Three Chinese mountaineers rescued

Three Chinese mountaineers who were taken ill at the base camp of Mt. Kanchanjanga (28, 208 feet) have been rescued and sent to the capital by helicopter for treatment, state-owned news agency RSS reports.

Those rescued mountaineers are Yangzechngul, Uangzhang and Dengluo (woman), according to Chief District Officer of Taplejung, Kiran Thapa.

They fell sick on May 20 at the fourth base camp at an altitude of 7,400 meters in course of coming down following its successful ascent. The mountain is the third highest peak in the world and lies in Taplejung, a district in eastern Nepal.

Meanwhile, bodies of the mountaineers who died on Mt. Kanchanjanga five days ago are yet to be retrieved.

According to the police, they are facing challenges in retrieving the bodies due to adverse weather and geographical difficulty, but efforts were underway to that end.

Five mountaineers including two Nepalis had gone missing after slipping on the face of the mountain last Monday. They were found dead on Thursday. The incident took place at an altitude of 7,500 meters while they were descending after climbing the mountain.

2557th Buddha Jayati today

The 2557th Buddha Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha, the apostle of peace, is being observed Saturday by organising various programmes with the message of peace and harmony among people.

As the birth, enlightenment and Nirvana of Lord Buddha falls on the same day of the full moon of the fourth lunar month (month of Baisakh), Buddhists around the world, including Nepal, observe Buddha Jayanti with respect and devotion to Buddha.
A special function is being organised in Lumbini, the birth-place of Buddha, today to mark the Buddha Jayanti. Interim Government Chairman Khil Raj Regmi is scheduled to take part in the event.
Gautam Buddha's philosophy of Buddhism does not entail any theistic world-view. The teachings of the Buddha are solely to liberate human beings from the misery and sufferings of life.

With the realisation that there was more to life than the lavish and luxurious life he was leading, Prince Siddharth Gautam, who was born in the southern Terai region of Nepal in about 543 BC, left his palace in search for enlightenment and the true meaning of life.

After much wandering and searching, Gautam finally attained enlightenment while meditating under a pipal tree. Henceforth, known as the "Buddha" or "the enlightened one" he began to preach "The Four Noble Truths" to all who would listen. According to this doctrine, people suffer because of their desires and the root cause of all misery is desire. These desires and consequently all problems can be totally eliminated by following the "eightfold path"- right conduct, right motive, right speech, right effort, right resolve, right livelihood, right attention and right meditation to gain mastery over suffering. Gautama Buddha lived and taught in northern India in the 6th Century B.C.

Buddha traveled far and wide teaching hundreds of followers. Even after death his disciples continued to spread his teachings.

The United Nations has been observing the Anniversary of Lord Buddha as a public holiday since 2002.

The books on teachings and messages of Lord Buddha are said to be the largest publication throughout the world.

Buddha Jayanti is celebrated in all the Buddhist nations rejoicing the victory of Prince Siddhartha of Lumbini over pain, suffering and self.

Buddha, during his 80 year life, carried out a total of 84 thousand discourses which are compiled in various books including 'Binaya', Sutta, Abhidhamma and Tripitak.

Five climbers perish in avalanche while returning from Kanchenjunga expedition

Belated news reports say five mountaineers, who were returning from the peak of Mt Kanchenguna, were killed in avalanche on Monday.

Two Hungarian, one South Korean and two Nepali climbers were struck by an avalanche while returning after a successful ascent to the Mt Kanchenguna (8,586 m), which the 3rd tallest peak in the world.

The full identity of the deceased and other details were not immediately available.

Four of a Sherpa family scale Mt Everest

Four Sherpa siblings from Solukhumbu district have successfully climbed Mt Everest together.

The four brothers - Lakpa Dorji Sherpa, Tendi Sherpa, Lakpa Tenji Sherpa and Ang Phurba Sherpa - reached the top of the world's tallest peak Monday morning, RSS said.

They were part of a expedition team managed by Adventure Consultant Company, Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, in a similar feat, three persons of another family from the same district have scaled Mt Everest. Pemba Wangchhu Sherpa, Pemba Chhongwa Sherpa and Pemba Gyaljen Sherpa reached the summit on Sunday. They, too, are siblings.

South Korean, Bangladeshi climber die on Mt Everest

A climber from South Korea and another from Bangladesh have died while descending from Mt Everest after an ascent.

Sung Ho-Seo, 34, of South Korea, was attempting the climb without supplementary oxygen and died on his way down the mountain while Mohammed Hossain, 35, from Bangladesh, died in his tent a few hours after successfully climbing the summit, AFP reported.

"The exact cause of death is unknown, but altitude played a part," tourism official Gyanendra Shrestha told the news agency, adding that the bodies would not be recovered until after the summit season ended so as not to interrupt other climbers.

Both men perished in the "death zone" - above 8,000 metres - a difficult terrain with thin air.

Five other climbers - three Sherpas, one Taiwanese and a Russian - have died on the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) mountain this season.

Actress Nisha Adhikari completes Everest ascent

Nepali film actress Nisha Adhikari has completed her ascent on Everest on Tuesday morning.

Adhikari, who has now become the first Nepali actress to climb Everest, achieved the fete at around 8 am this morning, said Nepal Tourism Board.

Adhikari, who embarked on an expedition to Everest on April 7, arrived at base camp on April 10.

Film actor Arjun Karki climbs Mt. Everest

Nepali film actor Arjun Karki has successfully scaled Mt. Everest.

Karki along with national marathon runner Sanjya Pandey reached the top of the peak at 7:30 on Monday morning, RSS said quoting their team´s liaison officer Ongchhu Sherpa. Karki had embarked on Everest expedition along with actress Nisha Adhikari, who is yet to reach the summit.

They have already returned to the camp- 4 now. Actor Karki was dragged into controversy for climbing the peak on permission for expedition´s high altitude worker.

Chinese climber dies of altitude sickness on Mt Lhotse

A Chinese climber died early Monday while attempting to climb Lhotse mountain in the Everest region.

Xiaoshi Li, 58, who had developed altitude sickness on Saturday, died at the height of 8,000 meters. "Li died due to sickness on his way to Lhotse peak," Xinhua quoted Nivesh Karki, manager of Seven Summit Treks Pvt. Ltd., the expedition organiser, as saying. Li had fallen sick two days ago.

According to the report, there were six Chinese nationals in the expedition team led by Wei Zhang, 38. Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain on earth, is connected to the Everest via South Col. It is the least climbed 8,000-meter peak in Nepal.

Swiss mountaineers Fritz Luchsinger and Ernest Reiss were the first to climb the pick on May 18, 1956.

Rafting Fest on May 25

The 25th Annual Rafting Festival 2013 is going to held on May 25 in Trishuli river.

The Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA) is organising the event with an aim to promote adventure tourism.

The rafting competition will be held on in Trishuli from the stretch between Belkhu Bridge to Malekhu, the organisiers said.

The organisers said they expects around 700 visitors during the event.

BBC broadcast from Everest: Govt seeks clarification from trekking agent

The Ministry of Tourism has sought clarification from a trekking agency that organised an expedition on Everest under which a British explorer made the first ever video call from the highest mountain in the world.

Purna Chandra Bhattarai, head of mountaineering division at the ministry, said that a letter has been sent to Summit Nepal Trekking Private Limited seeking clarification on the legality of the video call.

The news comes a day after British explorer Daniel Thomas Hughes made the video via smartphone to the BBC. The video was 'illegally' broadcast live on the BBC, a Nepali daily had reported on its Monday edition.

Hughes had briefly panned around his camera showing the BBC audience the view from the peak, as he spoke live with a BBC anchor.

"The agency has received the letter. We expect it to submit an explanation within 2-3 days," added Bhattarai.

Meanwhile, an official at the Ministry of Communications confirmed that the expedition had not been issued a permit to film a video on top of Everest. Sailaja Bhattarai, head of the ministry's Audio Visual division, said that the expedition should have taken permission from the government agencies concerned before going ahead with the broadcast.

Istanbul-Kathmandu direct flights from September

Turkish Airlines, one of the leading European airlines, is set to start direct flights to Kathmandu from Istanbul from September 1.

According to the airlines, it will operate four flights a week – Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in Istanbul-Kathmandu route. The airlines will use A330-200 aircraft for the service in the route.

Nepal and Turkey has signed an air service agreement (ASA) in September 2010 allowing the two nations to operate 14 flights per week between Kathmandu and Istanbul.

The airlines has also appointed Zenith Travels as its General Sales Agent in Nepal.

Mid, Far-West tourism fair from May 24 in capital

Mid and Far-Western Regions Tourism and Cultural Festival is going to be held at City Hall, Bhrikutimandap in capital from May 24 to 26.

West Women Aware Group (WWAG) is organising a tourism fair with an aim to boost domestic tourism.

Organising a press conference in the capital on Saturday, the group also informed that the event will promote the potential tourist destinations, different local foods, cultures among others of the regions during the three-day event.

Nepal organises Sales Mission in South East Asia

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in association with Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) and the Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) organised a Sales Mission in four major cities of South East Asia, namely Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon from 14th to 17th May, 2013.

The Sales Mission to South East Asia started on 14th May, in Bangkok, Thailand and travelled to Hanoi and Ho Cho Minh in Vietnam, on 15th May and 16th May, and finally concluded in Yangon, Myanmar on 17 May, 2013, said NTB in a press statement.

It further states that the business session (B2B) was organised for the direct interaction among the potential travel and tour operators from Nepal and the South East Asian countries. It received positive response on Nepali tourism packages with significant interest in Lumbini – the birth place of Lord Buddha to be included as a starting point of Buddhist Circuit in Nepal.

Nepal received overwhelming response with almost 300 local Tour Operators and media persons in total attending the “Naturally Nepal presentation” in different venues of respective cities, said NTB.

Indo-Nepal military team scales Everest

Members of an Indo-Nepal army team who were taking part in an Everest cleanup campaign successfully made it to the summit on Sunday morning.

The expedition included Nepal Army officers Major Samir Basnet, Captain Kishor Adhikari, Sergeant Gyanendra Loudari, and Corporal Dhiren Shahi.

Similarly, Indian Army officials Major Ranbir Singh Jamwal, Subedar Mingma Gurung , Havaldar Chatar Singh, and Lance Naik Sukbir were also part of the team.

According to the NA's Directorate of Public Relations, team collected picked waste from the base camp area, and above during thirty-day long campaign.

Saudi woman climber scales Mt. Everest

A Saudi woman climber has successfully scaled the Mt. Everest on Saturday.

Raha Moharrak, 25, not only became the first Saudi woman to attempt the climb but is also the youngest Arab to make it to the top of Everest.

She is part of a four-person expedition that also includes the first Qatari man and the first Palestinian man attempting to reach the summit, a BBC report said. They are trying to raise $1 million (Dh3.67 million) for education projects in Nepal.

TAAN completes Humla exploration

Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) has completed exploration of Humla region.

A seven-member team, led by Rana Bahadur Khadka, 1st vice president of TAAN, had left Kathmandu on April 2 to explore new trekking routes in Humla district.

According to Khadka, the team flew to Simikot from Nepalgunj and trekked toward Hilsa – the bordering village along Nepal-China border – and ended the trek at Talcha airstrip of Mugu.

“We have explored some side trails for the Great Great Himalaya Trail. We will recommend a new trekking itinerary for the Humla-Mugu region,” Khadka said. “We will also prepare map of the area plus a documentary to promote the area.”

The team had initially planned to unveil the trek on May 29, which is observed as International Sagarmatha Day. “Now we will unveil the trail and the promotional materials during our annual general meeting,” added Khadka.

TAAN has been organizing a series of exploration trips in recent years. Last year, it explored Lumba-Sumba area in the Kanchanjunga region, Lower Manaslu in the Manaslu region and Dolpo in the mid-western region.

Massive fire in Thamel, no casualties reported

A massive fire broke out in tourist hub of Thamel in Kathmandu on Thursday night.

Latest television images show that the blaze which started at around 10 pm from a building near Kathmandu Guest House in Thamel and immediately spread to five houses has been fully brought under control only after 10 hours.

Shisha Terrace Café and Bar, the famous Pilgrims Book House including adjoining jewelry and curio shops have been fully destroyed in the fire. According to preliminary police estimates, the leaping blaze has fully or partially destroyed more than 20 houses, shops and restaurants as there are tight clusters of buildings in the narrow alleys of Thamel.

There has been no report of casualties, but police said that one person suffered minor injuries in the blaze.

Firefighters from Kathmandu Metropolitan City, police and the Army are still trying to put out the smoke while attempting to gauze the full extent of the damage caused by the fire.

Five fire engines had been sent to the spot to bring the fire under control late night. More than two hundred fire fighters, policemen and locals were involved in efforts to douse the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjoining houses.

The reason of the fire was yet to be confirmed, but it is learnt that the building from where the blaze started was made of wood and was thus prone to catching fire.

Although no casualties has taken place, but the loss in terms of property in the incident will run to millions of rupees, police said. Pilgrims Book House which has been in Thamel for many years was completely destroyed. Partially burnt books as well as various others artifacts from the book store were seen strewn across the narrow street.

Over the last few years, Kathmandu has seen few major fires breaking out at crowded places.

Nepal Airlines plane crashes in Jomsom; six including crew hurt

A Nepal Airlines plane crashed near Jomsom airport in Mustang while landing Thursday morning. Some passengers were injured, but there was no fatality.

The plane flying to Jomsom from Pokhara crashed on the banks of Kaligandaki river near the airport after it skidded off the runway while making a turn, according to the local police. There were 21 people on board including three crew members and nine Japanese nationals.

Six persons – plane’s Captain Deependra Pradhan, co-pilot Suresh K.C, air hostess Santa Maya Tamang and passengers Govinda Pahadi and Japanese nationals S. Okawa and K. Chiyo received serious injuries. They have been flown to Pokhara for further treatment.

All those on board were rescued immediately by the security personnel.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

Pushkar Shah to embark on cycling along Great Himalaya trail to promote tourism

World cyclist Pushkar Shah is embarking on cycling along the Great Himalaya Trail in order to promote responsible tourism in Nepal’s Himalayas.

The ambitious cycling expedition is part of the WWF Nepal’s ‘Green Hiker Campaign’. Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ram Kumar Shrestha handed over a bicycle to Shah amidst a ceremony organised in the capital on Wednesday.

Shah, who had traveled across the world on his bicycle spreading the message of world peace, is also a leader of World Cyclist Foundation.

“I will in the best possible way help spread the message of the Green Hiker Campaign and responsible tourism wherever I go,” he said.

Nepal Tourism Board in partnership with WWF Nepal had launched the Green Hiker campaign in May 2011 on the occasion of the 4th International Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) Day. The campaign is part of an agreement between the two organisations to promote responsible tourism in Nepal.

Glaciers in Everest region shrunk by 13 pc in 50 years: Research

Glaciers in the Everest region have shrunk by 13 per cent and the snow-line receded 180 meters higher during the past half century, says a study that is to be presented at a conference of the American Geophysical Union.

The study, led by Sudeep Thakuri of the University of Milan, is based on satellite imagery and topographic maps.

“Thakuri and colleagues reconstructed the glacial history of the region and concluded that ice retreat on Everest and the neighbouring Sagarmatha National Park is accelerating due to warming temperatures (a 0.6 degree Celsius rise) and declining snowfall (a 100 millimeter decrease) since the early 1990s,” reported Mongabay.com citing the research report.

It said that as per the findings of the study, glaciers have retreated by an average of 400 meters since 1962 while glaciers smaller than one square kilometer have experienced a 43 percent decrease in surface area.

The researchers speculate that rising carbon dioxide levels are driving the changes, but are yet to established a direct connection, said the environmental science news web portal.

5th National Tourism Fair concludes

The 5th National Tourism Fair concluded at Bhrikuti Mandap Exhibition Hall on May 12. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has been organizing the fair every year to promote domestic tourism and disseminate information regarding Nepali tourism industry to general public. Representatives of 50 districts and other stakeholders of Nepali tourism industry participated in the three-day event.

Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) actively participated in the event. It promoted newly promoted trekking routes – Lumbasumba in Kanchanjunga Region, Lower Solu in Solukhumbu, Panchpokhari in Sindhupalchowk, Lower Manaslu in Gorkha, Ruby Valley Treks in Dhading and Dolpo in Dolpa among others. It also distributed posters and brochures of those routes.

TAAN has been participating in the fair ever since its inception. The associations stall drew students, trekking workers and general visitors. TAAN representatives at the stall informed the visitors about the activities of TAAN and the newly opened trails. The fair featured a total of 110 stalls from different districts. The exhibitors included tourism colleges and hospitality institutions, travel trade associations, government agencies and tourism publications, among others. Most of the visitors were interested toward adventure tourism products and home-stay tourism.

5th Nat’l Tourism Fair from Friday

The 5th National Tourism Fair 2013 is scheduled to be held at Bhrikutimandap Exhibition Hall, Kathmandu from May 10 to 12, 2013.

The fair is being organised by Nepal Tourism Baord (NTB) with an aim to promote tourism destinations and products.

Tourism entrepreneurs from around the country and representatives of tourism development committees, various associations, tourism colleges, home stays and other concerned organisations will participate in the three-day event, NTB said.

Aviation safety workshop kicks off

A five-day long training workshop kicked off on Wednesday in Kathmandu as a part of “Aviation Safety Awareness Campaign” organised by the Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN).

Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ram Kumar Shrestha inaugurated the workshop at Gokarna Safari Resort. Speaking on the occasion, he cited that that STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) operation and the extreme topographical adversities as main causes of air accidents in Nepal. PATA Nepal Chapter is the industry partner of the event.

160 participants from 17 different airlines including pilots, engineers, managers and ground crew are attending the workshop that is aimed at enhancing the level of air safety and also educating concerned user groups including reinsurance companies.

Speaking at the inaugural function, Capt. Rameshwor Thapa, President of AoAN called for commitment from the side of Nepali aviation industry to practice ‘Safe Flying’ and invited everyone concerned to join hands with the industry in this mission.

The air safety workshop is being held at a time when the Nepali sky is troubled by the highest rate of accident in last five years, becoming a matter of concern to everyone including foreign tourists and the insurance companies.

Three cycling enthusiasts brave tough mountainous roads to travel from Lhasa to Kathmandu

Three cycling enthusiasts recently arrived to Nepal after daring the tough mountainous roads from Lhasa to Nepal.

During their journey, the cyclists crossed the Himalayan Range starting from 3600 meters high Lhasa and through the highest pass in Tibet Gyamtso La (5200 meters) to the Everest North Base Camp (5175 meters).

The Cycle Marathon that started on the 23 of April 2013 took about two weeks to reach Kathmandu from Lhasa. The Team of Abraham Cohen, Daniel Moores and Valentina Nelin were extremely delighted upon their arrival in Kathmandu on Monday and their successful endeavour. This cycle marathon aims to promote awareness for equality between people.

Abraham Cohen, cycling expert and the mastermind behind the marathon said, "the extreme conditions will attract attention and awareness on the problem of equity in the world… It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that we can travel and explore any part of the world just using a bike." They were welcomed at the Tevel b’Tzedek house in Kathmandu upon their arrival.

Living the spirit of the cyclists and to promote equality and clean environment, Ambassador of Israel to Nepal Hanan Goder joined the team in their adventure in bicycle from Dhulikhel to Kathmandu on Tuesday. Speaking before leaving for the marathon, Ambassador Goder said, "This is an incredibly important campaign to promote solidarity and equality between humans. I am proud to be a part of this campaign."

Over eight tonnes of waste collected from Everest

Members of a campaign dedicated to cleaning up Mt Everest said on Saturday that they have collected over 8 tonnes of waste from the mountain over a period of one year.

Ang Dorje Sherpa, a campaigner with 'Saving Everest' said that the drive was launched in 2011 to clean up the highest mountain in the world and raise awareness about keeping the area clean.

He said that the campaign will segregate the waste, which has been brought to Namche, before bringing it to Kathmandu. Some of the waste will be incinerated in Namche itself, he added.

Meanwhile, an exhibition of photos taken by Swede Photographer Martin Edstom during the cleanup campaign has begun at the Nepal Tourism Board office in Kathmandu. Similar exhibitions will also be organised in Namche Bazaar and Pokhara, said the campaigners.

Foreign visitors up by 8 pc in April

The tourist arrivals in the month of April has increased by 8.9 percent to 54,119 compared to the same month last year.

However, aggregate visitor arrivals decreased by 5.3 percent to 197,014 for the period between January-April compared to the same period last year.

According to figures released by Immigration Office, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), the visitor arrivals from the SAARC segment showed 21.6 percent decline compared to the same month last year. Indian market, considered as a major market, also declined by 25.3 percent. Similarly, arrivals from Pakistan and Sri Lanka have witnessed negative growth of 10.9 percent and 3 percent, respectively. However, only Bangladesh has registered a positive growth of 16.6 percent.

However, arrivals from Asia (other than South Asia) have recorded positive growth of 18.1 percent in aggregate. Visitor arrivals from China, one of the fastest growing tourist markets for Nepal, have recorded the growth of 26.6 percent, compared to the figures in same period. Similarly, Malaysia (158.3 percent) and Thailand (15.3 percent) have maintained the upward trend. However, arrivals from Japan (9.6 percent), South Korea (5.8 percent), and Singapore (4.5 percent) have witnessed negative growth.

European markets have posted weaker arrivals figures and have registered overall negative growth by 14.3 percent. Visitor arrivals from France, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland and Sweden have registered positive growth of 0.4 percent, 9.9 percent, 7.6 percent, 1.1 percent, and 20.7 percent respectively. However, arrivals from the UK, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain and Russia have declined by 14.8 percent, 23.1 percent, 49.2 percent, 22.8 percent, 29.5 percent and 8 percent, respectively compared to the same month last year.

Likewise, arrivals from Australia, New Zealand and USA also posted positive growth of 6.7 percent, 5.2 percent and 2.3 percent respectively. Canada showed decrease in arrival figure by 35 percent.

A total of 66,107 foreign tourists departed from TIA in April 2013. The number of Nepalis arrivals stood at 62,488 while 75,323 Nepalis departed from TIA in April 2013.

Clean-up drive in Everest Base Camp

Mt. Everest Base Camp has become clean lately although until recently it was highly polluted with randomly thrown empty oxygen cylinders, bottles and human excreta, state-owned news agency RSS reports.

The camp has changed its face after the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) took initiation to clean the base camp area.

More than 4,000 people travel to the base camp daily. So, the open defecation by mountaineers, tourists, and tourist guides and the trash thrown away by them is difficult to manage. But, the SPCC has successfully managed to clean the area and have kept the base camp clean, Chhiring Tenjing Sherpa, manger at SPSS told RSS.

Not only the trash but also human excreta collected from and brought from the Base Camp are disposed off at Namche bazaar, he added.

Tiji Festival

The Tiji festival is a three-day ritual known as "The chasing of the Demons" and it is centered on the Tiji myth. Tiji tells the story of a deity named Dorje Jono who must battle against his demon father to save the Kingdom of Mustang from destruction. The demon father wreaks havoc on Mustang by creating a water shortage which, in this extremely arid land, is the most precious life-sustaining resource. Dorje Jono eventually defeats the demon and banishes him from the land. 06 May 2013:  Lo-Manthang Day hiking (3730m) (Start Tiji Festival)  07 May 2013:  Lo-Manthang (3730m) - Tiji Festival 08 May 2013:  Lo- Manthang (3730m) - Tiji Festival Ends