FEAST OR FAMINE

With the Himalayas on the doorstep, Pokhara is the ideal place for the International Mountain Museum. Once remote and lacking transport routes, the now easily accessible city of Pokhara is itself a tourist attraction. To boost tourism during the non-climbing periods, the International Mountain Museum opened in May 2002 and was officially launched in February 2004 in Ratopahiro, beyond the city centre. The IMM is a large and spacious hangar with a roof in the shape of the mountain peaks. It has two levels dedicated to all of the mountains of Nepal (and their mountaineers), not just Mt. Everest. Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali), the world’s highest mountain, is 8,848 metres above sea level, but there are 14 peaks in the region over 8,000 metres. Masses of mountain photographs, pictures, graphs, and drawings hang on almost every wall and partition showing the peaks, mountain faces, trekking routes, expeditions, and Himalayas from every angle. Histories of mountain climbers ap

The centre of the Kaski District in Nepal is the popular tourist city of Pokhara, 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Kathmandu. It is most known for the incredible Annapurna ranges of the Himalayas, in which three of the world’s ten highest mountains (Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, and Manaslu) are only 48 kilometres (30 miles) away. From the city, people can easily see Annapurna I, Annapurna II, and Annapurna III. Tourists use Pokhara as the base for the Annapurna Circuit trek. The mountains from the city are so close, on a clear morning it feels as if you can touch them. They rise sharply, from 1,000 to 7,500 metres, and loom large over Pokhara. For this reason, the region has high rainfall (5600mm/222 inches per year) and not much snow in the valley. The closest, and most prominent and beautiful mountain (some say in the whole country) is the Machhapuchhre with an elevation of 6,993 metres. The Machhapuchhre or Fishtail Mountain has two peaks close together in the shape of a

Okhaldhunga District in eastern Nepal is densely mountainous and sparsely populated. In the centre of the district administration is a large grinding stone for crushing grains. Okhal means “grinding stone” but there are other crops than grain, such as tea and coffee and citrus fruits. In the tourist areas there are rivers, springs, and waterfalls – an ideal place for white-water rafting. Away from the tourist areas, along narrow dusty unsealed roads, is the village of Nawalpur beside a river. Abandoning the vehicle on one side of the river, my team and I cross a suspension bridge to the hillside. Up the hill and along a goat track is a secondary school. Although it is a Saturday when we arrive, the community, celebrating The Day of Learning, awaits us. The whole community is not present. A male teacher died the day before due to a motorcycle accident and many are at his funeral. The roads are dangerous when dry, hell when under construction, and murderous when we

Fifteen years ago, there were an estimated 500,000 vultures in Nepal. However, vulture populations have declined by 90%, reports the Republica (February 25, 2013). Of the eight species of vultures found in Nepal, four have been listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as critically endangered birds. Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) has been carrying out efforts to track white-rumped vultures ( Gyps bengalensis ) which are believed to be the most endangered species. The tracking is supported by the Nepali Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) and the United Kingdom Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Five vultures fitted with satellite transmitters, released by BCN 23 months ago from Rupandehi and Nawalparasi districts have been confirmed dead. Two years ago in 2011, BCN released juvenile white-rumped vultures. The BCN recovered the tag of one vulture six months ago and determined that it had not crossed the Indian bord

Sindhuli District in eastern Nepal is surrounded by eleven other districts and is situated along the Mahabharata range of mountains. The population of the agricultural district is almost 300,000. It is also the home of the Kuti Pass and the Sindhuli Fort commemorating the first time a British force was defeated in Asia. Hence it is of significance to the Gorkha army and to Nepal. Currently a new section of the BP Koirala Highway, leading from Kathmandu to India, is being constructed. Therefore there is a section of excellent paved road with hairpin bends, and still more sections of the narrow rroad yet to be paved. The Japanese Government is funding the Banepa-Sindhuli-Bardibas road construction which commenced in November 1996. In a remote mountain region, four hours by vehicle from the District’s main centre, is the Bhimsthan village - seven hours east of Kathmandu. Here the village school, the Sarshwoti Secondary School of 436 students, has an earthworm farm to fer

Sarlahi District is in the southeast of Nepal, near the Indian border, with a population of almost 800,000. The border to Bihar State in India is open and migration and trade are common, with the Bishweshwar Prasad (BP) Koirala Highway linking India and eastern Nepal (the Terai region) to Kathmandu. The population comprises mainly farmers (including sugar cane farmers), with most communities owning cows and buffaloes. I visited the towns and villages of Lalbandi, Haripur, Bardibas, and Basantpur.   Lalbandi and Haripur are noted for their tomato farming. The area is flat along the Gangetic Plain with springs and marshes, and prone to flooding. However, the area was currently dry with barely any water in the rivers. The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is in the Terai region, known for its wetlands, reptiles, and bird life. It is also known for its elephants and water buffaloes. People living adjacent to the reserve were in clashes with the park last month due to