Geographical articles from May 2004

Geographical archives from May 2004

Silk Road: what's in a name?(From The Editor)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... This month's Geographical contains a collection of articles timed to coincide with the opening of the British Library's latest exhibition, The Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War and Faith. It's interesting to note that the exhibition's curator,...

Contact details.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I'm not an archaeologist, nor have I visited Easter Island (Easter Island: enigma of the stone statues, March 2004), but I have visited the majority of the important archaeological sites in the Andes. After reading Jo Anne Van Tilburg's book...

A different shade of blue.(Prize Letter)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I was delighted to read the article on indigo (Indigo: a magical dye, January 2004), since indigo pigments have been my own area of expertise for the past 30 years. Readers may be interested to learn that when indigo leaves are soaked with...

Message from the diaspora.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I would like to thank you for the story about Armenia (New model Armenia, March 2004) and for raising awareness about the genocide and Armenians worldwide and their role in rebuilding this collapsed Soviet nation. I would like to point...

Potatoes key to plenty.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... It was interesting to see the photograph of potatoes being harvested on top of the 2,410-metre Selim Pass in Armenia (New model Armenia, March 2004). This versatile vegetable, originally from high altitudes in Central America, has spread widely...

Lost in the post.
May 1, 2004... This highly endangered flightless bird is endemic to the stamp's country of origin. Males of the species are famous for the loud booming sound they make during the mating season. Name both the bird and the country and then check your answer...

The Geographical photographer of the year 2004.(Reader Competition)
May 1, 2004... Your chance to win a Malaysian holiday courtesy of Gecko Travel or a Hasselblad Xpan Camera! The pages of Geographical magazine have featured some truly remarkable photography since it's launch in 1935, and the Geographical Photographer of...

In March, fishermen in the Galapagos Islands held a group of researchers and rare reptiles, including giant tortoises, hostage in protest against restrictions on fishing net use.(Ecuador)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... In March, fishermen in the Galapagos Islands held a group of researchers and rare reptiles, including giant tortoises, hostage in protest against restrictions on fishing net use. The fishermen want to be allowed to use large nets that are said...

Friends of Conservation is holding a Rhino Mayday Symposium on 20 May at the Zoological Society of London in Regents Park.(UK)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Friends of Conservation is holding a Rhino Mayday Symposium on 20 May at the Zoological Society of London in Regents Park. It will cover conservation strategies for both the African and Asian species and hear talks from a variety of experts....

The world's foremost cheetah expert, Dr Laurie Marker of the Namibian-based Cheetah Conservation Fund.(UK)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The world's foremost cheetah expert, Dr Laurie Marker of the Namibian-based Cheetah Conservation Fund, is giving a lecture on the threats to Africa's most endangered cat at the English Heritage Lecture Theatre, Saville Row, London on 25 May at...

Darwin's ship found.(Worldwatch)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... ESSEX A team led by Dr Robert Prescott of the University of St Andrews believes it has found HMS Beagle--the 27-metre Navy brig that carried Charles Darwin around the world--buried in five metres of mud in Essex marshland. "This vessel is...

Geography key to pollution.(Worldwatch)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... NORTH AMERICA A country's geography has a significant impact on its carbon-dioxide emissions, according to a paper in the RGS-IBG's quarterly journal Area. The study of 163 countries found that those with cold climates and a widely dispersed...

Satellites on collision course.(Worldwatch)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... SPACE The EU's Galileo satellite system, in which China now has a 20 per cent stake, uses a signal that is too close to the encrypted M-code signal that the US military plans to introduce in 2012, according to US government officials. ...

Patagonian glacier in retreat.(Worldwatch)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... PATAGONIA Greenpeace has released two photographs of a Patagonian glacier (above) that it says provide dramatic proof that climate change is under way. The lower photograph was taken in 1928, while the colour image was taken early in 2004 by a...

Asian vultures' extinction crisis solved.(Worldwatch)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... ASIA Catastrophic declines in populations of three vulture species on the Indian subcontinent, have been linked to an anti-inflammatory drug called diclofenac, which has increasingly been used in livestock production. Local and regional...

The grey squirrel--already accused of causing the demise of its native red cousin and commercial damage to forestry--may be to blame for woodland-bird declines, says the British Trust for Ornithology and RSPB.(UK)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The grey squirrel--already accused of causing the demise of its native red cousin and commercial damage to forestry--may be to blame for woodland-bird declines, says the British Trust for Ornithology and RSPB. Being larger, and living in higher...

Scientists were on the verge of announcing that a 30m object had a one-in-four chance of hitting Earth.(Global)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Scientists were on the verge of announcing that a 30m object had a one-in-four chance of hitting Earth within 36 hours at the end of January before new data showed there was no danger.

Two new species of dinosaur have been discovered in Antarctica by researchers funded by the US National Science Foundation.(Antarctica)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Two new species of dinosaur have been discovered in Antarctica by researchers funded by the US National Science Foundation. A 70-million-year-old fossil of an agile, bipedal, 1.8-metre-tall carnivore was found on James Ross Island, while the...

A team of British and Australian researchers believes that some of the world's finest rock paintings, located in South Africa's Khahlamba-Drakensberg region, could be up to three-times older than previously thought.(South Africa)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... A team of British and Australian researchers believes that some of the world's finest rock paintings, located in South Africa's Khahlamba-Drakensberg region, could be up to three-times older than previously thought. Using the latest radiocarbon...

Lady Anne Blunt 1837-1917 Granddaughter of the poet Lord Byron, Lady Anne Blunt was the first European woman to explore Central Arabia, and is considered the saviour of the pure-blood Arabian horse.(Late Great Geographers #43)(Biography)
May 1, 2004... What is her background? Born Anne Isabella Noel King on 22 September 1837, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Lovelace. Throughout her youth, her family was beset by scandal and strife. Her mother was chronically ill and died when Anne...

20 years ago today ... Geographical Magazine, May 1984.(Worldwatch)(refugess)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... In May 1984, Geographical focused on the plight of refugees, with a feature by young geographer Christopher Terrill. Specially drawn maps accompanied the article, illustrating the movement patterns of the world's estimated ten million refugees...

Astronomers have identified what appears to be the largest-known non-planet body orbiting the Sun.(Space)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Astronomers have identified what appears to be the largest-known non-planet body orbiting the Sun. Named Sedna, the object is about ten billion kilometres from Earth in the Kuiper Belt and could be more than 2,000 kilometres in diameter.

Eco-clothing company People Tree has launched a campaign to promote organic cotton.(Global)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Eco-clothing company People Tree has launched a campaign to promote organic cotton in order to improve the health of people in developing countries, three million of whom suffer chronic health problems associated with the use of agricultural...

Climate Care has teamed up with the Phone Co-op.(UK)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Climate Care has teamed up with the Phone Co-op to offer customers the chance to offset a tonne of C[O.sub.2] for every 100 [pounds sterling] spent on calls. Info: www.climatecare.org; www.thephone.coop

Survival, the human-rights organisation for indigenous peoples.(Botswana)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Survival, the human-rights organisation for indigenous peoples, has handed the Botswana government a petition of 100,000 signatures to mark the second anniversary of the forced relocation or hundreds of Gwi and Gana bushmen from their ancestral...

Weatherwatch with Helen Willetts: May clouds, those ever-visible and ever-changing parts of the weather, are something with which the British are very familiar. Helen Willetts explains how to tell your cirrus from your cumulus.
May 1, 2004... Clouds are so ubiquitous in the UK that we usually take them for granted, but their appearance can give us clues as to what is happening with the weather. The system of classifying clouds, developed in the early 1800s by English chemist Luke...

Fellows expose fraud.(Frank Hopkins of Hidalgo)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... USA Two RGS-IBG Fellows have been drawing attention to what they call "the biggest Wild West hoax in American history" ahead of the release of Disney's latest cinema epic, Hidalgo. Fellows Basha and CuChullaine O'Reilly, founders of the Long...

Global population watch.(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The world population at the time of going to press was according to: the United Nations 6,424,257,822 the CIA 6,369,307,850 the US Bureau of the Census 6,363,649,506

English now seems to be the language of international trade. Which was the first?(Quizzical)(Lingua Franca)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... English now seems to be the language of international trade. Which was the first? P Haynes, St Ives ANSWER: Before English took hold as an international language, French was the official language of diplomats. But the language that...

Which is the world's most northerly town?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Which is the world's most northerly town? A Smithee, Cambridge ANSWER: A lot depends on your definition of a town, but Norway can lay claim to three out of the four main contenders. Hammerfest, in the country's Finnmark region, close to the...

How many countries does the equator pass through?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... How many countries does the equator pass through? W Stanton, Wolverhampton ANSWER: The equator passes through a relatively small number of countries. The 10[degrees] line of latitude 1,000 kilometres to the north manages to pass...

What is the difference between a hill and a mountain?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... What is the difference between a hill and a mountain? S Adams, Oldham ANSWER: There is no formal distinction between a hill and a mountain, although there are a good few informal ones. The only generally accepted definition is that a...

Which is the rarest bird seen in the UK?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Which is the rarest bird seen in the UK? J Lover, Bolton ANSWER: Choosing the rarest bird in the UK is tricky, as there are several different ways to define rarity. For example, a Bird could be common elsewhere but only occasionally pop up...

Engaging communities.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Members of the Pepper Pot Club, a group of elderly migrants from the Caribbean, recently attended a workshop at the Society in which they used archive photographs to tell their stories of moving to England. Their tales and comments will be...

Expedition Handbook.
May 1, 2004... The new edition of the Society's 500-page Expedition Handbook is out now. "There could be no better source than this invaluable handbook," according to Bill Bryson. * Orders: eac@rgs.org; 020 7591 3030

Why geography?
May 1, 2004... A video to encourage students to choose geography at GCSE has been produced for the Society in association with University College London Geography Centenary and sent free to all heads of geography in secondary schools in England and Wales. ...

Learning in the real world.(In society: a round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Royal Geographical Society)(environmental education)
May 1, 2004... EDITORIAL Children need to get out and about if they're to gain an appreciation for the environment and learn how the world works. Sadly, our increasingly wrapped-up-in-cotton-wool culture has caused a decline in out-of-school visits, reducing...

Educational-visits coordinator training courses.(In society: a round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Over the next month, the RGS-IBG Expedition Advisory Centre, in association with the Independent Schools' Adventure Activities Association, is running a series of one-day courses for educational-visits coordinators. The training day will cover...

Glasgow to host International Geographical Congress.(In society: a round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... This summer will see the biggest gathering of geographers in the UK for 40 years, as 1,500 delegates head to Glasgow for the 30th International Geographical Congress. The congress, which last met in the UK in London in 1964, will be held at the...

A selection of Society events taking place in May.(In society: a round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Calendar)
May 1, 2004... For details, please contact the Events Office on 020 7591 3100 or see www.rgs.org/events 5 May, 7.30pm Around the world in 95 days (LECTURE, NORWICH) Norfolk farmer Nina Plumbe and fellow rider Clive Sheward recall their...

Keeping cartography in the family: single-sheet map of Europe by Gerardus Mercator and son, 1590s.(Map Of The Month)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... This single-sheet map of Europe is, in essence, the work of the famed cartographer Gerard Mercator (1512-94). On his death, Mercator had left unfinished the modern atlas, Geographia nova totius mundi, to the second book of his intended...

Cork's tainted future: the centuries-old marriage of cork and wine is in dire straits, as producers turn to other forms of bottle closure in order to reduce the prevalence of spoilt wines. While this is good news for drinkers, as Edward Parker discovers, it could spell disaster for both traditional farmers and the environment.
May 1, 2004... Cork is a remarkable product. It's sustainably harvested, recyclable and biodegradable. It's lightweight, water repellent, impact absorbing, insulating and can be compressed for long periods of time and then spring back to its original shape....

The bloody diamond: as arguments over the ownership of the Koh-i-Noor flare up yet again, Kevin Rushby tells the controversial and blood-stained history of the world's most famous diamond.
May 1, 2004... It isn't the largest of its kind. It isn't the brightest of its kind. It isn't even the most beautiful. It's rarely seen at state occasions and it has certainly never brought anyone good fortune. But it's more than capable of inspiring furious...

Urban sprawl.(Geographical dossier)
May 1, 2004... American author James Kunstler referred to the sprawling suburb as the "geography of nowhere". But nothing better characterises an advancing nation than the rise of the suburb. As societies become increasingly industrialised and their people...

To the manor bought: the inexorable growth of the British suburb is the result of an increasingly affluent middle class striving to acquire its own piece of the countryside.(Geographical dossier)
May 1, 2004... Everyone in the UK seems to want to be part of the land-owning classes. The suburban Englishman's home isn't so much a castle as a country estate in miniature. According to Professor Jeremy Whitehand, head of urban morphology research at...

The thin green line: authorities across the UK are now faced with the problems caused by planning policies that were implemented during the 20th century.(Geographical dossier)
May 1, 2004... Suburbs are often seen as examples of sprawl that eat into the countryside, chewing up unspoilt areas of productive farmland and destroying the rural heritage. In the UK, the green-belt policy has helped to prevent the construction of...

High-rise sprawl: economic growth around the world has seen the suburb spread far and wide. Now, Southeast Asia is seeing a rapid increase in high-density, high-rise living.(Geographical dossier)
May 1, 2004... England can lay claim to being the home of the garden suburb, but it was Australia that made suburban living the norm during the 19th and 20th centuries. "Australia was the pre-eminent suburban nation," says Dr Graeme Davison of Monash...

Endangered eden.(Congo)
May 1, 2004... For centuries, the pygmies of Central Africa have hunted in the rich forests of the Congo Basin. But as the region is opened up to logging companies and set aside for conservation, their future is in doubt. Photographer Kate Eshelby, the...

Warning from a warming world: Mark Lynas has long been fascinated with climate change. Here he explains how photographs from his family album inspired a three-year project that took him across five continents to gather indisputable first-hand evidence of global warming.
May 1, 2004... Three years ago, I made a bet with myself. It was Christmas, and I was with my family at their small farm in Wales. The days were reserved for farm work, such as weeding and sawing logs, but the evenings were for slideshows of family history....

green energy uk.(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... To prevent the escalation of climate change, UN scientists advise that we must reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent. This means phasing out the use of fossil fuels and switching to sources of clean, renewable energy, not only crucial...

The road goes ever on ... this month, the British Library opens an exhibition of priceless and rare treasures from the Silk Road which is based primarily on the collection of archaeologist Aurel Stein, Here, its curator, Susan Whitfield, provides a profile of Stein and previews some of the artefacts on display.(Celebrating The Silk Road)
May 1, 2004... Being beguiled by the Silk Road is nothing new. For more than two millennia, this network of trade routes stretching from Europe to China has attracted people wishing to make money, converts, diplomatic deals, conquests--or simply to find a...

Silk Road riders: today, most people travel the Silk Road in a land rover. But in 1999, four British women made an 8,000-kilometre journey on horseback and by camel, one of the first times it had been attempted since the middle ages. In a series of diary extracts, Alexandra Tolstoy recounts their epic, life-changing expedition.
May 1, 2004... When I resigned from my job as a stockbroker it was in the hope of a more adventurous life. But I had nothing planned other than temporary work. However, soon afterwards I met a friend from university, Sophia Cunningham, who mentioned her...

The lure of Xanadu: ever since Marco Polo first told the story of his visit to the court of Kublai Khan in the 13th century, the Silk Road has inspired generations of writers and storytellers. Barnaby Rogerson highlights some of the best Silk Road literature.(Celebrating The Silk Road)(Bibliography)
May 1, 2004... There are whole libraries of books that testify to the British obsession with travelling the Silk Road, and scarcely six months goes by without another such 'travel' being published. Many have but a brief period in which to shine before they...

A trader's paradise: for centuries, tall tales of the Silk Road filtered back to Europe via the merchants who travelled it. In this month's collection of images from the RGS archives, Octavia Lamb reveals how Western explorers brought the stories to life with the first photographs of these far-off lands.(Geographical archive)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... When the Romans developed a taste for Chinese silk, travelling merchants began to sell their wares at a chain of markets across Central Asia, giving birth to the trade route that we now known as the Silk Road. As has always been the way at such...

Hit the road: sample the Silk Road's natural and cultural wealth with Geographical's pick of the operators specialising in the region.(Geographical Promotion)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... Be a foreign devil! Discover the unknown Silk Road, following in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Marco Polo and Sir Francis Younghusband. Journey by 4x4 from Tashkent to Osh through the High Pamirs and Hindu Kush with High & Wild....

Diving into history: Franck Goddio is famous for the discovery of Cleopatra's palace off the coast of Egypt. As a selection of his finds goes on show for the first time in the newly opened National Museum of Alexandria, Miranda Haines speaks to the ambassador for marine archaeology about his obsession with unlocking the secrets of the past.
May 1, 2004... Smiling and tanned, a lean Franck Goddio formally beckons me into his presidential quarters in Paris's 7th arrondissement. There are few clues that this is the home of the world's most famous living marine explorer; there are no personal objets...

Atlas of World Art.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... Atlas of World Art edited by John Onians, Laurence King, hb, pp352, 75 [pounds sterling] The Atlas of World Art is an impressive achievement. From the same publisher as the classic World History of Art by Honour and Fleming, this tome...

Silk Road: Monks, Warriors and Merchants on the Silk Road.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... Silk Road: Monks, Warriors and Merchants on the Silk Road by Luce Boulnois Odyssey, pb, pp576, 18.95 [pounds sterling] This guide to the history of the transcontinental network of trade routes known as the Silk Road is easier to navigate...

The Dust Diaries.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... The Dust Diaries by Owen Sheers Faber, hb, pp304, 16.99 [pounds sterling] Have you ever looked at a faded old photograph and wished you could experience for yourself the bygone age captured within? Have you ever imagined those flat, sepia...

A Furnace Afloat: the Wreck of the Hornet and the Harrowing 4,300-Mile Voyage of its Survivors.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... A Furnace Afloat: The Wreck of the Hornet and the Harrowing 4,300-Mile Voyage of its Survivors by Joe Jackson Weidenfeld & Nicolson, hb, pp269, 16.99 [pounds sterling] On 3 May 1866, a careless flame caused the US clipper Hornet to burn...

RGS-IBG Expedition Handbook.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... RGS-IBG Expedition Handbook edited by Shane Winser, Profile, pb, pp499, 19.99 [pounds sterling], Shane Winser of the RGS-IBG's Expedition Advisory Centre has compiled a straightforward, no-nonsense 'how-to' guide to planning and executing...

Isaak Levitan: Lyrical Landscape.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... Isaak Levitan: Lyrical Landscape by Averil King Philip Wilson, pb, pp128, 17.95 [pounds sterling] Russian artist Isaak Levitan has long been neglected by Eurocentric observers, but now Averil King has begun to redress the balance with the...

By the Ionian Sea: Notes of a Ramble in Southern Italy.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... By the Ionian Sea: Notes of a Ramble in Southern Italy by George Gissing First published in 1901. Most recent edition published by Signal, pb, pp159, 12.99 [pounds sterling] Italy was George Gissing's "land of romance". Setting out from...

Shipwrecked on the top of the World.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... Shipwrecked on the top of the World by David Roberts Little Brown, hb, pp304, 17.99 [pounds sterling] For some reason, I'd always thought scurvy a faintly comical affliction, and polar bears essentially cuddly. But David Roberts's tale of...

London.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... London by Sheila O'Connell British Museum Press, hb, pp96, 9.99 [pounds sterling] The problem with living in London is that if you're not careful you can end up despising the place, bogged down in the trivia and the frustrations. London on...

The Rough Guide to Bollywood Legends: Lata Mangeshkar.(Sound Recording Review)
May 1, 2004... The Rough Guide to Bollywood Legends: Lata Mangeshkar Playing time: 76:33 (Rough Guide, 9,99 [pounds sterling]) It could be argued that Bollywood--the Bombay Hindi-language equivalent to Hollywood--has a larger output and much greater...

The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco: Desert Sounds from Casablanca to Marrakech.(Sound Recording Review)
May 1, 2004... The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco: Desert Sounds from Casablanca to Marrakech Various artists Playing time: 71:16 (Rough Guide, 9.99 [pounds sterling]) In the 1960s, Morocco attracted numerous Western popular musicians--as it had...

The Earth: an Intimate History.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... The Earth: An Intimate History by Richard Fortey HarperCollins, hb, pp480, 25 [pounds sterling] Richard Fortey has a bit of a knack for sexing up science for the lay person. This time he's taking his readers on a spectacular journey around...

Wellington's Smallest Victory.(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... Wellington's Smallest Victory by Peter Hofschroer Faber, hb, pp324, 14.99 [pounds sterling] Sub-titled 'The Duke, the Model Maker and the Secret of Waterloo,' this fascinating, if slightly claustrophobic, little book tells the story of one...

Baltic tourism set to boom.(travel news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The expansion of the EU on 1 May should make tourist travel to Eastern Europe much easier. UK tour operators and budget airlines are all hoping to cash in on travel to destinations that until now have been mired in red tape. Easyjet plans to...

Tackling the travel media.(Tourism Concern)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Tourism Concern is 15 years old this year--we're delighted to have reached adolescence! It's been a steep learning curve, but one of the most surprising things has been not how intractable the tour operators are, but how the travel media...

Spanish tax on hold.(travel news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Controversial plans to tax tourists visiting Spain's Costa Brava have once again been put on hold. The Catalan government had suggested introducing the tax in order to fund improvements to the region's infrastructure, but vehement opposition,...

Robots the travel aids of the future?(travel news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Technology company NEC has developed the first robot that speaks both English and Japanese in their colloquial forms. PaPeRo (Partner-Type Personal Robot) is an all-seeing, all-hearing robot first conceived to act as a companion around the...

Eurotunnel is offering up to &000 free trips to town-twinning organisations.(France)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Eurotunnel is offering up to &000 free trips to town-twinning organisations as a way of celebrating three anniversaries the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the tenth birthday ofthe Channel...

US-based firm Space Adventures.(USA)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... US-based firm Space Adventures, the comparly that sent paying tourists to the International Space Station, has been scouring the globe for a site for a spaceport to send travellers on sub orbital flights.

Travel for a living: Nigel Gifford is the founder of adventure-travel company High and Wild and co-author of the book The Adventurous Traveller. Jacob Lotinga speaks to him about the origins of his company and making paper from elephant dung.(Interview)
May 1, 2004... How did you first become interested in adventure travel? I had little choice really. As a child, all of the stories my father told me involved adventure. They were mostly based on his own life. He was a merchant seaman who worked his way...

In conversation: Elizabeth Hawley is the undisputed unofficial authority on Nepalese Himalayan climbs. She has been compiling detailed records of expeditions since she settled in Kathmandu in 1960. Lisa Choegyal talks to this formidable 80 year old about life in Nepal and her long-standing friendship with Sir Edmund Hillary.(Interview)
May 1, 2004... What first brought you to Nepal? I first visited Nepal from India for a couple of weeks in February 1959 on a two year, around-the-world trip that took me to Eastern Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. Bored with my job as researcher...