Final Update?

WOW! We really slacked off on the blog posts.

Typing here in Doha, Qatar; staring bullets at the Burger King not 100 feet from my seat, I suppose I should give some sort of update on the last couple days.

Leaving off from Sean's post where we finished the bridge and had a very heartwarming and emotional goodbye with our new friends from the Yillajung village. (Notice the name has been spelled multiple different ways. I have since learned that there is no "correct" way to spell it. Sherpa is not a strictly written language so any name is written how that person chooses to phonetically spell it at that given moment. Fabulous.) After that we returned to our temporary base in Thame to pack our bags and spend our last night. 

After dinner our host Dr. Kami's granddaughter had a small birthday party to celebrate her 1st birthday, we all got some cake and drank traditional beverages. After turning in early, or not so early, we woke up painfully early to begin our trek towards Lukla.

Making much better time heading back than we did on the way up, we power walked to Namche where we did some final shopping and spent the night. Retracing our steps we followed the same plan back that we had going up, reaching Lukla two days later. Where we watched the Olympics and ate our last meal in the Himalayas and said goodbyes to our treasured guides. We celebrated Leyna's 21st birthday and most of us turned in early for our 6-ish flight out in the morning.

We once again were struck with incredible luck to catch the first flight out of Lukla and flew safely into Kathmandu. We were more than excited for the comfort of the Hotel Tibet with unlimited hot water, AC, and Wifi which we used excessively. But we did not rest long!

After a short 2-4 hour nap we reconvened and decided the adventure was not yet through. Due to the incredible pace of our work at the bridge and our hiking out we were left with several additional days. After a quick discussion amongst ourselves we decided to venture on to the Chitwan Safari National Park. Through a contact of one of our guides we managed to create a plan and get on a bus to the Safari! 

Wow. Again all I can say is WOW. If you've never been bused in a country like Nepal you can't understand the pure horror that ensued. Not only are the roads winding and through the mountains but they are in awful disrepair. Craters for pot holes and extremely narrow passes were the least of our troubles, because the bus nearly just fell over about 3 times. Not a joke, we feared for our lives. And on the last wobble of the bus I was certain it was going over, I prepared myself and said a silent prayer. But it did not fall. (Note: Prof. Carlson enjoyed the ride.)

So we made it to Chitwan on the bus from hell and then hopped on a little jeep to our hotel. The Jungle Safari Lodge which was quite pleasant with both Wifi and AC. We elected for a long resting period to recuperate after our traumatic ride and then met for dinner to discuss our next day.

Our morning included a nice breakfast at the hotel, followed by a short walk down to the river where we saw a Rhino bathing. Then an hourlong canoe ride with all 8 of us in one canoe down the alligator infested river. The sides of the canoe rested a comfortable inch and a half above the water. We took in the sights of the gentle river seeing a herd of Water Buffalo and a couple birds. From there we went on our Jungle Safari Walk. 

We walked for about 2 hours through the undergrowth and saw a couple of monkeys, lots of insects and leeches, and a couple of birds. All the while being hopeful and fearful of meeting any of three exotic animals. The Rhino previously mentioned, the Bengal Tiger, and the Sloth Bear (actually just a black bear). Each of which has its own emergency response protocol. With the Rhino it's up the tree we go. The Bear we would make as much noise as we can to scare it off. And the Tiger, make eye contact and walk away slowly. None of which are foolproof. But we did not see any of those, just the previously mentioned animals and a few Spotted Deer.

We returned to our hotel for some much needed relaxation. After which we took a short trip down the road by Jeep to the Elephant Breeding area. We saw many full grown elephants and a few adorable baby elephants. One of which approached a couple members of our group who got to interact with it for a short while.

The next day we prepared ourselves to ride the elephants through the Safari. Our 2 hour trip on the back of the elephant was nothing short of amazing. We even chased a Rhino up a small river for awhile! Although that was not the most comfortable ride of my life it was certainly one of the most interesting. After our walk was done we debarked and got to pet the elephants. Which took our tip for the elephant driver in their trunk and swiftly lifted it to the men. All in all just another unforgettable experience.

We decided to take the rest of the afternoon off and relaxed by the river side. Watching the water gently roll past with one member of our group constantly sighting alligators. Or at least would-be alligators. Every single one was a tuft of grass or a log bearing little resemblance to the actual creature. But that never stopped the imaginative mind nor the vocal outbursts. We ate dinner in the loft above a bar where Lena later sprinted down some stairs to snap a photo of a Rhino walking right through town.

For our ride back we opted out of the bus, and instead chartered a smaller van to take us back to Kathmandu. This was a much smoother, cooler, and safer ride back. We also made great time! Once back in Kathmandu we had some shopping and sightseeing left to do. We visited the tourist named "Monkey Temple" and the popular Thamel district for shopping. We stopped for lunch at the acclaimed Fire and Ice Pizzeria which was quite un-Nepali and quite delicious. After which we saw the Garden of Dreams and returned back to the Hotel Tibet to await our dinner date and then depart for the airport.

That was quite a lot of information so thank you for bearing with me. Hopefully this has caught anyone still following this blog up to date.There were quite a lot of details that I left out either because I forgot, misremembered, or was just too lazy to type. It was certainly not all sunshine and rainbows as these posts may have made it seem, but it was without a doubt an important and life changing event for us all. Once again thank you for reading and we hope to see you all soon!


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The Nepali Chronicles: Thame

Photos will be added soon...

Day 5: Sunday, July 31, 2016:

Our final day of trekking to Thame was finally here, and so was the cold, wet weather. We left around 10am, probably not the best start to a day in the Himalayas when trying to avoid rain. Before heading to Thame we needed to run a few errands that we were unable to complete the day before since the banks and some stores were closed on the weekend.

Errands done, the next climb began. Slowly, we made our way up the western side of Namche stopping at the top of the ridge to get one last look at the mountain city before beginning our next week of the journey. Standing on the edge feels like you are standing on top of the world, which is closer than I have ever been to doing so at over two miles above sea level. Even with the cloud cover you could see the lower halves of the mountains for miles and the view of the city was incredible.

The climbing continued as the rain started as a drizzle then quickly changed to a steady rainfall. We passed several more villages before stopping for lunch in hopes that the rain would abate in that time. Wet and cold, we ordered lunch and told jokes and stories to pass the time. Almost two hours later, a drizzle still persistent we made our final push to Thame.

Most of this final stretch was very cloudy so the views were not as clear as the days before, but we were also too exhausted to pay attention to much more than our path.

Thirty minutes before our arrival we came over a hill, looked down and saw a raging river cutting through two 200 to 300 foot stone walls, one of which had several hand-drawn paintings of Buddhist gods. The most terrifying part of this segment of the trail was the truss bridge that crossed the river which was visibly bowed (a sign of fairy serious bridge damaged).

Surviving yet another obstacle we were rewarded by a steep several hundred foot hill, the last before Thame. By the top I was almost crawling and most of us sounded like billows as we tried to catch our breath. After letting everyone catch up, we rounded the corner and saw the entrance to Shangru-la Thame. I would try to describe it but a photo will describe it much better than I will.

Giving us new energy, we walked through the entrance gate and up the walkway and saw the first of the village. All I can compare this region of Nhumbu (the Nhumbu region is the area of the Himalayas we stayed in during our trip) to is the Shire from Lord of The Rings. Houses and farms were surrounded by stone walls, many of which were grown over with flowers, grass, and shrubbery. The walkways were made of dirt and stone and dozens of rivers and streams cut through the small expanse of land situated between the mountains and ridges.

Six days, 20 plus miles of walking, 12,500 feet, and three plane rides later we were here.

Day 6: Monday, August 1, 2016:

Our first day working on the bridge. The bridge connects the two neighboring villages to Thame, Thame-Teng and Yullenjung. Like the rest of the areas we have been, the location of the bridge is beautiful. Today our mission is to survey the bridge and surrounding area so that we can develop a profile of the bridge which will allow us to develop a plan for repairs.

The bridge was in really bad shape. After doing the math we discovered that the middle of the bridge deflected just under two feet. In layman’s terms, the bridge was ready to collapse. As a 52 foot long suspension bridge, an acceptable deflection is only a couple of inches so two feet is disastrous.

In 2015 an earthquake struck the Nhumbu region bringing major destruction to the communities in the area. The bridge was no exception. There were two towers that supported the two cables of the suspension bridge. When the quake hit, the tower on the Yullenjung side collapsed, releasing the cables and taking all the vertical support from the bridge. The abutments (stone blocks on both sides of the bridge on which the bridge deck rests) were the only supports left for the bridge. Holding up the bridge frequently used by children, trekkers, and several hundred pound yaks were about a dozen bolts connecting the decking to the abutments.

Day 7: Tuesday, August 2, 2016:

After finishing all of our calculations, brainstorming ideas, and talking with a few members of the community we came up with a preliminary design. Now it was time for a community meeting. Since Yullenjung was the main user of the bridge we talked with that community. Only about 20-30 people live in the village. Out of that small number, roughly ten came to the meeting (a few came and went as required by their daily tasks), a very good showing for a community meeting.

After talking to the villagers we developed a better understanding for the uses, problems and hopes of the bridge. The current bridge is located in a very inconvenient spot, requiring the villagers to travel north to the bridge in order to travel south. This adds up to an hour to their trips. So we (our team and the community) both suggested a new spot for a bridge, which turned out to be within the same area.

Within the next three years, the Nepali government said it would be coming to build the village a new bridge, so the hopes were that we could repair the current bridge to last that long and design and survey an new bridge in a better location.

We left the meeting with new ideas and a greater respect for the needs of the people. We had three goals: repair the bridge ready to collapse using only the materials already on or surrounding the bridge and some rope donated by the community; survey and design a new bridge; and estimate volumes of stone in the Khumbu Mountain Center (KMC) that was severely damaged in the quake for reuse in new buildings.

After the meeting, the village elder, Gyalzen Sherpa, invited us back to his house for tea. He lived in a traditional Sherpa home, as described in the Sherpa museum blog, with two rooms. As it turned out, our host has been on twelve Everest expeditions as a support Sherpa (assist trekkers getting up the mountain by performing whatever tasks are necessary such as cooking, setting up tents, or carrying supplies), reaching the summit once.

Day 8: Wednesday, August 3, 2016:

We split into two groups to try and conquer our tasks as quickly as possible. One team went to the existing bridge site for further evaluations and brainstorming. The second group went to the proposed new site to survey and perform a site assessment. When these were both complete, both teams joined forces to estimate volumes at the KMC.

Done with all of our surveying and calculations we headed back to the lodge to wrap everything up and to have a meeting with the elder, Gyalzen.

The design for the current bridge repair was a cable-stay bridge. Using the cable already on the bridge, the stone from the fallen tower, some rope, and the fence rigging, we would reinforce the bridge.

With approval of the design by Gyalzen, we were set to start work the next morning.

Having a few spare hours we decided to do some extra climbing and go to the Thame monastery. There, we were blessed by the 5 or 6 year old Lama and toured the stunning monastery. There were dozens of intricately drawn pieces of artwork (unfortunately I was too focused on the art to take photos).

Day 9: Thursday, August 4, 2016:

The first day of repairs was also our first real day of sleeping in. Gyalzen Sherpa told us that the best time to start would be 9am because we would have some help. Unfortunately, most of the surrounding villages were in the monastery fasting, so a majority of the work was completed by us and our guides. A few of the local women were amazing enough, as they often were, to bring us tea.

I do not believe I have stressed how pivotal tea has been during this try. As a tea lover myself, I soon learned that I was in one of the best places in the world when it came to tea drinking. Even living in one of the most remote places in the world, these people had incredible tea all the time. Every meal and break we had was supplemented by the rejuvenating substance. Commonly we had lemon, black and milk tea. However, one several occasions we were able to try other delicious teas such as honey, mango, and my personal favorite, strawberry tea. This hot nectar kept us both energized and motivated throughout the trip.

Back on track. Hands torn, muscles aching, and ready to jump into the cold river we called it a day around 2 or 3pm. We had accomplished more than we thought possible. The semi-collapsed tower was almost entirely taken down; the fence was detached where needed from the fencing; and one of the cables was partly tightened.

At this point we could only imagine how much we would get down with the villagers help the next day since their fasting would be over.

Day 10: Friday, August 5, 2016:

When I say we had an army at our disposal I literally mean part of the Nepali military showed up to assist us in repairing the bridge. Over a dozen villagers, 5 soldiers, 4 children, and 10 student and professors came together to get the job done. The remnants of the fallen tower stood no chance. It was removed faster than we could imagine. The cable was reattached to the bridge; tightened through the pulling of the combined forces of people; and further tightened by replacing the removed tower blocks under the cable. After a new approach walkway was created and the fence re-supported, the bridge was completed.

What followed was something I hope to never forget. The whole village, including those too old to assist in the repair, came out to thank us. They brought tea and many snacks. Then the elder, Gyalzen, and several other community members brought out katas. Katas are scarves that carry blessings. Receiving these is a great honor and our group received two per person. It was so moving and heartwarming that I could not attempt describing it in more words. When it was time for us to head back to our lodge, all the villagers came together with us to take a photo, shake our hand, and give us personal blessings. Never have I felt more appreciated by or thankful to have met a community.

The Nepali Chronicles: The Ascent

Day 3: The Ascent to Namche

While it may have been the middle of a heat wave in Northeast, we woke up to 30-40 degree damp weather. In Nepal it is monsoon season so it is both cold and wet for a majority of the day. Luckily, most of the rain occurs between 5pm-5am so we are able to avoid most of it by trekking between 9am and 4pm. As it would turn out, we rarely got rained on besides short lived drizzles. Although we did not see much rain while hiking, we did see an abundance of clouds. Clouds cling to the mountains, flowing through the valleys like weightless rivers defying gravity as they wash up and down mountain sides. For the entirety of the trip to Thame we never saw above the top 2/3 of a mountain. Instead we saw waterfalls that seemingly fell from the sky, rivers without beginning or end, and endless vegetation so green and new it seemed a mirage.

Most of the day was spent hugging the river as we headed north to Namche, until two hours before our expected arrival. As we stopped for a quick break to allow those who were further behind the group to catch up, one of our guides Mingma pointed up to a bridge some 500 feet above connecting one mountain to the next. He told us that we were headed up to the bridge on our way to Namche. And so the ascent began.

 

The ascent that followed was the most difficult hike I have ever had. For two straight hours we climbed up nearly 1,000 meters of steep mountainside. Never have I felt so out of shape. By the halfway point, every breath was a struggle and I was sweating more than I knew possible.

Seeing the first house was euphoric. Passing the house, we turned a corner and saw the most incredible city that I can only compare to the mythical El Dorado. Hidden near in a cove carved into the side of a mountain, Namche is a collection of hundreds of houses, lodges, shops, and restaurants. On the upper west side of the city was the Namche monastery, the upper east a school and even higher up, the first view point of Mount Everest overlooked by a statue of Tenzin Norgay.

 

 

We walked through a stupa, over a beautifully carved stoned bridge crossing a river outlined by multi-colored tiles cutting through the east side of the city. After climbing some more stairs, we reached our lodge. Finally able to drop our bags we sat down in the lodge’s restaurant that overlooked lower Namche and further out a spectacular view of the neighboring mountain slowly revealed by parting clouds.

That night, I had one of the best dinners of my life. I do not know if it tasted particularly amazing in anyway, but that meal was incredible after our grueling day.

Day 4: Rest, an Everest Attempt, and Shopping

Since a few members of our team needed more time adjusting to the altitude, we decided to spend a full day in Namche to get acclimated to the change in oxygen. This of course meant climbing hundreds of stairs to get around Namche. We traveled to the Namche Bazaar market, but it was closing up. Late to that party we moved on to the Sagarmatha National Park Museum where the first view of Everest, if not cloudy, is located. Unfortunately, it was a very cloudy day and we could see no further than 200 feet never mind the summit of the world’s tallest mountain.

After visiting the National Park’s Museum we went to the Sherpa Museum where a traditional Sherpa house is on exhibit along with a photo gallery filled with Sherpa history. Their houses are very small, have only two to three rooms depending on Sherpa’s wealth and is filled with copper and bronze kitchenware.

Wrapping up our day we went shopping and visited the Namche monastery. At first we found convenience/souvenir stores, but on our third try we found a shop filled with beautiful art, relics, Buddhist symbols, and jewelry. The monastery meant another climb up the other side of Namche. When we got there I was very surprised because of how many people were there. In a fairly small room were about 30 monks and a few hundred worshippers seeking a blessing from the Namche Lama. Since there were so many people we did not get a blessing, although, part of our group went back later that night and received one when the crowd died down.

The journey to be continued in The Nepali Chronicles: Thame

The Nepali Chronicles: Namaste or Namastay?

Days 1 and 2

Day 1: Good Morning Boston and Nepal! 

Quick Breakdown

Let's define day one. July 25th I woke up at 8am to prepare for my 10:55pm flight to Doha, Qatar where we would have an 8 hour layover before continuing to Kathmandu, Nepal. Day one therefore included: driving to Merrimack, visiting friends, last minute shopping, final packing, dinner in the North End, meeting at Logan, flying to Doha, the layover, flying to Kathmandu, going to Hotel Tibet, a quick nap, a meeting, and dinner with the group. In total, we were awake about 56 hours (curse my inability to sleep on planes!). 

For the first time in my life I saw three mornings and three nights in one day. Well at least it was only one day for us because the odd timey whimey effects of flying. 

The heat of Doha mixed with the cool plane air created fog.

Flight from Doha to Kathmandu

Kathmandu 

Arriving in Kathmandu was an experience. We were picked up at the airport by Prof. Veletzos and Co. (Three of his four daughters). Then we headed to the hotel. When I say Nepal has insane traffic, it's an understatement. There are no rules to the road. Traffic lines are just a suggestion that's almost never followed. I was never more grateful to pull into a hotel. 

The rest of the day: meeting, dinner, and bed. 

Day 2: The Most Dangerous Landing

Waking up at 4am on the day we headed to the Himalayas was nerve racking and thrilling. The roads were clear besides a few Nepalis getting their morning exercise and shop owners preparing for the day. Within minutes it seemed we arrived at the airport and were ushered onto the tarmac. Then we saw the plane. An 18-seater charter plane with an open cockpit. I found the best seat I could, second seat back but still in front of the propellers, and attached my GoPro to the window. The views were surreal until we hit white out right before arriving at Lukla airport.

The flight attendant told us to prepare for landing, but no one could see the landing strip due to thick cloud coverage. Descending the clouds continued until, about a quarter mile away, we flew out of the clouds and got our first sight of the landing strip. Approaching faster than the runway appeared to be able to handle we stopped on a dime. Never have I been more thankful to get off a plane.

Quickly we collected ourselves and our bags and headed off to a nearby lodge to organize our trekking company. That's where we met Buster, a stray turned loyal (well mostly) companion for three days of our journey.

Yaks ready, water bottles filled, cameras running, we set off to conquer about 20 miles of the Himalayas to reach the small village of Thame.

For this first stretch we travelled approximately 6 miles to Phurte, a village about 800 feet below Lukla, to get our bodies adjusted to the new atmosphere. To get there we passed dozens of stupa (mound like structure containing Buddhist relics and prayer wheels), mani stones (stones inscribed with mantras or prayers), and Tibetan prayer flags; features that we would find common for the remainder of our journey. My personal favorite obstacle, our first suspension foot bridge. The bridge hung some 100 feet about a rock fall that continues down about 1,000 feet into the ravine and river.

Arriving at Phurte was a relief. Our first day was long, nerve racking, and tough on our adjusting lungs. We stayed at our first lodge, Sunrise Lodge and Restaurant.

Our rooms were small but comfortable. We spent most of the night chatting in our room (Brad, Peter and I) where Leyna joined us. Listening to some music we told stories and jokes and Leyna came up with her own village based off of Namaste. There would be Namastay Lodge, Namasteak Restaurant, Namastay-Away-From-Me Restraining Order Office, etc.

To Be Continued in The Nepali Chronicles: The Ascent

The Reason Why We're Here!

(This was supposed to be posted August 1st, but we lost internet)

First off, we have been skimping on the group photos on this blog—here are a few from the last couple of days! 

We started off the day with an 8 o’clock breakfast and set out at 9 to get a look at the two projects we will be working on during our nine days in Thame. Our first stop (after a tough uphill stretch and a steep downhill hike) was the Khumbu Mountain Center (KMC). The center was finished just prior to last spring’s earthquakes, and before it could ever be used, the three buildings in the complex were destroyed. While we are in Thame, we have been asked to estimate the amount of salvageable materials (rock, windows, metal roofing, etc.) left in the buildings. It is hoped that this material will be used for other community structures. Below are a few pictures of the damages at the KMC.

After taking a look at each of the three buildings there, we continued our hike on to the Hilajung Bridge. Upon seeing the structure, we all could clearly see why it needs repairs; in the earthquakes, one of the stone piers supporting the main cables of the bridge collapsed, leaving the deck of the bridge supported only by a few bolts on each of the bridge’s abutments. The deck is sagging substantially, and the bolts holding it in place are beginning to separate from the stone abutments. The thought of two or three yaks and a couple of people crossing the bridge at the same time makes us all cringe.

We have been informed by colleagues in Kathmandu that this bridge is on schedule to be fixed, however it will not be for another two or three years. We spent some time taking pictures and brainstorming possible fixes for the bridge (ideally while we are here, we would love to provide a temporary fix for the bridge)—however, we all acknowledge the fact that this is not our bridge; we are very interested in helping out, but ultimately it is up to the community of Hilajung to decide what action, if any, we should take. We have planned a meeting with some members of the community for 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. I can’t wait to see how it all goes!

Oh, I also forgot to mention that this area is totally gorgeous—I cannot get enough of the scenery around here!

Well we made it.
Much to our surprise we have been extremely lucky in our trip so far. Weather is notoriously fickle this time of year in Nepal, being monsoon season. So being able to flying in to the Lukla Airport on our second day in Kathmandu was exceedingly lucky. We met some other Americans from Nebraska who spent 4 days waiting for their flight to get approved. Once in Lukla we had decent weather and hiked with a moderate pace to make it all the way to Namche over two days. We took an extra day to better acclimate to the altitude and did some very informative sightseeing in the village. Including the Mt. Everest Documentation Center and the Sherpa Culture Museum, both of which gave us a greater appreciation for the culture and the beautiful landscape surrounding us.
We departed Namche and reached Thame earlier this afternoon in a slight drizzle and settled into our new lodging for the next 8 days. Tomorrow we will hike up to the village of Hillajung to begin our work on the footbridge servicing that area. Plans have changed and we have had to adapt as necessary, but we are just as determined to make a difference in our short time here. We are well and having the time of our lives. 

Namche Bazar

The team has finally made it into the Namche Bazar, the last stop before reaching our final destination of Thame. It was a pretty intense uphill trek, taking about 7 hours. Everyone is absolutely exhausted and ready for bed after eating a big dinner. I am currently falling asleep as I type this, so I think it is time to for me to fall asleep. Tomorrow breakfast is at 8 AM, and then we are off to our final destination!

Thanks for reading,

Brad