At an altitude of 2,843 meters (9,325 feet), the small airstrip here has earned a reputation as one of the most extreme and dangerous airports in the world. The single runway is narrow, short and sloped. Miss the runway by a few meters (or feet) and the plane would hit a mountain.

Several flights get ready to take off after a couple of days of bad weather disrupted flight services at Lukla airport, Nepal. Pic: AP.

“After you cross the river there is no turning back, you have to land,” said Pramod Poudel, a Tara Air pilot who has flown hundreds of these flights to Lukla.

Carved out of the side of a mountain, the airport was built by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1965 — 12 years after he became the first man to conquer the world’s highest peak — to help the local yak herders known as Sherpas spur development in the impoverished area.

Now what once was a dirt strip is one of Nepal’s busiest airports, the Tenzing-Hillary Airport — named as well for Hillary’s climbing partner Tenzing Norgay. The thousands of mountaineers and trekkers who visit the Everest region have to fly to the airport if they want to avoid a daylong bus trip from Katmandu and five days of trekking to reach here.

The airport has handled up to 79 flights on one day — far beyond the acceptable capacity for such a facility, said Rinji, the airport’s air traffic controller, who, like most Sherpas in the Everest region, uses only one name.

“It is really challenging, because of the geographical location of the airport and high mountains that surround it. Topography is challenging and the traffic volume is challenging,” said Rinji. “There is little space for aircraft to maneuver because of the high mountains and narrow valley.”

Poudel, the pilot, said he and his colleagues need to concentrate hard when landing on the single runway, which is less than 500 meters (yards) long, slopes some 12 degrees and is barely 20 meters (65 feet) wide.

“Because there is no way to go around again, we have to calculate many things like air speed, tail wind, fog,” he said. “If you don’t do the proper calculation or proper exercise, then it” — meaning an accident — “happens.”

The airport can only handle special short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft like the Twin Otter or Dronier that take about 18 passengers. It has room for only four of these planes to be parked at one time.

The runway is one-way for both takeoff and landing. Aircraft have to land from the southwest and take off toward the northeast because at the end of one side of the runway is a mountain. When winds are blowing in an unfavorable direction, all takeoffs and landings have to stop.

Crashes are not uncommon.

In 2008, 18 people were killed when a Twin Otter plane belonging to the domestic Yeti Airlines smashed into the side of the runway and caught fire while trying to land in heavy fog. Investigators said the pilot should not have attempted to land in those conditions.

In August 2010, 14 people were killed when a Dronier belonging to the domestic Agni Air crashed after it was forced to turn around due to bad weather conditions at Lukla. In May 2004, another Yeti Airlines Twin Otter crashed while approaching Lukla, killing all three occupants in an accident blamed on heavy cloud buildup and pilot misjudgment.

One plane was unable to stop on the short runway and smashed into a wall. Another skidded off the runway. A third lost its front landing gear as it tried to land and skidded down the runway, forcing the airport to shut for two days. No one was killed in those crashes.

In addition to trekkers, the flights bring in food, construction materials, beer and other supplies required by the local population in this poor area.

And it has changed life here.

Once a tiny village, Lukla now has 3,000 people, many of them drawn to tourism work. Sherpas wait outside the airport hoping to be hired as porters by trekkers staying in the mountains for anywhere from a few days to a month.

But the burgeoning population attracted by the airport has also created severe drinking water shortages and sewage problems. And when a curtain of fog descends on the airport during the popular October trekking season, flights can be cancelled for days. As many as 2,500 passengers have been left stranded here with little food and no accommodation.

Even on its best days, the airport is open for only a few hours.

A man named Funru said his father once owned the land where the airport sits and helped Hillary dig the airstrip.

“When I first began working at the airport, it used to be nothing like this. It was like a river bank. Every evening we had to collect rocks and fill the potholes so flights could land the next morning,” Funru said.

- Associated Press

copy from http://asiancorrespondent.com

This year was the deadliest on Mount Everest since 12 climbers died on the mountain in 1996. But storms and avalanches were not the culprit. Instead, congestion in the Death Zone combined with inexperience resulted in a half-dozen deaths in just one May weekend.

He takes off his oxygen mask and takes a couple of careful breaths. His throat quickly begins to constrict. The air is so thin that Aydin Irmak, 46, feels as if he were suffocating. He quickly puts the mask back on. Then he looks around. Is this the place, he wonders? Irmak is walking across a slightly sloping area of ice, under a deep blue sky. He sees a small glass case with a Buddha statue inside. Yes, this is the place. Irmak is standing on the summit of Mount Everest.

The date is May 19, 2012, the temperature is minus 37 degrees Celsius (minus 34.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and the wind is icy. The highest point on earth, at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet), is a godforsaken place. Irmak is the last of 176 climbers to have reached the summit on this day. The others are already making their descent. When he encountered a group on his way up, one climber shouted to him: “Turn around!” But he kept on walking.

There is one rule on Mount Everest: Those who haven’t summited by 1 p.m. should turn around. Severe storms often develop as evening approaches. Besides, it’s extremely dangerous to spend too much time in the thin air of the so-called death zone, above 8,000 meters.

Irmak is standing on the summit at shortly before 3 p.m. He has never been on a tall mountain before, and he feels a little woozy. Irmak, who has a bicycle business in New York, doesn’t know anything about the storms on Everest. Until a few weeks ago, he didn’t know what crampons were, either.

Irmak has brought along a small flag, which he sticks into the snow. Then he pulls a digital camera out of the pocket of his down suit. There must be enough time left to take a picture of himself at the summit, he thinks, but the camera isn’t working. Irmak removes his right glove to manipulate the battery compartment. A strong gust of wind hits him from behind, and his glove sails off into the abyss below.

Alive but Exhausted

Irmak is all alone on the peak of Mount Everest. He’s up there much later than he should be. He has lost his right glove, and he has no idea how he’s going to get back down.

When he begins his descent at about 3:30 p.m., the next expedition teams are already preparing for the ascent, 900 meters below at Camp 4, the last camp before the summit.

Pemba Jangbu Sherpa’s agency has assigned him to 24-year-old alpinist Nadav Ben-Jehuda, who hopes to become the youngest Israeli ever to climb Everest. Pemba is being paid $6,000 (?4,608) for the job, and will get another $2,000 if his client reaches the summit.

Pemba and his client set out in the evening, hoping to reach the summit by the next morning. They’re unaware of the tragedy that is unfolding above them.

The two men are making good progress. It’s cold, and the wind is blowing at about 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph). At 10 p.m., at 8,300 meters, they encounter Chinese climber Ha Wenyi. The 55-year-old owner of an import/export business is sitting in the snow off to the side of the route, and his oxygen bottle is empty. He is alive, but he’s completely exhausted. Pemba, the guide, helps him reattach himself to the fixed rope. Then he and Ben-Jehuda continue their ascent.

Everest Disaster Survivor Retraces Climb Watch Video

Everest: Lessons From the Mountain Watch Video

Mt. Everest Pioneer Dies Watch Video

Copy from

http://abcnews.go.com

By Lukas Eberle, SPIEGEL
Oct. 7, 2012

Mount Everest

Nepal is seeking help from the international community to settle a long-running dispute about the height of Mount Everest, officials have said.

China has long argued about how the peak’s height should be measured, and the countries appeared to have agreed Nepal’s figure of 8,848m in 2010.

The dispute has never seemed fully settled, however, and shifting geology in the region could also add confusion.

Nepal is now seeking international help to support a new, official measurement.

With outside funding, expertise and equipment, it hopes to complete the job and finally, quantitatively settle the matter within the next couple of years.

“Since we lack the capacity to do the job on our own, we are preparing a project plan with the request for donors and we will soon be sending them out,” Krishna Raj BC, director general of Nepal’s Survey Department, told BBC News.

He said the three-year project was finally getting underway, with much remaining to be done.

“Funding and technology have been the main constraints. We don’t have, for instance, the equipment that works in a place with -45C temperature,” he said.

“We basically need data from gravity instruments, levelling points and the global positioning system (GPS) to get a complete picture.

“For all these technologies to work, first there has to be infrastructure in places like the Everest base camp, and then we need to mobilise Sherpas up and down the mountain with someone who can handle all those technologies.

“And then finally, the data will have to be processed in such a way that it will be acceptable to the international scientific community.”

Height of controversy

The need for a fresh measurement has arisen mainly as a result of the dispute with China, which rules Tibet, on whose borders the mountain range also sits.

China had argued the world’s highest mountain was nearly 4m shorter than Nepal’s official figure, contending it should be measured to its rock height.

Nepal has said that the snow height should also be included, as with other peaks in the world.

The disagreement surfaced in past meetings on the two countries’ Himalayan borders, and recently scheduled talks on the matter were postponed.

Nepali officials say even if the issue of Everest comes up during border talks, they will stick to what Nepal maintains is the official height of the mountain.

But they also say a fresh measurement has become necessary to “set the record straight once and for all.”

Geologists say the Himalayan peaks are young and still growing as the Indian subcontinent slides under the Eurasian plate, causing the mountains to rise further.

Officials said a Danish university and an Italian NGO were already trying to help the Survey Department to make formal measurements.

But they added that these foreign organisations have limited funds and capacity to offer, and therefore more support from international community is required.

They said it was yet to be decided how much funding would be sought, and some critics have said the project may become too donor-dependent.

“The project to measure the height of the Everest is being developed in such a way that Nepalese officials and experts will have quite less say,” said Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, a border expert and former director general of the Survey Department.

“This project will be basically about foreigners doing the job for us even when we have technology, software, and expertise to do so much on our own.”

The height of Everest has been disputed ever since the first measurement was made in 1856, with the broadly accepted height of 8,848m first recorded by an Indian survey in 1955.

In 1999, an American team used GPS technology and recorded a height of 8,850 metres – a figure now used by the US National Geographic Society – but again, Nepal did not accept that and continued to use its own official figure.

By Navin Singh Khadka Environment reporter, BBC News

honey hunter

Nepal is the country with diversity in it’s  land form, culture  and variation in occupation they inherited from the past to present. Honey hunting is the bravery act of the great Nepali people who use to live in the top of the world, the yard of great Himalayas.  They play tactfully with one of the most angry creature on this earth. This act is not only the occupation for their life but also the art of their planning and bravery to achieve the sweat honey from the heart threatening cliffs,clinging on the rope of bamboo. There are so many tribes like, Gurung, sharpa etc.. who opt these kind of job from past to till now.

From above, a honey hunter descends the cliff harnessed to a ladder by ropes. As his mates secure the rope and ladder from the top and ferry tools up down as required, the honey hunter fights territorial bees as he cuts out chunks of honey from the comb.

For hundreds of years, the skills required to perform this treacherous task have been passed down through the generations. But now both the bees and traditional honey hunters are in short supply, according to scientist.

It is the real and frequent activity of indigenous Gurung and Magar Community in Bhujung and Pasgaon for honey hunting from which they are able to solve their problem of bread and butter. This ancestral job of honey hunting still continues in many remote villages of Nepal while offering high tourism potential. A large section of travelers are increasingly showing their interest in honey hunting thereby ensuring staple sources of local revenue generation, besides Ghalegoan Bhujung and the hole of Annapurna region, Dhading and Jharlang across Ganesh Himal Arun valley in Makalu and other trekking areas have become Popular for honey hunting, a new tourist activity but in Nepal except Bhujung area of Annapurna region, special package of Honey hunting for tourist is not developed yet. Nerveless few lucky tourist get chance to observe honey hunting on spot while traveling along the trekking routes. There are myriad be nests found in the inner and outer rings of different trekking areas which if professionally scientifically and technically managed, provides an immense potentiality of promoting honey hunting as an add- on product.

Bee Hunter in Nepal

Despite all these facts, we should be very careful about the natural and environmental effect, disappearance of wild bees and so many possible problems due to unskilled, unnatural and unbalanced honey hunting. About a decade ago 40-45 bee nets could be seen in Ghan Pokhara, but now that number is reduced to only five or six. Honey hunting should be promoted on the strength of skilled manpower and professionalism.

Wonder type: Man-made Wonder

The Forbidden City is known also as the Palace Museum, the Gugong (in Chinese) Museum or the Purple Forbidden City. It is the largest and best preserved imperial palace in China. This awesome palace is located in Beijing city to the north of Tiananmen Square (the ceremonial center of current Republic of China) and it was the official residence of the Chinese Emperor from the mid Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) until the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). In total the Palace was the home of 24 Chinese emperors.

The Forbidden City is one of the five most famous palaces of the world together with the Palace of Versailles, the Buckingham Palace, the White House and the Kremlin. The Forbidden City was constructed as a replica of the Purple Palace where God lived according to the Chinese mythology therefore the palace was a sacred place, and so it was forbidden to the ordinary people.

The Forbidden City is the largest palace of the World. It occupied an area of 74 hectares. It is surrounded by a great moat of 6 meters deep and 10 meters high. The Palace is a giant rectangle of 961 meters long for 753 meters wide. The walls are 8.62 meters wide at the base and 6.66 meters at the top; they were designed as defensive walls and were made using rammed earth. The complex is composed by 980 buildings and around 8707 rooms.

The four corners of the great rectangle have each one an intricate tower with complex roofs that represents the Pavilion of Prince Teng and the Yellow Crane Pavilion. These towers are the elements most prominent from outside palace. The main entrance to the Forbidden City is through the Tiananmen gate. Behind the Tiananmen gate is the great courtyard of the palace. Here the complex is divided into two parts: the inner court and the outer court (also called working area or front court). The courtyard contains some of the most representative elements of the palace: the “stream of golden water” and 5 beautiful bridges ornamented with carved torches.

The outer court was used mainly with ceremonial purposes and to host the imperial affaires. It is composed by all the buildings of the southern zone.

One of the most important rooms of the complex is the “Hall of Supreme Harmony” which is the largest in the palace and is 30 meters above the level of the surrounding square. This hall was the heart of the power in the country and is the largest wooden structure in China. The roof of this magnificent hall was decorated with a caisson with a coiled dragon. There had two other important halls: the Hall of the Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The three salons had imperial thrones and were used to host the Imperial activities and ceremonies. Behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony is the greatest stone carving of China, an impressive stone piece that weights around 200 tons.

The residence of the Emperor, his concubines and the Eunuchs of the palace was located in the inner court at the northern section of the complex in the central north-south axis of the complex, which was the most important axis of the three that compose the Forbidden City. In the inner are the main buildings that served as home for the imperial family such as the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Earthly or the Hall of Union. All these palaces have an extraordinaire architectural style and were luxury decorated

All the elements from the architectural shapes to the colors used in the Forbidden City were designed to symbolize religious and philosophical principles of the Chinese cosmology. This Palace is the abstract of several millenniums of culture.

It can visit the Forbidden City from 08:30 to 17:00 between April 1 and October 31 for 60 yuan and from 08:30 to 16:30 between October 16 and April 15 for 40 yuan. There are also many services to guide visitors available. There is an audio guide (40 yuan) device available in several languages like Chinese, Cantonese, English, French, Japanese, German, Spanish, Russian, Thai , Arabic and Italian. There are also multilingual guides, a tourist service center, bag check services, tourist souvenirs, books, post office and several restaurants where it can enjoy a good food or drink.
History

The construction of the palace was initiated in 1406 by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The construction of the Forbidden City lasted around 15 years and almost one million workers were required to do this monumental work. The main materials used to build the palace were the Phoebe Zhenan (a fine Chinese wood) and marble blocks. The floors of the main halls were paved using golden bricks.
The palace was during over two centuries (1420- 1644) the residence of the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. In 1644 a rebellion leaded by Li Zeching captured the Forbidden City and proclaimed Li Zeching emperor. But the rebels fled when an army leaded by the general Wu Sangui arrived with Manchu forces, during this fact some parts of the complex were burned. Some months later the Manchu forces took the power in China and they proclaimed Shunzi Emperor starting the Qing Dinasty. The new dynasty made some changes in the palaces and renamed some buildings. Besides, the new Manchu Emperors introduce the Manchu language in Beijing.

The Forbidden City was captured again in 1860 when the Anglo-Forces occupied the palace during the Opium War II. The final episode to the Forbidden City as Imperial Palace occurred in 1912 when the last Emperor Puyi abdicated. Nevertheless Puyi remained in the inner Palace until 1924 because of an accord with the Chinese government. During this time many treasures of the Palace were sold by Puyi or were stole.

From 1924 the Forbidden City became museum. But during the World War II because of the Japanese invasion, many of the treasures of the palace were evacuated by order of Chiang Kai-Sek to Taiwan. In 1961 the Forbidden city was listed by the Chinese government as one of the most important historical monuments under special preservation.

In 1987 the Forbidden City was declared World Heritage by UNESCO. Currently the Forbidden City is managed by an organism of the Chinese government “The Palace Museum”, which is executing a restoration project. Nevertheless, this administration has also taken controversial decisions, like to allow the presence of commercial enterprises such as Starbucks inside the Forbidden City.

This wonderful palace is without doubt today, the greatest symbol of the Imperial China in the capital of the country and it is together with the Great Wall the most representative Chinese national symbol.

copy from WWW.7wonders.org

The peaks of Mount Everest stand proud in Kathmandu, Nepal. Drawing mountain climbers from all over the world, the mountain trek once reserved for only the most experienced climbers is now open game for anyone willing to make the time and effort.

A trek to the mountain’s ominous peak, at 29,000 feet, isn’t right for everyone, though. As a matter of fact, only around 1,000 people have gone all the way to the peak since the early 1950′s. Those who aren’t willing to take the risk can join tour groups that will guide them through the lower trails while teaching them about native culture.

No matter what trails you’re preparing to take, there is a significant amount of preparation you need to make before you embark on your journey. Take the following into consideration before you book your flight to Kathmandu.

Physically Preparing to Climb Mount Everest

Your trek up Mount Everest will be the most incredible experience of your lifetime. With that in mind, you’ll want to make sure your body is in the right physical condition before you even make an attempt.

Start by visiting your doctor for a complete physical. You’ll need to make sure you have great cardiac health and it will be important to make sure your blood pressure and cholesterol are under control. Poor cardiac health means your body won’t be able to properly pump blood throughout your body, resulting in a lack of oxygen in an already oxygen-depleted area as well as an inability to keep your body warm.

You’ll also need to begin a physical training regime, including running and strength training. We highly recommend you take a mountain climbing course to refresh your technical skills before you start making practice climbs in high-altitude terrain. You should work with a skilled instructor or partner to practice climbing on all sorts of surfaces in all types of weather and should, at a minimum, practice for at least two or three years before attempting Mount Everest.

Financially Planning to Climb Mount Everest

One of the reasons so few make it to the top is not a lack of desire, but a lack of financial opportunity. The average trip to the peak of Mount Everest can range from $25,000 to $60,000 depending upon whether or not you’re arranging your own trip or working with a guided tour group.

At least $10,000 of the cost will include your environmental protection deposit, insurance, and Sherpa fees. If you’re smart you’ll save your garbage and empty oxygen bottles for return at the end of the trip, at which point you’ll get your $4,000 environmental deposit back. Other fees include your airfare or travel arrangements, training and equipment, extra oxygen bottles, and lodging before and after the actual climb.

Many climbers spend years raising the funds to make a trip up Mount Everest. If you’re an experience climber you may want to consider asking larger corporations to help sponsor your trip. We recommend approaching your own employer or some of the better known mountain climbing gear companies for help first.

Timing Your Mount Everest Climb

The best time of year to climb Mount Everest is in May. The weather during the month of May is more predictable, though you’ll still be subject to frigid temperatures and whiteout conditions.

Make sure you pick the date for your climb at least six months in advance. You’ll need plenty of time to apply for your permits and obtain permission from the Nepal Ministry and Administration. You’ll also need to make arrangements with the Sherpa to help guide you and with local trekking groups to help you move your gear.

Mount Everest Safety Considerations

It’s important to pack the appropriate gear before making your trip. You’ll need first aid kits, standard medications, thermal mountain climbing clothing, extra oxygen bottles, and much more. Everything you carry should be specially graded for use in cold weather.

No one can climb Mount Everest alone, nor would he be given the proper permits if he attempted to. If you’re not climbing with a guided tour group, make sure the team you are climbing with is experienced and is prepared to take all necessary safety precautions.

The conditions on Mount Everest have been known to change quickly and dramatically. Climbing the summit, while a life changing experience, is also incredibly dangerous. Those you do so risk losing their life to injury, avalanche, frostbite, illness, and high-altitude afflictions. If you, at any time, feel ill or fatigued you should call off your trip and return to the base of the mountain.

It takes years to properly prepare for climb to the peak of Mount Everest. Consider yourself special if you’re one of the lucky few who make it to the top. It’s a once in a lifetime experience not everyone will be able to enjoy!

Copy from www.ratestogo.com

posted by: Jennifer Gregory on March 11, 2009

Forbidden City – China read more here

Great Pyramid of Giza – Egypt

Karnak Temple – Egypt

Machu Picchu – Peru

Taj Mahal – India

Temples of Bagan – Burma

Temples of Bali – Indonesia

Teotihuacan – Mexico

Country: Cambodia

Region: Siem Reap

Visitable: Yes

About:It is a wonderful temple in Cambodia constructed by the Khmer Dinasty

Wonder type: Man-made Wonder National Wonder

This complex of ancient temples (geographically as large as Paris) is probably the most important archeological site in South East Asia. It is located at Angkor in Cambodia to 5.5 kilometers of the modern town of Siem Reap. It dates from XII century (although the construction lasted almost 4 centuries) and the main temple is very well conserved and it is still today a religious center. The temple was constructed in the jungle by order from the king Suryavarman as the main temple of the country and its capital city.

This temple is one of the most beautiful and suggestive places on the planet. It is a true feat of the architecture. The temple is a representation of Mount Meru (the house of gods of the Hinduism). The temple has several towers; there are many courtyards and an endless number of bas-reliefs ornament the walls of its rooms. The architectural style of the temple is known as Khmer Architecture, this style used sandstone and bricks to create the intricate designs that adorn this wonderful temple.

The temple is composed by concentric galleries; Angkor Wat (wat means temple) has three main features: the outer enclosure that surrounded the complex, which is composed by a great outer wall of 1024 x 802 meters and 4.5 meters height and a moat of 190 meters wide, which symbolizes the ranges of mountains and the ocean respectively.

The central structure is composed by several rectangular galleries rising to a central tower, which is over a terrace higher than the city. The temple itself has quincunx (arrangement of five units) towers which represents the peaks of the mountains. This part of the temple has many statues of Buddha and inscriptions of old pilgrims.

The decoration is the other and perhaps the most representative characteristic of the temple. It is composed mainly by bas-reliefs friezes, which represent episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramyana and the Mahabharata; bas-reliefs show also battle scenes like the Battle of Kurukshetra amongst the Kaurava and Pandava clans as well as the “Churning of the Sea of Milk”, the “37 heavens” and many other pictures of the Hindu mythology.

Angkor Wat is dedicated to Vishnu (the supreme god of the Hinduism). According to archeologists like Charles Higham, the sanctuary was built also to serve as a funerary temple for the remains of Suryavarman. The evidence that support this theory is in the bas-reliefs and a funerary jar which was found in the central tower.

History

The construction of the temple was started in the XII century when the king Suryavarman (1113 – 1150) ruled in the region. The complex was constructed as the state temple as well as the capital of the country. Current theories say that the location of the temple was chosen because of its important strategic military position; but there are other theories that explain the location of the temple because of a planet-spanning sacred geography. It believes that its original name was Vrah Vishnulok, because of the main deity that was adored here.

The status of the temple did not last long time; since in 1177 Angkor was sacked by the main enemies of the Khmer, the Chams. Some time later the empire was rebuilt by the king Jayavarman VII who moved the capital and the main temple of the country to another location a short distance to the north.

View of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat became a Theravada Buddhist during XIV and XV centuries. From the XVI century the temple lost its importance; nevertheless, it was never totally abandoned.

In 1861 the French scientist Henri Mouhot rediscovered accidentally the remains of the temple and he popularized the temple in the Western Hemisphere when published its travel notes. The French traveler described the temple using these words: “One of these temples a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michenlangelo might take an honorable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged”.

In 1908 thanks to the popularity that the temple reached in Europe mainly in France; French people funded and managed a great plan of restoration. This restoration is made still today, but it was interrupted during 1980s and 1990s when the Khmer Rouge took the control of the country during a civil war. Fortunately, this violent war did not cause great damage to the remains of the temple.

Today Angkor Wat is probably the greatest symbol of Cambodia , this temple is so very important to Cambodia that its image is part of the country’s flag since 1863. Since 1990 Angkor Wat has experienced a great flood of tourism; mainly after UNESCO declared in 1992 the temple as World Heritage Site. In 2006 this place received around 675 000 foreign visitors. The money contributed by tourists has served to provide additional funds for the maintenance of the temple and support the economy of the region of Siem Reap in Cambodia.

 Copy from  7Wonders.org

]]> http://www.ganeshbhandari.com/2012/02/angkor-wat-cambodia/feed/ 1 http://www.ganeshbhandari.com/2012/01/nepali-alphabet/ http://www.ganeshbhandari.com/2012/01/nepali-alphabet/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:06:37 +0000 Ganesh Bhandari http://www.ganeshbhandari.com/?p=3092 CONSONANTS

In the Devanagari alphabet, there are many subdivisions. The first major set of subdivisions consists of five rows of consonants. Each row depends on where the sound was originated. Within each of these five subdivisions is another division of five. Each row has the letters formed in this manner:

Letter 1: Voiceless non-aspirated: Without any aid of a vowel, the sound can be produced. No additional puff of air is needed .

Letter 2: Voiceless aspirated: This is the same letter as Letter 1, but it requires a puff of air to produce a slightly harder sound.

Letter 3: Voiced non-aspirated: The sound of this letter will require the voice to allow correct pronunciation of the letter.

Letter 4: Voiced aspired: This is the same letter as Letter 3, but it requires a puff of air to produce a slightly harder sound.

Letter 5: Nasal element: Usually, for Letters 1-4, this letter will allow a nasal combination. This will be discussed later on in detail.

DIVISIONS OF THE LETTERS

The Devanagari alphabet is one of the most organized alphabet systems that exist today. It has thirteen vowels (swara) and thirty-three consonants (vyañjana) along with the nasal element (anusvāra) and aspirated element (visarga).

1. The letter “a” is pronounced as “u” in “but.”
2. The letter “ā” is pronounced as “a” in “father.”
3. The letter “i” is pronounced as “i” in “sin” (say “seen” with a shorter “ee” sound)
4. The letter “ī” is pronounced as “ee” in “seed”
5. The letter “u” is pronounced as “u” in “should” (say “shood” with a shorter “oo” sound)
6. The letter “ū” is pronounced as “oo” in “roof”
7. The letter “ṛ” is pronounced as “ri” in “rip” (say “reep” with a shorter “ee” sound)
8. The letter “ṛ ́” is pronounced as “ree” in “reed”
9. The letter “ļ” is pronounced as “lary” in “salary.” Sounds more like “lree” actually.
10. The letter “e” is pronounced as “ay” in “pay” (avoid adding the “y” sound at the end)
11. The letter “ai” is a combination of the letters “a” and “i”
12. The letter “o” is pronounced as “o” in “no” (avoid the u/w sound as the end)
13. The letter “au” is a combination of the letter “a” and “u”

Aalu = Potato         Makai= Corn       Saag =  Spinach     Kerau =  Peas      Pharsi =  Pumpkin

Pyaaj =  Onion      Lasun =  Garlic       Kaankro =  Cucumber       Simee = Beans      Coursani =  Chili

Adhuwaa = Ginger     Bhatamas= bhatta =  Soybean      Golbheraa or Tamaatar=  Tomato

Daal =  Lentil     Badam =  Peanut       Kaju = Cashew      Maha =  Honey      Bhaat =  Rice      Dudh = Milk

Dahee =  Yogurt     Pauroti = Bread (Loaf)     Chapaati = Bread (flat round)       Tel =  Oil       Noon = Salt

Chini =  Sugar     Syaau =  Apple       Keraa = Banana     Nariwal = Coconut      Angur =  Grapes

Kaagati =  Lemon     Aanp =  Mango     Suntalaa = Orange     Mewaa = Papaya      Maasu = Meat

Andaa =  Egg     Machhaa = Fish     Kukhuraa =Chicken     Khasi =Goat    Sungur =Pork   Kalo chiyaa = Black tea

Kagatiko chiyaa = Lemon tea    Dudh chiyaa = Milk tea    Adhuwaa chiya =Ginger tea  Kalo coffee =Black coffee

Paani = water    Umaleko paani = Boiled water   Raksi = Alcohol   Ras = Juice  Lentle= Daal     Achaar=Picle