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Keeping a Perspective - an Email from Brian
Hi folks
It was a wonderful trip but boy, am I glad to have it behind me ! Twelve consecutive days of between 6 and 8 hrs hard trekking.
Once you leave the plane at Lukla (35 mins inland from Kathmandu) there is NO other way to move anybody or anything except by foot, not even a bike or a wheelbarrow exists up there. Two of the 9 who started had to come down after 5 days, altitude sickness, and yes, it was very obvious that they were sick.
The Lodge we were staying in had a kitchen and a large dining room with a very smokey pot belly stove in which they burned dried out Yak dung. The only electricity was one bulb in each of these two rooms. The sleeping rooms in a separate building had no lights, no heating and certainly no indoor toilet, but by this stage we were used to such conditions, but not at the temperatures which prevailed once the snow hit us.
Two other Irish in the group and myself agreed that the fun-side of the trip was fast disappearing and made a unilateral decision to head back down. That left 4 and as yet I don't know how much further they went. The assistant guide said he'd accompany us - no option, we couldn't have found our way without him - he estimated that the trip back to Lukla airport would take between 17 and 21 hrs walking, depending on the snow and our level of fitness. We made it in just under 18 hrs over 2 days.
The whole trip was one of the greatest experiences of my life, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Nepal is 85%+ Hindu, but 100% of the mountain people (Sherpa) are Buddhist. They migrated over the border from Tibet 400 / 500 years ago. It's no surprise that the national government doesn't allocate much of its meagre budget to the Sherpa. They fend for themselves in the toughest environment that I have ever seen, amid grinding poverty.
Our guide walked us down through snow, slush and mud wearing a pair of canvas tennis shoes ! And Yes, we did buy him a pair of boots when we got to Lukla.
Not only is there no light at the end of the tunnel for them, there isn't any sign of a tunnel !!! If any of you ever hear me complaining about anything again, feel free to kick my ass!!
I can't do justice to the trip in an email so I'll burden you with it individually when we meet over the next few weeks/months.
I am now en route home via Australia where I am visiting my old mate Jack who is very terminally ill with cancer. Plan to be back at work Nov. 11th or 12th.
Regards,
Brian
