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Note 44.272 MOUNT-L 272 of 517 CUPIDO::STRITAR "Andrej Stritar,IJS,(61)-371-321" 115 lines 7-DEC-1993 07:58
CUPIDO::STRITAR "Andrej Stritar,IJS,(61)-371-321" 115 lines 7-DEC-1993 07:58
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From: STENAR::STENAR::MRGATE::"X400::1=de::2=d400::3=tr::5=edu::4=metu::4=cc::4=vm::6=MOUNT-L" 3-DE
To: CUPIDO::STRITAR
CC:
Subj: Nepal & Mt. Everest story

From: NAME: Mountaineering Discussion List MOUNT-L
FUNC: edu <6=MOUNT-L@4=VM@4=CC@4=METU@5=EDU@3=TR@2=D400@1=DE@X400@STENAR>
To: NAME: Multiple Recipients of
FUNC: edu <6=MOUNT-L@4=VM@4=CC@4=METU@5=EDU@3=TR@2=D400@1=DE@X400@STENAR>

Keeping in the spirit of posting some of our adventures to the MOUNT list,
here's an account of my trek from Kathmandu up to the basecamp of Mt. Everest.
I wrote this to brief a travelling companion who asked what Nepal was like.

Notice: this IS long. In case anyone wants to know more, email me directly. I
also just posted this to the OUTDOR list so disregard it if you read it there.

Here are some thoughts and memories that really stand out in my mind: Nepal
is without exception the most memorable and exciting place I have ever been.
The location is exotic, the geography is stunning, and best of all, the people
are wonderful--likable, friendly, and endlessly enjoyable. You will love the
Nepali people and their customs. This is one truly unique place in the world.

About your itinerary, some reflections: Kathmandu is cool as hell and you
will enjoy the juxtaposition of ancient temples and modern urban sprawl. There
are over 2000 Hindu temples in the city, from huge, 5-story pagodas to tiny
statues under a carved wooden canopy. Occassionaly you will find these temples
side-by-side. Be sure to notice the ornately carved wooden decorations on the
windows and roofs all over the city. Kathmandu is famous for its carvings. Be
sure to go into the temples, palaces, courtyards, museums, and other beautiful
structures. Definitely sit around the fountain in the main city square with
hundreds of local people, Nepali mountain visitors, and travellers. That is
worth the price of the plane ticket all by itself. And do not fail to visit
many of the famous "pie shops" all over the city, and especially those packed
in along the main street starting at that city square fountain (you'll soon
find it--it's the plaza with the square-looking 5-level high pagoda with all
the hippy tourists sitting around it smoking hashish). The pie shops are
actually small restaurants with funny names (like "Eat at Joe's") that feature
real pies for dessert. Man, I ate some great pie at those places.

Your plans for going to Jomsom and then hiking to the Annapurna Sanctuary
sound marvelous. Trekking is one of the most enjoyable activities in Nepal. I
did not go to Annapurna but I spoke to many people who did and they all said
it was extremely beautiful and worth every bit of effort. You will certainly
enjoy yourselves for the beauty of this country is really something special.

Let me mention my own experience for comparison. I took a short bus ride out
of the Kathmandu valley to the starting point of a trail into the Himalayas.
Briefly, I hiked solo for 25 days up, up, up, down, up, down, up, up, down,
up, up, up, down, and even more up, up, up, God--will I ever get to the top of
these goddamned mountains?, up, up, and still further up... until I got to the
home of the Sherpa people in the village called Nam-chee Bazaar at 12K feet. I
stayed a day to rest (which I needed after all that climbing!) and left to
trek up to the well-known Buddhist monastery called Thang-bo-chay which is at
the top of a mountain peak in clear view of Mount Everest (or Sagarmatha in
the Nepali language). 2 days later, I was at the base camp of Mt. Everest
taking pictures from close range--meaning that although I was at the foot of
the mountain, at 19K feet (6000m), the summit was still 10K feet (2000m) above
me! But my God, what a view and what a mountain! That was the biggest moment
of my life (until I later delivered my own 2 children at home--that has to
rank as my #1 event). One week later I hiked out of the high Himalayas to a
village with an airstrip where I boarded a plane to fly back to Kathmandu.
Irene was waiting for me there and together we took a bus to Pokhara for some
R&R. You will love Pokhara. It's a village next to a beautiful blue lake in a
valley surrounded by enormous Himalayan peaks--a photographer's paradise, by
the way. Many trekkers go there to relax and recuperate after trekking. We
sure did. We stayed at a cheap guest house and ate really good food for a
week, then took the bus back to Kathmandu. Man, was that ever nice to take a
week out for relaxing. Since you will end up in Pokhara, you will see what I
mean. Maybe you'll even meet the Frenchman who was running a tiny, little
postcard-and-native handicrafts shop that Irene knows. Yes, really! When we
got there (to Pokhara), Irene went into a shop and saw this white guy at
the counter. He looked familiar and when she asked his name it turned out to
be someone she knew at school years before. He had come to Nepal, fell in love
with it, married a local woman, and opened this shop. Small world, n'est-ce
pas? Hey, I have had even more bizarre coincidences happen to me than that!

Anyway, I want to add a couple more things. First, I haven't been to Chitwan
National Park and I regret that I didn't go when I was in Nepal. I heard good
things about it, and recently I saw a TV adventure show about it with lots of
wildlife and exciting things to do. I will make a point of going next time.
Second--and this is strictly my opinion but IS based on actual experience--I
recommend that if you are going all the way to Nepal to trek in the Himalaya
mountains, go to the eastern side of the country and trek to the base camp of
Everest instead of going to the western side to see Annapurna. Both places are
easily accessible and would cost the same to go to, but, doggone it, if you go
to Nepal then don't you owe it to yourself to get to Sagarmatha, the Temple of
the Gods? Hell, man, you can still go to Pokhara from Kathmandu by bus but if
you don't get to Everest now, when will you ever go back? And as you know, the
end of October is THE best season to trek in Nepal, so be sure to go then.

Here's the deal: from Kathmandu you fly up to this mountain-side airstrip at
a village whose name I forget (I can look it up if you want) and then in one
day you hike up to Nam-chee Bazaar carrying only your camera gear and clothes.
At Nam-chee, you rent all the high-altitude equipment (heavy-duty sleeping
bags, parkas, packs, etc.) you will need. It's a regular industry there since
all the mountain climbing expeditions descend from the high country and pass
through Nam-chee, selling their equipment for next to nothing just so they
don't have to carry it out. Then shopkeepers rent it cheaply to trekkers like
us. That way, you only carry it for the distance you need it, not all the way
from Kathmandu like I did. And you needn't sleep outside in a tent--there are
guesthouses and shelters all the way up to the basecamp. This route is a
regular trekker's highway during that season. No kidding! When you finish your
trek back at Nam-chee, you return your equipment and hike down to the airstrip
in 2 days time. You'll be back in Kathmandu in 2 hours (with magnificent
photographic opportunities during the flight, by the way) having a beer in a
pie shop. That's my advice, especially if you don't have much time for
trekking. That way, you will see THE VERY BEST that Nepal has to offer. And if
you're going to Nepal once, why not see the best while you're there?!?

In closing, I say good trekking and Nah-mas-tay (hello and goodbye in Nepali),

Richard Carl
< adp3s@msu.edu > at Michigan State University

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