FRONTLINE: TOURISM

Friday, February 11, 2011

TOURISM

I see no change whatsoever. It is business as usual, but yes the slogan is new andattractive: Robert, anthropologist, France

With the beginning of 2011, the government has begun a mega event of the year...Nepal Tourism Year 2011. On this occasion, the government has planned to invite one million visitors to the country. But a big question is, has the government done enough homework before setting out for such an over ambitious target? To find the answer of this question, FRONTLINE reporter Achala Sharma ambled around Lakeside, and spoke with some western visitors. Let’s get their views:
       Gilbert and Miley Wolfe (I’m pretty sure misspelling their last name) were the first couple to meet on my way to Lakeside. Gilbert is Swiss and beautiful. And Miley hails from Russia. It is the second visit to Nepal for Gilbert, whereas it is the first visit for Miley. And ‘NO’ they didn’t know all fuss about TOURISM YEAR 2011 (Where did all the publicity go?) Before they took to their way, they said Pokhara was much better than Kathmandu.
      Robert is from France. He is an anthropologist by profession. He looked serious and said: "I have been visiting Nepal for the last two decades or so. I have seen many changes in the course of time. I could only see that Nepal has been constantly losing its natural beauty, for which it is known to the world. I think the government has done almost no preparation to make NTY 2011 a success." Well, before I could ask him a few more questions, he briskly walked away, leaving me flabbergasted.
      Outside Mike’s Restaurant, I met this elderly gentleman. I began chatting with him only to know that he did not understand what I said to him. Upon hearing his accent, I asked him if he was French, he said that he was an Italian. Anyway, my guess was right to some extent. This was Leonardo’s 7th visit to Nepal, which made me pretty sure of the fact that he was a volunteer. When asked about the difference he observed between his visits. He said: "New streets….new buildings, new people." And he was aware of Nepal Tourism Year 2011. And when asked about his view on the preparations, he said "For a country like Nepal…Yeah, it is enough."
      And then I met this woman. A cute baby slung across her shoulder, but I forgot to address the baby, becauseI didn’t want to freak out the baby, lest her mother walked away. Stephanie from America was on her second visit to Nepal. And she too knew about Nepal Tourism Year. When asked about her experience about the mega event, she quipped, "I don’t know…It is pretty quiet. I expected more people." (Honestly, we all expected that.)
       I stumbled upon Michael, it was his first visit to Nepal, and he looked extremely glad while ambling around Lakeside. When asked about NTY, he could not say much, but he said that the local businesspersons at Lakeside don’t miss any opportunity to fleece western tourists. (Oh, very bad).
      And the person who talked merrily was Neil, but so sad I forgot to click his photograph. "I learnt about Nepal on internet. Then I decided to visit this beautiful country" said Neil and added, "KATHMANDU IS UGLY. Pokhara is beautiful, but its rubbish should be managed properly. (Tell this to Municipality officers) . Neil liked paragliding very much, but at the same time, he complained about its charges. "It is bit expensive" and before departing, he flashed a brilliant smile and said "KHUSI LAGYO".
　
　
　
　

No comments:

STUDENT'S COLUMN: GLOBAL WARMING: Is it the end? WINNING ARTICLE OF THE MONTH

Ozone layer of the atmosphere, which protects the Earth for the sun’s detrimental UV (Ultra-Violet) rays. The major effect of global warming is rise in sea level, which may cause floods and sinking of coastal areas and Islands.

That does not mean that only the coastal areas will be affected. Many other factors like Irregular weather pattern, desertification of grasslands, melting of snow in Mountains etc. will affect the whole Earth.

After people hear all this they assume that, the end is coming and there is no way to stop it, but what they need to know is that there is time to prevent it and save the Earth. The major cause of Global warming is the release of greenhouse-gasses from various sources.

Many think that the major cause of greenhouse gas formation are the large factories and industries and that they can’t do anything to stop it. But they should know that small changes in their life-style can contribute to save the planet. For example, you can switch to fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, you can turn off idle switches , you can stroll to nearby places instead of taking bus, cab or your own vehicle, you can start recycling and reusing, you can plant trees in your backyard and you can stop using polythene.

That won’t possibly be hard right? Scientists are studying the rate of increase in the Earth’s temperature, the rate of decrease in the Sun’s temperature, the rate of decrease in petroleum fuel using vehicles and the approximate time left until the next ice-age and after much study they have drawn a conclusion that we have a good deal of time left until “Thy apocalypse is upon us”.

So you can stop thinking about taking out all your savings and going to Vegas, because it is not too late to change your ways.

SAJJAN SHARMA

Class:9

SOS Herman Gminer School, Pokhara

(CONGRATULATIONS: Please contact the office of FRONTLINE to collect your PRIZE)

In the land of Buddha!

The nation is celebrating 2553rd birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha. This is the moment of joy and happiness and also a day to remember the Buddha. He was born in Nepal but loved and respected all over the world with profound reverence. Buddha is the apostle of love, peace, and non-violence.
In his entire life he preached about no god, no religion but love, peace and non-violence. Because he knew only these three things can bring peace and prosperity all over the world. During his time many brave kings laid the weapons before Buddha and embraced non-violence, and lived peacefully with the neighboring countries.
One great example is emperor Ashoka the great. He was the most influential emperor during his time. He fought many bloody wars and slain uncountable enemies. But soon he realized the futility of war and the transient nature of the world. Due to the influence of Buddha’s teachings, emperor Ashoka could realize the truth and also the real meaning and purpose of life.
His hunger for wealth, power and fame evaporated like dues under the first rays of the sunlight. Most unfortunately, we have forgotten Buddha’s teachings. His teachings of love, peace and non-violence have remained in books or slogans only. There is no peace in the country and one Nepali is killing another in the name of caste, community and region.
The nation is burning and there is unrest everywhere. The sense of insecurity has gripped the people and we students go to school under the shadow of fear and anxiety. What we read in the books about the teachings of Buddha is completely missing out in the real life. The meaning of peace and love has been hijacked by violence and hatred.
Buddha must be weeping seeing such a sorrowful condition of his country. If we really want to celebrate Buddha Jayanti then let’s take a pledge today that we will give up violence and hatred and embrace love and peace. This could only be a true tribute to Buddha on such an auspicious occasion.
To sum up in few words, to store peace and harmony in the world Buddha’s teachings are more imperative today than ever before!
ANUJ THAPA
Class: X
Global Collegiate Higher Secondary School

My favorite football player

Football is the most popular game in the world. Many players play football. Among them, I like one player. He is a goalkeeper.
A goalkeeper tries to check the ball from going inside the goal post. He is Oliver Kahn. He can be called the best keeper in the history of football. He is a German player.
He got Golden Ball in 2002 and Golden Glove in 2006 world cup. He retired in 2006 after the world cup was held in Germany.
RITESH PAUDEL
Class: 4 Roll No.22
Gandaki Boarding School, Pokhara

Mercy Killing: Right or Wrong?

The word mercy killing has been derived from a Greek word Euthanasia. It means good death. It was, in the past, practiced on animals to kill them with minimum possible pain. And this practice was quite popular in Greek and many other countries for a long time.
But in the recent time mercy killing is not only limited among the animals, but it is also applied on human beings suffering from incurable diseases. Some odd ten countries have legalized the practice of mercy killing.
However, it is illegal in most of the countries. In fact there is a complete set of legal system to be followed before one is granted mercy killing. The first prerequisite of mercy killing is that a team of doctors should be convinced whether a demand of peaceful death is right or not. And patient’s consent is the must.
But there have been recorded cases of mercy killing against the wishes of the victim as well. Some social activists strongly condemn mercy killing. They say it is more like voluntary suicide or involuntary murders. Most think that deliberate death is always wrong.
There are still many people who think that mercy killing is good in the sense that it relieves one from extreme pain when a person’s quality of life is deteriorated beyond repair. Nevertheless, I do strongly condemn the practice of mercy killing.
It is against the law of nature. We can’t lose hope as medical science has been taking a galloping stride. A cure of any incurable disease is only the matter of time. Any moment medical science can find a cure of any incurable disease.
Hence, doctors and relatives of the patients must have patience. And be optimistic. There is always a morning with a bright light.
SHARMILA UPADHAYA
BBA-8
Pokhara Collage of Technology

Street children

Nepal is a small country full of natural beauty. But this is also true that many people are suffering a lot. There are many people doing labor work to run their household purpose. But a few people are lucky enough to lead a luxurious and comfortable life. Nepal’s condition is not good. Moreover, the small children are found in the streets. It’s difficult to live without parents love in their childhood. We can fear difficulties for those children who do not have parents’ love in their lives. To survive, they sometimes steal foods from shops, or eat dirty food lying on the floor. Their clothes are too dirty while some of them don’t even have clothes to put on. Poor children! They live a very miserable life. Tears roll down from my eyes, as they have to sleep, shivering in the cold streets at nights. Huge numbers of poor children die each year due to hunger, cold, lack of care and suffering from many diseases. They feel themselves very unlucky to lead such miserable life and often wish for death. Has god created them to live such miserable life? They do have right to live a happy life, don’t they? Isn’t there any justice for them? At last imagine how miserable and difficult would our life be if we were in their places?
SANDEEP KC
Class 9B ,
Tops Higher Secondary School

FRONTLINE

FRONTLINE

Friday, February 11, 2011

TOURISM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Blog Archive

Followers