The Everest summits are slowly piling up. People are reaching the top of Mt. Everest almost daily, thanks to a recent window of good weather.
I have been closely following the Everest Peace Project expedition which approached the mountain from the north side in Tibet. I have met Lance Trumbull shortly in Kathmandu in December ‘02. While trekking in India in summer ‘02, he conceived the idea of climbing the Everest with a diverse group of mountaineers representing major faiths of the world. When I heard about the project then I thought it was ‘a bit’ over-ambitious. But after four years of planning, bringing people and sponsors onboard, and initial troubles (the project was postponed a few times), he persevered and finally succeeded on May 18th, ‘06 when 10 members of his team summitted the Everest. Congrats to all of you guys. You deserve it!!!
Read more about it here:
There is a short summit video on the above website. Watch it, it’s cool;)Also, Jamie McGuinness, who I know from my previous Himalayan escapades, summitted the Everest for the second time (He was the climbing director of the team). So, now guys get you ‘asses’ off the mountain safely and enjoy your success;)
May 20th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Nepal, Tibet, Trekking |
3 comments
As you probably know by now, Nepal has changed its status from a Hindu kingdom to a secular state. The Parliament has ruled on May 18th, 2006 that the House of Representatives is the supreme governing body of Nepal and not the king. So there goes the last Hindu monarchy. No more ‘His Majesty’ and ‘Royal’ designations in signs anywhere. In the past few days, people were quite happily scratching the words out, or simply repainting them. The final political status of Nepal will be decided in the constituent assembly, be it a republic or a ceremonial monarchy.
For more day-to-day reporting and latest developments from Nepal, visit the UWB (United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal) blog:
I’m not a big fan of monarchies, royalties, kings or queens. I despise the idea that someone has hereditary right to rule over people, without any achievement of his/her own. So, I’m quite happy for Nepalis to throw away the ‘abusive’ king’s rule. I’m hopeful the changes will bring equality and more self-determination to all ethnic groups too. Plus, it’s about time for Nepal to rise above from being among the world’s poorest countries. There are plenty of resources: the country has always been a magnet for tourism and there are immense opportunities for hydro-power generation, just to name the obvious ones.And even though there are still many obstacles ahead (i.e. Maoists are the ‘big’ one), I’m definitely more optimistic about Nepal’s future now then I was just a few months ago. I’ll see you in Nepal in November ‘06;)
May 20th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
Nepal |
no comments
