly aminao.

2. Mahery Hianao
Dia aoka ho aminy anie
Ny hasoavanao,
Hampandroso any
Ny hamarinana.

3. Ampitoero nao
Ny fanjakan’ny taniny
Izay natolotrao
Ho tsara entiny
Izay vahoakany.

The music of the present national anthem of Madagascar was composed by Norbert Raharisoa, a music teacher and professor. The words were written by Pasteur Rahajason, a priest. It was first performed in the public when Madagascar was declared an autonomous republic within the Union Francaise. The parliament officially adopted the anthem on April 27,1959. Therefore Madagascar already had a national anthem when it achieved full independence on 26th June 1960.

Levi Celerio on Stamps

Levi Celerio was a Filipino composer and lyricist, born on April 30, 1910 in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. He received a free education to the Academy of Music in Manila and became the youngest affiliate of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. He was a creative songwriter, with more than 4,000 songs to his acclaim including Filipino folk, Christmas, and love songs that are popular pieces, which many consider to be immortal. Famous for being a lyricist, his songs treasure life; express nationalistic sentiments and complete grand philosophies. At one instance or another, no Filipino can miss the song or lyrics of Levi's Christmas songs namely Pasko na Naman, Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, and Misa de Gallo. He is probably best recognized for being a leaf-player, an achievement where he was place into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The stamp above features the composer Levi Celerio playing the violin. The stamp is one in a set of 4 honoring Filipino National Artists issued on November 11, 2010.

An outstanding public servant and World War II hero, Roque Ablan was born on August 9, 1906 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte to Victor Ablan and Raymunda Blanco. He obtained his Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1929 and Bachelor of Laws degree in 1930 from the University of the Philippines. That same year, he took the bar examinations, placing 9th among the successful examinees.

As a young lawyer, Ablan dedicated himself to helping the poor. In 1937 at age 31 he was elected governor of Ilocos Norte making him the youngest provincial executive of his time. The establishment of Ilocos Norte Provincial Hospital and the Philippine Normal School in Laoag were among his outstanding achievements. He also caused the beautification of the provincial capital, the revival of rural credit associations, and the organization of producers' cooperatives. Admired by the people, he was re-elected in 1941.

When World War II broke out, Ablan refused to cooperate with the Japanese. He left the provincial capitol in Laoag and transferred the seat of government to a remote barrio near the boundary of Ilocos Norte and Apayao. He contacted and enlisted the support of government officials, prominent citizens, and trainees and organized a guerrilla unit. In mid-January 1942, together with Lt. Feliciano Madamba, he organized the Ablan-Madamba Guerrilla Group of Northern Luzon. This group was involved in various skirmishes against the Japanese among them was a successful ambush of Japanese forces at Pampanniki, Solsona on 08 November 1942.

The Ablan-Madamba group was recognized by General Douglas MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Area Command which sent the submarine USS Stingray to contact Ablan and deliver arms and supplies for his resistance movement in August 1944.

The Ablan-Madamba guerrillas were a scourge of the Japanese who urged him to surrender and collaborate with them. Ablan was offered governorship of Ilocos Norte but he refused. .

Ablan was last seen following the battle of Bumitalag, Piddig on 5 February 1943. His heroic deeds have earned for him an honored place in the country's history.

Nick Joaquin on Stamps

Nick Joaquin was a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his short stories and novels. He was also one of the National Artists of the Philippines for Literature. After winning a Dominican Order-sponsored nationwide essay competition for La Naval de Manila, the University of Santo Tomas awarded Joaquín an honorary Associate in Arts (A.A.) and a scholarship to St. Albert's College, the Dominican monastery in Hong Kong. However, he dropped out after only a year. Upon his return to the Philippines, he joined the Philippines Free Press, starting as a proofreader. Soon this two-time dropout was being noticed for his poems, stories and plays, as well as his journalism under the pen name Quijano de Manila. His journalism was markedly both intellectual and provocative, an unknown genre in the Philippines at that time, raising the level of reportage in the country. Joaquín deeply admired José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. Joaquín paid tribute to Rizal by way of books such as The Storyteller's New Medium - Rizal in Saga, The Complete Poems and Plays of Jose Rizal and A Question of Heroes: Essays in Criticism on Ten Key Figures of Philippine History. He also translated the hero's valedictory poem, "Land That I Love, Farewell!"

Fernando Poe Jr. on Stamps

Fernando Poe Jr. was a Filipino actor and cultural icon. From the 1950s, Poe played steadfast film heroes who fight for the common man, which won him respect and admiration. He did not complete high school but went on to win numerous awards and prizes as an actor and film director. During the latter part of his career, he ran an unsuccessful bid for President of the Philippines in the 2004 presidential election against the former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He was honored on May 24, 2006 as Philippine National Artist through Philippine Proclamation No. 1065. In 1965, he shared the lead in The Ravagers, a film depicting the United States and the Philippines working together against Japanese war time occupation. The film is considered one of the most influential Filipino films, and it helped establish Fernando Poe, Jr.'s status as a movie icon. Poe became an award-winning actor and garnered the most best actor awards at the FAMAS. Among the movies that received awards were Mga Alabok ng Lupa (1967), Asedillo (1971), Durugin si Totoy Bato, Umpisahan Mo, Tatapusin Ko (1983), and Muslim Magnum .357 (1987).

Carlos L. Quirino on Stamps

Carlos L. Quirino was a prominent historian and writer. He is a National Artist for Historical Literature. He was also the first Filipino correspondent for the United Press Institute. Quirino was one of the pioneers of the genre of historical literature in English. He was also renowned for his many biographies of important Filipinos. In particular, he is known for having written one of the earliest biographies in English of Jose Rizal, entitled, The Great Malayan. His books and articles covered and captured many aspects of Philippine history and culture. In 1997, President Fidel V. Ramos added historical literature as a new category in the National Artist Awards and Quirino was its first recipient. His path-breaking books on cartography, Philippine Cartography (1959) and Maps and Views of Old Maynila, are still considered as the best books on the subject. His other books include Quezon, Man of Destiny, Magsaysay of the Philippines, Lives of the Philippine Presidents, The History of Philippine Sugar Industry, Filipinos at War: The Fight for Freedom from Mactan to EDSA. He was the brains behind the monumental Filipiniana Book Guild, a 28-volume project dedicated to publishing classic Philippine books.

Leonor Orosa Goquingco on Stamps

Leonor Orosa Goquingco is a Filipino national artist in creative dance. She could play the piano, draw, design scenery and costumes, sculpt, act, direct, dance and choreograph. Her pen name was Cristina Luna and she was known as Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine Theater Dance and Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics. In 1939, Leonor was the only dancer sent on the first cultural mission to Japan, at the age of 19. She produced Circling the Globe (1939) and Dance Panorama in the same year. She created The Elements in 1940, the first ballet choreographed by a Filipino to commissioned music. She also created Sports during the same year, featuring cheerleaders, a tennis match and a basketball game. The first Philippine folkloric ballet, Trend: Return to the Native, was choreographed by Goquingco in 1941. After the Second World War, she organized the Philippine Ballet and brought the famous Filipino novel, Noli Me Tangere, to life. The Noli Dance Suite consisted of several dances. Maria Clara and the Leper, Salome and Elias, Sisa, Asalto for Maria Clara and The Gossips are some of the dances found in the Noli Dance Suite.

The stamp above features the dancer, Leonora Orosa Goquingco. The stamp is one in a set of 4 honoring Filipino National Artists issued on November 11, 2010.