Attending a Funeral

After the expedition briefing on Saturday morning, we were taken on a tour of the two most famous religious sites in Kathmandu. We didn’t know what we were in for.

The first stop was the Pashuptinath Temple, a Hndu site, located on the Bagmati River. Under Hindu beliefs, bodies must be cremated within 24 hours after death. The cremations take place on stone bulkheads on the river by the deceased’s family. Once the bodies are completely incinerated, the ashes are washed into the Bagmati River which connects to the Ganges, the holy Hindu river.

When we arrived, one cremation was being completed and the ashes brushed into the water. Another family was arriving with the body of the relative wrapped in the with the ceremonial cloth. They built a wooden pyre, placed the body on top, and lit some straw to help get the fire started. There were many people milling about visiting the temple and taking pictures of the event (our guide said that it was OK). It was a bit strange being in the middle of all of this, but it’s an everyday event to the Nepalis. In another section of the temple, a wrapped body lay on the ground with the family nearby.


Even though this is a sacred site, the place is littered with trash and the river is terribly polluted. Cows and dogs (sacred animals) wander wherever they wish to go.

I certainly didn’t expect to be attending a funeral in Nepal.

The second site we visited was the Bodhnath Buddhist stupa. This is the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in Kathmandu and for centuries has been visited by pilgrims from Tibet. A stupa is a stone, bell shaped tower with strings of prayer flags draped from the pinnacle. It is a beautiful site to see them fluttering in the breeze.



We also visited an art school where Buddhist monks learn to paint spiritual paintings. The details in these paintings are quite amazing.

We had lunch in a rooftop restaurant overlooking the whole scene. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful setting for lunch.

We returned to the hotel to get packed for tomorrow’s flight into the mountains. We have to be ready to leave the hotel by 5:15 am, but who knows when our flight will be. Flights into Lukla keep only a general schedule. If the weather is good, they fly dozens of planes into the mountain airstrip, just 30 minutes from Kathmandu. If the weather is bad, they may be grounded for days backing up trekkers in both Kathmandu and Lukla waiting to get out.

Once we get into the mountains, internet access will probably be pretty limited. I’ll try to post when I can, but it will probably be fairly limited.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

Having Fun In Kathmandu

May 14

After sunset, we went back to Thamel for dinner and some craic. It was more difficult navigating after dark. There still was a lot of traffic but not streetlights. It was a bit difficult/danger to navigate.

We were looking for the famous Rum Doodle Bar but couldn’t find it. Apparently, it relocated. We ended up at every Irish pub in Thamel, thanks to Gerry. Not much craic, though.

On the way back to the hotel, stopped in at the Irish Pub again. It was the most lively place all evening. A band was playing and the place was full of locals, mainly middle aged men. The few women were getting a lot of attention on the dance floor. Ate a few unidentifiable appetizers, but they were vegetarian and not too bad. Gerry didn’t eat any so I finished them off myself and washed at down with a bottle of Everest beer.

Back to the Shanker and in bed by 11:00 pm.

May 15

Woke up at 4:00 am and couldn’t get back to sleep. It was light at 5:00, so we got up and went for a run. Even at 5:30 am, the streets were still pretty busy. We ran down one of the main streets past the National Palace and some government buildings.

We came to a large park and a huge parade field. Around the field was a dirt path. There were hundreds and hundreds of people on the field walking, running, playing soccer or cricket. We decided to do a couple of laps with the locals. We were the only Westerners among a thousand Nepalis.

On the first lap, a couple of boys tried to take me out with a soccer ball. Gerry saw it coming but I didn’t. I stumbled and almost went down. Everyone got a good laugh. Fair play, I guess. We were on their territory.

At the far side of the field, hundreds of people were seated on blankets listening to a swami seated on a stage. It was their morning meditation. It was a really bizarre scene at 6:00 am.

We did four laps and then ran back to the hotel. Ran for a total of 45 minutes with Gerry complaining the whole way about his Achilles or ankle or something. But I’ve never had a run quite like it.

At 9:00, we were briefed by the race organizers about the trek and race. We got our shirts and hats and took the obligatory group photo. There’s about 25 in the group -- one Irishman (guess who), several Brits, a larger contingent of Germans, several Aussies, a French couple, a couple of Indians, including last year’s foreign winner of the race, one Pole, and just two Americans including myself. I’m going for the top American finisher and Gerry hopes to be the first Irishman.

At 10:30, we left for a tour of two religious sites in Kathmandu, a Hindu temple and a Buddist stupa. We ended up attending a funeral. I’ll fill in the details in my next post.

Day 1 in Kathmandu

First day in Kathmandu. The ride from the airport was crazy. Vehicles and pedestrians of every description weaving in an out. Amazingly, we saw no accidents. I wouldn’t last two minutes in the traffic. It’s tough enough as a pedestrian.

Kathmandu is a pretty dirty city. There’s a lot of pollution and trash and rubble everywhere. It’s dusty and smelly. Very third world, but just what I wanted to experience.

The Hotel Shanker is a classic, old hotel. A little warn, but still not too bad. It has “character”. They have a very nice garden area with a pool. The pool was invaded by German tourists this afternoon. Gerry loved it.

After a couple hours sleep, we dodged the traffic to get to Thamel, a commercial area about a half mile from the hotel. Got some rupies at the ATM (the debit card works!). Passed by an Irish pub about a half block from the hotel. That’s bad news with Gerry.

The bustling and commotion along the streets is hard to describe. Crowds of people, buses, taxis tuks-tuks, rickshaws, and scooters all competing for the same narrow space. . Everyone beeps their horns constantly. The motor bikes go buzzing through the narrow alleys; it seems like you’ll get whacked anytime. It’s really nuts.

It’s really funny seeing the school children. They are all dressed in their uniforms with jumpers for the girls and ties for the boys. Very British but very cute.

Anything that you want to buy can be found in Thamel. There are a lot of trekker hotels, gear stores, travel agencies, electronics shops and restaurants. You see so much counterfeit North Face and Mountain Hardware, it’s unbelievable. I bought a topo map of the Everest region so we won’t get lost when we go into the mountains.

Stopped at the Irish pub on the way back to hotel for a quick pint. A sign on the wall said that it was under German management. So much for authenticity.

Back at the Shanker, a big party was going on in the garden. We thought about crashing it, but we would have been too conspicuous -- it was all Nepalis.

Here’s a couple of photos from the first day.

The Long Slog to Kathmandu -- The Epic Journey Before The Epic Journey

Left Richmond a little after 5 pm on May 12th to drive to Dulles. Therese was driving me up so I wanted to leave a little early since she had to drive back home. My Qatar Airways flight didn't leave until 10:50 pm.

No sooner did we leave the condo then a torrential thunderstorm hit downtown Richmond bringing traffic to a screeching halt. We tried a couple of back routes but it still took us almost 45 minutes to get out of town. The first stressor for the trip.

Once we got going, the ride to Dulles was pretty uneventful. Pulled into the hourly parking just before 8 pm. Plenty of time. Get up to the ticketing counter and the agent asks for the credit card that I used to pay for the tickets to check me in. Uh . . . I didn't have it because the bank replaced it a couple of weeks ago with a new number. She couldn't do anything without it.

It took 30 minutes to get through the customer service phone system at the bank to talk to a real person. In the mean time, Therese called Matt and then Katie who looked up the account online to get the old number. After we had the correct number, check in went smoothly. Second stressor for the day. What a way to begin the trip.

At 8:30, I said my tearful good-byes to Therese who had to drive 2+ hours back to Richmond. She will miss me and I'll miss her.

Went through security and took the tram out to the terminal. I thought that I'd better check the credit card I planned to use to get rupies in Nepal. Of course, none of the passwords I thought were correct would work in the ATM. Stressor number three! h well, Therese better move some money into our debit account. I'll need rupies when we go into the mountains because there are no ATMs out there.

Boarding the Qatar Airways flight went smoothly even though 350 passengers were on the plane. They are a class operation. There didn't seem to be many Qataris on the flight. It was mostly Indians and a large, rough crew who looked like they were Blackwater or Halliburton employees.

The flight pulled back a few minutes ahead of schedule and we were on our way. I was near the front, two rows behind the bulkhead seats. Big mistake -- that's where they put the babies and toddlers. There were five babies, at least one of whom seemed to be making a fuss at any given time. Just had to turn up the volume on the headphones.

There were also a lot of really, really old people on the flight. They wheeled about six of the up just ahead of me before I boarded. It took them forever to get to and in their seats and required several of the flight attendants to assist. It also took them a long time to get to the lavs during the flight. You have to give it to them to be travelling half way around the world with their infirmities.

The ride was very smooth the whole way. It was just l-o-o-o-n-g. The meals were not bad; I had a glass of wine; I watched three movies, I did laps around the plane and talked to a couple of other insomniacs in the back galley. Did I say that the flight was long?

I didn't want to sleep on this leg of the trip, but I did doze off a couple of times. Twelve and a half hours later, we landed in Doha. It was dark when we took off from Dulles, the sun rose over the Atlantic and then set as we flew in over the Gulf.

Deplaned and went through transit quickly. The flight to Kathmandu wasn't scheduled to leave for another six and a half hours. Headed up to the Oryx Lounge. It's worth the $40 for comfortable chairs, food and drink, and clean restrooms.

In the lounge, I was able to connect the netbook to the internet and called Therese. Thank God for Skype. It cost about 20 cents for a ten minute call. Not bad.

Gerry had sent me an email that he got out of Dublin and to Manchester on time. The QR flight from Manchester left right on schedule so he should have no problem making our connecting flight to Kathmandu. He said that Sean Wall surprised him and was coming along on the trip as well. For those that know Sean (and Gerry), you get it.

When I came out of the lounge at 11:45, the airport was a madhouse. Not the businessmen that you see during the day, but a mass of humanity trying to board flights to all over Asia and the Middle East. The airport almost looked third world in some respects.

Met up with Gerry and it's the same old Gerry. Just like he never returned to Ireland. The first thing he wanted was the Richmond gossip so I gave him a copy of the Times Dispatch and Style.

We checked into our flight right away and began boarding. There were a lot of Nepalis on the flight. I seemed tall compared to most of them!

We couldn't get seats together, so Gerry sat in the back with the chickens and goats (only half kidding). The flight was uneventful but I didn't sleep.

It was great coming into Kathmandu flying over the hills an into the little airport. The terminal looked like something out of the 1950s. It took a while to get our visa and clear customs. Our guide for Himalaya Expeditions was waiting for us at the terminal entrance along with a thousand other taxi drivers. It was a madhouse scene and truly third world.

The ride in from the airport to the hotel was crazy -- buses cars, motorcyles, bicycles and pedestrians all vying for the same road space. They drive with their horns here. The streets are winding and filled with trash. There are people everywhere and young kids either going to school in their British-like uniforms or begging from the Westerners when the car stops.

We met a Brit named Frank who came in on the same flight as us. He seemed a little odd, probably the same he thought of Gerry and me.

Left Therese a voice mail. I miscalculated the time between Kathmandu and Richmond -- it was midnight there, not 10 pm as I thought. Oops.

I've been up since 5 am on Wednesday, with only a bit of sleep on the plane. I need to try to get a couple of hours now even though it's only 10:30 am. So, I'm signing off for now.

And They're Off . . .

It's May 12. I'm checking my gear and packing list one last time to see what I forgot (many items, I'm sure).

I fly out of Dulles at 22:50. Therese is driving me up (to make sure that I get on the plane). It's a long flight to Doha (13 hours) and a long layover (6 hours) before another long flight to Kathmandu (4 1/2 hours).

Gerry called yesterday to discuss the packing list. We'll see what he brings besides his tshirts (including the Michael Jackson one) and running shorts. His plane leaves Dublin on Thursday morning, the Icelandic volcano willing. We will hopefully meet up in Doha.

Here's the itinerary for the trip. I will try to post some updates in Kathmandu and while in the mountains. There are internet cafes in Lukla and Namche Bazaar and possibly higher up in the mountains.

See you In Nepal!

Mark and Gerry's Everest Itinerary

May 12 Depart Dulles at 22:50
May 13 Arrive Doha at 18:30
May 14 Depart Doha at 1:05
Arrive Kathmandu at 08:30 (4,429 ft)
May 15 Kathmandu touring
May 16 Fly to Lukla (9,383 ft)
May 17 Phakding (8,700 ft)
May 18 Namche Bazaar (11,286 ft)
May 19 Acclimatization day in Namche
May 20 Acclimatization day in Namche
May 21 Tyangboche (13,090 ft)
May 22 Dingboche (14,468 ft)
May 23 Acclimatization day in Dingboche
May 24 Lobuche (16,076 ft)
May 25 Gorakshep (16,961 ft)
May 26 Climb Kala Pattar (18,192 ft)
return to Gorekshep (16,961 ft)
May 27 Everest Base Camp (17,593 ft)
May 28 Rest day at EBC
May 29 Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon at 7:00 am
EBC to Namche Bazaar (11,286 ft)
May 30 Monjo (9,514 ft)
May 31 Lukla (9,383 ft)
June 1 Fly to Kathmandu
June 2 Free day in Kathmandu!
June 3 Depart for home at 19:55
June 4 Arrive Dulles at 16:00

Update on the Bandh in Nepal

Good news. The Maoist party has suspended its bandh -- general strike -- that has ground Nepal to a halt for the past seven days. They are probably waiting for Gerry and I to arrive before they begin again.

One less thing to worry about.

Less Than A Week To Go And . . . A Bandh and A Volcano

I'm wrapping things up before my trip to Nepal and the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon. My training is winding down. Just easy runs for now and then a final long trail run on Tuesday morning. I feel pretty good but will be happy to leave the hot and muggy weather we've been having in Richmond. It's been an early summer.

I have most of my gear and supplies (I think). Just a few more things to buy. Therese will be happy -- no more daily deliveries from Campmor, REI, Amazon, etc. She's asking what I'm going to do with all of this stuff after the trip. I don't know yet. It depends how the race goes and whether I continue with the adventure events (it's my new athletic career!)

I hope that the packing checklist is good. If I forget something, however, I can always pick it up in Kathmandu. I haven't weighed the bag but I think that I'll be fine for the 30 lb. limit on the trek.

So no worries, right? Well, not quite. It turns out that the political situation in Nepal is deteriorating again. The Maoist Party instigated a bandh, or general strike, on May 1 demanding the resignation of the prime minister. The whole country is pretty much closed down -- shops are shuttered, no transporation, offices closed, roads blocked, ete.

Bandhs are pretty common in Nepal but normally last only a day or two. I think that they are often viewed as an unannounced holiday. This one is a little more serious. Food supplies are running short, tourists are having to walk to and from the airport, and the people are now starting to grumble about the disruptions.

So far it's been relatively peaceful and the parties are talking. No one is willing to give in yet. The Maoists are now allowing food deliveries for 4 hours each day but curfews have been imposed in some locations.

Santosh, a representative of the expedition company we are using, says that the bandh really hasn't been a problem for tourists so far. He says that the trek and marathon are on as scheduled and they will meet our flight on the 14th. Yeah, we'll see. I'd better be thinking of some contingency plans. If we can at least get a flight into Lukla, the start of the trek, we'll be out of the urban areas where most of the disruption is occurring.

All we have to do is get to Kathmandu. Not a problem for me. The Qatar Airways flights that I will be taking have been running pretty much on time. Gerry's flights, though, are another matter. He will be flying (hopefully) from Dublin to Manchester to Doha, where we will meet up. However, the Iceland volcano is acting up again and the airports in Ireland were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. He's keeping his fingers crossed that he'll make it out next Thursday.

Anyway, it's all part of the deal. It's the adventure before the adventure. Stay tuned.