Feelin’ Good

Well, I feel a lot better.  Dropping down some 8,000 feet over three and a half days will do that for you!  My three Nepalese friends and I trekked for eight plus hours a day to the village of Lukla, where I now sit, sip some coffee and await a flight down to K-du.  Jangbu Sherpa and our porter Yula have gone to their village and Om Kristna the camera man caught an earlier flight to K-du. Hopefully I can depart today.  When I asked why I cannot get a seat on standby (we are one day early) the airline person responded, “Please don’t ask why, that is our way.”  Hum, NY is still far away.

It is much warmer and I am now sleeping in what the Nepalese call a tea house (rooms and food are provided) instead of a tent.  I have a couple of minor ailments – one on my foot and one on my nose (not sure about the correlation 😉 but they should heal more easily, given the increased oxygen.  All in all, I am in good heath and good spirits.

This has been an incredible experience.  Over the past few weeks, I interviewed 50 Sherpas, climbers and others. I have a lot to digest and it will be a challenge to turn this into something others can comprehend and appreciate.  The difficulty lies in expressing the feelings I have had.  The Sherpas provided an environment that was safe in one of the most rugged places on Earth. They sing while lugging hundred pound loads up the mountain. They join together to ensure that the team can accomplish amazing things. This spirit is contagious.  It is similar to the feelings I had when I first came to Nepal in 1998. Now I have gone deeper, learning more about the Sherpas and about myself. It feels good, except for my nose and foot.