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Just as I was questioning whether my girlfriend would be okay with this risk, my foot slipped off the tiny nub of rock and snow it had been clinging to. I repeated the word shit several times out loud as I retreated to the one good handhold I could reach on this vertical section of rock. Scrambling back over the ledge that I had foolishly advanced past, I sat down on the false summit that I just learned would be the high point of this trip to the Himalaya.
The elevation was somewhere above 18,000 feet in the air, so by all accounts I was high. Still, swirling conurbations of snow, ice, and rock towered over my head. As I swept my head from right no left, I could see some of the premiere mountaineering objectives in the world. Ama Dablam pointed heavenward, Nuptse raked the clouds trying to squeeze over its impossibly high summit, and Everest squatted like the immovable, ugly grey pyramid that it is.
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Companion forum thread to:
Walking in Nepal
I guess starting from Jiri is now a real option; when we were there in 2002, it was regarded as unsafe due to the Maoist-rebels.
But for the rest still pretty similar.
For anyone thinking of going there, as magnificent as the landscape may be, the most beautifull part of that trip (for me) is the population and their cultural habits; I'll never forget that evening in the lodge in Panbodche when we tried to communicate with a local girl that was perhaps 10 years old, using the few local words we knew. Fantastic moment.
Respect the habits and believes of these people. Remember you are simply a guest to their area.
I really enjoyed reading this. I think a lot of us can identify with most of the feelings you had on this trip. I find myself doing the exact same things. So many people travel to far off places only to find solace and comfort in the familiar. You have to push yourself out of your comfort zone and truly make an effort to grow and learn. However, not everyone is in it for those reasons, and that can result in resentment towards others. We are all looking for our personal Shangri-la, whatever that may be.
"we tried to communicate with a local girl that was perhaps 10 years old, using the few local words we knew"
I had a similar experience. Ten year old girl with her baby brother on her back. I shot a photo of them. Then I wanted to give them a coin in return. I had to make gestures to get her to hold out her hand. I placed the coin in her palm. Even though that was valid money, she had never seen money before.
Experiences like that will stay in your head for a long time.
–B.G.–
@BG
"Even though that was valid money, she had never seen money before"
Hmm. I suspect there might be alternative explanations.
" I shot a photo of them."
Did you ask first if that was ok ? Because some believe that a photo catches their soul.
No, I believe that there was a complete language barrier. The little girl did not speak or understand any English, and my command of the Sherpa dialect amounted to only a dozen words. I did not want to get too close to her, because I did not want to seem threatening. So, I motioned to her that I wanted to shoot a photo, and I held up my camera for her to see. I got no reaction, so I don't think that she had even seen a Caucasian up close before. I shot the photo (which I still cherish). I handed her a Nepalese coin, but she looked at it and turned it over and looked like she had never seen money before, and she didn't quite know what to make of it.
–B.G.–
I met people in India who I can only assume have never met a Godzilla sized American before. I'm glad they felt comfortable enough to ask to have their picture taken with me. Moments like what Bob is describing is what I find makes international travel so wonderful. While I love immersing myself into other cultures, the subtle ways locals will respond and interact with us is often times charming and some of the highlights of my trips. I've yet to travel to Nepal but I hope to remedy that. Thanks for the stories.
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