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HimalayaNet #84 (July 2001)Fortunately life in Nepal has quieted down somewhat since the massacre. The monsoon rains are now settling in and the farming season is in full swing...And look for the HEC to change its name to the Himalayan Explorers Connection over the next month... Finally, note the new procedures of how to post on HimalayaNet since we've switched over to bcentral (send postings to himalayanet@mountainexplorers.org). Scott Dimetrosky Executive Director, HEC IN THIS ISSUE: LOCAL NEWS 1. EDUCATE THE CHILDREN OFFERS CHILD SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 2. NEPAL PRIME MINISTER KOIRALA ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION 3. NEPAL URGED TO WAIVE VISA FEES TO BOOST TOURISM 4. KIDNAPPERS OF CLIMBERS GIVEN DEATH PENALTY IN KYGYZSTAN 5. PAKISTAN, INDIA TALKS FALTER OVER KASHMIR DISPUTE 6. CONTRACT SIGNED FOR ROYAL FAMILY MASSACRE TELL-ALL 7. RED SOX CAP PLACED ON SUMMIT OF EVEREST FOR GOOD LUCK HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS CLUB UPDATES 8. HEC TO BECOME HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS CONNECTION 9. CHRIS BOSKOFF TO SPEAK AT HEC FUNDRAISERS 10. HEC PORTER ASSISTANCE PROJECT UPDATE 11. VOLUNTEER NEPAL HIMALAYA UPDATE 12. JOIN THE HEC KHUMBU REFORESTATION PROJECT MONTHLY FEATURES 13.INTERNET CONNECTION: WHAT'S NEW ON THE WEB (FCO TRAVEL ADVICE) MEMBERS POSTINGS 14A. SEEKING INFORMATION ON TIBET/KAILASH 14B. NEED COURIERS FOR ORPHANAGE AND SENIOR HOME 14C. LOOKING FOR OLDER IMAGES OF SOLUKHUMBU REGION 14D. LOOKING FOR INFO ON GOKYO/EVEREST BC CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SECTION VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES HOW TO POST ON HIMALAYNET HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION ********************************************************************** LOCAL NEWS ********************************************************************** 1. EDUCATE THE CHILDREN OFFERS CHILD SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Educate the Children, a small international non-governmental organization whose mission is to provide educational opportunities for low-income women and children in Nepal, has a number of child sponsorship opportunities available and is looking for people to partner with them in making it possible for children to go to school. Sponsors or co-sponsors of individual children pay between $200 and $600 per year, and receive letters and photos from the children. Children include orphans, former street children, and other very poor children from Kathmandu or Godavari, a rural area just outside of Kathmandu. For more information, contact Educate the Children at (607) 272-1176 or e-mail info@etc-nepal.org. Educate the Children is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. ********************************************************************** 2. NEPAL PRIME MINISTER KOIRALA ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION Under pressure not only from opposition parties but from detractors in his own party, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala announced his resignation Thursday. Prime Minister Koirala, in his address to the nation over Radio Nepal and Nepal Television, said, " I decided to resign to protect democracy, solve national problems and maintain unity within my own party". Koirala said that both extreme rightists and extreme leftists have unleashed an attack against democracy and the nation and added that it was the duty of all political parties that have faith in democracy to be united and collectively counter such ulterior motives. The Maoist violence is targeted against democracy, he said and condemned it. Prime Minister highly praised the role of police and army in the fight against violence and terrorism. "I put forth a 14-point agenda for national consensus, which reflect the feelings and pains of all political parties that went to power in the last 12 years," he said. He said, "My responsibility at present is to protect the parliamentary democracy and maintain unity in my own party". He said that democracy and nation are more important for him than the post of Prime Minister. He also accused the opposition parties for trying to destroy the system by forcibly blocking the proceedings of parliament and also charged some people in the Nepali Congress itself of supporting it. Opposition parties and some of his opponents within his own party had been demanding his resignation. They had accused the Prime Minister of failing to maintain law and order, give a good leadership to the nation and solve the Maoist insurgency and other burning problems of the nation. Koirala had come to power May 2000. nepalnews.com July 19 ********************************************************************** 3. NEPAL URGED TO WAIVE VISA FEES TO BOOST TOURISM KATHMANDU, Nepal (Reuters, July 9, 2001) -- Nepal's tourism industry urged the government to waive visa fees to woo international visitors back to the country following last month's massacre of almost the entire royal family. "At a time when the country did not have a good image due to the royal palace massacre, we should give incentives like visas without any fee to visitors," Narendra Bajracharya, chief the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), told Reuters. He said hotels had already submitted the request to Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat, who is due next week to present the budget for the next financial year. International visitors currently have to pay $30 for a 30-day visa to visit Nepal. Industry officials said a five-year-old Maoist insurgency against parliamentary democracy in which about 1,700 people have been killed had also hit tourism in Nepal. Although the rebel group has not targeted international visitors so far, Bajracharya said the violence had discouraged tourists. Tourism is a mainstay of Nepal's impoverished economy and accounts for about four percent of gross domestic product. It earned $168.1 million from tourism in 1999, the latest year for which figures were available. State-owned English daily, The Rising Nepal, said tourist arrivals in June this year fell more than 50 percent to 10,238 from 23,715 in the same period in 2000. "June was the worst month from the tourist arrivals point of view," Bajracharya said. "We have never seen such a bad month before." Bajracharya said hotel occupancy rate was barely four to five percent compared with 30 to 40 percent last year. Nepal has 33,000 hotel beds and normally receives half a million tourists every year. ********************************************************************** 4. KIDNAPPERS OF CLIMBERS GIVEN DEATH PENALTY IN KYGYZSTAN [Thanks to Greg Mortenson of the Central Asia Institute for this Story] Ravshan Sharipov and Ruslan Abdulin were given an extraordinary sentencing of the death penalty for the August 2000 kidnapping of American climbers in Kygyzstan. Presently, the death sentence is not in effect in Kygyzstan, so this is news. This is official press statement issued, but there are many more factors that were involved in trial. (http://www.kabar.gov.kg/english/opi/2001/6/22-8.html) KABAR Kyrgyz National News Agency Trial of two terrorists of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is finished in Osh Osh, June 22 (KABAR). A trial of two terrorists of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, captivated by Kyrgyz governmental forces during the last year Batken events is finished in Osh. A Court martial of Batken garrison sentenced 21years old Ruslan Abdulin, inhabitant of Kurgan oblast (Russia) and 23 years old Ravshan Sharipov native of Isfara town of Sogdy oblast (Tajikistan) to capital punishment-death penalty with confiscation of their property. In accordance with law Abdulin and Sharipov have a right to appeal the president for pardon. ********************************************************************** 5. PAKISTAN, INDIA TALKS FALTER OVER KASHMIR DISPUTE The Washington Post has done some excellent coverage of the issues that dominate India and Pakistan's ongoing feud over the fate of Kashmir. The newspaper's "Kashmir on the Brink" series gives great insight into the history of the dispute over the troubled Himalayan region. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/issues/kashmir/ Talks faltered irreparable on Tuesday, July 17. Below, an excerpt of the latest news update and links to stories of particular interest: AGRA, India, July 17 (Tuesday) -- Talks between the leaders of India and Pakistan collapsed Monday night in a tense and confusing end to the two-day summit that both leaders had said they hoped would result in reduced tensions between the longtime neighboring adversaries and nuclear rivals. The negotiations between Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, appeared to have snagged on the sensitive issue of Kashmir, the turbulent Himalayan border region that is claimed by both countries. For more, see http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/issues/kashmir/A4761-2001Jul16.html ********************************************************************** 6. CONTRACT SIGNED FOR ROYAL FAMILY MASSACRE TELL-ALL [New York Post] Talk Miramax Books is the first publisher to snap up a proposal about the recent royal family bloodbath in the Himalayan mountain kingdom of Nepal. The imprint just signed British writer Jonathan Gregson for an estimated $100,000 advance for his book, with a working title of, "Blood Amidst the Snows: The Doomed Royal Dynasty of Nepal." In the royal murder spree earlier this month, the crown prince Dipendra is alleged to have gunned down his father, King Birendra, and mother, Queen Aiswarya, along with assorted members of the royal family, before killing himself. The massacre was allegedly triggered by a dispute Dipendra had with his mother over his plans to marry Devyani Rana, daughter of a Nepalese lawmaker. Gregson, who was living and working in Nepal, plans to use the tragedy as the backdrop to explain the mystical and tortured history of the country. "Nepal's history and kingship are virtually inseparable," he said. In his proposal, which made the rounds last week, he said the book would cover the tiny country's "staggering military expansion in the 18th century to this year's 'Massacre in the Palace'- a sequence of events so bizarre that the Greek tragedians could not have dreamt it up. "Moreover, there was a dreadful prophecy, told by a holy man to Nepal's first king, that his successors would rule for 10 generations. The late King Dipendra was briefly the 11th king of Nepal." Talk Miramax Books editor-in-chief Jonathan Burnham said he picked up the proposal while in London and decided to bid after reading three pages. "We plan to have it out next June, right around the one year anniversary," said Burnham. ********************************************************************** 7. RED SOX CAP PLACED ON SUMMIT OF EVEREST FOR GOOD LUCK [Associated Press] On the advice of a Tibetan holy man, a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan put a team cap on the top of Mount Everest. Paul Giorgio figured he had to try something. His team has been without a World Series title since 1918, and Giorgio sought to break the Curse of the Bambino that has shadowed the Red Sox since they traded Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920. For good measure, Giorgio also burned a Yankee cap on the summit last month. Before climbing to the summit in May, Giorgio sought advice from a Tibetan lama, explaining the Curse of the Bambino. "The lama smiled and seemed to nod, as if he understood what I was talking about," Giorgio said. "Although who knows?" The lama told Giorgio to place the Red Sox cap next to a stone altar where each climbing team burns juniper branches as an offering to the gods. Then he told Giorgio to carry the Red Sox cap to the summit and plant it at 29,028 feet to reverse the curse. So the Red Sox have that going for them, which is nice. http://www.courierpress.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?200106/24+sox062401_sports.html+20010624 ********************************************************************** HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS CLUB UPDATES ********************************************************************** 8. HEC TO BECOME HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS CONNECTION Well, the wait is finally over. After asking for feedback a few too many times and getting a few too many contradictory responses we've chosen...ta dum...the Himalayan Explorers Connection. The new name will gradually be phased in over the next few months, and we hope that it better reflects our mission: The mission of the Himalayan Explorers Connection is to promote a better understanding of and respect for the environment and cultures of the Himalayan region. The HEC coordinates education, assistance, and cross-cultural experiences for members, volunteers, trekkers, and Himalayan residents. ********************************************************************** 9. CHRIS BOSKOFF TO SPEAK AT HEC FUNDRAISERS Christine Feld-Boskoff, presents Faces of 8000 meters. Her slide show will encompass her friendships, hardships, inspirational moments and the challenges of climbing the world's highest peaks. Christine is the only living woman in the world to have climbed six of the fourteen 8000-meter mountains, including Mt. Everest. A voluntary $5 donation or article of hiking/trekking clothing is being requested at the door to benefit the HEC Porter Assistance Project. Dates for the shows: Thursday, August 16, 2001, 8:00PM-10:00PM (Mountain time), Neptune Mountaineering, 633 South Broadway Street, Boulder, CO, Phone: 303-499-8866 Friday, August 17, 2001 7:00 PM-8:30 PM Mountain Time, REI Denver Flagship Store, 1416 Platte Street, Denver, CO, Phone:303-756-3100 ********************************************************************** 10. HEC PORTER ASSISTANCE PROJECT UPDATE STAFFING: We continue to "ramp up" for the fall season, with Brandom Jones getting ready to help Ben Ayers. We're also planning on moving the Lukla office to a new location, with more space to store gear and run the porter English, first aid, and empowerment classes. THANKS: Special thanks to Trent and Chip Newcomer for their donation to help assist the Porter Assistance Project! COURIERS NEEDED: The HEC continues to accumulate more and more equipment that we need to ship over to our Porter Assistance Program. Live in the Denver/Boulder area and heading over to Nepal? Please contact Billy Fitzgerald at billy@mountainexplorers.org ********************************************************************** 11. VOLUNTEER NEPAL HIMALAYA UPDATE We're now making assignments to the villages for the fall program, which starts September 1, 2001. We expect nine participants this fall -- if you are still interested in teaching English in the Solu-Khumbu this fall please contact us soon! Jane Sabin Davis, jane_sabin_davis@hotmail.com ********************************************************************** 12.JOIN THE HEC KHUMBU REFORESTATION PROJECT The HEC, Manaca.com, and the Everest Foundation are teaming up to help a local community forestry group plant 20,000 trees in the Khumbu region in Nepal. The 16 day trip departs from the U.S. on April 20, 2002, and includes six days working side-by-side with a local community forestry group to collect soil, prepare the soil, and plant the saplings. There is also an optional six day extension to the Tengboche Monastery. For more information please contact us at info@mountainexplorers.org or visit http://www.mountainexplorers.org/club/reforestation.htm ********************************************************************** MONTHLY FEATURES ********************************************************************** 13. INTERNET CONNECTION: WHAT'S NEW ON THE WEB The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the British Government department responsible for overseas relations and foreign affairs, with its headquarters in London and its Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates throughout the world. The mission of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is to promote the national interests of the United Kingdom and to contribute to a strong world community. As such, their Web page offers excellent travel advice including: Country Advice - The latest country-specific travel advice. Before You Go - Information on what to do before you depart. Travellers' Tips - Country-specific tips. While You Are There - Country Factsheets and general tips. If It All Goes Wrong - Advice on what to do if something goes wrong. Visit http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/ ********************************************************************** MEMBER POSTINGS ********************************************************************** 14A. SEEKING INFORMATION ON TIBET/KAILASH Planning a trip to Tibet, Nepal, and possibly Dharamsala beginning in September 2001. My preferred itinerary is Lhasa overland to Mt. Kailash then trek out to Simikot. I'd appreciate any current information on the visa situation, the possibility of independent travel, and general recommendations for getting into and out of Tibet. Michael Scott Hess, invstmntbk@aol.com 14B. NEED COURIERS FOR ORPHANAGE AND SENIOR HOME The Rotary International near Seattle has obtained clothes for an orphanage and senior home in Kathmandu and is looking for a courier to Nepal to help carry these over. If you can help please contact me. Karon Fenton, KaronF@cs.com 14C. LOOKING FOR OLDER IMAGES OF SOLUKHUMBU REGION I am a graduate student and my thesis concerns landscape/land use change in Nepal. This fall I will be retrekking a route taken by David Brower in 1976 from Jiri to Namche, hopefully further. I will be replicating images of David Brower's to measure change. I am emailing you in hopes of finding other sources of images from this route that are older. Thanks for your help! Jenny Prokos, jennyprokos@qwest.net 14D. LOOKING FOR INFO ON GOKYO/EVEREST BC My daughter and I are planning a trip to Nepal in April and are looking for a few people who have been trekking and could answer questions. WE have been doing a lot of research and have a lot of the trip together, but we would like to ask a few questions to those who have been there recently. We will be doing the Gokyo/Everest BC trek. Your help would be appreciated. David Duffy, David.Duffy@esis.com ********************************************************************** CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SECTION (UPDATED JUNE 2001) ********************************************************************** ARUN TREKS & EXPEDITIONS. Personal Service. Good Value. Great Times. Trekking, Climbing, Mountaineering, Horseback & Overland Touring. Asia, Africa, S.America, Europe. Customized itineraries and group discounts available. Please contact us for further information. Phone: 888-495-8735 or 512-407-8314 info@aruntreks.com http://www.aruntreks.com BOOKS FOR NEPAL, educating the youth of Nepal through the construction of new schools, the establishment of libraries, and the awarding of scholarships to poor students, announces the inaugural Trek for Literacy campaign. Visit the newly built schools and trek the Annapurna Circuit this October. booksfornepal@yahoo.com EARTHBOUND EXPEDITIONS - Himalayan Adventure Travel. Join us for small group, eco-friendly, impeccably planned treks, tours, climbing, and guide services to the Himalaya, from the high peaks to the lowland jungles. Special SPRING trips to Mustang and Mera Peak. Phone: 716-317-4964 www.trekthehimalaya.com damian@trekthehimalaya.com Explore Himalaya: Can arrange individual/group holidays to all destinations in Nepal, India, and Tibet. High altitude treks & climbing, mountain biking, and white water rafting. Contact Suman Pandey, PO Box 4902, Kathmandu, Nepal Fax: 977-1-252 115 adventur@mos.com.np Join the Himalayan Explorers Club in the Himalayas! In October 2001 Pemba Sherpa leads Everest trek with Island Peak and Paul Lachepelle leads an Annapurna trek. All Everest trips include an excursion "off the beaten path" to Sewangma, where Pemba grew up and the location of the HEC Bridge Project. Phone: 303-998-0101. info@mountainexplorers.org KE Adventure Travel. Unique trekking, climbing, mountain biking, and cultural journeys throughout Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet, China, Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh, Bolivia, Peru, Patagonia, Ecuador, Russia, Africa & more! Contact us for a free, color brochure. Phone: 800-497-9675 ketravel@rof.net http://www.keadventure.com Africa and Himalaya with Daniel Mazur. Shishapangma, Ama Dablam, plus 7000 meter peaks. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya Rock Climb. Low Prices. All Abilities. Phone: 406-363-7747 africa_inc@cybernet1.com, himalaya_inc@cybernet1.com, www.himalayaclimb.com, www.kilitrek.com, www.kenyaclimb.com Ladakh, India; captivatingly beautiful mountain desert-scapes and Tibetan nomads. Kanchenjunga, Nepal; huge rewards for the intrepid, classic trekking as good as it gets. Everest with Jamie McGuinness, who wrote the guide book to it...Wild treks, but as fun as they come. http://www.project-himalaya.com TIBET BY MOUNTAIN BIKE, SEPT.14-OCT.5, 2001 The ultimate biking expedition across the roof of the world traversing the road between Lhasa and Kathmandu. This expedition visits all the monasteries and places of interest plus gives you the chance to ride the Friendship Highway. Phone: 888-568-8924 pemba@sherpaascent.com http://www.sherpaascent.com NEPAL, SIKKIM, BHUTAN & TIBET. Scheduled treks & tours with USA leader of 33 Sierra Club Himalayan trips. From $425. Custom itineraries too. Off-the-beaten track areas. Environmentally sensitive and porter friendly. Peter Owens' Asian Treks. Phone: 800-223-1813 or 510-222-5307 petertrek@worldnet.att.net http://www.instantweb.com/p/peterowens World of Wonder Adventures, Inc. - The adventure travel specialists that personally take you to the places you've always wanted to go, to do the things you have always wanted to do. Visit our website at http://www.wowadventure.com for upcoming adventures including Everest Base Camp and Mt Kilimanjaro - Africa. 888-4-WOW-FUN wowadventure@earthlink.net TRAVEL Himalayan Treasures and Travel. We have seats to Kathmandu all the time. Call us for the best price and best service. We book for many HEC members and give HEC discounts! Call 800-223-1813 or 510-222-5307. govindsh@himtrek.com http://www.himalayantrekking.com. Ticket Planet. We are America's leading round the world air consolidator, and also your Nepal airfare experts. We can get seats to Kathmandu when others can't. We broker over 50 airlines. We have over 15 years of experience pricing international airfares. Please contact us at (800) 799-8888, (415) 288-9999, Fax: 415-288-9839 himalayas@ticketplanet.com http://www.ticketplanet.com ********************************************************************** VOLUNTEER/STUDY ABROAD Volunteer Nepal Himalaya offers participants a unique opportunity to teach English in Sherpa villages in the Himalayas, near Mt. Everest. Accommodations are with local families. While not teaching, participants work on community service projects or explore the endless trails and villages of the Khumbu region. For more information, please contact the Himalayan Explorers Club at info@mountainexplorers.org or call (303)998-0101. Bridges-PRTD now accepting applications for Fall 2001 expedition (Sept. 4-Dec 2). This study/volunteer work program focuses on tourism development in a remote valley of Nepal; includes full Everest trek, optional excursion to India. $1800 plus personal expense. Open to students and non-students. www.bridges-prtd.com or e-mail seth@bridges-prtd.comThe Nepal Volunteer Handbook offers potential volunteers everything they will need to know about volunteering in Nepal, including a personal skills assessment, background on the history of foreign assistance in Nepal, tips for ensuring a worthwhile experience, and information on over 50 volunteer leads. Contact the HEC at (303)998-0101 or info@mountainexplorers.org ********************************************************************** HOW TO POST ON HIMALAYANET (1) Send your HimalayaNet postings to himalayanet@mountainexplorers.org Be sure to include your membership number in your e-mail. Only members can post on HimalayaNet. If you've lost your membership card, E-mail the HEC at info@mountainexplorers.org. (2) Put your E-mail address at the bottom of your posting. (3) Send responses to postings directly to the author at the address listed. (4) If you receive responses to your posting, please send the moderator (himalayanet@mountainexplorers.org) a summary if the topic is of general interest so it can be sent it out to all subscribers in the next issue. ********************************************************************** HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS CLUB MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION The Himalayan Explorers Club (HEC) is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to promote a better understanding of and respect for the environment and cultures of the Himalayan Region. The HEC coordinates education, assistance, and cross-cultural experiences for members, volunteers, trekkers, and Himalayan residents. Members can receive e-mail and postal mail, store luggage, use our Internet phone to call the U.S. (no cost), and browse through trip reports at our Clubhouses in Kathmandu and Islamabad, Pakistan. In addition, members receive discounts with many hotels, restaurants, shops, and travel agents. Members also receive our hardcopy newsletter, Himalayan News. For more information about the HEC please contact us at: Himalayan Explorers Club PO Box 3665 Boulder, CO 80307 Phone: (303)998-0101 Fax: (303)998-1007 info@mountainexplorers.org http://www.mountainexplorers.org |
