YAK, SHERPAS & SWEAT

Doesn't happen everyday to have to set up the alarm clock setup because of an incoming trekking to the Everest. And I guess I was pretty excited and nervous because of that. So, even if the alarm clock was set up for 4.30AM, I woke up around 3AM and I couldn't sleep anymore. So in bed I start reading my new book, "Into thin Air" an amazing account of the deadly 1996 Everest expedition, when in few days more than 10 people died trying to get to the top of what I personally started to call the "ugly bastard" (i.e. Everest mountain). The reading of course didn't help to relax me, actually I got pretty scared ... but at least the alarm clock started, so we rushed out of bed and in less than 2 hours, I was flying over the Himalayas ...

... and this is the Lukla airport runway. It is built in the middle of the mountains. The altitude is 2,800 meters. And the runway is uphill to help the little planes to slow down while landing and speeding up while taking off. Pretty an impressive feeling to land here ...And these are some of the images of our first trekking day. Lisa, Ganishu and Jake. We did almost 4 hours trekking, and from Lukla (2,800 meters) we moved to Phakding (2,600 meters) ...... and of course also a couple of pictures of me, in case anybody is still interested to see my smiling face. I hope so. And these are also some of the wonderful Buddhist religious art works. The rocks are carved and painted with prayers. The Himalaya region is mostly populated by Buddhist, while the rest of Nepal is mostly (85%) Hindu. So we are lucky to be here, because only here we can see this form of religious mountain art, which I personally find wonderful ...The people who is living here is really wonderful. And also the kids are pretty happy when I ask if I can take pictures of them, so I took all the opportunities I had to take pictures of these wonderful and cheerful people ...... but what impressed the most in this first day had been the yaks and the Sherpas. I have never ever seen anybody carry so much load on its own shoulders. These guys are rally heroes to me. They are really the backbone of the economy of this region. But unfortunately very few of them (e.g. the one who work with the tourists) really receive a decent salary, which is still too low for the work that they do ...