As Covid-19 wrecks the industry, a nostalgic look back at Boris Lissanevitch and his Royal Hotel Not since the early 1950s have we had zero tourists arrive in Kathmandu Valley. The combination of hostile geography and cautious politics had effectively…
Articles
Biplanes and balloons over Mt Everest
Let’s let our imagination soar during lockdown and remember those reckless men in their flying machines The early 1930s were an era of aviation achievements when Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, Richard E Byrd reached the poles and Amy Johnson…
The silent skies
Remembering Ang Tshiring Sherpa 1964-2019 One side effect of the silent skies over past months, other than tipping tourism and aviation into freefall, is that Nepal’s air safety record is greatly improved. Last week marked the sombre anniversary of the…
Sorting through history for the Yeti
Whether it exists or not, this mythical monster of Himalayan folklore is Nepal’s top tourist attraction Great grey clouds steal the light and weigh down the sky — no chance of glimpsing any passing comet or rising moon. Relentless rain…
Hippie Trail nostalgia in Kathmandu
The dusty overland vans were parked between rickshaws, tiger taxis, lounging bulls and grazing goats Perhaps it’s the reflective, introspective mood brought on by the lockdown, or the re-examination of history as we seek to define Nepal’s border limits, but…




