Nestled in the lap of the awe inspiring Himalayas LeBron Soldier 13 , Nepal makes for an interesting holiday, especially if you are spiritually, but not religiously, inclined. Action addicts can take to the mountains and then find a way to bungee jump down the depths, while restless tourists can have their heart’s fill of the Pashupatinath temple, or explore the Buddhist trail with Travel Plus.


Where to Stay


FISHTAIL LODGE, POKHARA:


Fishtail Lodge is a delightful little resort in Pokhara, situated on the Fewa Tal LeBron Soldier 12 , which has hosted celebrities and royalty from across the world. The rooms offer views of the mountains that make you sigh contentedly, thankful that you didn’t need to write soppy poems about solitary reapers. Love our feathered friends? More than 500 species of birds wait to be spotted. Oh, and did we tell you that to get to the place, you are transported across the lake in a little boat, like Charon across a drastically rehabilitated Styx?


TIGER TOPS JUNGLE LODGE, CHITWAN:


After a short trip by jeep, boat and then jeep again, you reach the Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge LeBron 16 , almost in the middle of nowhere. Stay in large tents that offer huge beds, many quilts and even hot water bottles inserted between the sheets every evening in the winter. Expect comfortable accommodation, elephant rides — tigers ( if you’re lucky), rhinoceroses ( if you’re not) — parties in the evenings, and even elephant polo.


Where to Eat


THAMEL HOUSE RESTAURANT : For your share of the best wild boar in Nepal, toodle along to the Thamel House Restaurant in the Thamel sector of Kathmandu.It’s a cosy, traditional house built like a pagoda, which sells authentic Nepali food. The tables are well appointed LeBron 15 , there’s candlelight and bandel tareko — barbecued wild boar, tossed in the pan with crunchy onions, capsicum, ginger, garlic, chillies, soy sauce and fresh herbs and fried. It’s a staple of the people of the Kathmandu Valley ( the Newars), and rocks the party over here.


JAZOO CAFé LeBron 14 , PATAN : In the town of Patan, across the river south of Kathmandu is the Jawalakhel Zoo. And right opposite the Zoo is the JaZoo Café. Try the mamacha , which looks like your friendly neighbourhood momo — a stuffing of your choice, cocooned in your standard dumpling wrapper, spiced with sauce and tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger and cardamom Kyrie 5 Schweiz , accompanied by a sesame dip. It’s smaller and harder and tastes like it was cooked for the better quality gods.


Where to Shop


BUY A KHUKRI : They say in Nepal that if a Gurkha unsheathes his khukri, he will never sheathe it without drawing blood. And like most urban legends, this too is untrue. Khukri, the regimental weaponry and heraldry of Gurkha fighters, is a wicked- looking, short- curved knife. It’s also one of the most recognisable symbols of Nepal — the famous Khukri Rum comes in a bottle shaped like a khukri. There’s a whole shop dedicated to khukris near Rum Doodle, Thamel.


HANDMADE PAPER : Handmade paper is one of the things the Nepalese make a lot. Their rice paper is made of lokta bark found in remote areas. And it sells like hot cakes because this is what the Nepalese government uses for official documents. Pick up reams of just paper, or writing pads Kyrie 4 Schweiz , as well as calendars and lampshades of lokta paper.


Demanding consumers


?Internet buyers tend to be better informed on market conditions and better prepared to act on the home they want when they start working with a realtor. Luckily for realtors, these changes don't necessarily hurt, as long as they are able to adjust to the new relationship and realize that the new-style buyers value speed and efficiency over guidance when finding a home.?


? E-marketer, Internet Home Buyers Changing the House Rules


Thanks to the Internet and other technological innovations, more real estate information is freely available than ever before. As a result, consumers are demanding new choices, improved services, faster transactions and lower prices. According to a recent NAR survey Kobe 11 Schweiz , the number of sellers stating that they didn't want to pay a sales commission fee rose from 46 percent in 2003 to 61 percent in 2004. In 2004, 23 percent of Florida home sellers opted to sell independently without an agent, up from 14 percent in 2003 and nearly double the 14 percent national average, according to Planet Realtor.


And Web-enabled consumers are demanding a high digital IQ when working with real estate professionals. In addition to being well-versed on their own industry-specific technology, real estate professionals now are expected to utilize laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants and global positioning systems to keep pace with Internet buyers and sellers.


Downward pressure


?If consumers are going to do their own home-shopping online Kobe 10 Schweiz , they expect to save some money, just as they would for using the self-service lane. That's why they are susceptible to online discount brokers and the new affinity companies that are promoting lower commissions if only the consumers will use their agents. These business models promote the idea to consumers that they ought to be paying less money in commissions.?


Realty Times Columnist Blanche Evans


Traditional real estate commissions, typically around six percent of a home's selling price, are facing downward pressure from consumers and competition. Some consumers claim traditional real estate commissions don't reflect: