Dhanla Pass on the Nepal/Tibet border, originally uploaded by Rich.
This photo was taken by Jamie McGuinness on Nov. 5, 2002. From right: Joel, Filip and myself on top of Dhanla Pass (a.k.a. Ghanla Bhayilang according to other maps; 5,752m high), directly on the Nepal border with China/Tibet, in the Kangchenjunga region of East Nepal.I love this one because it shows pure joy (I mean, just look at my face) of walking among these towering Himalayan peaks and reaching this ‘unspoiled’ place rarely visited by anyone, except maybe locals with their yak caravans. Here are my notes I jotted down later that night recounting the day’s hike. Reading it now, it sounds kind of boring;) but it easily re-awakens my memories and how I felt then:
It was a struggle to get to this point. There were four of us who made it that day: Filip, Joel, myself and Jamie (not in the picture). We started to trek at about 9AM from our base camp, at the head of the Hidden Glacier’s moraine gradually getting higher and circumventing an unnamed 6,000m peak. As always, everyone chose its own pace, with David leading most of the way. The trail was clearly visible. After reaching an area heavily marked by landslides, the trail took on many different routes and we stopped. Deciding which route to take, there were many different opinions, so I took it upon myself and followed footsteps to an exposed but short traverse (which I think was within limits of what I judge to be safe). Not being a guide here, I didn’t encourage others to follow. So no one did. After crossing a couple of frozen slippery streams, I continued on, following the faint trail. As I got closer to the glacier, I became lost among boulders and rocks. But I still could see in which direction I was supposed to be heading.
So, with weather being great and having plenty of time for a safe return, I pressed on. A couple of hundreds meters later, I was past the landslide and back on the main trail. From here on, it was clearly marked, mostly by rock cairns. The last section toward the pass, was really steep, and my lungs felt small and squeezed. Still only by myself, but seeing Joel and Filip in a distance further down by a small lake, I was making the last zig-zags, already in snow, not sure how far higher the pass was. My altimeter was showing 5,700m when I finally spotted it, some 50 meters above me. I passed by prayer flags and sat down. I stayed there for about 40 minutes, until 3PM and decided to head down, when I spotted Joel not far from the top. I waited for him, we talked for another 15-20 minutes and finally, Filip with Jamie arrived, almost together. We were the only ones to reach the pass that day. Everyone else turned around. All four of us got back to the camp well after dark, at 8PM.
April 30th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Himalayas, Nepal, Trekking |
no comments
Recently, I added my blog to Technorati. It is a search engine currently tracking 37 million sites with 2.3 billion links. What distinguishes Technorati from regular search engines, like Google or Yahoo, is that it updates frequently. Sometimes updates are available within minutes. So, it is very useful to keep track of blogs or frequently changing news websites. Also, I started adding Technorati tags to all my reports, so readers can easily find relevant posts on my blog. I went back and re-tagged all posts since April 1st.
Strangely enough, as I started using Technorati, its website became unavailable in China, as reported on Technorati Webblog from April 26th. Thus, Technorati became an another victim of a standard Chinese practice to censor ‘undesirable’ web content for Chinese Internet users. Luckily, it can be accessed through a proxy provided by Anonymouse.org. Here is the direct link, and here is the ‘anonymoused’ link to Technorati.com. Good to know, thanks to Mad About Shanghai blog;) BTW, the same blog also reports that Technorati is accessible again. So, it seems that filtering isn’t as systematic and fool-proof as Chinese censors would like it to be…
Moreover, there is a possibility that this Blogspot-listed blog won’t be accessible in China either. I have asked a fellow travelers and expats living in China to check my blog. Some were able to see it, some were not, dependent on location. I’m planning to spend in China up to two months and it would be nice if I could upload photos and short reports every other week, or so. Still, it is not a big issue as I will have other worries when criss-crossing Tibet and Xinjiang;) Besides, the Internet access will be possible only in a few big cities, i.e. Kashgar and Ali.
April 29th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Blogging, China, Preparation |
6 comments
I was always a hyperactive kid. I couldn’t sit still for even a minute. So naturally, when growing up, participating in sports helped me to get rid of all ‘excess’ energy. Starting with soccer in elementary school, switching to volleyball and basketball in high school, I needed exercise, as my mother used to say, to keep me focused in school and stay ‘out of trouble’;)But after moving to the U.S., juggling between my jobs and college, later my career, busy lifestyle and relationships, I was left with no time for exercise. Or at least, that was my excuse. So, as I crossed into my thirties, I found myself switching to bigger pants and shirts every year and happily gaining pounds, from 170lbs to 215lbs!!!
One day, I just had enough. I couldn’t walk a four flights of stairs without huffing and puffing. So, I bought myself a bike. I didn’t have any set training plans, hard goals, or a ‘New Year’s Eve’ resolution, I just rode it once/twice a week, for fun mostly. Added some jogging too. Later, I started hitting trails and trekked in some of the most beautiful places on Earth: John Muir Trail in California, Nepal, Ladakh, Thailand… I dabbled into easy climbing too but found mountaineering at high altitude more rewarding, physically and mentally.
And to stay fit for the adventures, cycling became a very natural way to keep in shape. Pounds were coming off easily, miles were adding up. Now, if my rides are less than 30 miles, I feel something is amiss;)
After almost three years of cycling/running/trekking, I did a thorough medical exam and my doc said: “Just keep doing whatever it is you are doing.” That was good enough for me;) My weigth was back to my college years: 166-172 lbs. (My pants size went down too: from 34-36 to 31;))) True, there were also changes in my work and personal life which allowed me to do all this. Leaving the ‘office world’ for good, I don’t experience random headaches and neverending tiredness anymore, caused by too much stress from tight deadlines and sleepless overnighters polishing clients’ presentations… Hey, FWIW here are my latest cholesterol numbers:
Total Cholesterol: 156 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol: 58 mg/dL
LDL Cholesterol: 84 mg/dL
Triglycerides: 69 mg/dL
PS: ONLY TWO MORE MONTHS TO GO and I’ll be off on my ‘Vagabonding’ adventure!!!
April 28th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Preparation |
no comments
A few random links on Nepal’s current political developments:
- Exploring the Complex Politics of Nepal - A radio interview on National Public Radio discussing recent developments. Very helpful for anyone new to Nepal’s politics.
- US can remove red corner notice - Recent comments by James Moriarty, the U.S. envoy to Nepal, to move beyond the ‘terrorist’ label for Maoists, if they fully commit to a democratic rule of law. This could be another stabilizing factor, sorely needed if democracy should win in Nepal.
- Nepal Army chief helped convince Gyanendra - An editorial in The Hindu, an Indian daily, on behind-the-scenes brokering that preceded the King’s announcement to give up his powers. It offers some hope, that there are a few level-headed leaders in the Royal Nepal Army.
- The Americans are leaving, State Department stays on - This opinion piece is quite critical of the U.S. ‘advisory’ role to the King in the last five years. If nothing else, at least, it explains why many Nepalis are not fond of the current U.S. administration. In this writer’s view, the U.S policy of a military solution to the Maoist problem (which meant providing the RNA with modern arms and ’security’ consultants) was destined to fail from the beginning. It was just an another ‘misinterpretation’ of local politics as in many other countries of South and Southeast Asia since the WWII.
April 27th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Nepal |
no comments
After almost three weeks of demonstrations in Nepal, it seems things are moving for the better. Recent developments hit headlines and frontpages around the world. Rather than add to the flurry of news reports, let me just post a few comments I picked up while following the demonstrations on various blogs.So finally, the King gave up his powers and re-instituted parliament in his speech to the nation on Monday, April 24. Given his apparent disinterest in people’s demands and hiding behind his brutal Royal Nepalese Army during the protests, there is no question that the absolute Monarchy is on its way out. The current mood seems to be divided between calls for a Democratic Republic or a ceremonial Monarchy, with very little or no political powers for the King’s dynasty.
After, the Tuesday’s victory celebrations, the real challenges for the Seven Party Alliance are only beginning. A new prime minister has been announced: GP Koirala. Anyone who has been following Nepal’s politics in the last decade knows that he is a controversial choice for the post. As a former head of the gov’t of Nepal, he had been accused of nepotism and corruption during his premiership. Rare in politics nowadays but he was given a second chance, to redeem himself. Not an easy task.
The other encouraging news came out today: Maoist rebels declared a three-month unilateral cease-fire. This should put pressure on the parliament to speed up the way to a constituent assembly. The Maoists believe it will lead to abolition of the Monarchy and as they said before, only then will they disarm permanently and end their uprising. That remains to be seen??? My guess is it might work but only if other parties bring them into political mainstream. Again, not an easy task, when one remembers that a few years ago the same politicians and Maoist leaders were outright enemies.
There are still many obstacles and no one really knows where Nepal will be a year from now. But the next few weeks are extremely important for the politicians to put the people’s demands into effect and jump-start the road to a democratic Nepal, with or without the King.
April 26th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Nepal |
no comments
Nonthaburi at dusk, originally uploaded by Rich.
As a test, here is one of my favorite travel photos. I took it in Dec. ‘02 while visiting Bangkok, Thailand.
April 25th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Preparation |
no comments
