Trekking trough Nepal for peek at Mount Everest

Trekking trough Nepal for peek at Mount Everest

Three Indonesian journalists, Rudi Badil from the Kompas
daily, Don Hasman from the Suara Pembaruan afternoon daily, and
Hery Suyono from Intisari magazine, along with businessman
Edison, trekked in Nepal between Feb. 27 and March 11 this year.
Led by Rudi Nurcahyo, the tour manager of trip sponsor Equator
Tours & Travel of Indonesia, they followed the well-trodden path
from the Lukla airport to the Solu Khumbu region, stopping
briefly at the Sagarmatha National Garden and Namche Bazaar, a
village where trekkers and mountaineers gather to acclimatize.
Rudi Nurcahyo captured the beauty of Nepal, its people and
traditions, with his camera and wrote the following two stories.

KATHMANDU, Nepal (JP): Soaring into the sky at 8,848 meters,
Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, beckons every
trekker with its beauty.

Called Sagarmatha in Nepalese, meaning "Summit of the World",
Mount Everest has long taunted many a climber's courage and
ability. The peak has so far proven unsurmountable to Indonesian
mountaineers.

There were climbers from Norway who were on their way to the
peak of Everest. They were really bent on making it to the top.

"If we can't reach the peak, we should at least be able to
admire its grandeur, if only from a distance," one of them
commented.

That was exactly what we intended to do: Catch a glimpse of
its beauty as soon as the 16-passenger Twin Otter touched down in
Lukla, the small airport which has become an assembling place for
adventurers from all corners of the world.

Most trekkers hire Sherpa guides. The Sherpa are the ethnic
group who live in Solu Khumbu, located between Nepal and Tibet.
Khumbu is part of the phrase Kumbila Tetsan Gelbu, meaning "God
Protects the Land". Six hundred years ago they settled Kham in
East Tibet and eventually became known as Shar Pa, meaning
"arrivals from the East".

A hardy people, who have gained a reputation for extraordinary
strength, the Sherpa's capability to lug heavy loads across
mountainous terrain has astounded many trekkers.

The Sherpa eke out a living as mountain guides, interpreters,
cooks, traders and inn keepers as well as herding the long-haired
yaks that live on the slopes of the Himalayas.

The Sherpa are deeply religious. They repeat the sacred phrase
Om mani padme hum! (Oh lotus seated god of the celestial jewel!)
all day. They also believe that there is life after death.

Other ethnic groups, like the Rai, Tamang and Magar, have also
set up home 2,866 metres above sea level in the village of Lukla.
These settlers have boosted the population of a town which, a few
years ago, only had a few houses. The newcomers dominate the
hospitality business and hold a market every Thursday. On
Saturdays, a larger and much livelier market can be found higher
up in Namche Bazar.

During the peak seasons, between March and May and September
and November, plane tickets between Katmandu and Lukla become
scarce. Every year 6,000 trekkers visit the Sagarmatha National
Garden. Flights are often delayed by bad weather. Excursions must
therefore be planned with such conditions in mind.

Descending the first day from Lukla to Phakding, we entered
the Solu Khumbu region. Immediately an awesome panorama of a
steep and stony valley was played against a backdrop of the Kang
Talga mountains (6,685 metres), and Thamserku (6,608 metres). The
scene begged for rolls of film.

Our route paralleled the rapid Dudh Kosi river, which has its
origin 6,066 meter above at the Ngojumba glacier. The Dudh Kosi
is a holy river to the Sherpa. In Nepalese, dudh means "milk" and
kosi means "water".

We passed Chaumrikharka before entering Chapling, the smallest
settlement we encountered on our trip. Located on a slope, it had
just 10 houses. Further on in Chumlo, the western side of the
5,579-meter Mt. Kusum Kanguru became visible. It meant we were
leaving the Dudh Kosi valley.

Our kit, except for our day packs, was carried by yak and
porters. In snowstorms, or on dangerously snowy terrain, yaks are
used to plow through the snow to leave a passable track.

A yak can carry up to 120 kilograms slung across its back.
Other than the yaks, the dzopkyo are also used as pack animals.
The dzopkyo is a male cross between a yak and a cow. The females
are called dzom.

The long-haired yaks are longer and larger than the dzopkyo.

After Ghat, we walked along a stone walled path to Phakding,
2,640 meters above sea level. It took us four hours to reach
Phakding where we stayed the night.

The following day we passed over several bridges and traversed
a pine forest. A soft breeze accompanied us until Benkar where we
encountered mani stones. The mani stones depict the religious
messages of Buddha. The inscriptions are mostly prayers for good
health. The Sherpa always pass these stones on the left side. The
word mani means "gem" in Sanskrit.

Sagarmatha

The uphill trek brought us to Monjo, near Sagarmatha National
Garden. The entrance fee to the park is 650 rupee, just Rp28,000.

The Sagarmatha National Garden, measuring 1,243 square
kilometers, was officially opened in 1976. In the fall the
weather is crisp while the winters are dry and cold. From June to
September the monsoon season takes over, bringing the average
annual rainfall up to 1,000 mm.

Visits are best made between May and October. From December to
February, temperatures drop below freezing, and the heavy snow
renders climbing impossible.

After Monjo and the national garden, we crossed the Jorsale
bridge, which spans 120.6 metres over the river Dudh Kosi and
connects two hills near the junction of Bothe Kosi at the border
of Nangpa La. After the bridge we ascended 590 metres in four
hours to Namche Bazaar. It was our first peek of Mount Everest
since we started trekking.

We stayed two nights in Namche Bazaar and took the opportunity
to explore the village and its museum and information center for
climbers. We had a good look at Mt. Everest and Mt. Ama Dablam
(6,856 metres) on its right. We also had the opportunity to watch
the activities at Syanboche, an airstrip 100 metres above Namche
Bazaar.

The next day we headed for Tengboche Monastery. Perched on a
plateau at 3,867 metres, this was the highest point we reached on
our excursion. The view is the most spectacular imaginable. The
mountains, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, all giants above 8,000
metres, challenged us with their towering images. Mt. Ama Dablam,
very clear in the vast sky, lifts its peak, straight as a finger,
into the thin, clear air.

Tengboche is the main Buddhist temple in Tibet. An old sect
was also established by Padmasambhava. The main temple of
Tengboche, destroyed by an electrical fire in January 1989, is
still being renovated.

Buddhist dramas are held in the temple courtyard every full
moon. A three-day mask drama called mani rimdu was held last
October. The drama was inspired by Tibetan Buddhists. A Nepalese
drama is known by the same name. The first mani rimdu was staged
in Tengboche in 1930.

The next day we descended to Khumjung (3,790 metres). Still in
the Khumbu region, the village is built on a vast plateau to the
south of Mt. Khumbila.

Khumjung, made up of 80 cottages, is slightly smaller than
Namche Bazaar. It has a school named after Sir Edmund Hillary,
the first climber to conquer Everest. He and his Sherpa guide,
Tenzing Norgey, reached the top in 1953. Sir Hillary also built a
hospital in the region.

Khumjung is surrounded by Mt. Ama Dablam and Mt. Kang Taiga
(6,685 metres) in the east and the Rolwaling Mountains in the
west. Ama dablam means "mother of a star-shaped pendant", an
accessory Sherpa women wear with their formal clothing. Kang
taiga means "saddle of snow".

The holy Mt. Khumbila is visible to the north.

Khumjung is the only village with the largest number of
chorten (stupas). The biggest and most attractive among them wear
metal enameled tops.

From Khumjung we returned to Namche Bazaar for lunch, then
went on to Jorsale and stayed the night over in Monjo. The next
day, we headed back for Lukla and boarded an 14-seat MI-17
chopper, piloted by a Russian.