Acclimatization

Today was acclimatization day in namche, complete with Apple turnover, Sherpa movie during a rain storm, and bar in namche bizarre!

Oh, and I saw Everest for the first time, as well as a gorgeous hunk of rock, Ama Doblam.

Roughing it in the Khumba

The Everest region has a style of roughing it that might make me fat even while trekking! I give you the German bakery experience! Thank you, Germans, for loving the Everest region and for loving baked apple goods. :)

Welcome to Thamel. Don't get run over.

I spent day 1 in Nepal in the tourist district of Thamel, a noisy, congested maze of crazy taxis, even crazier motorcyclists, and nearly identical stores and trekking agencies. Thanks to an outdated lonely planet map, I was lost for the first hour, but finally oriented.

I visited the KEEP office, a local non-profit promoting mountain responsibility, and I met friendly trekkers while reading trip reports. I then went to find trekking partners on a variety of message boards in the city and online at trekkingpartners.com. Then, back to KEEP with another question, where I ran into the guy who runs the trekking partners website. He is a cool Canadian and we set off to find a bar I couldn't find earlier w my map, and ended up with a beer, rooftop city view, and two hours of conversation, which was a lovely introduction to Kathmandu for me. Also, I ran into my French pal from the flight, Luk. Although I enjoy staying at the mountain fund and think Thamel during the day is exhausting, it seems to be the place to be, so I will need to stay there after my trek!

Here is my official trekkingpartners.com photo. I'm hoping it looks friendly so I rope some trail pals.

Kathmandu

Today was a big travel day complete with 20 min bus ride in Delhi (terminal 1 to 3 my ass), befriending of French guy on the flight to Kathmandu, and learning that, to land in Nepal one needs to have $200USD in your pocket. I did, but not only does Nepal not exchange traveler's checks, but the airport doesn't exchange Indian rupees even though the 2 countries share a border. What?!

At any rate, I'm currently sitting in the dark with a woman from Slovenia and one from Orange county as the power is out. I'm still glowing at the memory of the extravagance that was my airport coffee shop visit. After 5 weeks of tea and only candy for chocolate, I couldn't hold back. Mmm! :)

Parting shots

Dear Ladakh,

Thanks.

So quickly my volunteer time is up :(

I have been volunteering at a school in Ladakh.  The school has a strong sustainability and self-reliance focus that has re-awakened my interest in this sustainability.  The volunteer experience has been amazing.  I love the students: they are fun, responsible, eager to learn new things, and well aware of their environment.  They also enjoy mocking my accent.

I am teaching typing and Movie Maker in "computer class".  Movie Maker has been such a hit that students who aren't currently taking computer class are coming in during breaks to try the program.  I am excited to see them playing with the menus, using their creative juices, and being interested in how to make the program do what they want.

Aside from computer class, I help with food preservation for winter, cooking, conversation class, and study hall (trigonometry and English).  An example quote from conversation class, to give you an idea of daily life at the school is from the topic "technology pros/cons", speaking of western vs composting toilets: "We use soil in our toilets.  Soil is not as valuable as water."  I must admit the Ladakhi composting toilet I blogged of previously in a joking manner, I have truly come to admire.  Ladakh is a region that is being very quickly developed, so the contrast of modern and traditional is very clear, allowing an easier understanding of the merits of each.

I have also been helping with a car project in which we have stripped a Jeep down to its chassis, and now are using the chassis with all the attached car internals to demonstrate how a car works.  That project is headed by a fellow ME volunteer who specializes in automotive engineering, and my ME pals back in CA will find it ironic, I am sure, that I flew to India to learn how a car works. 

Next stop is Kathmandu, but honestly it's hard to leave this place.  There is something magical about it.  I only go b/c, with 2 hikes planned in Nepal, one of which is 27 days long, I really need to get trekking before mid-December rolls in.  Everest region, you better be impressive...

Ode to puri

Vegan fair inspires
Peanut butter puri dreams:
Indian donut!