A worthy tribute to what we term "Old-fashioned heroes, true heroes, a real man."
TENZING and
A person may view Nepal in at least two ways: One is to use a western lens, the other, an adventurous eye. The difference is enormous.
The former, a comparison with what one is accustomed to will prove deeply disappointing, if not a challenge. Why? The country is poor; it shows. Housing, roads, sanitation, construction, transport, and on and on is so far behind western levels that many people would fear for their survival, even following a visit to a toilet. However, when one refocuses and prioritizes, looking through the adventurous eye, a different picture materializes. It is a country that does provide modern conveniences and gadgets but also allows a person to return to living and connecting to the land. Furthermore, one can travel back in time and experience life before it entered an ultra-modern age. Funnily enough, our ancestors whom many believe were quite primitive and some even think, backward, had the potential to live a wholesome life despite doing without the amazing array of conveniences available today. Convenience often clashes with ‘what’s good for one’.
We don't doubt that after dealing with the inconveniences, inefficiency and hygiene issues, a person could feel the need for some material comforts. From time-to-time, we've had those feelings but fortunately, for brief moments only. The uplifting and cleansing feeling of a hot shower (out on the mountains) is far greater than any regular shower one experiences. Scarcity and appreciation are great soulmates. Although we've not differentiated between the mountains and low laying cities, one should expect less for more at higher altitudes. The big cities and towns are at low elevations and are home to the big populations.
We walked into a teahouse along the Mardi Himal trek, a wonderful experience, that is, the trek. The altitude was close to 12,000 feet. We noticed power in our room: what a treat. Two beds filled the space plus a light switch and electrical socket. There wasn’t a whole lot more. The light and power made this room superior to others—we felt fortunate, if not spoiled. In addition, the light worked. Terrific. Later that evening, we discovered that turning on the light switch was a futile exercise. When I explained to a local that the light was not necessary during the day but essential at night, he thought I had a good sense of humor.
Water stops flowing on a regular basis although there is plenty of rain. We tried to keep our bottles filled whenever possible. We also purified water obtained from any faucet and utilized that source of water often. Toilet flushing was a real challenge and one must hope water is available so a manual flushing routine can be implemented. Toilet tissue is something one should not leave home without when setting off in the morning... or any other time of the day. It's available at every store, though but priced on the expensive side. As is the custom in a number of countries, used tissue paper should not be flushed but rather, placed in a bin alongside the toilet. One should also not offer the left hand for shaking or touching as apparently this is the hand of choice. Oh, we poor right-handers. We wonder if people ever cheat and use the stronger hand.
Here comes, Jen, in spectacular places.
And there she goes again.
A particularly tough but short climb mid-way through the day's hike. Always beautiful though, Jen and the mountains.
"I'm so embarrassed … you've caught me in a compromising situation."
Illustrates the steep cliffs above Namche Bazaar. It was a stiff climb to reach the town itself followed by another steep climb to an Everest viewpoint. As we were acclimating, we returned to the town and climbed again on the following day. Apparently, it makes sense, particularly for the lungs. We've reached the age of extreme body-parts specialization.
Lucky to have had so many clear views of Everest and Lhotse. This is soon after leaving Kyangjuma.
After a long trek, a well earned rest ... for these buffalo in the pool. Perhaps a reason why we drank more Coke, less water.
"Hi baby, are you free tonight...maybe now?"
This might be considered "excessive exuberance" but she did say 'YES'.
Moving up Kala Patthar with an eye or two on Peak XV, (Mount Everest), just before clouds swamped the world's icon.
We finally left the summit of a local hike, the location of the Japanese Stupa, and instead of going down to the lake for a boat to cross the water, our hike commencement point, we again walked down the other side of the mountain through a few, small settlements. The views of the city of Pokhara were quite stunning along the route. The area was remote but it did have a rough gravel road, providing access to traffic. However, when we neared the bottom of the mountain and noticed a large bus negotiating the path up, we thought we had then seen everything. In fact, the vehicles are put to a test daily as they negotiate the mountainous roads which are mostly, in poor condition.
We then entered another part of the city of Pokhara, lined with shops along dusty roads, and decided to leap on a bus. We often like to take a city bus a couple of times in new places, especially in the poorer countries, as they provide a unique experience. Just as in Cuzco, Peru, the driver focuses on the road (we hoped) and the conductor puts on a show. He carries a pile of bank notes in his hand and shouts, cajoles and tries to entice people to jump on the bus. (Uniforms are not worn). There are no formal stops, but the driver will halt should he notice people who might like a ride. There's much action and conversation occurring and maybe negotiation, too. Lack of language hampers our understanding, unfortunately. Anyway, the price of a ride is embarrassingly cheap, and one does not have to negotiate as with a taxi driver. It was also one of the rare occasions we ended up tipping the driver and conductor of a municipal bus. The driver made a small detour to show us how to reach our destination efficiently. Where else could something like that occur? One gets entertainment, a ride, perspective and without real cost.
We finally made it back after a delightful outing which filled us with exercise, good sights, entertainment and unhealthy food but who cares about the latter. Hmm! We 'lost' it up on the mountain-top café. We are fortunate that nearly each day on Hike-about brings us experiences beyond our expectations and often, beyond belief. But the real highlight of the day: After washing our clothes, Jen found a washline on the roof of the building. Now we're talking luxury and convenience. It doesn't get better than that.
I still recall the weary feeling as we head for home, at least 4 days to go. I rebelled and sat for ten minutes alongside the shed ahead. Tough guy!
Dazzling scene as 'tiny Jen' turns her back on the massive peaks as we approach Pheriche.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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