Alive News

This Sept. 3, 2017 photo shows a curving river at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, ND, marking the landscape in colorful patterns as it interacts with soil and stone. Photo: AP

MEDORA: For travelers looking to visit all 50 states, North Dakota is often one of the last to be checked off. It’s not exactly on the way to anywhere else, and flying there is expensive.

It ended up being 49th on my 50-state quest (sorry, Idaho!). Part of the challenge was deciding what to do there and how to get there. I had to choose between visiting Fargo in eastern North Dakota (and the name of one of my favorite movies) or Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the west.

It’s 330 miles (530 kilometers) between them, and I didn’t have time for both on a week-long road trip that also included Montana’s Glacier National Park and Idaho’s Craters of the Moon.

In the end, Roosevelt Park won out. Photos of its badlands and prairies enchanted me, and the story of Teddy Roosevelt’s sojourn there following the deaths of his wife and mother on the same day intrigued me.

What was it about this place that allowed this future president to grieve and recover — while at the same time inspiring him to become one of America’s most influential conservationists? I needed to see it for myself.

GETTING THERE

My husband and I flew to Denver — by air from New York, the cheapest jumping-off point — and rented a car (unlimited mileage, of course). We then drove 600 miles (965 kilometers) north through Wyoming and South Dakota to the tiny North Dakota town of Medora (population 132), at the entrance to the park’s South Unit.

Fortunately, those 600 miles were easily done in a day, thanks to speed limits of 75 and 80 mph (120-128 kph) in many spots, and little traffic outside Colorado. Still, it felt like we were heading to a pretty remote place, and I wondered if the park would hold its own against national parks I’d visited in Alaska, Hawaii and the Southwest, not to mention Yellowstone and Yosemite.

About 700,000 people visit Roosevelt Park yearly, compared to the more than 3 million annual visitors at places like Montana’s Glacier Park.

THE LOOP AND WILDLIFE

Teddy Roosevelt Park is open 24 hours daily. We arrived at 7:30 a.m. one day at the tail end of last summer. Map in hand, we drove the 36-mile (58-kilometer) scenic loop around the park’s South Unit, stopping at many of the nearly 20 points of interest along the way.

Within minutes, we came upon a prairie dog town. Dozens of the tiny creatures scampered back and forth, popping in and out of little holes amid scrubby grasses. We’d see three more prairie dog towns before we completed the loop, along with wild horses grazing on a hill by the roadside and in another spot, a herd of bison.

The wildlife encounters were thrilling and unexpected surprises.

THE LANDSCAPE

The landscape was thrilling too. The scent of sage perfumed the air, and bursts of red foliage punctuated the gray-green grasslands. Stripes of peach, cream and mud-brown earth and stone lined the curving banks of the Little Missouri River.

Framing it all were the famous badlands stretching to the horizon: flat-topped stone formations with striated slopes in tawny yellows and russet reds, dotted with bright green trees and patches of grass. They looked like the crusty paws of some massive alien creature on the verge of rising up.

We did most of the hikes along the loop drive, some just a few minutes’ walk to an overlook, others 20 to 40 minutes along hilly trails covering a mile or more. At every stop, we were awed by the scenery, from the astonishing palette of earthy hues to the stone shapes etching land and sky.

ROOSEVELT’S STORY

An exhibit at the visitor center tells Roosevelt’s story. On his first visit in 1883, he hunted bison and invested in a ranch near Medora. He’d been a state assemblyman in his native New York, but after his mother and wife both died on Feb. 14, 1884, he left politics and returned to the badlands to mourn his losses.

He lived in a small ponderosa pine cabin now located just steps from the visitor center. It’s furnished with period pieces and some of his belongings, including his traveling trunk, a replica of his writing desk and a rocking chair.

Roosevelt lived the cowboy life, spending days riding and herding in what was considered America’s last frontier. His experiences there were formative: He lost more than $24,000 when blizzards decimated the cattle he’d invested in. He witnessed the environmental damage done by overgrazing. And he realized that the bison, who once roamed the plains in the millions, had dwindled to the hundreds.

Roosevelt wrote three books inspired by his Western sojourn. He eventually returned to politics, serving as New York governor and from 1901-1909, as US president. His accomplishments included the conservation of 230 million acres of land, a legacy that led to the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

For me, Roosevelt Park ranks among the most interesting and beautiful I’ve seen. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to visit, and I hope someday to go back and absorb more of the place that Roosevelt called “a land of vast silent spaces — a place of grim beauty.”

Tourists are reflected in sunglasses on Maya Bay on Phi Phi island in Krabi province, Thailand, Thursday, on May 31, 2018. Photo: AP

MAYA BAY, THAILAND: Once a pristine Thai paradise, the secluded bay made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach” has been exhausted by mass tourism. Now it’s getting a break.

After Friday, the daily influx of dozens of boats and thousands of visitors unsuccessfully scrambling for an unspoiled view of Maya Bay’s emerald waters and glistening white sand will end. The attraction is being closed for four months to give its coral reefs and sea life a chance to recover.

Thailand has promoted unfettered tourism for decades and the onslaught on Maya Bay, which is on Phi Phi Leh Island in the Andaman Sea, has only picked up pace in recent years. Authorities now say they are striving to balance profit and conservation and the closure will happen every year.

It is part of a rethink happening globally about unrestricted tourism that brings in big dollars but damages historic sites, harms the environment and often alienates locals.

Last month, the Philippines began a six-month closure of popular Boracay Island, whose waters President Rodrigo Duterte described as a “cesspool.” Venice, the famed Italian lagoon city that lives off tourism, installed gates at two access bridges during a four-day holiday in April so it could turn back visitors if numbers became overwhelming.

Many of Thailand’s marine national parks are closed from mid-May to mid-October during the monsoon season but because of Maya Bay’s popularity, it hasn’t had a break since a Hollywood crew set foot on its sands in 1999 to film the dark backpacker tale based on a novel by Alex Garland. Its corals have been decimated by the suffocating clouds of sand and sediment churned up by speedboats.

“I tried to push this campaign for many, many years, but you know in Thailand we are a tourism industry country and we need a lot of money, so before not so many people listened,” said Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine biologist and member of a government committee on development and the environment.

“It should have been done 10 years ago but at least it has been done,” he said.

Thailand had about 35 million international visitors last year, a five-fold increase in little more than two decades.

Shi Pengfei, among the last tourists to visit Maya Bay before its closure, said he had no idea that there would be so many people on the beach.

“I feel that there are so many people here,” said Shi, from Henan, China. “The government’s plan to close off the beach for a few months is only natural because the ocean needs a break, a chance to recover, so that the next generation can have a better and even more beautiful destination.”

But locals aren’t entirely happy. The head of the Phi Phi Tourist Business Association, Watrapol Jantharo, said he was surprised when the closure was announced in March by Thailand’s National Parks and Wildlife Department.

He said locals were under the impression that Maya Bay would only be closed to boats, while visitors would still walk to the bay from the other side of the island.

“We are not against protecting our environment,” he said. “We know full well that Maya Bay is our important resource, like a rice field to a farmer, but we wish there are more communications about the government’s plan before the decision was made.”

Thon, however, said the plan was discussed with locals for three years before a decision was made.

“In the past, we made some mistake because we think that the money is very important. But now we are trying to change our idea,” he said. Overseas visitors are “very important to our country, but the most important thing is our national resource. We have to preserve and hand it to the next generation.”

The government has set a limit of 2,000 tourists a day when the bay reopens — about half the current number. Boats will no longer be allowed to anchor but must dock on the opposite side of the island.

“Now that the government has this plan, we can’t change it. But we could use this opportunity to tell the world that we do not just have Maya Bay. There are 10 other beautiful beaches and islands around here that tourists can enjoy,” said Watrapol.

Thailand’s efforts to protect certain islands after decades of unregulated tourism began about three years ago under the current military junta, which has banned the types of protests such moves may have sparked had they been announced by civilian governments.

Yoong Island, part of the Phi Phi island chain, and Tachai Island in the Similan Islands National Park, have been off-limits to tourists since mid-2016.

Thon, who surveyed both islands recently, said he was amazed by the results. Waters that were devoid of fish are now teeming, he said, and there is about 10,000 square meters (107,600 square feet) of newly recovered coral off one of the islands.

At Maya Bay, park rangers have been preparing a coral propagation program, attaching it to rocks that will be placed in the bay once the tourists are gone.

“We’re almost certain that something good will happen in Maya Bay,” Thon said.

OAC promotional banner. courtesy: Outdoor Adventure Centre

KATHMANDU: The Outdoor Adventure Centre Nepal has said that ‘OAC Mountain Festival’ will be organised at Thamel, in Kathmandu, on May 29.

Addressing a press meet in Kathmandu on Thursday, programme coordinator Sonam Jangbu Sherpa informed about various events during the festival.

Sherpa further said, “The festival is being organised with the motive of welcoming national and international mountaineers along with sherpas’. On the occasion, successful climbers would share their emotions and experiences.”

Similarly, group discussions will be held among tourism stakeholders regarding existing problems, opportunities and challenges in tourism sector in Nepal, Sherpa added.

Ministry of Tourism Secretary Krishna Prasad Sapkota and record 22-time Everest climber Kami Rita Sherpa have been invited to grace the event.

The festival is being organised on the occasion of ‘Everest Day’ on Tuesday.

File – In this photo, tourists enjoy the popular Maya bay on Phi Phi island, Krabi province on March 4, 2017. Photo: AP

BANGKOK: The daily hordes of tourists have exhausted the Thai beach made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie.

Maya Bay, on Phi Phi Leh island in the Andaman Sea, will be closed to all visitors for four months annually starting this June to allow for the recovery of the battered coral reefs and sea life. The decision to keep visitors away was made Wednesday by Thailand’s National Parks and Wildlife Department.

“It’s like someone who has been working for decades and has never stopped,” said Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a prominent marine scientist and member of Thailand’s national strategy committee on environment development. “Overworked and tired, all the beauty of the beach is gone. We need a timeout for the beach.”

Many Thai marine national parks are closed from mid-May to mid-October, but because of tourist demand, Maya Bay has remained open year-round since a Hollywood crew set foot there in 1999 to film “The Beach,” the dark backpacker tale based on a novel by Alex Garland.

The beach receives an average of 200 boats and 4,000 visitors each day. Recent surveys by a team led by marine biologists found a large part of the coral reefs around the area is gone and sea life has virtually disappeared.

Other Southeast Asian beach resorts are under threat too.

In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to close Boracay, a small central island popular for its powdery white sand beaches and vibrant nightlife, saying it has become a “cesspool.”

“Their waste would go directly to the ocean. The germ content is already very high there,” Duterte said last week. “It only looks good because of the white coastline.”

His top environmental officials say Boracay may be closed in the last week of April after a 30-day notice is issued and the tropical island placed under a state of calamity to allow the government to extend emergency funds to affected villagers and establishments.

During the closure, which could last six months or less, a massive cleanup is planned and noncompliant beach resorts and other establishments would have to install waste treatment and disposal systems to halt further contamination. Boracay drew more than 1 million tourists last year mostly from Asia, the United States and Europe.

Boracay officials may face administrative cases for allowing environmental laws to be breached for years and for failing to regulate the influx of tourists beyond the island’s capacity.

Thon said the Thai beach’s temporary closing will kick-start the rehabilitation process.

“If you ask me if it is too late to save our islands, the answer is no. But if we don’t do something today, it will be too late,” said Thanya Netithammakum, head of the National Parks and Wildlife Department.

When Maya Bay reopens, the department will set a daily limit of 2,000 tourists, while boats will no longer be allowed to anchor there and will have to dock on the opposite side of the island at floating piers.

The number of visitors the beach has been seeing is unsustainable, and a temporary closure is better than nothing, Thon said.

“The locals know that and we all know that,” he said. “This would be a good way to start managing our tourist destinations. And we can improve on what we learn after the first year. We know that it’s important we manage our resources well. It’s not about more numbers of tourists but about sustainable tourism that benefit locals as well.”

More than 35 million tourists visited Thailand last year, compared to around 10 million when “The Beach” premiered in 2000.

Thai authorities have in the past closed off islands ruined by mass tourism. Koh Yoong, part of the Phi Phi island chain, and Koh Tachai, in the Similan Islands National Park, have been off limits to tourists permanently since mid-2016.

Thon, who surveyed both islands recently, said the results have been amazing. Areas with a bleak sea life environment and coral bleaching are now teeming with robust and colorful sea life and coral, he said. He’s certain that the annual closure will also help restore Maya Bay.

“I have always dreamt that one day we could work to bring her back to life. I have been following and working on Maya Bay for more than 30 years. I had seen it when it was a heaven and I see it when it has nothing left. Anything that we can do to bring this paradise back to Thailand is the dream of a marine biologist,” he said.

Courtesy: AP

IFEROUANE: Tuaregs in northern Niger are hoping to draw tourists back to the region by putting their traditional dances, music poetry and camel races on display.

Despite concerns about Islamic extremism throughout the Sahel region in West Africa, organizers recently hosted more than 1,000 visitors to a cultural festical in Iferouane, a village in Niger’s far north.

“Without tourism, our youth risks falling into idleness and misery, and will join the wave of migration to Europe,” said Mohamed Houma, the mayor of the town located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the central city of Agadez.

The Air festival, considered one of the most important gatherings to celebrate the culture of the Tuareg people, has been held since 2001.

It was marked last month by the sound of tende, the Tuareg style of music and drumming, as the women and men, on foot and on their camels, participated in song and dance competitions.

Since 2001, the gatherings have been held to celebrate the culture of the semi-nomadic Tuareg people. More than 2 million Tuaregs live in the Sahara Desert area, stretching across Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Tunisia.

Niger’s Air region, with oases, mountains and sand dunes, has been a destination for adventurous Western tourists since the 1980s and the visitors have been a financial boon for the region. But the tourism has dwindled since the Tuareg rebellion, which lasted from 2007 to 2009, and from the proliferation of armed and extremist groups in the Sahel region.

Security guards watched over the dozen French and Belgian tourists who participated this year’s in Air Festival.

“We are very happy because this festival shows the rest of the world that despite the international geopolitical and security context, we live here in peace, sheltered from the upheavals of some of our neighboring countries,” Houma said.

French tourists to the festival this year included Jacques Maire, a French legislator who heads a France-Niger Friendship group in the French National Assembly.

While the situation in Niger is tense, he said it is not the worst in the region.

“There has always been a strong French appetite for the Sahara,” said Maire. “We must seize every opportunity to recreate tourist flows.”

Courtesy: AP

IFEROUANE: Tuaregs in northern Niger are hoping to draw tourists back to the region by putting their traditional dances, music poetry and camel races on display.

Despite concerns about Islamic extremism throughout the Sahel region in West Africa, organizers recently hosted more than 1,000 visitors to a cultural festical in Iferouane, a village in Niger’s far north.

“Without tourism, our youth risks falling into idleness and misery, and will join the wave of migration to Europe,” said Mohamed Houma, the mayor of the town located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the central city of Agadez.

The Air festival, considered one of the most important gatherings to celebrate the culture of the Tuareg people, has been held since 2001.

It was marked last month by the sound of tende, the Tuareg style of music and drumming, as the women and men, on foot and on their camels, participated in song and dance competitions.

Since 2001, the gatherings have been held to celebrate the culture of the semi-nomadic Tuareg people. More than 2 million Tuaregs live in the Sahara Desert area, stretching across Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Tunisia.

Niger’s Air region, with oases, mountains and sand dunes, has been a destination for adventurous Western tourists since the 1980s and the visitors have been a financial boon for the region. But the tourism has dwindled since the Tuareg rebellion, which lasted from 2007 to 2009, and from the proliferation of armed and extremist groups in the Sahel region.

Security guards watched over the dozen French and Belgian tourists who participated this year’s in Air Festival.

“We are very happy because this festival shows the rest of the world that despite the international geopolitical and security context, we live here in peace, sheltered from the upheavals of some of our neighboring countries,” Houma said.

French tourists to the festival this year included Jacques Maire, a French legislator who heads a France-Niger Friendship group in the French National Assembly.

While the situation in Niger is tense, he said it is not the worst in the region.

“There has always been a strong French appetite for the Sahara,” said Maire. “We must seize every opportunity to recreate tourist flows.”

Courtesy: AP

PHOENIX: Arizona officials on Friday guaranteed that Grand Canyon National Park will remain in full operation if Congress fails to pass a budget and a government shutdown ensues.

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said the state’s top tourist attraction “will not close on our watch, period.”

Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak says the state’s parks and tourism agencies plan to provide up to $100,000 to ensure lodging, campgrounds and restaurants remain open, and more funding if needed.

The state agencies have been working with the National Park Service to plan for a possible shutdown as early as Saturday if Congress fails to pass a government funding bill. The House passed a temporary government funding bill Thursday night, but the Senate was deadlocked.

President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer met Friday afternoon in an eleventh-hour effort to avert a shutdown. The impasse is over federal spending and legislation to protect some 700,000 younger immigrants from deportation.

“If Washington, D.C. won’t function, Arizona will,” Ducey said in a statement. “Don’t change your travel plans, because Arizona is open for business — regardless of what happens back in Congress.”

The U.S. Interior Department said national parks and other public lands will remain as accessible as possible if a shutdown happens. That’s a change from previous shutdowns, when most parks were closed and became high-profile symbols of dysfunction.

But spokeswoman Heather Swift said services that require staffing and maintenance such as campgrounds, full-service restrooms and concessions won’t be operating in most locations.

Arizona’s decision to guarantee funding to cover the cost of those services means they should operate at the Grand Canyon as normal if a shutdown occurs.

Arizona paid about $100,000 a day to cover the full cost of keeping the Grand Canyon open during the last shutdown in 2013 but was eventually reimbursed by the federal government. Former Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, worked to pay the National Park Service $651,000 to keep the popular tourist destination open for a week. That came after a shutdown that lasted more than a week.

Federal lawmakers reached an agreement on the budget before those seven days were up.

During a 1995 shutdown, Arizona’s governor famously led a convoy of unarmed troops to the park’s gate to demand it be opened.

They were met there by the park superintendent, who negotiated with then-Gov. Fife Symington, a Republican, for a partial reopening if the budget impasse continued.

The shutdown was briefly solved, but when the parks were again closed a month later, the state paid more than $17,000 a day to keep the road to the Grand Canyon Village and the Mather Point scenic viewpoint on the canyon’s South Rim open.

Courtesy: AP

PHOENIX: Arizona officials on Friday guaranteed that Grand Canyon National Park will remain in full operation if Congress fails to pass a budget and a government shutdown ensues.

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said the state’s top tourist attraction “will not close on our watch, period.”

Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak says the state’s parks and tourism agencies plan to provide up to $100,000 to ensure lodging, campgrounds and restaurants remain open, and more funding if needed.

The state agencies have been working with the National Park Service to plan for a possible shutdown as early as Saturday if Congress fails to pass a government funding bill. The House passed a temporary government funding bill Thursday night, but the Senate was deadlocked.

President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer met Friday afternoon in an eleventh-hour effort to avert a shutdown. The impasse is over federal spending and legislation to protect some 700,000 younger immigrants from deportation.

“If Washington, D.C. won’t function, Arizona will,” Ducey said in a statement. “Don’t change your travel plans, because Arizona is open for business — regardless of what happens back in Congress.”

The U.S. Interior Department said national parks and other public lands will remain as accessible as possible if a shutdown happens. That’s a change from previous shutdowns, when most parks were closed and became high-profile symbols of dysfunction.

But spokeswoman Heather Swift said services that require staffing and maintenance such as campgrounds, full-service restrooms and concessions won’t be operating in most locations.

Arizona’s decision to guarantee funding to cover the cost of those services means they should operate at the Grand Canyon as normal if a shutdown occurs.

Arizona paid about $100,000 a day to cover the full cost of keeping the Grand Canyon open during the last shutdown in 2013 but was eventually reimbursed by the federal government. Former Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, worked to pay the National Park Service $651,000 to keep the popular tourist destination open for a week. That came after a shutdown that lasted more than a week.

Federal lawmakers reached an agreement on the budget before those seven days were up.

During a 1995 shutdown, Arizona’s governor famously led a convoy of unarmed troops to the park’s gate to demand it be opened.

They were met there by the park superintendent, who negotiated with then-Gov. Fife Symington, a Republican, for a partial reopening if the budget impasse continued.

The shutdown was briefly solved, but when the parks were again closed a month later, the state paid more than $17,000 a day to keep the road to the Grand Canyon Village and the Mather Point scenic viewpoint on the canyon’s South Rim open.

A view of colourful house roofs in Rainaskot of Lamjung, on Tuesday, January 09, 2018. Photo: Ramji Rana

LAMJUNG: A number of domestic tourists visiting a historical site of Rainaskot in Lamjung district has increased significantly.

Home stay, started after renovation of an earthquake affected houses are now packed with the domestic tourists. It is being run in a total of 14 houses which are built with the modern techniques where 84 tourists can be accommodated at once.

The concept of home stay in Rainaskot begun with American national Natasha Wajniyak providing a fund of Rs 20.75 million to renovate the quake affected houses according to Sarbodaya Old Age Home’s Chairperson Krishna Raj Oliya.

One of the home stay entrepreneurs in Rainaskot, Dilmaya Gurung informed that the domestic tourists are also provided the opportunities of observing the local cultural programs during their stay.

“Besides, tasting the local organic foods, domestic tourists also can experience the local cultures,” said Gurung. Since the Rainaskot has a big Gurung population, a museum related to that caste also has been established.

Meanwhile Rainaskot Tourism Committee’s Chairperson Khadak Bahadur Gurung expressed his hope of attracting even bigger number of the domestic tourists in the future. Visitors can reach the site after two hours of bus ride and three hours of hike from Paudi, a gateway of Lamjung district.

Mesmerizing views of 18 mountain ranges including Annapurna and Machchapuchhre can be seen from the Rainaskot.

New Year’s fireworks are seen along the Las Vegas Strip from the top of the Trump International, in Las Vegas Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. Photo: AP

LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas welcomed 2018 with fireworks, big-ticket musical acts and unprecedented security in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in US modern history just three months ago.

Law enforcement officers kept a close eye Monday on the estimated 330,000 people who traveled from all over the US and beyond to pack in the Las Vegas Strip and downtown’s Fremont Street. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department had every officer working throughout the weekend and was aided by the Nevada National Guard and federal agents.

Rosy-cheeked visitors took selfies and livestreamed the celebration amid temperatures in the mid-40s (4 Celsius), much warmer than most of the US. They wore glittery hats, tiaras and other 2018-themed paraphernalia as they hugged and cheered on the new year.

“One bad incident is not going to deter us from having a good time,” Honolulu resident Pettra Stark, who planned her trip after the Oct. 1 shooting, said while standing underneath the massive video canopy on Fremont Street.

For Stark, the heavy presence of armed officers was reassuring. But not everyone felt the same way, including Adrian Dominguez, who traveled for the festivities with 10 other relatives.

“It’s not pleasant to see so many officers,” Dominguez, a resident of the northern Mexico border city of Ciudad Juarez. “They are everywhere.”

The heightened security comes after a high-stakes gambler killed 58 and injured hundreds more after he shattered the windows of his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino on the Strip and unleashed gunfire on a country music festival below before killing himself.

On Saturday, two security guards were fatally shot while investigating a disturbance at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, a hotel-casino just west of the Strip. Police said the suspect was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities described it as an isolated incident and assured that it was not terrorism-related.

A roughly eight-minute fireworks display at the top of seven of the city’s world-famous casino-hotels started at the Stratosphere 10 seconds before midnight Monday and continued to Venetian, Treasure Island, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Aria and MGM Grand. More than 80,000 pyrotechnic firings that illuminated the sky in gold, red and green.

Megastars performed at venues up and down the Strip. The Foo Fighters played at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan, Maroon 5 was at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and Britney Spears performed at The Axis at Planet Hollywood.

At a lower-key celebration in downtown Las Vegas’ casino-flanked Fremont Street Experience, bands played under a massive video canopy while visitors danced and sipped giant beers.

Las Vegas police officer Larry Hadfield on Monday said there were no incidents related to the festivities to speak of. The Nevada Highway Patrol on Twitter reported the arrest of two suspected impaired drivers near the Strip.

Police cruisers, dump trucks and other large vehicles blocked key intersections during the night to try to prevent anyone from plowing into crowds.

Strollers, backpacks, large bags, coolers and glass bottles were banned from the Strip for the night. Ticket holders for the celebration on Freemont Street Experienced went through checkpoints where security guards used hand-held metal detectors.

New Year’s Eve is worth an estimated $254.3 million to Las Vegas, according to the city’s Convention and Visitors Authority. More than 97 percent of the destination’s nearly 149,000 hotel and motel rooms were expected to be booked.

New Year’s fireworks are seen along the Las Vegas Strip from the top of the Trump International, in Las Vegas Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. Photo: AP

LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas welcomed 2018 with fireworks, big-ticket musical acts and unprecedented security in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in US modern history just three months ago.

Law enforcement officers kept a close eye Monday on the estimated 330,000 people who traveled from all over the US and beyond to pack in the Las Vegas Strip and downtown’s Fremont Street. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department had every officer working throughout the weekend and was aided by the Nevada National Guard and federal agents.

Rosy-cheeked visitors took selfies and livestreamed the celebration amid temperatures in the mid-40s (4 Celsius), much warmer than most of the US. They wore glittery hats, tiaras and other 2018-themed paraphernalia as they hugged and cheered on the new year.

“One bad incident is not going to deter us from having a good time,” Honolulu resident Pettra Stark, who planned her trip after the Oct. 1 shooting, said while standing underneath the massive video canopy on Fremont Street.

For Stark, the heavy presence of armed officers was reassuring. But not everyone felt the same way, including Adrian Dominguez, who traveled for the festivities with 10 other relatives.

“It’s not pleasant to see so many officers,” Dominguez, a resident of the northern Mexico border city of Ciudad Juarez. “They are everywhere.”

The heightened security comes after a high-stakes gambler killed 58 and injured hundreds more after he shattered the windows of his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino on the Strip and unleashed gunfire on a country music festival below before killing himself.

On Saturday, two security guards were fatally shot while investigating a disturbance at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, a hotel-casino just west of the Strip. Police said the suspect was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities described it as an isolated incident and assured that it was not terrorism-related.

A roughly eight-minute fireworks display at the top of seven of the city’s world-famous casino-hotels started at the Stratosphere 10 seconds before midnight Monday and continued to Venetian, Treasure Island, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Aria and MGM Grand. More than 80,000 pyrotechnic firings that illuminated the sky in gold, red and green.

Megastars performed at venues up and down the Strip. The Foo Fighters played at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan, Maroon 5 was at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and Britney Spears performed at The Axis at Planet Hollywood.

At a lower-key celebration in downtown Las Vegas’ casino-flanked Fremont Street Experience, bands played under a massive video canopy while visitors danced and sipped giant beers.

Las Vegas police officer Larry Hadfield on Monday said there were no incidents related to the festivities to speak of. The Nevada Highway Patrol on Twitter reported the arrest of two suspected impaired drivers near the Strip.

Police cruisers, dump trucks and other large vehicles blocked key intersections during the night to try to prevent anyone from plowing into crowds.

Strollers, backpacks, large bags, coolers and glass bottles were banned from the Strip for the night. Ticket holders for the celebration on Freemont Street Experienced went through checkpoints where security guards used hand-held metal detectors.

New Year’s Eve is worth an estimated $254.3 million to Las Vegas, according to the city’s Convention and Visitors Authority. More than 97 percent of the destination’s nearly 149,000 hotel and motel rooms were expected to be booked.

wikimedia.org

Canada is more than just its great mountains, wild moose-spotting road trips and craggy-coast good looks. Its endless variety of landscapes might keep you busy the first few days but what would a traveller look for beyond the great outdoors? Its captivating culture will engulf you; from west to east, a foodie’s paradise your palates would be thoroughly refreshed and thriving cities with their own artistic flair will surprise you. But if you’re looking to weave stories out of adventures for years to come here are a few places that you must check out.

1. Venture into the woods

If snuggled in a sphere suspended atop the forest canopy of Vancouver Island in the middle of nowhere is what excites you then a visit to the Free Spirit Spheres is a must. It’s part Middle Earth fantasy and part childhood dream, you’ll find large wooden orbs suspended from the trees. Take the spiral staircase and short suspension bridge leading up to them and enter into the sphere to experience nature from a different perspective.

Designed to look vaguely like enormous nuts or seeds, the cedar and spruce spheres borrow from and collaborate with the surrounding environment. The spheres are made of fibreglass and wood, and borrow heavily from sailboat construction methods. Inside the curving walls complete with portholes for windows, space is maximised with fold-out tables and mirrors, curved loft beds and benches, and tiny appliances. Touted as ‘the ultimate tree-house experience,’ these Free Spirit Spheres can be rented overnight.

2. Brace yourself

Mazes and labyrinths reached its zenith as a form in Renaissance England, more as a device for
entertainment than serious purpose. Today VanDusen Garden in Vancouver is one of only six in North America.

It carries on the tradition of Elizabethan hedge mazes in North America. The maze is made of 3,000 pyramidal cedars — Thuja occidentalis ‘Fastigiata’ to be specific was planted in the autumn of 1981 and slowly grown into the form of the maze one finds today.

Named after local lumber magnate and philanthropist Whitford Julian VanDusen, this garden is open to the public every day of the year except Christmas. In addition to the maze, the gardens cover 55 acres and displays plants from around the world. There is an observation terrace from which the less adventuresome visitor can view the maze and the struggles of its confused occupants.

The Enchanted Forest, British Columbia. Courtesy: theculturetrip.com

3. For your eyes only

A book collector’s dream, The Monkey’s Paw in Toronto has the world’s first ‘Biblio-Mat’, a
random book vending machine.  All of the books lining the shelves of Stephen Fowler’s bookstore are ones you couldn’t possibly find anywhere else. He opened The Monkey’s Paw in March 2006 and since then it has been a haven for antiquarians, complete with
medical drawings on the wall and a stuffed crow on a typewriter.

The unusual store, named after a horror short story by author WW Jacobs, has a diverse range of old books. Fowler selects each book to fit these categories: the beautiful, the arcane, the macabre and the absurd. For some its charm may be the custom-made Biblio-Mat, a vending machine that will dispense a randomly selected vintage volume for $2, a surprise you might want to see for yourself.

4. Fairytale escape

An old world fairytale-land with over 350 fairy folk figurines hidden amongst 800-year old cedars is something that will surely lure you in. Artist Doris Needham and her husband Ernest needed a place to put her hand-sculpted cement creations, so they bought a forest in British Columbia and filled it with enchanted figures from fairytales and nursery rhymes.

When Rogers Pass opened, traffic began being diverted through the Needhams’ unusual haven; one just cannot drive by and resist dragons and pirates lurking on boulders and behind trees, dwarves and fairies sharing the pools at the foot of waterfalls, or the adorable Candy Cane house.

The forest is full of twists and turns, each corner revealing a new small cottage, or a favourite
nursery character sitting on a wall, full of whimsy. Take the Nature Walk, a 2-km walk through the lush Canadian forest, where you’ll discover many trees, including an 800-year-old cedar grove. They boast over 350 figurines, a pirate ship, and the tallest tree house in British Columbia. The forest itself is a beautiful site, with beaver ponds for boating, 800 year-old
cedars, salmon spawning and moose and caribou sightings during migration months.

Hotel de Glace, Quebec City. Courtesy: travelettes.net

5. Jewel in the crown

As their contribution to Montreal’s 1967 World’s Fair Exposition the United States government
commissioned architect, scientist, and well-known genius Buckminster Fuller to design a pavilion for the Canadian exhibition.

Fuller, who popularised, perfected, and named the Geodesic Dome, designed a 20-storey-tall dome in the fashion of his hallmark design to represent the USA. Done in a full two-thirds sphere, rather than the typical half dome, the massive steel structure was seen and admired by over 5.6 million visitors who went into the dome to see exhibits from actual spaceships from the Apollo missions to American works of art.  The dome’s steel skeleton was fitted with a clear acrylic covering, making the structure look like a massive, glittering jewel.

When the fair ended, the pavilion remained, securing the dome’s place in Montreal’s landscape. This relic of the 67 Expo survived fire and ice; it was reopened and was re-purposed as a museum devoted to environmental action. Today the Biosphere of Montreal remains, a sturdy and beautiful example of ‘Bucky’s’ geodesic architecture.

6. Work of art

Comprised of 15,000 tonnes of snow and 500,000 tonnes of ice, the Hôtel de Glace is a massive undertaking, a stunning yet ephemeral work of art and architecture entirely built of snow and ice. Every winter, this unique hotel is completely redesigned and rebuilt, offering an unforgettable experience in the only hotel of its kind in North America.

Whether for a guided tour, a Nordic overnight stay, a wedding or a private function, the Hôtel de Glace is sure to dazzle visitors with its unique style and spellbinding décor. Guests can choose to enjoy a cocktail served in a glass made of ice or spend the night in one of the 44 theme rooms and suites and relax in the outdoor hot tubs and sauna.

Every inch of the hotel is created out of ice, including the furniture. To make the rooms more liveable, beds are covered with furs, blankets and sleeping bags tested to arctic temperatures. Although you might not get four-star service, the attraction has seduced over a million people around the world since its opening in 2001. Only 4-km from the north end of Québec City
a visit might just add to your Canada experience.  – Compiled

wikimedia.org

Canada is more than just its great mountains, wild moose-spotting road trips and craggy-coast good looks. Its endless variety of landscapes might keep you busy the first few days but what would a traveller look for beyond the great outdoors? Its captivating culture will engulf you; from west to east, a foodie’s paradise your palates would be thoroughly refreshed and thriving cities with their own artistic flair will surprise you. But if you’re looking to weave stories out of adventures for years to come here are a few places that you must check out.

1. Venture into the woods

If snuggled in a sphere suspended atop the forest canopy of Vancouver Island in the middle of nowhere is what excites you then a visit to the Free Spirit Spheres is a must. It’s part Middle Earth fantasy and part childhood dream, you’ll find large wooden orbs suspended from the trees. Take the spiral staircase and short suspension bridge leading up to them and enter into the sphere to experience nature from a different perspective.

Designed to look vaguely like enormous nuts or seeds, the cedar and spruce spheres borrow from and collaborate with the surrounding environment. The spheres are made of fibreglass and wood, and borrow heavily from sailboat construction methods. Inside the curving walls complete with portholes for windows, space is maximised with fold-out tables and mirrors, curved loft beds and benches, and tiny appliances. Touted as ‘the ultimate tree-house experience,’ these Free Spirit Spheres can be rented overnight.

2. Brace yourself

Mazes and labyrinths reached its zenith as a form in Renaissance England, more as a device for
entertainment than serious purpose. Today VanDusen Garden in Vancouver is one of only six in North America.

It carries on the tradition of Elizabethan hedge mazes in North America. The maze is made of 3,000 pyramidal cedars — Thuja occidentalis ‘Fastigiata’ to be specific was planted in the autumn of 1981 and slowly grown into the form of the maze one finds today.

Named after local lumber magnate and philanthropist Whitford Julian VanDusen, this garden is open to the public every day of the year except Christmas. In addition to the maze, the gardens cover 55 acres and displays plants from around the world. There is an observation terrace from which the less adventuresome visitor can view the maze and the struggles of its confused occupants.

The Enchanted Forest, British Columbia. Courtesy: theculturetrip.com

3. For your eyes only

A book collector’s dream, The Monkey’s Paw in Toronto has the world’s first ‘Biblio-Mat’, a
random book vending machine.  All of the books lining the shelves of Stephen Fowler’s bookstore are ones you couldn’t possibly find anywhere else. He opened The Monkey’s Paw in March 2006 and since then it has been a haven for antiquarians, complete with
medical drawings on the wall and a stuffed crow on a typewriter.

The unusual store, named after a horror short story by author WW Jacobs, has a diverse range of old books. Fowler selects each book to fit these categories: the beautiful, the arcane, the macabre and the absurd. For some its charm may be the custom-made Biblio-Mat, a vending machine that will dispense a randomly selected vintage volume for $2, a surprise you might want to see for yourself.

4. Fairytale escape

An old world fairytale-land with over 350 fairy folk figurines hidden amongst 800-year old cedars is something that will surely lure you in. Artist Doris Needham and her husband Ernest needed a place to put her hand-sculpted cement creations, so they bought a forest in British Columbia and filled it with enchanted figures from fairytales and nursery rhymes.

When Rogers Pass opened, traffic began being diverted through the Needhams’ unusual haven; one just cannot drive by and resist dragons and pirates lurking on boulders and behind trees, dwarves and fairies sharing the pools at the foot of waterfalls, or the adorable Candy Cane house.

The forest is full of twists and turns, each corner revealing a new small cottage, or a favourite
nursery character sitting on a wall, full of whimsy. Take the Nature Walk, a 2-km walk through the lush Canadian forest, where you’ll discover many trees, including an 800-year-old cedar grove. They boast over 350 figurines, a pirate ship, and the tallest tree house in British Columbia. The forest itself is a beautiful site, with beaver ponds for boating, 800 year-old
cedars, salmon spawning and moose and caribou sightings during migration months.

Hotel de Glace, Quebec City. Courtesy: travelettes.net

5. Jewel in the crown

As their contribution to Montreal’s 1967 World’s Fair Exposition the United States government
commissioned architect, scientist, and well-known genius Buckminster Fuller to design a pavilion for the Canadian exhibition.

Fuller, who popularised, perfected, and named the Geodesic Dome, designed a 20-storey-tall dome in the fashion of his hallmark design to represent the USA. Done in a full two-thirds sphere, rather than the typical half dome, the massive steel structure was seen and admired by over 5.6 million visitors who went into the dome to see exhibits from actual spaceships from the Apollo missions to American works of art.  The dome’s steel skeleton was fitted with a clear acrylic covering, making the structure look like a massive, glittering jewel.

When the fair ended, the pavilion remained, securing the dome’s place in Montreal’s landscape. This relic of the 67 Expo survived fire and ice; it was reopened and was re-purposed as a museum devoted to environmental action. Today the Biosphere of Montreal remains, a sturdy and beautiful example of ‘Bucky’s’ geodesic architecture.

6. Work of art

Comprised of 15,000 tonnes of snow and 500,000 tonnes of ice, the Hôtel de Glace is a massive undertaking, a stunning yet ephemeral work of art and architecture entirely built of snow and ice. Every winter, this unique hotel is completely redesigned and rebuilt, offering an unforgettable experience in the only hotel of its kind in North America.

Whether for a guided tour, a Nordic overnight stay, a wedding or a private function, the Hôtel de Glace is sure to dazzle visitors with its unique style and spellbinding décor. Guests can choose to enjoy a cocktail served in a glass made of ice or spend the night in one of the 44 theme rooms and suites and relax in the outdoor hot tubs and sauna.

Every inch of the hotel is created out of ice, including the furniture. To make the rooms more liveable, beds are covered with furs, blankets and sleeping bags tested to arctic temperatures. Although you might not get four-star service, the attraction has seduced over a million people around the world since its opening in 2001. Only 4-km from the north end of Québec City
a visit might just add to your Canada experience.  – Compiled

KATHMANDU: A promotional music video showcasing Nepal’s pristine landscapes and cultural heritage sites has been launched with a prime objective to promote Nepal’s tourism.

The Nepal Tourism Board  released the song ‘Chahara – ma’ last week to promote tourism in Nepal.

Penned by Nepal’s renowned poet, Viplob Pratik, and sung by  Nhyoo Bajracharya, who also composed it, the song was filmed in different parts of the country. The song reflects the country’s diverse topography with one of the world’s most varying altitudes.

The song has been directed by Soorya Baral, who also performs in the video. Director Baral believes that the song and music video such as this one, and the first of its kind, will no doubt give boost to the domestic tourism in Nepal once it is disseminated properly.