Where earth meets sky!

Shahriar Shakil, the creator of the show RC Travel On

The snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas observed by Shakil during his Buddha Air flight is captured in video footages. 'As the aircraft lifted up and headed towards the east, passengers did not have to wait too long to find out what was in store for them,' says Shakil. Gosaithan, Dorje Lakpa, Phurbi-Ghyachu, Choba-Bharnare, Gauri Shanker, Melungtse, Cho-Oyu, Gyachungkang, Nuptse, Everest, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and all other peaks appeared before them in turn.

While the Himalayas make up Nepal's northern region, the southern lowland, known as the Terai, is covered with dense tropical jungles teeming with diverse wildlife and exotic birds. These features make Nepal one of the most exciting safari destinations in the world. Especially noteworthy are Shakil's vivid experience in the Royal Chitwan National Park and Baghmara Wildlife Sanctuary with elephant rides into deep jungle or thrilling canoe rides on the Budi Rapti and Young Rapti rivers with thousands of crocodiles.

Says Shakil, 'The footage includes rare glimpses of the endangered one-horned rhino, hundreds of deer, footprints of the Royal Bengal Tiger and many more. Indeed, it was a great opportunity for us to get permission to shoot in the forest which is not allowed for all.'

Nepal has earned a reputation as one of the best destinations in the world for white water rafting. 'Rivers are graded on a scale of one to six, with rating one being similar to a swimming pool while rating six is a one-way ticket to hell,' says Shakil. The Trisuli River (graded 3+) is one of the most popular. 'Trishuli's thundering water, coming from the glaciers of the mighty Himalayan range, provides unmatched thrills of immersing across the landscape while rafting,' informs Shakil. 'Just imagine, you were told before a ride that anything might happen. What would your plight be?' he questions hinting at the adrenaline thrill of a raft-ride through these torrential waves. Recalling how the boat was once on the verge of sinking, he adds that he came out safely with the help of Captain Lama of the rafting group and the friends from Russia, Argentina and England.

'Situated amidst pine forests and tea gardens, Sarangkot lures tourists who come to see the gorgeous natural show of the Himalayan sunrise and sunset. But the main attraction, of course, is the magnificent view of the Mount Everest, the highest peak on earth, soaring up into the sky. Even the glimpse of the Pokhara valley and Phewa Lake was awesome,' says Shakil.

During this journey Shakil always wore Nepalese embroidered T-shirts with the logo 'Travel On'.

The programme, regularly telecast on Channel-i every Wednesday at 7.55pm, is made under the banner of Alpha-i Media Productions Ltd and sponsored by RC Cola. 'Even the sponsors are so pleased with the show that they are willing to sponsor another 26 episodes,' says Shakil.

After his successful Malaysian show he now plans to work in a project for the Malaysian Tourism Board. A fourth year student of Economics in Dhaka University, Shakil has other exciting plans too. He is working on another project named Discover Bangladesh that will project Bangladesh's cultural heritage. Likewise, the upcoming programme Colours of Culture will keep Bangladeshi viewers abreast with the essence of world culture.

'The Everest inspires in me the grace of great dreams, the strength to overcome fears and sometimes triumph following the most desperate of outlooks,' concludes Shakil.