2/28/2008 at 10:44 AM
Tags: Nepal Travel, Environment, LUA, Yeti Airlines, Green Travel (all tags)
Nepal-based Yeti Airlines has volunteered to clear away a mess of bottles and cans littering a town known as the Gateway to Mount Everest. The town of Lukla is home to Tenzing-Hillary Airport--perhaps the sketchiest in the world--and has apparently accumulated a lot of waste due to careless hikers and hotel owners.
A senior official at Yeti said the company hopes to clear away as much as 37,000 pounds of empty beer bottles alone! We suppose it probably takes a few drinks to talk yourself into climbing the world's highest peak.
Recovered bottles will be given to breweries to be reused or recycled. Airline officials are hoping their effort will raise awareness among both tourists and locals about the importance of preserving the local habitat. We're glad Yeti's doing this, but it's a tad depressing that the awe of the Himalayas hasn't been enough to drive that point home.
Related Stories:
· Yeti Airlines [Official Site]
· Nepal Airline to Clean up Trail to Everest [Reuters]
· Nepal Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Sam Judson]
by benh
1/22/2007 at 4:35 PM
Tags: World's Most Dangerous Airports, Himalayas, Altiports, Nepal Travel (all tags)
For the next couple of days we are doing a quick fly-over of the world's most dangerous airports. Know a stomach dropping, palm sweat inducing airport we should check out? Send it along.
Since Lukla Nepal is the place most people start their Mount Everest trek, this Himalayan strip gets quite a bit of traffic--mostly to and from Kathmandu.
Sirens inform folks for miles when an airplane is landing here, and as you would suspect, only helicopters and Twin Otter type planes can handle the 2,000 foot, uphill runway that is fenced off at the end, to protect you from the edge of a mountain cliff.
As for take off?
When you take off, you go downhill and then the runway just disappears into the valley down below. If you don't get enough speed, you drop until you get lift and then hopefully get back up again.
Wind and weather cause plenty of delays here, however, there is usually plenty to drink around the airport, just in case you need to pass the time or get up the gumption to get on your flight.
Yeti Airlines is one of the few commercial airlines you can book through to get to LUA.
Click Here to check out a small craft landing at Lukla.
[Photo: Dave & Marks trip]
Related Stories:
· World's Most Dangerous Airports [Jaunted]
· Luka Airport [Google Maps]
MORE...
by markj
