Sunday, October 30th, 2011
At the New House, at 10:05 AM
Things are back in full swing here at the community, after the trip to Everest. This morning after breakfast I helped pull water out of the well and helped with the dishes too. It reminded me of the “development” days of America, like a scene from Little House on the Prairie or something. Except this is a subtropical sort of prairie.
There is a baby crying outside. There always seems to be a baby crying somewhere, or a dog barking, or a bus honking a horn, or a motorcycle revving its engine, or music blaring. Sometimes all I want is a quiet place where I can sit and read and contemplate but that is hard to come by, especially during the day. I guess that's to be expected in a place like Kathmandu.
I have been thinking about my trip to Everest Base Camp. It was such an incredible experience. A curious thing happened to me as I got higher in altitude. My appetite went away. For those who know me well, this never happens. It probably had something to do with my altitude sickness. I couldn't really hold much food down, but I didn't feel like eating anyway. When we were finished with our Everest Expedition and were coming back down, at each village my appetite grew significantly. By the time we reached Kathmandu yesterday I felt downright ravenous!
Towards the end of the trek, in the villages at lower altitude, Roshan and I got the chance to be a part of another Nepali/Hindu festival called Tharai. I don't know if that is spelled right. As I write I cannot look it up because I don't have internet! Anyway, for this holiday kids and young adults go around to various houses singing what appears to be a type of carol. They may put on some music and dance too, either a traditional Nepali dance or a more modern style young people enjoy. The people in the houses they sing or dance in front of are expected to give some sort of small monetary donation. It seems to me like a combination of Christmas caroling and trick-or-treating at Halloween, except the reward is money! In the village of Monjo the likeable Roshan made friends with some of the local Sherpa people and both he and I went “caroling” with 4 or 5 other young people. I felt a little out of place because I was the oldest, but nobody cared. I was a foreigner anyway, and most people laughed at my participation appreciatively. To be singing for money in a small Sherpa village in the mountains at night, with the stars shining above and the cold mountain air below felt wonderful. We made about 1500 rupees, about 20 US dollars. Not bad for a couple hours having fun singing. The young people split it amongst themselves.
I loved those Sherpa people. I have tremendous respect for them. Their strength is insane! They carry gas canisters, huge baskets of food, people's gear, doors, rice, cement blocks, you name it – all on their backs. And they do it for miles and miles everyday, like literally 20 miles or more for some of them. I don't know about you, but if I walked marathons up and down a mountainside every day for a living, I probably wouldn't be living. I remember Roshan and I were on the trail and we were passed by a Sherpa girl, probably no more than 16 or 17. She had a backpack on that was probably filled with heavy things, and her pace was so quick. We played a game called “Keep Pace with the Sherpa Girl,” but she blew by us and was out of sight within a couple minutes.
Trekking in the Himalayas was a great time. Be that as it may, for some moments I couldn't help thinking of home, of backpacking on the various trails, one of my favorite past times. I was thinking of how beautiful it must be there now, with the leaves changing and falling. Sure we don't have huge mountains in Pennsylvania, but we do have some beautiful forested hills (that we call “mountains”). I just found out that it just snowed at least half a foot there! On Halloween weekend in October, before the leaves have even gone - that never happens! I am feeling nostalgic for home today, and I wish I was there to experience the October snow.
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