RI woman climber honored in Nepal

JAKARTA (JP): Clara Sumarwati, the first Indonesian and Southeast Asian to reach the 8,848-meter summit of Mt. Everest, was congratulated by Nepal's Minister of Sports and Culture Bai Bahadur in a ceremony in Kathmandu on Oct. 10.

Sumarwati was quoted by The Kathmandu Post on Oct. 11 as saying that her success was the success of all Indonesian people. She said this during a ceremony in which Nepal's Pasang Lahmu Mountaineering Foundation presented her an award.

Sumarwati said she was dumbfounded while setting foot on the world's highest peak on Sept. 26. "God has been generous to me. He has let me taste one of His creation's most awesome wonders. Not everyone can have this experience. I feel near, very near to Him," was her description on how she felt upon reaching the peak.

The 29-year-old education consultant reached the 7,525-meter zenith of Nepal's Anapurna Four mountain in 1990 and the 6,959- meter peak of Argentina's Aconcagua mountain in 1992. She is expected to return home next week. (arf)