Updates for Summer 2014
In June I found out that Pasang had been working on a new book project. (He had previously published a guide to the lodges in the Khumbu region.)
His new project involves biographies of the climbing Sherpas. He sent me a draft of the project, which was awesome but also was riddled with spelling and grammar issues. I offered to volunteer as the editor for this project!
I doubt if my editing is completely proper by publishing standards, but the words will be spelled correctly and I have double-checked all references to ensure accuracy. Finding the correct spelling of some names and places has been extremely interesting! For instance, the simple reference of "Mr. Andy of USA" sent me on a three-day Internet search! Kim Jong ended up being Kim Chang-Ho; Rushal Bruce = Russel Brice; etc. At first I thought that 'love marriage' was just one of Pasang's awkward uses of the English language, but then I learned that it's the Nepali way of referencing a marriage that is by the couple's choice - as opposed to the tradition of arranged marriages.
I have learned about people around the world who are involved in high altitude mountain climbing. I've learned about the geography of Nepal, techniques and equipment used for climbing, various roles of people on the expeditions, etc. Most of all, I have developed an incredible amount of respect for anyone who undertakes the very dangerous activity of trying to summit mountains. Especially at extreme altitudes, it's an unparalleled test of one's physical, mental and emotional strength and endurance. The most respect, of course, is extended to the Sherpa climbers. They are the heroes of the mountaineering industry and get so very little compensation or recognition for what they do.
Revenue from the mountaineering industry is the backbone for Nepal's economy. Sherpa climbers earn a very tiny percentage of the amount that foreigners pay to climb the mountains. A typical Everest climb, for instance, can cost upwards of $70,000 per person.
Climate changes are wreaking havoc with climbing conditions worldwide. In the Himalayas, climbs begin during the wee hours of the morning to minimize dealing with shifts in the glaciers that occur as soon as the sun comes up. Although the temperatures on an Everest climb can dive to 40 below zero, they can also soar to over 80 degrees at some locations during the same climb.
The book we are working on has brief biographies of climbers including information about their families, their home villages, their training, and their accomplishments. Pasang hopes to include around 100 biographies, if possible. He has made several treks into the Khumbu region to personally interview the climbers. Then, he emails the drafts to me and I begin my work.
In addition to the biographies, I thought it would be good to include information that would make the book more appealing to the general public and not just limit future readers to alpinists. I have been so caught up by all of the things I've learned, I want to share this interesting information with others!
I'm working on an overview of the Sherpa people; a list of Nepal's most popular climbing peaks; information about equipment used; information about the plight of the Sherpa widows and their children; links for making donations and for doing volunteer work, etc. I am also including information about the actual process of climbing Mt. Everest - how it takes, what's involved, which routes are most common, etc.
This has become a very extensive - and very unanticipated - labor of love. It has been just six months since Nepal even came into my 'world' and I never thought I would become involved in a project like this to memorialize the Sherpa climbers. I believe it has the potential to bring aid and financial assistance to the Sherpa community as well as to Pasang's family. I would so love for that to happen!
Through our ongoing communication about the project and life in general, I have become very fond of Pasang and his family. His wife also writes to me on Facebook, and I have been in communication with other Sherpas, also. I have so many new friends and acquaintances 8,000 miles away! I think of Pasang and his family every single day.
Looking at photos of Chogel, Pasang and Pushpa's son, brings tears of joy to my eyes. I would so love to be able to hold that little guy. They tell me he is such a happy little baby - he even smiles in his sleep!
The book has a great format. Pasang has the bios on pages where the background is a photo of the climber on the mountain; most typically at the summit. The contrast of the colors - climbing gear, prayer flags, snow and the blue sky - is beautiful and captivating. I can't wait to see the finished product!
We don't have a timeline pinpointed at this time, but it's something we each work on daily. My stumbling block at the moment is getting things in place to be able to edit the PDF files that I'm receiving from Pasang. I have been editing in Word, but need to transfer to PDF editing so that I can do the actual layout on the photographs. I will then send those pages to the designer in Kathmandu so he can take over the next phase of the project.
This is such a combination of new endeavors, new learning, new passions - what a interesting unfolding of fate!
Thursday, September 18, 2014
How it Started
It all began on the evening of May 4, 2014, while channel surfing with the remote. A documentary (already in progress) caught my attention. The Discovery Channel was airing "Everest Avalanche Tragedy," which told the story of the people who were on an expedition at the time of the disastrous avalanche that killed 16 Sherpa guides on April 18, 2014.
I recently had heard something on the news about the disaster, but it was a passing mention. Not being a mountaineering enthusiast, I thought that it was terrible news but didn't dwell on it further.
In the process of watching the TV show, however, I began to learn things about the Sherpa people and their work on Mt. Everest. This led to some independent research and then things started unfolding rather quickly - and in the most magnificent ways!
Some of the things I've learned from the TV show and my own initial research:
- The word sherpa is commonly used to 'just' mean a mountain guide, or someone who carries supplies up mountains for climbers.
- There is an ethnic group called the Sherpas, many of whom are involved in mountaineering and other trekking occupations.
- Expedition companies hire Sherpas to work on the climbs that are arranged for Westerners.
- The Sherpas' jobs include establishing trails over the constantly-changing surface of the mountain, setting up the ropes and ladders across the treacherous terrain, setting up camps along the way, serving as cooks and porters, carrying in supplies on their backs (common packs weigh upward of 50 pounds), etc.
- Individual permits to climb the mountain cost $11,000. The cost of a guided expedition to the summit can range from $30,000 - $100,000. The Sherpa climbers earn approximately $5,000 for the entire season. The government has been paying a mere $400 to families of Sherpas who die while climbing.
- Sherpas have roughly 10 genes that have adapted over time. These adaptations allow their bodies to function efficiently at very high altitudes; altitudes that would cause other humans to become sick or even die.
- The colored, rectangular flags that are commonly seen in photos of Nepal are Prayer Flags. Red, white, blue, yellow and green in color, the flags are hand-printed individually with prayers and mantras. As they blow in the wind, they are carrying prayers to others, and carrying prayer requests to the gods. When they blow back toward you, they are bringing answers to your prayers.
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/sherpa-family-fund/
Building an Unexpected Friendship
When the documentary was over, I started looking up more information on the Internet. I ended up on Facebook and sent a couple of messages to Sherpa families saying that I was so terribly sorry to learn of the losses within their community. I also sent a message to a company called Hello Himalayan Homes, which caught my eye because I couldn't figure out what that might be! In spite of that, I found several interesting photos of Nepal on the HHH website.
Someone answered back thanking me for sending my condolences. That person ended up being a young man named Pasang. He lives in Kathmandu.
It is now early June and at this point, we have become friends - exchanging messages many times each week. Pasang is a very active and ambitious young man. He is married and has a new baby boy.
Photo of Pasang and his wife, Pushpa.
Wedding Day Newborn Chogel, April 2014 |
Pasang with his first book, The Khumbu Directory - which lists information about the various lodges in the Solukumbu region of the Himalayas. He is currently working on a second book.In addition to the work Pasang has been doing with books, he is also an artist. Here are some of his works:
The "Thangka" or "Thanka" style of art.
This piece on Global Warming was published as a poster by the ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development)
More Bits and Pieces about Nepal......
- The majority of people in Nepal are Hindi, though the Sherpa mostly follow the tenets of Tibetan Buddhism.
- Buddha was born in Nepal.
- Stupas are the Buddhist monuments. Gompas are smaller places of religious importance - small temples - and from what I'm understanding at this point, are places for meditation and for learning. I think that the children in the mountain villages attend school at the gompas. (Some of the children must trek two hours or more to get to the gompa!)
- Nepali is the main language, though English is also spoken by many people in Nepal. The written Nepali language is like Sanskrit.
- Families pay for their children to attend schools. It is not uncommon for children to walk/climb 2 hours (one way) to go to school in the rural and mountainous areas.
- Nepal is a very poor country. Outside of the cities, most people are farmers.
- Yaks and Naks! Yaks are the males, Naks are the females. They are used for carrying supplies, for help with farming tasks, and for food.
Two-toned yak
Plowing yaks
Yaks with Packs!
- Neither yak fur nor yak dung has an unpleasant odor, per its unique composition. (Thanks, Craig, for that "Fun Fact!")
- Outside of large city buildings, major hotels, etc., Nepali toilets are squat toilets. Most travel blogs and articles say that the thought of using squat toilets strikes more fear in tourists than being mugged or getting lost in a foreign country. (Rightly so.)
- Kathmandu has a "h" in it! It is mostly a huge slum (over 3 million people there), and the traffic and air pollution are almost indescribably horrible. (People commonly wear masks while out and about.)
I read a travel post the other day that advised tourists that they must just forge ahead and elbow their way through the crowds along with everyone else!
There are no lanes or speed limits,and people must often navigate around goats, etc.
- Nepal wasn't open for tourism until the 1950's.
- The little airport in Lukla is considered to be the most dangerous airport in the world. It is the gateway to the Himalayas, as far as climbing Everest from the Nepal side.
"Someday I'm going to Nepal!"
Kevin has been trying for years to pique my interest in foreign travel and has told me so many times that he would like to travel with me to Europe and other places. He has found it rather funny that the one place that has me excited to go see is a little third-world country that's landlocked in Asia!
Kevin (and Craig, and almost everyone else I know) have talked to me very earnestly about being super careful and taking precautions to avoid being scammed by the people I meet online. POINT TAKEN, everyone! I wonder what the warnings will be when I actually am preparing to make the trip?!
When I first pitched the issue to Craig, I said that I had a new goal, and that if he would like to go, too - that would be great. I told him that I certainly wouldn't take it for granted that he'd want to go, given that it's an impoverished country with squat toilets. He seems to be on-board at this point, but it's still in the future.
Given Craig's propensity for charlie-horses, the thought of trying to use a squat toilet in a space designed for people of much smaller stature is indeed daunting. If that becomes the "out," I most certainly won't fault him!
My mom took the news with only one raised eyebrow, but didn't make a fuss at all. She just said to be careful. By the time I visited her the next day at her assisted living place, everyone there knew that I had future plans to visit Nepal! (Word spreads fast with those senior citizens!)
My friend Lisa was here from Tucson and spent a few days with us the weekend after I watched that initial documentary. Every other word from me was Nepal this, and Nepal that. (Sorry, Lis'.) She was a good sport, in spite of it all. Neither she nor Craig could stay awake during the Prayer Flags DVD, but the music was really soothing and contemplative, and I think it inspired them to contemplate the insides of their eyelids.
The bottom line is that many things about Nepal and the people there have really captured my attention and touched my heart in some inexplicable way. Go figure.
Shots, Metric System, and Rupees - Oh, My!
So - In addition to needing to learn some basics about reading and writing a language that's way out of my ballpark, I have found the usual OTHER challenges that can come along with foreign travel: Immunizations, use of the metric system, and money conversion.
First of all, thank Goodness for cell phones and their Internet capability to provide instant answers for conversions! I can remember the Mexico travel days when I carried conversion charts with me everywhere I went.
Apparently, when the time is nearing to make the trip, I will need to get a lot of vaccinations. Yippee. I have several years, I think, to be praying that neither I nor my travel companion(s) will contract any dangerous, uncomfortable, trip-wrecking, maiming type of affliction while in Nepal.
Coincidence? I think NOT!
SO..... Back to some interesting things that happened during the first week of having Nepal on my brain......
I wanted to go find a Mother's Day gift for my mom and also wanted to get some produce at a market in nearby La Mesa. Both places are in the same 'strip mall' although they are at opposite ends. Instead of having to park twice, I decided to park in the middle and just walk to both destinations.
I've been to each of the places many times in the past. I had glanced around at other stores there, but my usual visits were to the market and Burlington Coat Factory. I hadn't really paid much attention to the other storefronts.
Therefore, I was REALLY surprised when I looked up after getting out of the car. Immediately in front of me were these two places:
Himalayan Restaurant - Indian and Nepalese Food
The Himalayan Bazaar - which carries food items and 'souvenir-type' things from Nepal.
I haven't tried the restaurant yet, but I went to see it and the place is huge! The smells in there were amazing, so I am anxious to try it out soon.
I did spend some time in the store and met the owner, Khem, who is from Nepal. Khem has already told me about some groups that make regular trips to Nepal for volunteer work. He loaned me (a total stranger!) a DVD to watch about prayer flags. That happened after I was talking about some of the things that had impressed me in my beginning research. I'm hoping Khem will become a good, local resource.
Another plan I have is to check to see if I can find and meet Nepali students who may be at some of the local universities. Perhaps I can hire someone to help me learn the language!
Using the term 'networking' is passé, right? Oh well, if the shoe fits........ (right?)
There were a few other things that happened in that first week or two after my realization that I needed to go to Nepal someday. One was the launch of a national commercial that includes photos of Mt. Everest and prayer flags. The commercial doesn't have anything to do with Nepal, but the images are there.
A couple of other references popped up out of nowhere and they just brought a smile to my face. Perhaps they were the types of things that are always around and you only notice them when you have "something on the brain." I choose to believe that the explanation is not that simple. It feels a little more like Divine intervention.
Special Places and Special People
Other sites in Kathmandu
Boudhanath Stupa at night. The oldest Buddhist monument in Nepal; located in Bouda on the outskirts of Kathmandu. This site dates to the 14th century.
Pasang's gallery: The World's Highest Art Gallery
Gokyo, Nepal
One of Pasang's paintings
This yak had nicer attire than many people in Nepal.
It is estimated that each family living in the mountainous regions of Nepal uses more than 2.5 metric tons of wood per year. Much of this is transported by the family members themselves. This little boy is using a namlo to carry a load of wood.
Old wooden ladders at one of the Sherpa villages.
Sherpa women in their traditional clothing.
Traditional attire of Tamang women.
Special People
Pasang Tshering Sherpa, my Internet friend and book project partner.
Pasang with his wife (Pushpa Tamang Sherpa) and baby,
Dawa Chogel Sherpa (born in April 2014)
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