Sharma shares Paul Morrison Best Guide award with Zambia’s Chisanga

Pokhara:

Here’s another reason to pop the champagne bottle this festive season. Another Nepali has done Nepal proud.

Shesh Kant Sharma, a resident of Karkineta, Parvat, has been adjudged the best guide in the world along with another guide from Zambia.

Sharma, who began his foray into the field of ‘guiding’ as a porter from a tender age of 14, was on October 4 conferred the Paul Morrison Best Guide Award — 2006 by the British Wanderlust Travel Magazine at the Royal Geographical Society in

London. He shared the prize for the best guide of the year with Zambia’s Manda Chisanga.

Some 500 persons including 300 guides were present at the function.

Famous US writer Bill Byran gave away the awards. Sharma and Chisanga received a

certificate and a cash prize of £2,500 each.

Scotland’s Martin Grey came second.

The competition was open to all guides of the world and guides from countries like Peru, Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Nepal and Myanmar were selected among the final 11.

Sharma said the award was a symbol of respect to all guides in Nepal and a thing of prestige for Nepali tourism.

He has been working at Mountain Travel Nepal and has guided over 1,100 tourists so far.

According to Dr Bob Fieldsend, a British tourist who was guided by Sharma during his tour in Nepal, Sharma is a skilled guide and has the experience of understanding the necessities of tourists.