All my life I have dreamed of visiting Nepal. At any age, if you had asked me, "What is the one country you would go to if you could?" My answer has always been, "Nepal." It just seems so different from Tonawanda, NY... from anything that there is in America. Prayer flags. Hinduism. Buddhism. Temples. The mountains. Of course, when Animal Kingdom, down in Disney World opened up an Everest section, it just heightened my interest in the mighty mountain and the world around it. So when I got the invitation to go to Nepal and hike through the Himalayas, I did not hesitate!
January 18th
After a bit of a terrifying flight (the fog was insane... Seriously! I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone), we landed in the hectic Kathmandu airport and we met our lovely guide and newfound friend, Kishwor (henceforth, I shall call him Kisu). Despite the rain and the crazy fog, we were all smiles and excitement as Kisu gave us our very own welcome garlands of beautiful orange flowers strung together.
Kathmandu is nothing like I expected and everything I dreamed it would be. It's wild and bustling. They play Bollywood music, prayer flags are everywhere, the streets are narrow, and you have to dodge the taxis and motorbikes as though your life depends on it. For those of you who have visited Expedition Everest, you have a perfect idea of what the city looks like and the type of stores that sell trekking gear.
Kisu took us to a great little hole in the wall for dinner. I got REAL curry. For those of you who know me, I LOVE curry (it is also one of the few things I know how to cook) so to have real curry in Nepal (along with Nepali milk tea... ::cue choir of angels::) made this trip perfect before we even started!! In Nepal, it is very common to eat with your hand (your right hand) so... When in Rome!
Returning to our hotel (with the nicest guys working at the desk!!), Hannah and I sat outside our balcony with some of the local beer and wrote in our journals in between the power outages. We knew we should go to bed early, since we were leaving our hotel at 5:45 the next day... But we were just too excited!!
January 19th
The day that was to begin our expedition to the Everest Region started off a bit bumpy... Our alarm went off at 3am (Still set to China time... Oops!) so we had to try and get back to sleep for another two hours (fat chance of that!). I laid in bed just listening to the sound of bells ringing in the distance, reminding me that I was not in China anymore! Charging our cameras as much as we could before leaving, we were ready with our bags at 5:45 where we piled into the car and headed out to the airport! Of course to add to the bumpiness of our departure, there was horrific fog. The fog was so bad that our flight that was supposed to leave at 6:45 did not leave until after noon. Hannah and I sat nervously in the airport, praying that in the eleventh hour, the fog would clear. During this time, we got to know some other trekkers who were also waiting for their flights--Daniel from Germany and three Americans who were teaching in Shenzhen (all of them we met again and again on our trek which was awesome!). Luckily, around 10:30, the sun began to come out and the tree that I had been watching intently, waiting to see it clearly finally came into focus (there was a monkey in it!!).
Going through security is very interesting in Nepal. It is separated "Ladies" and "Gents" and the ladies section is actually closed off by a curtain... sort of protecting their honor from the other guests? As you pass through security, there is a statue of Buddha to greet you and a room just FILLED with people (mostly foreigners) still sitting and waiting for their flights. I loved seeing so many different people talking with each other--there was an Australian man talking energetically to a Nepali man and his wife and before they departed, they shook each other's hands and were smiling as though they were old friends. That should have been my first clue as to just how friendly the people up in the mountains would be and how strong the feeling of companionship shared among all the trekkers would be.
We got our boarding passes and I noticed that there were no seats listed on the tickets... When I saw the plane, I realized why. It held 14 people including the one flight attendant. It was our little group of four (me, Hannah, Kisu, and another FoC member named Andrew), the three Americans from Shenzhen and their guide, a Taiwanese couple and their guide, and a Chinese music teacher from Chengdu named Wei and his guide. Before taking off, the one flight attendant emphasized the barf bag (uh-oh). She also came around and offered us all cotton balls to put in our ears to block out the noise of the plane.
With one last squee shared with Hannah, we turned away from each other to gaze out our windows as the engine roared to life and with a jarring start we were soaring with the clouds!
Having seen photos of these mountains is one thing but seeing them in their grandeur and magnitude is so surreal. As I left Kathmandu and headed towards Lukla, I felt like I was entering into a whole different world. We flew higher but the ground grew closer and closer as the mountains continued to climb.
After just 30 minutes, it was time to land. The plane being so small jerked from side to side and dropped, making my stomach dance a jig! Looking out the window, I could see the runway and it was small... too small (or as Hannah called it, "cute"). We were all glued to our windows as the mountains grew bigger and bigger and the runway got closer (but still not bigger). We landed pretty hard and everyone was smiling, just so excited to be alive and living their lives.
We got off in the shadow of the might Himalayas and Hannah and I were bouncing out of our skin! There was snow on the ground, prayer flags flapping in the wind, bright blue sky, and the sun was shining, making it nice and warm for us. Despite the flight delaying weather earlier, this was the most perfect of perfect days made.
After many photos were snapped, we wandered down the one street through the town of Lukla. It is exactly as I dreamed it would be--a bumpy street covered in snow, shops selling trekking gear, and so many tin signs "heartily" welcoming trekkers. That was me--I was a trekker!!
Nepal, and especially the mountains, is so overwhelming for all of your senses. You are feeling the cold of the snow but also the heat of the sun. You are smelling moss and yak poop (love it!). You are seeing these incredible mountains that just tower over you and make you feel so small and yet connected to something so much bigger than you. You are tasting new foods (yak cheese and Nepali tea!!) and drinking the ice cold, crystal clear water given to you by the Earth. You are hearing the birds calling (just like at Expedition Everest, I feel the need to add as a Disnerd), yak and prayer bells chiming, the sound of melting snow falling on tin roofs, and everyone you pass--be it a child or a grandmother or other trekkers--say, "Namaste," as they pass you with a smile.
We grabbed a quick lunch at the Sunshine Inn (I got the famous "momos" which is just dumplings but still good since I hadn't eaten anything yet that day) and then instead of sitting inside waiting for Andrew to finish, Hannah and I ran back outside to find a group of kids playing in the snow. They were willing to let the crazy foreign ladies in on their game... They lured us in with their sweet smiles... only to start a snowball fight with us!
We started off on our trek, our eyes bouncing back and forth between the ground to see where to step (and my eyes were searching for playing cards for Adam) and the mountains above us.
For those of you who think that hiking through the Himalayas is an impossible dream or something that only the healthiest and fittest people can do, I say, "Have you seen me?" The most physical I get is knitting too fast and breaking into a sweat, or reading "The Hunger Games" and thinking that I should start working out as I make myself another cup of hot chocolate. Yes, there were times where the trek was difficult (especially Day 2 to Namche Bazaar) but it is not impossible. As Kisu said, "Slowly, slowly." It is not a race--you don't win anything if you get to the top first... you'll probably get altitude sickness if anything. People of all different shapes, sizes, and ages are found on the trail and everyone encourages one another.
That first day from Lukla to Phakding, was easy--three hours of mostly downhill. We passed yaks, porters, prayer flags, and incredible views. It was especially amazing to hike as the sun was setting--the tippy tops of the mountains still covered in amber sunlight while the rest of the world below entered the blue hour.
At one point we walked through a type of sanctuary filled with prayer wheels. It said that if you turn the prayer wheel three times, your soul will be purified... If you know me, you know how I eat those things up! At one point we walked around an altar (called a "stupa") and I spun all the wheels as I walked by clockwise, just as Kisu encouraged. I love the blending of Buddhism and Hinduism over there.
We finally made it to the Snowland Lodge where we were greeted by our porter, Dawa, Wei the music teacher, and an old hippie gentleman all sitting around a stove to keep warm. The lodge was made of stone and wood and it was COLD. We spent the evening writing, listening to Bollywood music, and warming up by the stove. That night, we had to put on more clothes to go to bed--two shirts, two pants, two socks, gloves, scarf, and my hood pulled up. Luckily, Adam encouraged me to bring my sleeping bag... it was another layer I could wrap around myself!! Brrr.....
January 20th
Day two of our trek was upon us! The three hour trek from the day before was nothing compared to what we had ahead of us--seven hours of hiking, the last two completely uphill. After a great chat around the stove with Kisu and another guide named Bikrahm (and a delicious breakfast of Tibetan bread... my new favorite!!) we were on our way.
We didn't go too far before I made the group stop. I saw a small piece of paper wedged between the top step and a door on a restaurant. Not wanting to get my hopes up, I approached it slowly and pulled it out. Eureka! Sure enough, it was a playing card! Ten points to Slytherin... And one good girlfriend point goes to Amanda.
As we were wandering along the winding trail, the sun warming us all up, our guide who appeared so kind and soft spoken and loving, our dear Kisu turned on us and opened fire, snowballs slamming into our backs! Hannah and I dodged behind a house and the snowballs just came coming and coming... The winner had not been determined yet... The war is still on, Kisu... BEWARE.
We crossed rickety bridges with prayer flags tied to them, the wind blowing through them and carrying the prayers up to heaven. We carefully made our way down icy slopes by rivers. We watched in awe as porters passed us, carrying huge loads on their backs. What we were traveling along was the Himalayan highway but instead of semi-trucks, the goods are carried on the backs of the people.
We trekked for a little over three hours before stopping to have lunch at the last place before Namche Bazaar--the Everest Guesthouse at 2850m. It turns out that almost everyone we had flown up there with the day before (expect for Wei) decided to eat there! It was like a strange little family reunion. We were all smiles and chit chat, asking about each other's treks and how it was going... even though we all knew what awaited us after lunch:
A three hour trek to Namche... the last two hours completely uphill.
It was a very solitary journey. Andrew being too sick and weak to move at a normal pace fell behind quickly and lovely Kisu had to stay with him. Hannah, being the Amazon Warrior Princess that she is, marched ahead. I stayed in the middle, always kind of in sight of Kisu so he wouldn't worry but also unable to constantly stop and wait around. It was nice and I was able to start and stop when I wanted without feeling any shame.
It was rough. I won't lie.
But I really am very proud of myself. I wasn't sure if I could do this. Before leaving, I was doubting myself so much. It was Adam who had faith in me... he even called me a "regular mountain woman from Tonawanda!" I didn't have the heart to tell him that there are no mountains in Tonawanda... I couldn't keep up with Hannah (but I didn't expect to). Seeing me push my body beyond comfort was incredible and made me feel so alive! It was certainly not relaxing but it is the most alive a person can be and I felt that Hannah and I were not just surviving, we were thriving. Kisu said at one point that, "Every step you take is a new record for you." And I just loved that!
At one point, I was waiting at a cross roads, uncertain where to go and a Sherpa walked by me with his horse and two cows. He pointed the way to Namche for me and we walked and talked for a few minutes. I will always remember him. I liked him.
I made the final climb up a staircase (can you call them staircases if they're made out of stone and outside?) and Hannah called out to me like an angel with a Snickers bar in her hand.
We had made it to Namche Bazaar--the last sign of life before Base Camp.
We spent the rest of the night keeping warm in the dining room of the Foot Rest Lodge. It's made all of wood with T-shirts signed by people who passed through, most of them on their way to BC (there was even a shirt with a group of kids all under 10 that had hiked up to Namche)! Our friend, Daniel, was there, as well as a great group of Aussies--James, Joshua, Joshua's mom, and Louise. We had great conversation that had us laughing so hard. We exchanged stories of our treks, invaded Skype calls, talked about the yeti, and Hannah and I split a huge "medium" pot of milk tea (seriously, I love that stuff).
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| Ignore the hot mess that is me at this point |
We also spent the night just sitting and talking with Kisu, getting to know him as a friend and not just our guide. We picked his brain a bit and he said that we could make it up to BC, no problem. It was at that moment, that we made the first of many promises to return in June with the boys (Adam and Adam) and go up to BC.
January 21st
This was the day! The day that I first set eyes on Mt. Everest (but certainly not my last, I can promise you that!). I woke up nice and early (6:30am) and watched the sun rise (by that, I mean I watched the sun start to shine on the top of one of the nearby mountains and slowly work its way down). After a quick breakfast, we headed out to the Everest viewing point which was just a short hike up to the top of Namche.
It was a crisp clear beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky... Except over Everest.
It was almost like a cruel joke! Kisu kept blowing really hard to try and make the cloud move for us. It was a bit unfortunate but our disappointment did not last long at all. We were surrounded by a whole range of mountains and Everest wasn't even the prettiest one. There is a great quote that says, "Everest is like a fat man in a room filled with beautiful women." It is famous because of its height and not it's beauty (my personal favorite mountain is Ama Dablam which means "Mother and Son" because there are two peaks, one smaller than the other). We started taking photos and videos and just tried to drink it in. The world was so quiet up there. All I could think was two things:
- I have to get my family up here.
- This would be perfect if only Adam was here.
Namche was technically the end of the road for us. Hannah and I originally wanted to go all the way to BC but the other members of the group didn't think we could do it physically or financially (ironically, they all dropped out, leaving just me and Hannah doing what the rest of the group wanted). Instead of just wasting the day in Namche (though a day in Namche or anywhere in the mountains is certainly not a day wasted), Kisu decided to take us up to Khum Jung at 3790m (that's 12,475ft) where we saw the supposed yeti skull. I'm the type of person that has no problem believing in something like the yeti. I think John Lennon said something like, "I believe in everything until it's disproved." And that is how I feel about the yeti--it is very real to the people of the mountains, so who am I to belittle that? And why would I want to?
That night in the lodge, we were able to sit with Kisu--the terrific trio--and just spend time together and talk. We loved having him as our guide but we realized just how lucky were were to have him as one of our friends now too.
January 22nd
Ending our trek far too soon, we returned to Lukla in a single day. Where it took almost seven hours to get from Phakding to Namche, it took us only three hours to go from Namche to Phakding (gravity definitely helps with that!) and it was less than three hours from Phakding to Lukla, despite the fact that it was mostly uphill.
Our last night in the mountains was spent where it all began--at the Sunshine Inn--where two of the kids we had played with on our first day, lived. We drank the local beer called tongba (a local beer made of millet which was super sour... No me gusta) and taught the kids how to play Uno.
Going up into the mountains, I learned that I (and my body) am capable of so much more than I ever imagined. I was able to climb up to 3740m. without really too much of a problem. Of course it was difficult--this wasn't a walk through the park, it was the Himalayas. Day 2 where we were walking uphill for two hours was difficult, there is no reason to lie. But I did it... And I think I did it well. It showed me that a little bookworm who would just love to sit, watch a movie, and knit can also face the Himalayas head on and look upon Everest. It gives me more confidence to think that someday (soon), I might just make it to BC. Daniel said at one point that doing these things and pushing our bodies to their physical limits, makes you so much more aware of your body. And it's true! Muscles hurt that I never even knew existed. I can feel my lungs working and my veins pumping with blood. My body has never been so sore nor has it ever felt so used and alive.
There were so many people that I came into contact with and will always think of fondly when I think back to my first time in the mountains. Once you leave Kathmandu and start your trek, it is as though everyone is on the same team and everyone is friends. We are all similar minded people searching for adventure (in the great wide somewhere!!). When you pass someone on the trail, everyone smiles and says, "Namaste." Everyone cheers each other on. We were all traveling together--we might sleep in different lodges and have different guides but we would always bump into the same people again. The lady from Taiwan, the Aussie with the amazing beard, the three Americans from Shenzhen, the group of older men, the Chinese music teacher. The Aussie family at the Foot Rest Lodge, Dr. Christopher James Kingsbury the Chemist Extraordinaire (with equally extraordinary hair), Daniel the headstone carver from Frankfurt. Each of them will be connected to my memory of Nepal. I will always remember their enthusiasm and their disappointment when they learned that we were not joining them up at BC. They were all such kind, wonderful, open souls and I am so happy to have been able to share a small (but exciting) part of their lives.
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| The only photo we got of any of our buddies... FOR SHAME! Our friend Chris the Chemist |
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The one that I am happiest to have met is Kisu. It was so easy to warm up to him. He is so kind and helpful, telling us the safe places to hike, what food to eat, and telling us the names of the mountains (over and over again). But at night in the lodges, we were able to just sit and talk and laugh. He told us scary stories about the yeti, we showed him photos of our families, he told us about his plan to open up his own trekking company, and we made a pact to come back and hike to BC in June. Our final night in Namche, he admitted to us, saying that our hike did not feel like work, but rather, it felt like he was hiking with friends. I couldn't agree more! I went up to the mountains looking to learn more about myself and my capabilities and I returned to the world below with a new friend.
January 24th
After a sad day of leaving the mountains and returning to the crazy and hectic streets of Kathmandu, we were reunited with the lovely Kisu and we had a day of sightseeing around the city. Our first stop was the #1 thing on my Kathmandu list: Swayambhunath... better known as:
THE MONKEY TEMPLE
I love monkeys and primates like you would not believe. My literary hero is Jane Porter from the Tarzan books and one of my real life heroes is Jane Goodall. If it had been readily available at my university, I would have gone for primatology. I can spend hours in the gorilla exhibit at either the Buffalo Zoo or Disney's Animal Kingdom. It is a dream of mine to visit the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Borneo. I love primates (more specifically apes but I'll settle for monkeys).
According to legend, Kathmandu used to be under a lake before the hill that the Monkey Temple is on rose up from out of the water. Apparently, it's true that a lake was once there... I just love it when legends are based off of actual fact! 2,000 years ago, the temple was built and, to this day, it is still one of the most important Buddhist temples in Kathmandu.
It is strange to me that Swayambhunath is such a holy site but it's also practically a shopping mall! There are tone of vendors selling things from paintings, necklaces, and CDs. It is hard to navigate your way through the tourists and pilgrims to see the stupas and stone carvings. Through the incense, vendors, pigeons, and stray dogs (that were really nasty), is my (obvious) favorite part of the temple--the macaques. They add a sense of charm and wonder to the temple, jumping from stupa to stupa, sliding down the bannisters, and charming the pants right off of me. I couldn't help but think of "The Jungle Book" with Old King Louie (bap bah doo bam bap bah doo bum)!
Leaving the Buddhist temple behind us, we headed to Pashupatinath--the holiest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. Now I don't know nearly as much about Hinduism as I do Buddhism so I found this place to be fascinating.
This temple is where the Hindus of Kathmandu are cremated after death. I've read books and seen documentaries on the practice but to see it first hand was just incredible and something I never expected to see.
The Bagmati River runs through the temple, separating it in half. Both sides of the river are used in the cremations but one side is used for the wealthy and important and the other side is used for the commonwealth (yes, there is still a caste system in Nepal).
As we were standing by in silence, four bodies were in the process of burning. Obviously, there were no photos taken out of respect for the dead and those who were mourning, so I will try to describe it as best as I can.
The bodies are placed out onto a stone platform looking out over the holy river (that eventually connects to the Ganges) where a small pyre is built around the place where the recently deceased and cleaned body lies (we actually saw a head sticking out of an unlit pyre). The body is carried out on the shoulders of the family members, shrouded and adorned with bright orange marigolds (we actually got to see this happen, a man blowing a shell like a trumpet and the whole funeral procession passing by us to go to the edge of the river). The body is placed on the pyre where the eldest son lights the fire in the person's mouth (where life begins and ends with your first and last breath). Praise is given to Brahma who gives life, Vishnu who sustains life, and Shiva who takes life away. The family stays until the body has burned completely and then the bones, ashes, and still burning wood is scooped into the Bagmati.
Despite the vendors, tourists, and holy men (sadhus) trying to get money out of you, I was still thoroughly fascinated with what I was able to see. Bodies burning, families mourning... Despite distance and cultural differences, death is something we all have in common and I think that it is helpful to see how other people cope with the same pain, feelings, and emotions.
Standing by the pyre and having the ashes fall on our clothes and in our hair, breathing in the smoke made me feel so connected and a part of something so much bigger than just me and my life.
January 26th
Before we left Nepal for the sunshine and warmth of Malaysia, we were invited to the house of Ishwar, the owner of Vista Treks, for a farewell dinner. We had met him and his beautiful wife when they flew up in a helicopter to bring Andrew back to Kathmandu so he wouldn't have to hike back (long story...) so it was wonderful to see them again. We had a traditional dinner of dahl bat (rice and lentils and meat and curry and wonderful yummy goodness) and we just sat and talked with them before we had to go.
Before leaving, they gave each of us white scarves (Tibetan kata scarves) with the buddhist mantra embroidered into it. It is given to people who are about to set out on a journey. I will cherish it forever.
I was blown away by the kindness, openness, and warmth of the Nepali people. I felt like I was meeting with old friends every time I started talking with someone. I read somewhere that many people come to Nepal for the mountains but return for the people... I have found this to be true.
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| JUNE!! |
Until Next Time,
Amanda
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