Sundarijal-Chisapani-Nagarkot-Kathmandu

If you have a short time and want to go for a trek, the Chisapani-Nagarkot Trekking is the best option for you. You can view the mountains, sloppy hills, plain lands, and other breath-taking views.

Sundarijal is considered the doorway of trekking routes to Nagarkot, Helambu, Gosainkunda and the Langtang National Park. Talking about the Shivapuri National Park, it will blessed with a temperate and subtropical climate which is also rich in wildlife and plants such as oak, pine and rhododendron as well as varieties of orchids, mushrooms, butterflies, bird species, rare animals like jungle cats, sloth bear, leopard, monkeys etc.

Photo: Nepal Tourism Board

Here is the synopsis of trekking

Day 01: Kathmandu – Sundarijal – Chisapani (Walking distance 4-5 hrs)

The trek starts from the Sundarijal. There is an adequate transportation facility from Kathmandu to reach Sundarijal, situated at the altitude of 135 meters. On the top of the Shivapuri ridge at an altitude of 1895 meters, you will find the Tamang settlement. From there, one can have a spectacular panoramic view of the Kathmandu Valley. After passing through an army camp, beyond Mulkharka the trekking enters the Shivapuri National Park. The hiking of the day ends at Chisapani (2300m).

Day 02: Chisapani – Nagarkot (walking distance 5-7hrs):

After a light breakfast at Chisapani, one can follow the flat trails for about 3 hours and can descend down to reach to Chowki Bhanjyang. From the Chowki Bhanjyang, the route to Nagarkot has several ups and downs. After a trek of around 2 hours, once can reach Nagarkot — situated at an altitude of 2175 m. Nagarkot provides the grand stand panoramic views of the Himalayas. From there, one can see peaks like Lhotse (8516 m.), Cho Oyu (8201 m.), Makalu (8463 m.) Manaslu (8163 m.), among others.

Photo: Nepal Tourism Board

Day 03: Nagarkot – Changunarayan – Kathmandu (Walking distance 2-3 hrs):

If you want to visit one of the famous temples located in Bhaktapur, Changunarayan Temple — listed in the world heritage site — is another option. It is believed that this temple was constructed in the 15th century. After visiting this temple, one can come down to Bhaktapur to have a stroll of the Bhaktapur Durbar Square too, which is full of arts and culture. There are many monuments of historical significance such as the Five Story Temple known as Nyatapola, 55 Window-Palace, Golden Gate, Lion Gate, and several other places to see. From Bhaktapur, one can come back to Kathmandu.

KATHMANDU: Main opposition Nepali Congress has lashed out at the government saying that it betrayed the Nepali citizens by not arresting the culprit involved in the rape-and-murder of the Nirmala case, reported Annapurna daily.

The government violated the agreements singed with Dr Govinda KC and betrayed the Madhesi people by not keeping to its promises made with them regarding the amendment of the Constitution, the report further said.

Annapurna daily has highlighted the news of a newborn found in a dustbin on the Pashupati premises. The baby was found six months ago.

KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Wednesday appointed Udaya Raj Pandey to the post of Nepal’s Ambassador to Malaysia.

The President appointed Pandey to the post as per Article 282 of the Constitution and on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, the Office of the President has said.

KATHMANDU: The government has adjusted a total of 662 Joint-Secretaries as per the Civil Servant Adjustment Ordinance-2075.

Spokesperson at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Suresh Adhikari informed that the adjustment of the Joint-Secretaries was made after the approval by the cabinet on the adjustment proposal.

While 560 were adjusted to the federal government, 102 have been adjusted to province governments as per the application submitted online by the Joint-Secretaries.

A total of 47,920 civil servants are being adjusted in federal government, while 22,755 in the provincial level and 67,503 in local level.

SEOUL: Officials signed a short-term agreement on Sunday to boost South Korea’s contribution towards the upkeep of U.S. troops on the peninsula following the lapse of a previous deal amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for the South to pay more.

According to Reuters, the new deal must still be approved by South Korea’s parliament, but it would boost its contribution to 1.03 trillion won from 960 billion won in 2018.

Unlike past agreements, which lasted for five years, this one is scheduled to expire in a year, potentially forcing both sides back to the bargaining table within months.

“It has been a very long process, but ultimately a very successful process,” South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said at a meeting before another official from the foreign ministry initialed the agreement.

While acknowledging lingering domestic criticism of the new deal and the need for parliamentary approval, Kang said the response had “been positive so far”.

About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, where the United States has maintained a military presence since the 1950-53 Korean War.

The U.S. State Department senior adviser for security negotiations and agreements, Timothy Betts, met Kang before signing the agreement on behalf of the United States and told her the money represented a small but important part of South Korea’s support for the alliance.

“The United States government realizes that South Korea does a lot for our alliance and for peace and stability in this region,” he said.

The allies had struggled to reach a breakthrough despite 10 rounds of talks since March, amid Trump’s repeated calls for a sharp increase in South Korea’s contribution.

South Korean officials have said they had sought to limit its burden to 1 trillion won and make the accord valid for at least three years.

If we portray bad images for our religious and civilized sense, don’t others think we lack civil sense?

Civic sense has been an issue that has been widely discussed in South Asian countries, including Nepal. In fact, this is one of the topics that most Nepalis do not care much for it.

There is no denying the fact that Nepalis lack a sense of responsibility or civic sense. This sort of attitude is widespread across all ranks and sections because this is an issue that does not come from just strict enforcement of the law. It needs a sense of responsibility or a sense of belonging and accountability.

Nepalis are accustomed to blaming the government for all mess. People are so more driven toward a personal goal that even educated or well-to-do folks forget their ethics. Yes, people pay taxes but this does not mean that they can spit, litter, urinate or throw garbage everywhere. You don’t have to go too far.

Just stroll inside the premises of Singha Durbar, the government’s secretariat to witness and experience spit marks, the stink of urine, graffiti, garbage, etc. Kathmandu, the country’s capital, has been one of the victims of this menace. Question is: who is responsible? Pinning everything on the government is easy. But have we ever asked ourselves and our civic sense? Perhaps not!

Let me cite some examples. Roads are dirty because people dirtied it since we don’t throw garbage in dustbins. Streets are jammed because we don’t follow lanes and traffic rules because everyone, including drivers and pedestrians, assumes that the street belongs to them.

There is sound pollution because we honk horns gratuitously. There is environmental pollution because we smoke in public places because the government has not designated smoking zones.

The list can go on from peeing near the roadside, not waiting in the queue, spitting or littering everywhere, not using zebra-crossing or over-head bridges, not helping physically-unable people, not respecting others’ rights, not being polite to elders, etc.

In fact, this hideous attitude is not just limited to so-called lower class people but even so-called members of the higher class or well-off society tend to forget their moral responsibility.

Whether it is on the streets, banks, cinema halls, bus stops, parks, public places, (the list goes on) the majority of the Kathmanduites have absolutely no respect for public property. This is one of the reasons why our streets get clogged up during monsoon.

When civic sense is absent in citizens, it leads to problems. In Nepal, the primary cause is that people disregard law because there are no instances of people being punished for committing civic offenses.

Local administration cannot tackle these issues since it is overshadowed by “who cares” attitude! Problems begin when we think: “When our homes and courtyards are clean, why bother about throwing garbage on the streets?” People are so driven towards personal goals to care about civic sense.

Therefore, it is high time that students be well-informed about civic sense both in schools and homes. Good parenting can be the other major factor to help a child develop a sense of responsibility and societal norms. Civic sense does not just come from through enforcement of the law.

It is all about a sense of being responsible and a sense of ownership. It is all about social ethics, love and respect, politeness, responsibility, showing good etiquette – not just keeping our roads or public property clean.

KATHMANDU: The Department of Foreign Employment has blacklisted a total of 67 manpower companies supplying Nepalese migrant workers to various destination countries.

The Department took action following complaints lodged by migrant workers, according to Dilip Kumar Chapagain, Director at the Department.

The black listed companies were sending migrant workers to countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arab, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, among others. Companies sending migrant workers to Malaysia top the list totaling 52.

The Department acted upon finding that the companies were not complying with the arrangements for workers mentioned in the contract paper. That means the department now will not issue labor permits to those companies.

“Even the diplomatic missions at the destination countries where the companies operate are notified of the action against them,” said Chapagain.

The black listed companies were sending migrant workers to countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arab, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, among others. Companies sending migrant workers to Malaysia top the list totaling 52.

A record maintained by the Department shows that over 2,000 workers were in trouble at the destination countries due to negligence on the part of the manpower companies at home. The Department has been rescuing over 50 migrant distraught workers from abroad.

Kathmandu’s weather is expected to clear from Sunday, Republica has reported. The newspaper has said that the winter rain and snowfall in various parts of the country will continue until Saturday. There will be light to moderate rain across the country and snowfall expected in high hills.

According to the report. this winter rain has been caused by westerly disturbance which will stop in the western parts of the country after two days.

From Sunday, the weather will be clear in in the eastern region of the country.

HONGKONG: The death of Gerald Cotton, 30, the Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of Quadirga and co-founder of Canada’s biggest crypto currency exchange, having a sole password, has left a huge stash of crypto currencies locked off from the people who own them. He died because of complications arising from Crohn’s disease while traveling in India, according to CNN.
Quadriga, which is based on Vancouver, has said it’s unable to gain access to $145 million of bitcoin and other digital assets, according to CNN. Many of the digital currencies held by Quadriga are stored offline in accounts known as “cold wallets,” a way of protecting them from hackers. Cotten is the only person with access to the wallets, according to the company.

Cotten’s death has plunged Quadriga into crisis and left it struggling to figure out how to refund more than 100,000 of its users. On Tuesday, the company said it was granted creditor protection in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court as it tries to sort out its financial mess. Cotten’s widow, Jennifer Robertson, said that the laptop that Cotten used to run the currency exchange is encrypted, according to a copy of her affidavit posted online by cryptocurrency news site CoinDesk.

Quadriga also owes about 70 million Canadian dollars ($53 million) in cash that it’s unable to pay back, Jeniffer said, citing difficulties accessing funds through the traditional banking system, CNN has said.

(With inputs from CNN)

KATHMANDU: The Meteorological Forecasting Division has predicted overcast skies with light to heavy rain in parts of the country, including Kathmandu valley, for three days.

The change in weather pattern has been attributed to the western disturbance, an extra-tropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter rain.

According to a three-day weather forecast released by the MFD, the western disturbance is expected to usher in a spell of light to moderate rain across the country, mainly in parts of the western region tonight. It has also forecast light to moderate snowfall in high hilly and mountainous areas of the western and central regions. (The Himalayan Times)