Perils of cell phone while driving

Responding to a recent complaint in its newly opened Facebook page, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) commented, “The Vehicle and Transportation Management Act 2049 and Regulation 2054 does not have proper direction regarding the use of cell phones,” and added, “But if we have to analyze the road fatalities, the use of cell phone is a prime reason.”

Contradictorily, MTPD has not maintained any statistics or carried out any investigations regarding accidents or deaths related to cell phone use and driving. Of the 678 registered cases, most of the driving licenses were seized but there is no further information on casualties or damages, if any.

The use of cell phone while driving is one of the eight major traffic violations. Since 2003, the MTPD has been taking actions against violators and conducting various awareness campaigns, but cell phone etiquettes have been freewheeling.

“Roughly, three per cent of the total number of accidents are caused due to the violation of this rule but the actual rates are higher,” informs Superintendent of Police Jagatman Shrestha of MTPD.

Amongst the 800,000 vehicles that swerve notoriously in the capital, the above statistics might be just a handful of cases that have come to notice of some 1,000 traffic personnel mobilized in the Kathmandu District. Clearly, the law enforcement of this serious traffic violation that can cost lives is flawed.

Countless miles of high altitude trails and tracks, until now the exclusive realm of the Nepalese and visiting trekkers and mountain climbers, will experience for the first time in 2012 visits by mountain biking enthusiasts. The mountain bike trails in Nepal are some of the best in the world but also some of the most undiscovered. Often you will be the only biker on the trail for days, affording a highly personal experience with the villages you pass through.

Four 12-to-21-day mountain biking itineraries will be offered starting in March 2012 under the new banner of Ace the Himalaya Mountain Biking Trips. Professional, vehicle supported mountain biking on customized tours will begin over some of the best biking trails in Nepal.

2012 programs to be offered include:

Annapurna Circuit - a strenuous 19-day program suggested for March-May and September-November; cyclists on a daily average cover 25 kms at an altitude range of 5,416 meters, passing through lush sub-tropical rainforest, deep valleys and cultivated fields to wooded alpine and high deserts, with frequent views of the Annapurnas and Manaslu.

Lhasa (Tibet) to Kathmandu - a strenuous 21-day program suggested for June-September; cyclists on a daily average cover 70 kms at an altitude range of 5,220 meters through one of the most remote regions in the world from Lhasa in Tibet to Kathmadu in Nepal. The trip follows the Friendship Highway to the Roof of the World, the Everest Base Camp, and descends by the former home of the Dalai Lama.

Muktinath to Pokhara - a moderately-strenuous 11-day program suggested for February-April and September-November; cyclists on a daily average range 25 to 30 kms at an altitude range of 3,710 meters to Muktinath, a pilgrimage center for Buddhists and Hindus.

Kathmandu Valley Rim - a moderate 13-day program suggested for September-June; cyclists cover 30 kms on a daily average at an altitude range of 2,175 meters off the beaten path through rice terraces with superb views of an array of snow peaks from Annapurna to Everest. Included is a stay at Nagarkot, famous for sunrises and sunsets with the magnificent Himalayan back drop.

MLTR in NEPAL.

Danish pop rock band Michael Learns To Rock arrived in the country on Wednesday, ahead of their scheduled concert on Saturday. The three member band proceeded from Tribhuvan International Airport in the capital to Radisson Hotel in Lazimpat where they will be staying for the duration of their visit.

The highly popular band comprising singer-keyboardist Jascha Richter, drummer Kåre Wanscher, and guitarist Mikkel Lentz were greeted with flower garlands and colourful khadas on their arrival. MLTR as the band is known for short, is the second internationally acclaimed act after Candaian rocker Bryan Adams to perform in the country this year.

Adams was the first big international name to perform in Nepal in February and his concert was a massive success in a country hitherto starved of global music stars. MLTR has credited Adams for having paved the way for their upcoming concert. They also revealed that they had always been interested in performing in Nepal but were only invited this year.

MLTR fever in the capital is rising to a crescendo with banners plastered all over the city and the trio being splashed in the media. The trio plan to take a mountain flight during their stay in the country to view the world famous Mt. Everest.

They will perform their evergreen hits like The Actor, Sleeping Child, Someday and That’s Why (You Go Away) in Tundikhel on Saturday.

Tourist season kicks off in Nepal

Healthy arrivals from major source markets propelled tourists’ inflow via air by 16.8 percent in October. The country welcomed 73,264 tourists in October, the highest ever figure in a single month.

The latest statistics of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) show that a total of 443,108 visitors entered Nepal in the first 10 months of 2011, up by 21.7 percent compared to the same period last year.

Nepal’s major source markets—India and China—have the largest share in the first 10 months’ arrival figure. The countries now account for about 36 percent of the total arrivals. The NTB statistics show arrivals from India grew by 42.4 percent, while that of China surged by 66.7 percent. Largely propelled by strong Indian arrivals, number of tourists from the SAARC region grew by 33.7 percent.

In October, arrivals from Asia (excluding South Asia) saw an overall increase of 40 percent. Except for Malaysia, almost all the markets recorded positive growth, with China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand posting growth of 105.9 percent, 7.3 percent, 5.7 percent, 29.4 percent and 23.6 percent, respectively.

As far as the long-haul markets are concerned, Europe registered an overall growth of 15.1 percent compared to the same month last year with a total arrival of 34,166 tourists. Among the European countries, arrivals from Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and UK went up by 19.3 percent, 25.5 percent, 20.7 percent, 15.8 percent, and 7.3 percent, respectively. However France and the Netherlands registered negative growth of 3.9 percent and 17.1 percent, respectively, compared to the same month in 2010.

The official figures show an overall decrease of 5.4 percent in arrivals from the Oceania region, with Australia and New Zealand recording -0.2 percent and -30.4 percent growths. Canada also recorded a negative growth of 0.2 percent, whereas arrivals from the United States went up by 5.4 percent. A total of 69,115 foreign tourists departed from TIA in October 2011

Bhaktapur heritage sans preservation

Negligence by the concerned authorities to clean up the different monuments at the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, a world heritage site, has led to the important monuments there turning into virtual jungle. The Bhaktapur Durbar Square is one of the major sites in the district visited by foreign tourists.

The famous Golden Gate, the statues of different deities, temples and shrines located at the Bhaktapur Durbar Square are found to be covered with lichen and weeds due to lack of cleaning even as the country is marking 2011 as the Nepal Tourism Year.

For instance, the main temples, ancient resting places, arenas and the various statues of the rulers dating back to the Malla period are covered with dirt and lichen. One can even see different kinds of weeds growing on the roof and nooks and crevices of the famous five-storied Temple there.

Weeds and lichen have virtually colonised the monuments in the Durbar Square making the place look ugly and untidy. But the Department of Archaeology and the Durbar Upkeep Office, the bodies responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the heritage site have turned a blind eye to all of this.

Even the Bhaktapur Municipality that collects revenue of Rs. 120 million annually from tourists by showing them around these places seems to be least cared about cleaning the monuments.

Toilets on Everest

An environmental group is asking the Nepal government to consider installing portable toilets on Mount Everest for climbers caught short at the roof of the world. Eco Himal says the thousands of trekkers who set off from the South Base Camp in Nepal each year would do a better job of keeping the place clean if they and their porters had somewhere civilized to go when nature called. "Human waste is a problem, of course," said the group's director, Phinjo Sherpa. "I am merely suggesting that if we have public toilets they can be used."

Many groups bring expedition toilet cans, but Phinjo Sherpa said porters were often left with little choice but the nearest snowdrift. Environmental activists say Everest is littered with the detritus of past expeditions, including human waste and mountaineers' corpses, which can take decades to decompose because of the extreme cold. Phinjo Sherpa said installing the toilets would be discussed as part of a wider waste management plan being prepared by the government that would encompass popular peaks throughout the Everest region. "If there could be two or three toilets that would be good but this is just at the planning phase. We will have to decide what is a good idea and what isn't," he said.

Climbers spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to reach the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) summit of Everest, but campaigners say few pay much attention to the rubbish they leave behind. There is no definitive figure on how much trash has been left on the mountain, but the debris of 50 years of climbing has given Everest the name of the world's highest dumpster. The privately-funded Eco Everest Expedition, a Nepal-based coalition of environmentalists campaigning to keep the mountain clean, has collected more than 13 tones of garbage, 400 kilograms of human waste and four bodies since 2008.

Annapurna trekking sees an increase in number of visitors

The Annapurna trekking route is seeing a greater inflow of sightseers with the start of the tourist season. The route, regarded as one of world’s leading walking trails, is now seeing over 300 tourists daily, up from 200 in September.

According to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) checkpoint at Bhulbhule, 200 tourists used to visit the route daily in September. “Along with the Nepal Tourism Year 2011, the beginning of the tourist season will see more tourists,” said ACAP official Brij Gurung. Local hotels along the trekking route including Khudi, Bhulbhule, Nadi, Bahundada, Jagat and Syage have been packed with the tourists from the beginning of October.

As per ACAP statistics, tourist inflow in the Annapurna route has increased 12.54 percent in the first nine months of 2011 compared to the same period last year. A total of 10,159 tourists walked the trail in the period January-September 2011 against 9,019 in the same period in 2010.

According to Gurung, the number has increased also due to the ongoing NTY 2011. Tourists from France, Germany and the US are among the main visitors in the region.

Despite a rise in tourist inflow, the target for NTY 2011 for Lamjung does not look achievable The district has aimed to attract 100,000 tourists in 2011. Hotel entrepreneurs blame the government for its failure to promote tourism in the region besides developing infrastructure required for tourism.

Hotelier Ram Kumar Shrestha said that the slow rise in tourist numbers was a result of the government’s apathy towards publicity and infrastructure development. “No efforts have been made towards NTY promotion or infrastructure development,” said Shrestha. “Hence, how can we attract tourists?”

ACAP statistics show that a total of 17,404 tourists trekked the Annapurna route in 2010. The region used to attract a large number of tourists till 2001. However, tourist arrivals declined during the Maoist insurgency. Tourism entrepreneurs said that even though tourist arrivals had improved in the last few years, they are far from satisfactory. According to ACAP, about 200,000 visitors have gone trekking on the Annapurna route since 1994.