Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) - China and Nepal on Thursday inked a pact that would resume bus services from Nepal's capital Kathmandu and Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region next year.

The agreement was signed in Kathmandu by Ran Shiping, deputy director general of Tibet's Department of Communications, and Khagendra Mani Pokharel, director general of Nepal's Department of Transport Management.

The bus service had been discontinued in 2006 due to China's reluctance to issue visas to travelers. It is seen to be resumed next year.

The pact was signed after a six-day meeting between a 10-member Chinese delegation and Nepali officials.

The Mountains of Tibet by Mordicai Gerstein is a beautiful story of life and birth. A woodcutter passes away, then he is left with a choice. "You know you have a choice. You may become part of the endless universe some call heaven, or you may live another life." The woodcutter searches the planets, stars, earth, etc. looking for parents and a new life. Beautiful mandala like watercolors illustrate this book on reincarnation. Even if you do not believe in Buddhist thoughts on the after life, this is a wonderful book about the numerous possibilities for life. The Mountains of Tibet is also helpful to read when a child has lost a loved one. We often talk about our dog's next life, and it brings us comfort to know our paths may cross again. We have always told our children that they chose us to be their parents, and I believe that. Our children have come to us so that they may teach us, and so that we may teach them about love and compassion.

The Thangka painting bearing the image of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, is unfolded to the worshippers, in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, August 12, 2007. The activity that unfolds Buddha portrait in Zhebung Monastery marks the opening of Shoton Festival, or Xodoin, which means yogurt banquet in Tibetan language. Over 300,000 people including local residents and foreign tourists attended the festival Sunday. The Shoton Festival, which is believed to originate in the 11th century, and originally a religious activity for pilgrims to serve yogurt to monks and nuns who finished their summer retreat, had gradually become a theatrical event by mid-17th century. The Shoton Festival was inscribed on the list of China Intangible Cultural Heritage in May last year.

They spent 990 million yuan ($130.8 million), again almost double the same period last year, the report said.

'The opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway and Nyingchi airport as well as other improvements in basic infrastructure have driven the development of Tibet's tertiary sector,' it said.

Most the tourists were domestic. Just 73,000 came from overseas, the report said.

Train services from Beijing to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa began last July, opening the door to a surge of Chinese and foreign tourism to the region.

Tibetan activists have warned that tourism and migration by Han Chinese could swamp Tibet's distinctive culture, with Tibetan people receiving less than their share of new jobs and income.

China, which expects the number of tourists visiting Tibet to reach 6 million in 2010, is building a fourth airport at Ngari in the west, which will be the world's highest.

When a traveler sees flags of various colors, shapes and designs blowing in the wind on high mountain passes and roof-tops or above rapids in mountain streams, bridges and monasteries, they know they are somewhere near a Tibetan. The Prayer Flag, or Wind-Horse Flag, can be seen hanging throughout the Tibetan Plateau and indeed, anywhere Tibetans live, such as Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces as well as in countries neighboring Tibet: Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan.

These flags, "Lung Ta" in Tibetan, are called "prayer flags" or "wind-horse flags," a literal translation of "Lung Ta": "Lung" meaning wind and "Tu" referring to horse in Tibetan.

Wind horse of the early stages referred to fleeces hung on the trees or brushwood. Nowadays, the skeleton heads of flocks and herds can still be found among the Mani piles. In the mind of the Tibetans, wind horse refers to mankind's destiny and fortune, and in some special cases it points to the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. held by the ancients to compose the entire physical universe, and later used in traditional Chinese medicine to explain various physiological phenomena). If a wind-horse flag is placed at the convergence of nimbus, the symbols on it will create an offering or prayer, which the wind distributes to the world every time it brushes against the flag. This is believed to be useful for the realization of a person's dreams.

Just like any other art form in Tibet, the creation and distribution of prayer flags is promoted by its religious motif, and at the same time, acts as a medium for religious followers to communicate with the world of spirituality and divinity.

Authorities have published a long-term plan for the tourism industry's sustainable development on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which aims to retain the same blue-sky and plateau views even after years of development.

The scheme (2006-20) plans to develop the region along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway into a top-quality tourist destination, which it is hoped will attract some 3 million tourists each year, staying for an average of seven to 12 days by 2020.

But tourism administrators say the development should not be achieved at the cost of the environment, said Yang Kaizhong, an economist and professor with Peking University who heads the planning team, supported by the China National Tourism Administration.

As a preventive move, Yang's team has defined "no entry", "entry limit", "free entry" and "encouraged entry" sections in the region.

Unduplicable scenic spots like the Potala Palace and Tar Lamasery are areas where limits will be set for tourist entry, he said.

But entry into major towns, such as Lhasa, Nagqu, Golmud and Xining, and some scenic spots that are capable of receiving unlimited numbers of tourists, such as the formal research base of China's first atomic bomb, are encouraged.

It is because the big towns will shoulder the task of providing accommodation, leisure and shopping places for tourists, Yang said.

It is expected 85,100 hotel rooms will be needed along the railway by 2020, most of which should be located in the towns.

"But we do not encourage building high towers and star-rated hotels there. It is better to have more family hotels, small-scale inns and non-permanent facilities with strong local cultural and architectural features in the community," he said.

The plan also suggests setting up sewage treatment works in Xining, Delingha and Golmud in Qinghai, and Lhasa and Nagqu in Tibet, and building large-scale waste-disposal plants in Xining, Golmud and Lhasa, so that sewage and rubbish left by tourists and produced by railway passengers can be disposed of, he said.

In addition to environmental protection, the plan is also exploring new spring and winter scenic spots, aiming to extend the sightseeing period around the plateau from the current six months (May-October) to more than eight months after 2020.

Tourists are also expected to benefit from it by having better planned itineraries.

The planning work started in 2006, as the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is forecast to stimulate tourist growth to the plateau as a more affordable and convenient means of transport.

"Global warming is having an effect on Tibet, making the temperature higher and higher," said He Xiaohong, a senior engineer with the region's meteorological station.

The Tibetan capital, Lhasa, also recorded its highest July temperature in 30 years on Monday when the mercury hit 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit), he said.

Tibet just experienced its third warm winter in seven years, with temperatures 9 degrees Celsius (16 F) above average in some areas, he said.

Temperatures were 3 to 5 degrees (5 to 9 F) higher in Xigaze Prefecture, Shannan Prefecture and areas around Lhasa during the first four days of July, he said.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Tibet's glaciers have melted at an annual rate of 131 square kilometers (51 square miles) over the past three decades.

 
 
A train runs on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on Lhasa River Bridge in Lhasa, Tibet, in this July 1, 2006 file photo. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest, stretches 1,956 km from Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, capital of the China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and became operational on July 1, 2006. [Xinhua]       Two donkeys are seen near the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Hohxil area, Northwest China's Qinghai Province, June 30, 2007. Some 33 special passageways for the migration of Tibetan antelopes, wild yaks and other wide animals have built, Xinhua news agency reported. [Xinhua]     File photo shows Tibetan antelopes run as a train runs on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Some 33 special passageways for the migration of Tibetan antelopes, wild yaks and other wide animals have built, Xinhua news agency reported. [Xinhua]     A young ethnic Tibetan pilgrim on board a train to Lhasa as it cruises along the Qinghai-Tibet railway, May 28, 2007. The railway has facilitated pilgrimage for the Tibetan people. Last year, 328,000 pilgrims visited the Potala Palace, Norbuglinkha and Johkang Monastery, the top three religious sites and tourist destinations in Lhasa, an increase of 62,000 from the previous year, Xinhua news agency reported.     A train prepares to leave Lhasa Railway Station in Lhasa, Tibet, July 1, 2007. A year after its inauguration, the railway has transported 1.5 million passengers into Tibet, nearly half of the total tourists arrivals in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.     A train runs on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Hohxil area, west China's Qinghai province June 19, 2006. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway will begin trial operations on July 1, 2006. Picture taken June 19, 2006.

 
 
A train runs on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on Lhasa River Bridge in Lhasa, Tibet, in this July 1, 2006 file photo. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest, stretches 1,956 km from Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, capital of the China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and became operational on July 1, 2006. [Xinhua]       Two donkeys are seen near the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Hohxil area, Northwest China's Qinghai Province, June 30, 2007. Some 33 special passageways for the migration of Tibetan antelopes, wild yaks and other wide animals have built, Xinhua news agency reported. [Xinhua]     File photo shows Tibetan antelopes run as a train runs on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Some 33 special passageways for the migration of Tibetan antelopes, wild yaks and other wide animals have built, Xinhua news agency reported. [Xinhua]     A young ethnic Tibetan pilgrim on board a train to Lhasa as it cruises along the Qinghai-Tibet railway, May 28, 2007. The railway has facilitated pilgrimage for the Tibetan people. Last year, 328,000 pilgrims visited the Potala Palace, Norbuglinkha and Johkang Monastery, the top three religious sites and tourist destinations in Lhasa, an increase of 62,000 from the previous year, Xinhua news agency reported.     A train prepares to leave Lhasa Railway Station in Lhasa, Tibet, July 1, 2007. A year after its inauguration, the railway has transported 1.5 million passengers into Tibet, nearly half of the total tourists arrivals in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.     A train runs on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Hohxil area, west China's Qinghai province June 19, 2006. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway will begin trial operations on July 1, 2006. Picture taken June 19, 2006.

Alpinist Ken Noguchi conquered Mount Everest on Tuesday morning, successfully completing his ascent from the Tibet side of the mountain to the 8,850 meter summit as part of an environmental expedition.

The climber reached the summit at about 8 a.m. local time (11:15 a.m. Japanese time), and used a satellite telephone to report his success to his office in Tokyo at about 11:30 a.m. Japanese time.

Noguchi has already conquered the Seven Summits, the highest mountains of the seven continents. He is a director of the Fujisan Club, a nonprofit organization that combats pollution on Mount Fuji. Noguchi left Japan in March to ascend Everest and take part in a joint program to clear litter from Mount Fuji and Mount Everest.

After taking part in cleaning activities in mid-April near the base camp on Mount Everest at an altitude of 5,300 meters, Noguchi began his ascent to the summit. He departed from the 8,200-meter mark at 10 p.m. Monday local time and arrived at the summit on Tuesday morning.

Noguchi had previously reached the summit in a climb from the Nepal side in 1999. He had attempted to climb the mountain from the Tibet side in 1997, but his attempt failed and he had to withdraw. His latest climb was his first attempt from the Tibet side in a decade.

The climber's office in Tokyo said Noguchi was the eighth Japanese person to have made it to the summit of Mount Everest from both the Nepal and Tibet sides.