<figure><img width="1500" height="1001" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101116/636b70be9c7e80680e060094jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>All Photos : MANISH PAUDEL</figcaption></figure>It is a truism in tourism of the Himalaya that the closer we get to the mountains, the less we see of them. This holds for the <a href="Annapurna%20Base%20Camp%20Trek" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Annapurna Base Camp Trek</a>, which follows the narrow <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/go-take-a-hike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mardi Valley</a> where Machapuchre is hidden by towering cliffs. And it is true of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/everest-fights-back/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Everest Trek</a>, where the highest mountain in the world is not visible after Tengboche, unless trekkers climb Kala Patthar.For the best panoramas of the mountains, therefore, one has to step back to mid-mountain peaks, like Pathibhara in Taplejung for a view of <a href="https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/the-kingdom-of-cardamom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mt Kangchenjunga</a> and Jannu, or Kalinchok for a grandstand view of Mt Gauri Shankar. Then there are peaks like Pulchoki on the southern rim of Kathmandu Valley, Bandipur for a tour d’horizon of the entire Central Nepal Himalaya, and the famous Poon Hill for the vista of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. <img width="1500" height="1001" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101120/636b70c19c7e80680e060095jpeg.jpg" alt="">But one of the best kept secrets of trekking in Nepal is Pikey Peak in Solu, which offers a view of eight of Nepal’s eighthousanders from one place, including Mt Everest. The 4,065m peak used to be a favourite of Sir <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/hillary-centenary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edmund Hillary</a> after he climbed it to take a look around during the walk-in on his 1953 expedition.For several decades after that Pikey was isolated because it was so difficult to get to, and most people doing the Everest Base Camp trek overflew Pikey en route to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/everest-garbage-caravan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lukla.</a> Indeed, there is a parade of planes overhead every morning doing the Kathmandu-Lukla ferry.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vDEMl1dCdg&amp;feature=youtu.beBut with new roads from Kathmandu to Jiri and the Solu Highway reaching Phaplu via Okhaldhunga, Pikey is suddenly accessible. After major snowfall last month, Pikey saw dozens of Nepali youngsters roughing it out on a camping trip. <img width="1500" height="1001" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101120/636b70c59c7e80680e060096jpeg.jpg" alt="">Winter is the not the best time for a Pikey hike, but the views can be stunning especially after snowfall blankets the mountains in white. The best time is actually early spring when rhododendron forests are abloom in pink, red and white and the mountains are dazzling against deep blue skies. <img width="1500" height="1001" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101120/636b70c99c7e80680e060097jpeg.jpg" alt="">Since few people know about Pikey, visitors will find the trails deserted and the tea shops basic, although new lodges are now coming up, and the local Sherpa community is trying to promote homestay tourism. Pikey is revered by the Sherpas as a deity and climbing it does seem more like a pilgrimage than a trek.The fortunate thing about Pikey is that you can make it a circuit so you do not have to come down the same way you went up. A recommended itinerary is to drive up the Jiri Road from Kathmandu, continue on to Shivalaya, following the old trek route <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/on-thin-ice-in-the-khumbu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to Khumbu</a> before Lukla airstrip was built in 1968. <img width="1500" height="1001" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101120/636b70cb9c7e80680e060098jpeg.jpg" alt="">From Shivalaya it is a leisurely three-day trek to Bhandara, Namkheli and Pikey Danda with only some steep sections. The trail winds through thick oak and rhododendron forests, with pine giving way to grasslands in the higher reaches.What is astounding is that from Pikey on a clear day one can see more than 800km of horizon from Dhaulagiri to Kangchenjunga. All along during the walk-in, Annapurna, Manaslu, Mt Everest, Cho Oyu, Makalu, Lhotse, Kangchenjunga and other eight-thousanders play hide and seek behind lesser but nearer peaks. But smack in front is the elegant summit of Mt Numbur, standing tall above Mt Karyolung. <img width="1500" height="1001" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101120/636b70cf9c7e80680e060099jpeg.jpg" alt="">Sunrise from Pikey Peak is a ‘lifetime experience’ as the slogan for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/make-sure-you-visit-nepal-in-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Nepal 2020</a> puts it. The sun rises from behind Kangchenjunga, illuminating the peaks to the north one by one, even as the valleys below are shrouded in fog.For the return, the descent can be down to Junbesi, and on to Phaplu, from where you can either take a flight back to Kathmandu or make the trip by road. For those pressed for time, you can make a flight in and out from Phaplu with a circuit to Pikey via Lamjura and down through Dhap. (See map).  <img width="1000" height="1118" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101120/636b70d29c7e80680e06009ajpeg.jpg" alt="">...

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Lifetime experience on Pikey Peak

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67e49c7e80680e0599ffjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1365" height="2048"/><figcaption>Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi posted pictures of herself on social media on New Year's eve to promote Nepal tourism among the Chinese. Photo: AMBASSADOR HOU YANQI/TWITTER</figcaption></figure>When Nepal chose famous Chinese actress Xu Qing to be its Goodwill Ambassador to promote Visit Nepal Year 2020 in China, she did not need much convincing. She was already in love with Nepal.“My heart was racing when I saw the breathtaking view of the Annapurna range,” she gushed in a Weibo post from Pokhara, “This is the life I yearn for.”Xu posted photos of herself posing in front of Machapuchre, boating on Phewa Lake, wearing a marigold garland, and taking selfies with smiling local children. Those images and videos went to 17 million of the actress’ followers on Chinese social media.Xu Qing, who starred in her first film in 1990, has won numerous awards in the past 30 years. Many of her roles are deeply rooted in the hearts of people, which makes her hugely popular on social media. Her account on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform in China, has more than 17 million followers.“It was a wise decision for Nepal to choose her as an influencer to promote tourism from China,” says <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/chinese-ink-wash-paintings-in-Nepal,2622">Chinese art curator Justin Zhao</a> who has lived in Nepal for seven years, and founded the Himalayan Light Art Award. “Next door China is the biggest potential market for tourism development in Nepal, and the number of Chinese tourists to Nepal is growing rapidly.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67e79c7e80680e059a00jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67eb9c7e80680e059a01jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67ee9c7e80680e059a02jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi has also been projecting China’s soft power in Nepal through her social media feeds to promote Visit Nepal 2020. In a Tweet on new year’s eve on Tuesday, she posted pictures of herself modelling in Patan Darbar Square and wrote: ‘True beauty always touches the deep heart. Beautiful Nepal with history, diversity and nature deserves a visit. Wish #VisitNepal2020 successful!’ And she tagged Nepal’s Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai.From January to October 2019, there were 134,281 Chinese tourists in Nepal, up nearly 10% for the same period last year. Chinese visitors account for nearly 14% of arrivals by nationality, second only to India. Numbers started going up in 2011 after Nepal announced <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-chinese-are-coming/">free visas for Chinese nationals</a>.“Chinese Buddhists and those who enjoy adventure sports are the two most common types of Chinese tourists in Nepal,” notes Wang Ziping, who runs a restaurant in Pokhara. Indeed, many of the visitors have nothing but praise for Nepal’s natural beauty and its friendly people.‘Although Nepal is poor, it is the happiest country in the world. You can actually see the real smiles on people's faces and feel their inner comfort. I taste a bit of my dream life here,” noted one visitor on an online post.Adds another: ‘In the southern slopes of the Himalaya, you can see the cultural diversity of South Asia. People of different religious faiths live in peace here. They understand each other and develop together.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f19c7e80680e059a03jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="511"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f39c7e80680e059a04jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="178"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f59c7e80680e059a05jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="203"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f79c7e80680e059a06jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="292">There are also negative comments, and deal mostly with poor infrastructure and the high airfares. Says restauranteur Wang: “Air tickets to Nepal are too expensive. The price in the peak season is more than double to similar destinations. If the price of air tickets can be reduced to about the same as that of flying to Thailand, more people would love to come.”With a target of two million tourists in 2020, entrepreneurs have made efforts <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/business/Chinese-tourists-on-the-rise-in-nepal,2088">targeting potential Chinese visitors</a>, but many say that unless the infrastructure bottlenecks like airports and highways are fixed it will be difficult to meet the target even if the volume of Chinese tourists reaches 500,000 this year.But here in Pokhara, restaurants, hotels and paragliding companies are gearing up for the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18432#.XgmHydIza70">influx of Chinese tourists</a>. At Lakeside restaurant <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/number-of-Chinese-tourists-growing-in-nepal,1917">menus are in Chinese, as are shop signs</a>.  Shopkeepers do their part by calling out “Ni hao” to welcome any Chinese-looking person.“We have Mandarin courses so our staff can communicate with Chinese tourists,” says Prakritee Gurung, manager at Shangri-La Village Resort. Across town at Fishtail Lodge, nearly half the 24,000 guests in 2019 were Chinese tourists.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f99c7e80680e059a07jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="965" height="912">Nepal is getting ready for the first tri-nation Nepal-India-China Expo (NICE) 21-24 Feburary for joint tourism promotion. Nepal is strategically placed to be the tourism go-between for the two Asian giants.Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara who have been lobbying for decades to have <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/pokhara-nepals-new-aviation-gateway/">Pokhara International Airport</a> built are excited that it will finally open next year, and there will be direct flights between Chinese cities and Pokhara, bypassing Kathmandu.Pokhara became famous in China after the popular television serial Deng Feng Lai (Up in the Wind) was filmed on location here where the two protagonists took <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19255#.XgmF09Iza70">a paragliding flight</a>. Since then, many young Chinese have flocked to Pokhara.For Wang Ziping it was love at first sight with Pokhara. He came on a visit, and never left, deciding to open the Pokhara Restaurant on Lakeside. He says: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c32WjMV3InY">Pokhara International Airport</a> is about to be finished and there will be more Chinese tourists flying directly here. I am sure business will pick up.”

Chinese tourist influx to Nepal in 2020

<img width="1500" height="886" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a678d9c7e80680e0599e3jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>For<ol><li>Kathmandu airport is congested and saturated. It is now surrounded by the city and is not safe. Nepal urgently needs an alternative international airport.</li><li>Kathmandu is one-way-in, one-way-out for large jets. Planes have to circle for hours to land in Kathmandu, because poor visibility forces domestic flights to also line up for instrument approach. Nijgad would solve that problem and ease congestion.</li><li>Kathmandu airport is at 1,338m elevation. This forces load penalty on large jets, which cannot carry full passenger and fuel load at takeoff.</li><li>Steep terrain makes Kathmandu dangerous and unsuitable for the Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach. Nijgad is located in the plains 15-30km away from the Chure and Mahabharat ranges.</li><li>Nijgad lies along the proposed Himalaya 2 air route over Nepal, which will shorten flying distance between west and east Asia, and reduce congestion along north Indian air corridors. Having an airport on that route would improve safety.</li><li>Nijgad can be a prime ‘hub’ airport like Singapore, Dubai or Istanbul, which airlines can use for refuelling and stopovers. Nepal Airlines can pick up transit traffic, and thus prop up the country’s tourism.</li><li>International experts looked at Simara, Janakpur and other sites for a new international airport, and selected Nijgad because of its proximity to Kathmandu, terrain, distance to the Indian border and other factors.</li><li>Nijgad’s catchment area will include northern Bihar, and Indian nationals in that area will find it more convenient to take international flights from there.</li><li>Nijgad is located 30-40km from the Indian border, allowing planes to make approaches over Nepali territory.</li><li>The environment impact assessment (EIA) of Nijgad by the Department of Forests and Environment gave it a clean chit.</li><li>As a national pride project, Nijgad will transform Nepal’s economy in the coming decades, acting as a catalyst for employment and downstream services.</li><li>It is not true that 2.5 million trees will be cut for the airport. In the first phase, only 195,000 big trees and 575,000 small ones will be felled. For every tree cut, 25 more will be planted.</li><li>Nijgad is the most suitable site for an alternative airport because fewer people will be displaced, reducing the cost of compensation.</li><li>You cannot have an omelet without breaking eggs. You cannot have development without lopping off a few trees.</li><li>Tree-hugging activists sabotaged Arun III for a few butterflies, and now they want to sabotage Nijgad for a few elephants which can always find another way.</li></ol>Against<ol><li>The existing Kathmandu airport is already handling 7.3 million passengers per year. It can accommodate 10 million if properly managed and with simple upgrades. A three-phase, $240 million ADB-funded upgrade has been allowed to lapse to make Nijgad a fait accompli.</li><li>Extending existing taxiways to thresholds of RWY02 and 20 would streamline takeoffs and landings. Moving most short takeoff and landing (STOL) traffic to Ramechhap, or rehabilitating the old RWY34-16 for small planes, would reduce congestion and increase passenger capacity.</li><li>The proposed 300m extension of RWY02 would have solved that problem. Low fuel burn on new generation aircraft like the Boeing 787 and Airbus 350 would make long-haul flights possible.</li><li>Radar installations at Kathmandu and Bhattedanda have improved safety. Most international airlines flying into Kathmandu use the new RNAV approach, which is superior to ILS.</li><li>Himalaya 2 was first proposed in 2005, it is not yet operational. Even if it was, Nijgad would just be a waypoint on that air way. There are plenty of other airports within 15 minutes flying time in India for emergency landings.</li><li>The ‘hub’ model is now obsolete. International aviation has moved to the ‘point-to-point’ model because advances in technology allow longer-range planes. Besides, Nepal Airlines is not Emirates.</li><li>Nijgad is 80km from Kathmandu city centre. Even with the new expressway, passengers will incur additional travel time. Passengers catching a 8PM flight from Nijgad will have to leave Kathmandu latest at 3PM because of traffic.</li><li>But why would Indians want to go through Nepali customs and immigration?</li><li>Top of Descent (ToD) for planes flying at 36,000ft is 150km away from a destination. Nijgad would still require flights to coordinate with Indian air traffic control.</li><li>The EIA was a greenwash, and hurriedly copy-pasted from a hydropower project in Dolakha, according to a report in Kantipur.</li><li>Nijgad is not an airport project but a logging concession. A corrupt state that cannot even upgrade the Nagarkot road in 5 years has no right to take on a $6.5-billion project.</li><li>Nijgad is the last remaining native hardwood forest in the eastern Tarai. It is on the migratory route of wild elephants and is a critical corridor for other wildlife. This forest is unique and irreplaceable.</li><li>A valuable nature sanctuary will be destroyed, this has a cost. Simara airport 10km away can be expanded to accommodate 2 east-west runways without much logging.</li><li>It is not necessary to clear 80sqkm of forest and prevent 22,500 tons of carbon from being sequestered every year. There are alternatives.</li><li>The main argument against Nijgad is not environmental, although protecting wild elephants is important. It is an economic argument against a white elephant.</li></ol>Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/does-nepal-need-a-4th-international-airport/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Does Nepal need a 4th international airport?</a>, Om Astha Rai<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/chaos-at-airport-due-to-runway-repair/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chaos at airport due to runway repair</a>, Sharad Ojha<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/pokhara-nepals-new-aviation-gateway/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pokhara: Nepal’s new aviation gateway</a>, Kunda Dixit<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/sick-airport/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sick airport</a>, Dipak Gyawali

15 points for and against Nijgad Airport

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a94e59c7e80680e05dbddjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="953" height="760"/><figcaption>King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya with Jim Edwards in May 1988</figcaption></figure>It was the most splendid of glittering weddings. Fairy lights threaded through the bushes, candles glowed on the ivy-wrapped tables, oil lamps marked the stone flagged paths, and white cushions padded the benches arranged around the low garden walls.The stage setting enhanced the sequined saris, embroidered gowns, bare midriffs and gossamer shawls of the women, and men strutted in finest silk, high collars and gilded long jackets – an ambassador and husband in impossibly well-cut Italian suits. The diamonds dazzled, emeralds reflected the under-lit swimming pool and sapphires caught the blue of the fading sky. A thin sliver of moon hung suspended above the tiled and tiered rooftops as waiters glided by with laden platters and silver trays of drinks.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a94e89c7e80680e05dbdejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1023"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Ministers and politicians mixed comfortably with the assembled aristocrats, generals, entrepreneurs and diplomats. Everyone was here. I spotted political party leaders, retired Ranas, an eminent surgeon,  a son of Tenzing Norgay, and daughter of Toni Hagen.“The king is here!” A whisper rustled through the crowd.The pavilion door was guarded with Rottweiler zeal: only the chosen few guests were allowed in to meet their ex-majesties. The former queen appeared unusually animated, her greying hair drawn back from her pointed chin. Through the glass windows, we could see much deferential nodding, submissive bows and polite conversation with the dethroned Mr and Mrs Shah.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a94ec9c7e80680e05dbdfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3234" height="2320"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Later, when <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8371#.XblOs9Iza70">Gyanendra</a> came to leave, the chattering crowd parted, backing away spontaneously from the entourage with former feudal respect, but the royal couple were in relaxed and festive mode. Spotting me in the throng, he broke away and came over with a wide smile to shake my hand and exchange a few words before moving on with a light laugh.“Amazing, what a changed personality,” observed a seasoned guest. “Wow, what a smile – I have never seen his teeth before!”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a94ef9c7e80680e05dbe0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2876" height="2136"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Amidst the wedding reception hubbub, we reflected that in recent years he had not had much to laugh about. The personal cost of losing so many immediate family in the <a href="https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/three-kings-in-four-days-nepal-massacre">2001 massacre</a>, and the public price of losing a kingdom as the monarchy became a federal democratic republic -- <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepal-from-royal-to-republic,3736">albeit with minimal fuss or strife</a> when the moment came to vacate his palace and relinquish his privileges.A quick-draw friend sent me a snapshot (pictured) with the caption: ‘Taken in the heat of the moment. Picture of you and your old friend’ and a quizzical emoji.The royals and their guests were indeed frequent visitors to <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/So-far-so-good/back-to-Chitwan,1075">Tiger Tops</a> in the formerly ‘Royal’ Chitwan and Bardia National Parks when I was working there in the early days. With fanfare and formality, they would arrive with the usual trappings of jeepfuls of wardens, wildlife department, palace officials and security guards. Nepal’s absolute monarch was never referred to except as ‘His Majesty’ in the most hushed and venerated tone, even in private.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a94f29c7e80680e05dbe1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2812" height="2077"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>A frisson of excitement would reverberate through the camp at the news of a royal visit. The lodge and bar would be swept and spruced, the wood oiled and the brass polished. Tablecloths would be replaced, chick blinds repaired, petromaxes primed, white stones repainted and green uniforms tidied. Helicopter arrivals were a rare event, so grass would be cleared, the ground levelled and lime-marked with a big ‘H’. Our big boss, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/john-r-edwards-a-life-in-the-shadow/">Jim Edwards</a> would arrive from Kathmandu to host the visit, taking advantage of the opportunity for a little politicking on the side.Jim had started life in Nepal with a hunting company before turning conservationist when environmental conditions changed. The depletion of Nepal’s tiger, leopard, gaur and rhino populations was the result of their wild habitat shrinking to unsustainable levels with encroachment, disturbance and poaching.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a94f69c7e80680e05dbe2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2812" height="2077"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Jim appreciated the proclivity for hunting that ran deep through the veins of Nepal’s rulers, a culture of maharaja and vice-regal hunts testified by the volumes of trophy photographs stored in the Kaiser Library and displayed in Rana homes.Like many former hunters with a passion for the world’s wild places, the royal family spearheaded the conservation movement in Nepal. Under royal rule, Nepal’s exemplary protected area network was first established, encompassing landscapes in the high mountains, middle hills and Tarai plains, and preserving Nepal’s vast biodiversity in Palearctic and Indomalayan ecozones. Previously a prized royal hunting reserve, Chitwan was the country’s first national park declared in 1973 and South Asia’s first World Heritage Site in 1984.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a94f99c7e80680e05dbe3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="708" height="948"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>As the king’s younger brother, Gyanendra led His Majesty’s Government conservation efforts and served on the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8973#.XblPhNIza70">World Wildlife Fund international board</a>. In 1982 he founded King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation as a non-governmental and non-profit organisation, now the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), with innovative environmental and community-based solutions such as the Annapurna Conservation Area. Today protected areas cover over 20% of Nepal.Based in their rural palaces at Kasara park headquarters or on the river near Narayanghat, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8412#.XblQ5tIza70">King Birendra</a> and <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/from-nepali-press/A-suitable-prince,2423">Queen Aishwarya</a> would stop by for some quick refreshments as part of their jungle progression. But it was <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8973#.XblPhNIza70">Prince Gyanendra</a> who came most often. Hosting Prince Bernhard and the elite WWF 1001 Club for several days in Chitwan in 1977, we launched gharial crocodiles with Peter Scott, discussed tiger distribution with <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/So-far-so-good/Tigerman-tiger,930">Chuck McDougal</a> and arranged a private dinner for the group one perfect October evening in Jim’s private bungalow, resonant with night sounds vibrating in the surrounding forest.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a94fc9c7e80680e05dbe4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="780" height="577"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Not long after, Gyanendra brought the Indian Prime Minister’s son to stay. Rajiv Gandhi was still a quiet dedicated airline pilot before family pressure forced him into politics. In 1986 Gyanendra escorted Prince Philip to Tiger Tops during <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8301#.XblSYNIza70">Queen Elizabeth’s state visit</a>. Scratchy and acerbic, Philip growled at the press corps but was captivated by Chitwan’s wildlife and Nepal’s conservation gains.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a94fe9c7e80680e05dbe5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="929" height="747"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Hosting David Attenborough in Nirmal Niwas during the filming of a BBC nature series, we marvelled at Gyanendra’s collection of mounted hunting trophies. “Looks like this rhino charged through the wall then got stuck,” giggled Sir David as we were ushered through the entrance hall.So perhaps not “old friends”, but in a radically changed world, certainly old acquaintances with an enduring jungle connection.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181140/636a95019c7e80680e05dbe6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1512" height="2016"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Read <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8973#.XblPhNIza70">Nepali Times interview with then Prince Gyanendra</a> during the World Wildlife Fund Annual Meeting in Kathmandu in November 2000.

Lisa Choegyal

Champions of Nepal’s conservation movement

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161120/636922599c7e80680e03a123jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1560" height="1170"/>How does <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/half-full/re-imagining-tourism-in%20nepal,1103" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tourism industry</a> intersect with local governments in a federal state? <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/Patan-town-as-a-museum-piece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patan</a> and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/clash-of-cultures-in-bhaktapur/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bhaktapur</a> have shown the way by their municipalities working with <a href="http://www.nathm.edu.np/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management</a> (NATHM) to meet the demand for tour groups in various languages.There is an increasing demand for guides who can help visitors understand the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/saving-the-intangible,3303" target="_blank" rel="noopener">history and culture</a> of the places they visit in Kathmandu Valley. Increasingly because of the changing nature of the source countries, guides are needed who are fluent in Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, or Russian.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161120/6369225c9c7e80680e03a124jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="853">Nepal wants to attract <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/bringing-in-two-miilion-tourists,3551" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2 million tourists in the next two years</a>, and all the emphasis has been on the hardware: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/does-nepal-need-a-4th-international-airport/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airports</a>, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/boom-time-in-central-terai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hotels</a> and highways. How about software like training for the hospitality industry?Guide training will not just meet demands from visitors, but will also <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-moves-from-aid-to-enterprise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">create jobs closer to home for young Nepalis</a> who may otherwise be tempted to <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/nepals-number-one-export-nepali-people,4103" target="_blank" rel="noopener">migrate</a>. But, as good as the intentions behind this initiative may be, it will take some time to build trust and a system where the local tour guides and the tourists will benefit from each other.Local tourism committees and the municipalities in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/bhaktapur-shows-the-way-by-rebuilding-itself/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bhaktapur</a> and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/12-full-opinion/marketing-the-intangible/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patan</a> are trying to work out the fee structures, bookings, the ratings, uniforms, visible ID cards. Guides do not just need to be well versed in the history and the culture of Kathmandu Valley towns, they also need to know how to improvise.During a training session last week at Bhaktapur Darbar Square at 8 am, the big bell began to ring. Like any good tourist, the trainees were asked what the ringing signified. The answer was that the bell was ringing for morning prayers at the Taleju Temple. While locals knew the answer, the guides had to be trained to anticipate such questions.Vocabulary can be a limiting factor for tour guides since they are not explaining in their mother tongues. While being trained in the iconography of the Narasimha, all the guides knew the items Vishnu held in his four arms, but translating it all into English or Mandarin can be a real challenge.The trainees have begun to develop their own personalised thesaurus that they will be expanding on over the next few years. This was a also a good time to introduce Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘ten thousand hour rule’ to young Nepalis, who are in a big hurry to succeed. It will take the trainees 10,000 hours of hard work if they are to become the best tour guides in Nepal.Providing context to the visitors was another challenge for the trainees. How much context should be given without overwhelming visitors with information? What was happening in their own country during the heydays of the kingdom of Bhaktapur? Why are the countries from where the tourists come wealthy, while Nepal slipped into poverty and feudalism? What were the key events that changed the history of the world and Nepal in particular? Guides therefore need to have a much broader general knowledge, and not just the specifics of one place.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161120/6369225f9c7e80680e03a125jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="853">To become a really good tour guide, they also need to know about the present relevance of the monuments, spaces and the <a style="background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" href="https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/cultural-evolution" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cultural events</a>. Why are we able to give continuity to some festivals while others struggled to exist? Why, for example, did we stop maintaining water sources at the Valley rim every 12 years as we used to? Was it because we got piped drinking water, or was there something else?History is generally considered to be a boring list of kings and their reigns. Histroy is no longer a popular subject at university; last year only one student enrolled in history at TU. Therefore, bringing a historical city to life is not as easy as it seems. But it can be done.If we are to truly benefit from sightseeing tourism, we need guides who have that breadth of knowledge to explain our heritage to the world. This means tourists who spend more, who buy souvenirs, eat, and rent bed and breakfast pensiones. They check their bucket list and they will go back and tell others to come. Many will come back if the tour guide can provide the context. This would benefit Nepal’s economy and not just provide income for tour guides and their families. The most difficult thing about culture seems to be able to say: “I do not know, but I will find out.”Anil Chitrakar is President of Siddharthinc.Read also:<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/bringing-in-two-miilion-tourists,3551" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2 million by 2020</a>, Shreejana Shrestha<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/half-full/re-imagining-tourism-in%20nepal,1103" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Re-imagining tourism</a>, Anil Chitrakar<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/12-full-opinion/marketing-the-intangible/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marketing the intangible</a>, Anil Chitrakar <img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161120/636922629c7e80680e03a126jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1560" height="1170">

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Champions of Nepal’s conservation movement

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