How useful are those U.S. State Department travel warnings? If you read too many, you might become scared off of travel all together.

As Carol Pucci points out in a recent Seattle Times article, politics and economics might play into U.S. State Department travel warnings and recommendations. This doesn't mean that, if there is a travel warning for a particular country, you should poo poo it as nonsense, and not proceed with caution when making plans. Perhaps, though, the travel warning isn't totally warranted. Pucci suggests checking other government's travel warning venues, such as Canada's, Australia's and the United Kingdom's.

Sometimes, even when a warning might be a good idea, the country does not make the travel warning list. Pucci cited India as an example. Consider this:

A Yeti Airlines Twin-Otter plane carrying sixteen passengers and three crew members crashed at a remote airstrip in Nepal yesterday morning, local time. The plane's wheel became entangled in a security fence as it was landing at the trekking base of Lukla, about 30 miles from Mount Everest. 18 people, including a group of 12 German trekkers, were killed. Only the pilot survived, though he remains in critical condition at an area hospital. Passengers waiting for other planes were first on the scene, but they were ill-equipped to fight the fire that had broken out on impact. By the time it was finally extinguished, everyone in the passenger cabin was beyond help.

The crash was initially blamed on poor visibility. It was quite foggy at the time of the crash, though two similar planes had already landed at the airstrip that morning. The government has promised a full investigation. The team looking into the disaster will be headed by the country's attorney general. The airport is located at 2500 meters above sea level and many people say it is ill-equipped to handle the heavy traffic it sees during trekking and climbing season.

Source

When we pulled into the driveway of our friends' house in St. Cloud, Minnesota, as part of our Great American Road trip to Montana, we didn't have any plans except to visit. The last time we saw them was at our house in Columbus, and since then they had moved from State College, Pennsylvania to St. Cloud.

As with any visit, there's always something new to find out. about the town where friends land. People who live there know the insider info that may not show up in a guidebook. Such was the case when I found out were were having yak meat for dinner.

I've been to Nepal where yaks seem as common as cows. While there, I never had yak meat. As it turns out Hoopers' Christmas Tree Farm in Cold Spring, Minnesota has a herd of 60 or so yak making this the largest yak herd in the eastern part of the U.S. Who knew?

Patan, Nepal--On this blistering May day, the royal kumari, Preeti, doesn't bother to show up at the third-story window. And why should she? Last year, the independent girl refused to give tika – a blessing in the form of a red mark on the forehead – to the prime minister, who was attempting to take over from the unpopular king the annual ceremonial duty of receiving a blessing for the nation.

While any Hindu or Buddhist believer may enter to receive a blessing from the kumari each morning, Westerners of uncertain faith are strictly prohibited from even entering the inner palace. My mere request for an interview greatly offends the palace caretaker, who angrily shoos my translator away.

So I head to nearby Bhaktapur, the seat of a once powerful kingdom in the valley and home to a kumari reported to be the most progressive – and accessible – in Nepal. The city has escaped Kathmandu's building boom and is relatively unchanged, with cobblestone streets and charming squares packed with temples. I eventually find the kumari's home tucked away in one of the myriad back alleyways.

Patan, Nepal--Like any typical schoolgirl, 13-year-old Chanira Bajracharya struggles to finish hours of homework each day. That doesn't stop her from stealing away to watch TV (she enjoys HBO; her younger brothers often change it to Nickelodeon) or use the computer. She even has Barbies, but now that she's older, painting has replaced organizing tea parties as her favorite pastime.

The similarities end there. To start, no one – including her family – may scold her. Chanira eats whatever she desires, though she's yet to abuse this power by demanding an endless supply of ice cream. And don't even mention chores.

It may seem like she's hit the jackpot, but in exchange for this life of relative luxury, she's forbidden to leave her five-story home, save for religious holidays. She must also endure a constant stream of Hindu followers who come seeking her healing powers or to snap a photo of her.

From San Francisco to London and Paris to India, protestors are taking to the streets to demonstrate against China's hosting of the Olympic Games. Angered by the Chinese government's refusal to meet with the Dalai Lama, as well as the continued suppression of human rights in potential breakaway regions, the world is seeking to punish China on the eve of its long-anticipated coming out party.

For travelers on the ground in China, independent tourism has never been more difficult, especially since parts of the country have now been entirely closed off to the outside world. Following wave of violence that commenced on March 14th, the Chinese government has entirely barred tourists from entering Tibet. As a so-called 'autonomous region,' non-Chinese nationals must obtain special entry permits for Tibet.

Sadly, it's looking like the 'Roof of the World' may remain in relative isolation until the Olympic Games have passed, which is a huge blow at a time when tourism in the region was beginning to flourishing. Here in Japan, this was highlighted recently in the news when Mr. Yuichiro Miura, the 75 year-old thrill seeker who once skied down Everest using a parachute as a brake, announced that he was changing his Everest climbing route.

I heard part of an interview with Morgan Spurlock, the creator of the documentary, "Where in the World is Osama bin Laden" yesterday. The film, which opens today, sounds as if it might be more travelogue with a twist of the Middle East. Spurlock visits places as varied as Morocco, Pakistan, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan and chats with a variety of those countries' citizens along the way in order to sort of find Osama bin Laden and take a look-see in the countries where he has been.

Spurlock's interview comments about wresting reminded me of one of my husband's encounters with Tibetan monks in Nepal. The interviewer and Spurlock talked about how people everywhere, no matter which country, know that championship wrestling is serious business. My husband, who wrestled in high school, attracts wrestling type fans wherever he travels.

As a rather large man with huge feet--size 14, he is unable to escape notice. People, particularly in countries like Vietnam, like to poke and prod him. Because he wears Red Wing work boots, his shoes gain notice. Fill one with cement and you'd have quite the doorstop. Even without the cement, it's a doorstop. Anyway, when we were in Nepal and stopped by a Tibetan monastery outside of Pokhara, like always, my husband left his shoes outside the door while we went inside. When he came out, he saw a group of monks gathered around his boots.

One of the monks reached down to pick one up and seemed to be testing its weight, marveling. Another, who knew English, said, "Can we ask you a question?"

My husband leaned in thinking he might learn a bit about enlightenment,"Yes?" He waited for the pearl.

"Hulk Hogan? Is he real?"

"Sure," said my husband, which produced a round of beaming smiles, nods and back slapping, as if my husband and Hulk are best buds. As for the pearl of wisdom? Here's what I think. Sometimes, it doesn't take much to please.

Even Shakespeare would have been hard-pressed to imagine a royal tragedy of this scale: ten members of the Nepalese royal family killed, including the king and queen, at a dinner party over a petty argument. The killer was not an aspiring dictator or a slighted nobody-it was the crown prince. As horrific as this scene is to imagine, it is by no means particularly remarkable in a country with problems as big as its postcard mountains.

There was the bloody decade-long civil war, which ended in 2006; the reigning king's rule by martial law the year before that; the thousands of Maoist rebels held at UN camps around the country; and let's not forget the mass strikes that frequently bring the country to a halt (the most recent on Feb. 19th in Kathmandu, the capital).

But come this April-if everything goes right-Nepal may get a do-over. That's when the 260-year-old ruling monarchy is scheduled to be abolished and replaced by a government elected by the people. The national elections could solve many of the problems that strikes, rebellions, and attempted coups have not. At the same time, it marks the end of a historic institution and a king who many still believe to be a reincarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu god. This will no doubt be a watershed year.

Well, there could be a stranger place than Kathmandu to operate a sex parlor...say, the Vatican. But clearly, it is only a matter of time. The search for spirituality and natural beauty is, apparently, paved with lap dances.

This week's Economist has an article on the rise of sex tourism in Nepal. There are now an estimated 200 "massage parlors" and over 35 dance/strip bars, selling "sex" for as little as $28, which of course is not insignificant for them. Those women, however, might be better off than the 200,000+ Nepali women, who are trafficked into India for sex every year.

Some say Nepal is becoming the new Bangkok. Since the civil war ended only recently and marked the end of Nepal's Himalayan tourism industry, sex tourism is ready to replace it. I especially like the part of the article where the Nepal Tourism Board suggests that tourists should "Have a drink at one of the local dance bars, where beautiful Nepali belles will dance circles around your pals."

Now, all you need is a low-cost carrier to fly there direct. Makes me want to scream.

On May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the first known climbers to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Today, Hillary passed away in his home country of New Zealand at the age of 88.

Though his Everest feat was incredibly impressive, Hillary always thought of himself as just a regular beekeeper. The CBC's article includes a quote from Hillary describing his feelings about the Everest climb:

"Awe, wonder, humility, pride, exaltation - these surely ought to be the confused emotions of the first men to stand on the highest peak on Earth, after so many others had failed... But my dominant reactions were relief and surprise. Relief because the long grind was over and the unattainable had been attained. And surprise, because it had happened to me, old Ed Hillary, the beekeeper, once the star pupil of the Tuakau District School, but no great shakes at Auckland Grammar [high school] and a no-hoper at university, first to the top of Everest. I just didn't believe it."

New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark recognized Hillary's humility in a statement released today: "Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity."

By all accounts, Hillary led an impressive life notwithstanding his Everest accomplishment. He was an outspoken conservationist and dedicated his life to the Sherpas of Nepal, donating money to help them build roads, hospitals, and schools.

More coverage here.