travel news review


24 May '99
A Georgian mountain guide has broken the record for the oldest person to scale the world's tallest mountain. Lev Sarkisov spent on hour on top of Mt Everest at the ripe old age of 60 years and 161 days, just one day older than previous record holder, Venezuelan Ramon Balanca Suarez, when he set the record in 1993.

21 May '99
A Spanish expedition to Mt Annapurna I has found that good intentions alone won't always get you what you want. The expedition collected 1200kg (2652lb) of rubbish from the Himalayan mountain's base camps, in an attempt to alleviate the environmental damage caused by mountaineering expeditions that dispose of their waste thoughtlessly in and around base camps. The final phase of the clean-up, however, has turned into bureaucratic nightmare: government officials will not allow the rubbish to be flown back to Spain. Customs needs clearance from the Department of Mines and Geology, and vice versa.

7 May '99
Pre-monsoon rains have washed away the dust from Kathmandu's streets after an unusually long, hot, dry summer. They're also reported to have improved morale during a tense period: this week, the Nepalese go to the polls, marking the end of a typically frenetic political campaign. The electioneering has created an unexpected problem for trekking agencies and tour operators. Thousands of trekking guides and porters have deserted their place of employment to return to their villages to vote. One Thamel-based agency usually employs 20 licensed guides and over 500 porters: currently three guides are available, and all the porters have gone. More than exercising their political rights, the return home is seen by guides and porters as a chance to have a break and to earn some extra pocket money working as a karyakarta, or political worker. At about US$7.50 a day, political work is more lucrative than the unstable and competitive trekking business.

6 April '99
The environmental catastrophe that is Nepal continues to worsen. Kathmandu Valley has been enveloped in a thick blanket of smog for several days, leading to reduced visibility, cooler temperatures and a doubling of admissions at eye clinics. It is the latest effect of a drought that has affected the entire country, leading to an increased incidence of fires and epidemics. The pressure on water reserves is also exposing the Nepalese capital's groundwater problems. Hotel resorts are accused of drawing excessively on groundwater reserves, while major concrete construction projects are believed to have obstructed natural groundwater flows, leading to a reduction in water levels, while demand for the water is on the up and up.

16 February'99
The Nepalese government's ban on glass bottles in the Everest conservation area seems to have had more benefits than originally intended. Not only is it reducing the amount of bottles and dangerous shards of glass on trekking paths and in camp sites, it has been a boon to brewers of the traditional chayang. Whereas chayang sales had been in decline before the August ban, consumption is now growing as beer sales fall and local brewers get in on some of the action. The reason? Chayang is drunk warm through a straw from a wooden mug. Supporters and environmentalists are calling for an extension to the ban as far as Katmandu Airport.

1 February'99
If you thought Nepal wasn't already developed enough, the Nepalese government is considering the construction of a second international airport in Lumbini, traditionally known as Buddha's birthplace. Talk of a second airport is not new, and Nepal, keen to further develop its tourist industry, sees Lumbini as one of its two principal tourist attractions - the other being Mt Everest. The airport's sole purpose would be to attract more tourists to the country, drawing from a pool of 1.25 billion Buddhists around the world.

11 January '99
Minor changes to the payment of the airport departure tax at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport have been announced. Previously the departure tax was collected by airlines, but now the tax - or passenger services charge, as it is now called - must be paid at the Nepal Arab Bank branch at the airport. The departure tax is US$10.50.

9 November '98
The three to four hour climb to the temple of Manakamana, one of the most popular temples in Nepal, is now a just a short walk, with the opening of a new cable car to the temple. Most Nepalese aspire to make a pilgrimage to the temple at least once in their lifetime, but for many older pilgrims the 1036m (3398ft) climb was too much. But you don't have to be a pilgrim to use the cable car: travellers can also choose to make the trip up to the temple in just 12 minutes. The temple is near Mugling, which is on the Katmandu-Pokhara Highway. Pilgrimage to the temple is especially popular with newlyweds seeking sons.

4 November '98
Lumbini, 300 km (190 mi) west of Katmandu, will be the site of the first World Buddhist Summit on 1 December 1998. The summit hopes to draw attention to the site where Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born and will focus on ways to preserve and protect the site and develop the area as a pilgrimage site. At the moment there is not much to see in Lumbini - there is no city, no pilgrim-jammed carparks, not even a postcard stand. But it is the absence of these things and the peacefulness of Lumbini that make it so attractive. Whether this peacefulness stays when the site is developed remains to be seen.

20 September '98
Shey Phoksundo National Park and Khaptad Nation Park in Nepal are to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Shey Phoksundo is Nepal's largest national park, covering an area of 3555 sq km (1372 sq mi) in western Nepal. Snow leopards, Himalayan black bears and naur (blue sheep) are found in the park, which is well off the tourist path because of its remote location. The much smaller Khaptad National Park covers an area of 225 sq km (98.5 sq mi), is also in western Nepal and is a popular tourist destination. This park is also home to snow leopards and many wild boars, bears and wolves.

8 April '98
The Environmental Everest Expedition will do what many other Everest expeditions donÆt do, clean up the mountain. The 15 person expedition from the United States will commence in May and will remove used oxygen and fuel canisters, batteries and other rubbish left behind on Mt Everest. The expedition plans to dispose or recycle most of the rubbish while in Nepal, taking back to the US any rubbish that canÆt be disposed of properly.

25 February '98
A strong earthquake hit Kathmandu, Nepal on Sunday, measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of the quake was 115km (71mi) north-east of the city, near Peku lake in Tibet. Over one million people felt the quake and it caused mild panic in Kathmandu, but no casualties have yet been reported.