Mountain Life. Actually putting effort into writing the blog again, but my other location. More media, links and ideas to enjoy while at the desk!
www.mondau.blogspot.com
Monday, March 10, 2008
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Return to Writing
Hey there, well if anyone is still checking this, I am going to attempt to start writing again. Less random material than while traveling, but life in Seattle is keeping me entertained, so maybe I can bring some of that to you as well. Or atleast share some photos worth viewing.
www.mondau.blogspot.com
www.mondau.blogspot.com
Monday, June 25, 2007
Asia
So I half way jokingly titled the blog 'Asian Research Journey' as a way to differentiate the trip from simply a vacation or otherwise. In a lot of ways I was doing research, attempting to take an close look at a part of the world I hadn't been exposed to in person. Was it a place I would consider living? Or were there opportunities in work? The answer to both of those is, of course, yes, but each region had its own answers as to what kind of lifestyle and job that would actually involve.
Back to the name though 'research journey.' It has certainly been a journey, without a fixed destination, aside from Hong Kong airport of course (which is where I sit now writing...)! With any research the goal is to learn and discover, to not know at the beginning what you can conclude at the end. I don' have conclusions, so in that it could be considered a failure if this were a college term paper. I didn't 'find myself' or my 'direction or calling.' I really haven't changed much and will not be a new person when I get back. I will have grown my perspective, tolerance and patience though. I have learned lessons.
Travel as escape is one approach, travel with a mission is another. I met people along the way with all sorts of reasons to be doing things in both arenas. I have definitely included both, from the beaches of Thailand to the mountains of Nepal, I hadn't found what my mission was until things got stalled with the Everest expedition and I discovered the place in my life for the orphanage.
I now know I will return to Nepal. It was there I found the closest relationships to the people, to most potential for adventure, and in turn, possibilities in uniting these two in a profitable manner. The partners of The Great Adventure Treks & Expeditions are now my good friends, and I am hoping to work with them in the future to bring people from North America to experience Nepal. In addition, there are big future plans with the Everest Freestyle Expedition for 2008 that are still in the works. I don't know exactly what will come of it, but something will for sure. And perhaps the biggest pull from Nepal will be exerted from the children at Social Development Center Nepal, that's where my heart found a home, and a network of people with similar ideas and passion for helping these kids move forward in life. That these two things, the expedition and the orphanage are now merging into a project that will bring me back to Nepal is amazing. It grew on its own, fed by available time and energy I was lucky enough to have to invest. For both these things to work, I had to make a decision, trust myself when things went astray, and remain patient to see them through. Success is about commitment, I hope I can have similar success at home in finding a profession!
To live in and enjoy Asia you need to let go of many things you thought you needed or were important. The first being certainty. You really never had it in the West, but it becomes abundantly clear that it is a fleeting dream in the East. Most of the philosophy and religion here eventually brings you to that idea. There are other things you can not let go of and find yourself holding tighter, even as you can't physically reach them. The people in your life. This excursion held plenty of solo thinking time for me, and much of it was spent in reflection on how I construct value in my life. My friends and family bring me value, that is about it. I've never felt more free and happy as times on this trip when I had absolutely nothing. No money, no things, no house and no car. (Of course, if you know me you know how much I love gear, so I will say that 'gear' is an enabler for this kind of adventure, so... not in the same category!?) You see this most clearly in the people around you, as the locals live with just what they need (aside from the ubiquitous Nike t-shirt or 'Titanic' bandanna that seem to find their way into every hidden corner of the world). The idea is that in having nothing, you have nothing in the way of the personal relationships. Right now I have had an ocean between some personal relationships in my life, but its of course the ideas and words you share with loved ones that are just as important. It takes time and space sometimes to realize what you miss, what you want and where you want it. The Puget Sound keeps holding up to any comparison as one of the best places in the world to live, work and play. (Just don't tell too many more people from California that.)
Adventuring out into the world with a home base of the Puget Sound and fantastic friends and family let me experience this all with solid ground to fall back upon, and therefore build a unique perspective. I haven't reached enlightenment, nor do I fully understand the Zen concept of non-duality, but I do know some things I didn't about the people over there and over here (or vice versa?). Even more so, it would have to be a research journey into myself, and my own character and values, than of Asia as a continent and people. That is fine with me! I am a lot easier to write about and analyse than this mammoth of a land mass and 3 billion people I leave in a couple minutes. Just don't ask me for conclusions on either!
So, ciao, sabaidee, namaste and catch ya later Asia. I need a micro-brew and a water-ski run!
PS - After three months without, 48 hours straight of nothing but seafood (raw and otherwise) will do wonders for, check that 'to', your stomach. I wonder what they serve on the plane?
Back to the name though 'research journey.' It has certainly been a journey, without a fixed destination, aside from Hong Kong airport of course (which is where I sit now writing...)! With any research the goal is to learn and discover, to not know at the beginning what you can conclude at the end. I don' have conclusions, so in that it could be considered a failure if this were a college term paper. I didn't 'find myself' or my 'direction or calling.' I really haven't changed much and will not be a new person when I get back. I will have grown my perspective, tolerance and patience though. I have learned lessons.
Travel as escape is one approach, travel with a mission is another. I met people along the way with all sorts of reasons to be doing things in both arenas. I have definitely included both, from the beaches of Thailand to the mountains of Nepal, I hadn't found what my mission was until things got stalled with the Everest expedition and I discovered the place in my life for the orphanage.
I now know I will return to Nepal. It was there I found the closest relationships to the people, to most potential for adventure, and in turn, possibilities in uniting these two in a profitable manner. The partners of The Great Adventure Treks & Expeditions are now my good friends, and I am hoping to work with them in the future to bring people from North America to experience Nepal. In addition, there are big future plans with the Everest Freestyle Expedition for 2008 that are still in the works. I don't know exactly what will come of it, but something will for sure. And perhaps the biggest pull from Nepal will be exerted from the children at Social Development Center Nepal, that's where my heart found a home, and a network of people with similar ideas and passion for helping these kids move forward in life. That these two things, the expedition and the orphanage are now merging into a project that will bring me back to Nepal is amazing. It grew on its own, fed by available time and energy I was lucky enough to have to invest. For both these things to work, I had to make a decision, trust myself when things went astray, and remain patient to see them through. Success is about commitment, I hope I can have similar success at home in finding a profession!
To live in and enjoy Asia you need to let go of many things you thought you needed or were important. The first being certainty. You really never had it in the West, but it becomes abundantly clear that it is a fleeting dream in the East. Most of the philosophy and religion here eventually brings you to that idea. There are other things you can not let go of and find yourself holding tighter, even as you can't physically reach them. The people in your life. This excursion held plenty of solo thinking time for me, and much of it was spent in reflection on how I construct value in my life. My friends and family bring me value, that is about it. I've never felt more free and happy as times on this trip when I had absolutely nothing. No money, no things, no house and no car. (Of course, if you know me you know how much I love gear, so I will say that 'gear' is an enabler for this kind of adventure, so... not in the same category!?) You see this most clearly in the people around you, as the locals live with just what they need (aside from the ubiquitous Nike t-shirt or 'Titanic' bandanna that seem to find their way into every hidden corner of the world). The idea is that in having nothing, you have nothing in the way of the personal relationships. Right now I have had an ocean between some personal relationships in my life, but its of course the ideas and words you share with loved ones that are just as important. It takes time and space sometimes to realize what you miss, what you want and where you want it. The Puget Sound keeps holding up to any comparison as one of the best places in the world to live, work and play. (Just don't tell too many more people from California that.)
Adventuring out into the world with a home base of the Puget Sound and fantastic friends and family let me experience this all with solid ground to fall back upon, and therefore build a unique perspective. I haven't reached enlightenment, nor do I fully understand the Zen concept of non-duality, but I do know some things I didn't about the people over there and over here (or vice versa?). Even more so, it would have to be a research journey into myself, and my own character and values, than of Asia as a continent and people. That is fine with me! I am a lot easier to write about and analyse than this mammoth of a land mass and 3 billion people I leave in a couple minutes. Just don't ask me for conclusions on either!
So, ciao, sabaidee, namaste and catch ya later Asia. I need a micro-brew and a water-ski run!
PS - After three months without, 48 hours straight of nothing but seafood (raw and otherwise) will do wonders for, check that 'to', your stomach. I wonder what they serve on the plane?
Sunday, June 24, 2007
A smattering of photo documentation.
Well Hong Kong has proven itself to be amazing and overwhelming. And insanely clean compared to the rest of Asia I have seen thus far. And they have sushi. Here are a few pictures from the Everest trip, more to come once I am home. Off to the airport and on to Seattle in the morning!
 |
| Everest to Seattle |
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Hong Kong
Well, I actually left Nepal. Can't believe it. Now I am in Hong Kong for a couple days waiting for my flight to Seattle on the 26th. Time for sushi!!!!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Kathmandu, oh how I've missed you!
Well, back in the city. Made the flight out of Lukla, pretty much rolling down a hill into a cloud, but it got me to Kathmandu, so no complains. First three items on my list are shower, beer and pizza. Got a little shopping to do, sort some things out at the orphanage and say goodbye to a few friends, then I am off to Hong Kong. I'll try to upload some Everest photos, but if I don't I will once I am home. Got a few more reflective wrap up blogs, and a couple more flights to catch, so it's not over yet!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Everest Base Camp South Side 17,550 ft
Expectations were set low, but it’s got my emotions running high. To be here fills me with satisfaction, excitement, wonder, apprehension and future possibilities. To me, EBC is an exceptional place, full of wonder, beauty and opportunity. Reports from fellow trekkers and travelers said the place was a zoo, a garbage dump, with no view and way to many people to share it with. From my perspective as I sit here typing, there are 6 of us up here in total, and their all on my team. We share the place with the goraks (big Himalayan ravens), a few sparrows, a scattering of dzo turds and an absolutely insane amount of rock and ice. The sounds are my favorite though. The ever shifting ice field we sit on lets out a pop or moan every few minutes, accompanied by the explosions of avalanches racing down the slopes and cliffs of the surrounding peaks. We are sitting at the foot of the Khumbu Ice Fall, the route up Everest, but to every direction of the compass lies a Himalayan peak larger than any in North or South America. It’s astounding and invigorating. I will be back here.
I hiked up here in the fog yesterday, with no idea what surrounded me, a good thing because that kept me focused on the ever shifting rock pathway. Every step is an effort, but one willingly made. After tea and rice I was out on my bed of rocks with no complaints. At 4 am I awoke this morning hearing none of the snow that was falling the night before… would it be clear? Well, all that snow from the night before dumped on my head as I opened the tent, and with a glimpse of cloud I ducked back into my ridiculous warm sleeping bag. Ang Dawa woke me up at 6 am, saying ‘Alex, it’s clear, but I don’t know for how long!’ well, it’s 6 pm now and I haven’t really stopped taking pictures or enjoying this place. After breakfast Dawa introduced me to ice-climbing in the Khumbu Ice Fall, what a place to learn. While going over setting ice-screw anchors, belaying and traversing techniques in kind of rotten popcorn ice I was distracted by the lunar landscape and of course by the thought ‘Am I ice-climbing at 17,550 ft.? What!?’ This kid had a huge smile on his face to say the least.
Phill rolled into camp this afternoon with the rest of the porters and we had some guests from Krakow to liven things up over our afternoon tea. Now the fog has finally re-settled and it’s cold. Dinner and bed will be none too soon. I have the down jacket up top, and have resorted to wearing my yak blanket as a sarong of sorts around the waist.
A good trip. Good company. Things click with Phill and Chris, and I have loved getting to know the guides and porters. The porters are ever smiling, never complaining. Our dzo master is well, master of the dzos. Our cook staff is solid, always has tea ready and doesn’t seem to be offended when the altitude won’t let me eat. Gelu is incredibly attentive, almost to the point to where you have to act to trick him into thinking you don’t need anything just so he will relax. And Ang Dawa has taught me so much about climbing, the mountains and the Sherpa people these last few weeks I really look to him as a mentor now. So yeah, all the people drawn together by this project this year, with Prakash and me as kind of the link, are top notch. Outlook is good for next year. There is talk of doing a traverse from the North Side in Tibet over the top of Everest to the South Side in Nepal. I wonder who stamps your passport?
I hiked up here in the fog yesterday, with no idea what surrounded me, a good thing because that kept me focused on the ever shifting rock pathway. Every step is an effort, but one willingly made. After tea and rice I was out on my bed of rocks with no complaints. At 4 am I awoke this morning hearing none of the snow that was falling the night before… would it be clear? Well, all that snow from the night before dumped on my head as I opened the tent, and with a glimpse of cloud I ducked back into my ridiculous warm sleeping bag. Ang Dawa woke me up at 6 am, saying ‘Alex, it’s clear, but I don’t know for how long!’ well, it’s 6 pm now and I haven’t really stopped taking pictures or enjoying this place. After breakfast Dawa introduced me to ice-climbing in the Khumbu Ice Fall, what a place to learn. While going over setting ice-screw anchors, belaying and traversing techniques in kind of rotten popcorn ice I was distracted by the lunar landscape and of course by the thought ‘Am I ice-climbing at 17,550 ft.? What!?’ This kid had a huge smile on his face to say the least.
Phill rolled into camp this afternoon with the rest of the porters and we had some guests from Krakow to liven things up over our afternoon tea. Now the fog has finally re-settled and it’s cold. Dinner and bed will be none too soon. I have the down jacket up top, and have resorted to wearing my yak blanket as a sarong of sorts around the waist.
A good trip. Good company. Things click with Phill and Chris, and I have loved getting to know the guides and porters. The porters are ever smiling, never complaining. Our dzo master is well, master of the dzos. Our cook staff is solid, always has tea ready and doesn’t seem to be offended when the altitude won’t let me eat. Gelu is incredibly attentive, almost to the point to where you have to act to trick him into thinking you don’t need anything just so he will relax. And Ang Dawa has taught me so much about climbing, the mountains and the Sherpa people these last few weeks I really look to him as a mentor now. So yeah, all the people drawn together by this project this year, with Prakash and me as kind of the link, are top notch. Outlook is good for next year. There is talk of doing a traverse from the North Side in Tibet over the top of Everest to the South Side in Nepal. I wonder who stamps your passport?
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