It would not quite have had the same ring to it if DonMcLean had driven his Chevrolet - rather than Chevy - to the levy, but if General Motors had had its way American Pie may not have been such a hit.
In an internal memorandum, leaked to The New York Times, employees of GM were told to "communicate our brand as Chevrolet". The dismissal of the nickname Chevy sparked a public backlash and a statement and a video with a backtracking statement was quickly released.
The video, which appears on Chevrolet's YouTube channel, features an interview with Alan S Batey, vice president for Chevrolet sales and service and one of two employees who had signed the memorandum. "Chevy," he began. "What is Chevy? Chevy is our nickname. It comes from selling vehicles here in the US for 100 years. We love it when people call us Chevy."
Batey dismissed the memo as a "rough draft" and "a bit of fun" in an interview with the newspaper.
One millionth X5 roles of the US production line, destination China
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.