Hello from Kathmandu, Nepal! We’ve been here for about 1.5 days, attempting to adjust our internal time clocks (Nepal is about 12 hours and 45 minutes ahead of PST), processing trekking permits, picking up supplies and doing some sightseeing. Photos will sync eventually through spotty, yet appreciated, wifi and I’ll share the album here (1st album just in now -https://photos.app.goo.gl/QymUFNBOASMM5lpY2) What a sight to see! Kathmandu is crowded, with narrow streets of open air markets, micro buses, motorcycles, bicycles and tuk tuks whizzing by on the opposite side of the road we westerners are used to. Watch out! And you thought traffic in the Bay Area was bad…

Tomorrow we fly to Lukla to begin our trek to Everest Base Camp. Because we’re leaving at 4 am ( it is now after midnight), I will try to keep this blog short but jump back in the next time I have access to wifi. For those of you interested in more commentary and reflective details of this journey, you can read on below the first few paragraphs. I’ll break up these posts in a way that those who want the high level report can read the “executive summary” and those who would like more of a novelistic read can choose to continue beyond that. Please also note that I am writing this blog with a mini iPad, so I may be “all thumbs” at times. Please excuse any typos.

Lukla is known as the most dangerous airport in the world due to its situation on a high altitude cliff. Check it out online – you’ll see what I mean. We’re flying a small plane and due to the extreme conditions, need to keep our weight down as much as possible. My duffel bag that will carry most of my gear to base camp and day pack must weigh no more than 15 kilograms (33 pounds). Considering I normally backpack for a long trip like this with at least about 50-60 pounds on my back, that’s not a lot of weight for the amount of snow gear I need to carry! I had to pare down my planned gear considerably.

Thankfully our food will be transported up the mountain and prepared for us. Sherpas will also carry our large duffel bags for us. Amazingly, they are able to strap several heavy bags to their backs or even over their heads. At times, yaks may carry some of our gear. God bless the Sherpas! (Side note; if you’d like to learn more about the Sherpa culture, I suggest reading the 2003 National Geographic issue that chronicles the 50 year anniversary of the first Everest summit.)

Our first day on trail from Lukla will lead us to Pakding, which is about 9,000 feet in elevation. We then travel to Namche, which is around 11,300 feet. Apparently the trail will be quite crowded with trekkers like me and climbers who will be summitting Everest. I’m sure we will hear many exciting stories along the away and I will try to capture footage of the plane ride and beginning trek to post to this blog the next time I have access to wifi.

Reflections on past couple days: Kathmandu is beautiful in so many inherent ways. The people are kind and gentle. The city is awash with brilliant colors of fabrics, jewelry, and fresh produce, spices and grains on display in open baskets and bamboo leaves aligning the streets. Blood red and gold temples and shrines fill the city. It is ritualistic for people to burn candles, incense, leave offerings, mark their faces with powders to symbolize their devout news, nod, kneel, pray and chant at these holy sites every day. The ornate carvings along cornices, doors and walls silently speak of the impeccable care and detail the Nepalese devote to their Hindu gods and rituals. While restoration efforts after the 2015 earthquake have been slow to say the least, the peoples’ care for these holy sites and their religious beliefs are evident in the painstaking way each piece of brick or shingle is handwashed, sanded, polished and laid back in its rightful place.

It’s been a great visit with the team mates I will be journeying with. We’ve had some delicious food with local Nepali friends of Gary’s – our fearless leader for this expedition – and were graciously toured around the market. It doesn’t get much better than a fresh, tree-ripened banana from a tuk tuk in the morning…unless you auspiciously pick a double banana in one peel! It must be good luck.

In Kathmandu, the holy sites, temples and stupas dominate the lifestyle and are all around (holy areas – I should know the difference in this terminology by the end of our trip). Hindus pilgrimage here to pray, touch the prayer wheels and leave offerings to the gods. For the record, I think the Sacred Monkey Temple (Bagmati) was my favorite. I was born in the year of the monkey on the Chinese zodiac, so I have a lighthearted affinity for the creatures. We’re known for being kind and honest, but with a bit of a troublemaking streak in us. Monkeys swing from branch to branch to get out of trouble. And they’re just so darn cute! But be careful; they can be mean! You’ll see evidence of this in the photo of a monkey trying to snatch my camera as I snapped a picture!

The stupa devoted to Shiva, the God of life, death and rebirth, is situated atop a hill above a river where the dead are cremated and scattered into the water. Families of the deceased come to pray and stay at this site for 13 days. Many other rituals accompany this period of grieving, which can last six months or longer. I took a photo of the “monkey god” here, as he looks only at Ram, another deity whose temple is located at this site.

Thanks to our fantastic guides, I learned a ton about the Hindu religion, beliefs, deities and rituals. It’s a fascinatingly complex religion that is deeply entrenched in their culture. I hope to share more on this later. For now, I’ll leave you with this chant – Om – which in the Hindu religion is the sound that was made when the universe was created. May all that life, love and energy fill all of us. Thank you for your prayers as we begin our journey up the tallest mountain in the world.

Namaste,

Cat