Hello,
Don't worry, I'm fine. There was a huge protest because a young man was killed so I didn't get back to Kathmandu until late last night. Everyone abandoned the buses because we had been stuck due to the protest for 6 hours, having been on the road already for 6 hours. 3 of us got across the general blockade (it looked pretty much clear as I think the protest was over) but it was weird because the power was out so no one could see a thing but we could feel glass under our shoes. We finally found a taxi, bargained a ridiculously low price and were on our way. The driver was really nervous and for good reason. We had some people through bricks at the car as we went through the dark streets. Again I am fine. I'm at the airport waiting to board in a few minutes. I'll send another message when I get to Hong Kong. I love you all very much! Oh and the paragliding in Pokhara was amazing. I've got good video!
Raymond
Sent from my iPod
Friday, November 21, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Twin baby elephants!
Hello everyone,
Sorry I didn't drop you an email sooner but I pretty much got a bus ticket right before the power went out and didn't have a chance to send an email before. anyways, right now i'm in Chitwan! I decided against the bungee jump as it is a ridiculous amount of money and the safari here seemed to be far more worth it, plus I got to go on a elephant safari where I saw wild rhinos and elephants, I got to take a bath with the elephants, I went and played with some new born elephants and a pair of 8 day old twin baby elephants, I went in a dug out canoe and went on a safari this morning and saw some jackals and crocodiles, I did a bike tour of the town, had two nights accommodations and all my meals included all for the same price of one bungee jump! I'll wait for New Zealand to do the huge bungee jump! I've REALLY enjoyed Chitwan! It's been really nice but tomorrow I'm leaving for Pokhara and I'm going to be doing the Paragliding! I get to take a camera with me so that's cool! I'll probably take the video camera and use the still option for pictures. I've been searching for gifts for people but Mom, sorry is your favorite color blue? I think it is I just need to know though. As for my beard, I grew it out until the end of Everest but when I got back I had a lot of dust and dirt in it that made it really ichy and it looked pretty gross. I took a picture then took my multi took scissors and trimmed it down a bit. it's still good though, don't worry, tiny scissors can only go so far! I also got a hair cut but it is dark and I can't see it, it was a dollar but it looked good from what I can tell. I also got a head massage out of the deal! I think I look a lot thinner so it'll be interesting to see if you guys think so. I look forward to seeing the new James Bond and I'll definitely see it with Chris W if he's waiting for me (thanks buddy!) Anyways, I'm going to watch a stick dance, not sure what that is but I guess I'll find out, then to bed and on another bus tomorrow. Hey I got to ride on the back of a motorcycle in crazy Kathmandu. it was pretty fun, I would have been late for my bus and a guy at GVI (who said he'd be back in time so that we could walk) told me to get on his motorcycle and we raced over there. I had my big bag on my back and my little one on the front plus I was trying to hold on! It was great and hey! it's almost time for me to come home! I miss you all very much but I'm not going to wish the days to pass any faster then they already are. I love you all and take care.
Raymond
Sorry I didn't drop you an email sooner but I pretty much got a bus ticket right before the power went out and didn't have a chance to send an email before. anyways, right now i'm in Chitwan! I decided against the bungee jump as it is a ridiculous amount of money and the safari here seemed to be far more worth it, plus I got to go on a elephant safari where I saw wild rhinos and elephants, I got to take a bath with the elephants, I went and played with some new born elephants and a pair of 8 day old twin baby elephants, I went in a dug out canoe and went on a safari this morning and saw some jackals and crocodiles, I did a bike tour of the town, had two nights accommodations and all my meals included all for the same price of one bungee jump! I'll wait for New Zealand to do the huge bungee jump! I've REALLY enjoyed Chitwan! It's been really nice but tomorrow I'm leaving for Pokhara and I'm going to be doing the Paragliding! I get to take a camera with me so that's cool! I'll probably take the video camera and use the still option for pictures. I've been searching for gifts for people but Mom, sorry is your favorite color blue? I think it is I just need to know though. As for my beard, I grew it out until the end of Everest but when I got back I had a lot of dust and dirt in it that made it really ichy and it looked pretty gross. I took a picture then took my multi took scissors and trimmed it down a bit. it's still good though, don't worry, tiny scissors can only go so far! I also got a hair cut but it is dark and I can't see it, it was a dollar but it looked good from what I can tell. I also got a head massage out of the deal! I think I look a lot thinner so it'll be interesting to see if you guys think so. I look forward to seeing the new James Bond and I'll definitely see it with Chris W if he's waiting for me (thanks buddy!) Anyways, I'm going to watch a stick dance, not sure what that is but I guess I'll find out, then to bed and on another bus tomorrow. Hey I got to ride on the back of a motorcycle in crazy Kathmandu. it was pretty fun, I would have been late for my bus and a guy at GVI (who said he'd be back in time so that we could walk) told me to get on his motorcycle and we raced over there. I had my big bag on my back and my little one on the front plus I was trying to hold on! It was great and hey! it's almost time for me to come home! I miss you all very much but I'm not going to wish the days to pass any faster then they already are. I love you all and take care.
Raymond
Wow, what a view!
Hello everyone!
so i'm back from Everest Base Camp and Kala Pathar (5,643 meters!) It was pretty amazing! only me and one other volunteer summited Kala Pathar but it was definitely one of the hardest climbs i've done. I think for me it was the altitude. I didn't take any of the prescription drugs everyone else was taking to cope with the lack of oxygen and altitude sickness (I talked to 4 - 5 other groups and they were all on something). It was also a little scary as a person died at 5000 meters two days before on a nearby pass! I wasn't feeling any symptoms so I decided to try and do it without anything. Leaving at 5 am (in the dark) was very cold! To give you an idea, my water bottle was frozen solid when we got to the top! We did the first quarter with headlamps then it slowly got bright enough to see. Everest slowly grew larger and larger. I think the 13 kg (28 pound) bag slowed me down and really became a struggle because it just felt so heavy. We reached the top before the sun came over Everest and I must say it was pretty emotional. My hands were so cold that I didn't want to pull my camera out but don't worry, I did! (I even changed lenses!) The summit was a dead cliff on one side so getting right to the top was a bit tough but I managed and I took a video. I tried to say some words but I kept pausing to hold back the tears. The pictures of Kala Pathar you find on the net make it look small, the issue is that it's only the first half, there's an entire section that rises up in the back that you can't really see from many angles. It's the same rock type as Everest which has it all rocky and black, not to awe inspiring but when your on top it's amazing! There were at least a dozen helicopters coming through the area each day with people suffering from altitude sickness, most of them from below 5000 meters! It was amazing and Everest base camp was awesome as well. I got to see the Khumbu Glacier and the Khumbu ice fall which is the first challenge for those heading for the top. Base camp was empty as attempts are only made in spring due to the cold of fall/winter. It was awesome! however I stunk by the end, no shower for just under two weeks made for an interesting time. When I arrived in Kathmandu today I went straight for the shower. I also had to add another notch to my belt! I lost some weight! This evening we went to the Rum Doodle (a local restaurant) and had dinner. The place is known for having every person who has made it to the top Everest having signed a piece of it's wall. I got a picture of Sir Edmund Hillary's signature (unfortunately Tenzing's (the Sherpa who summited with him)) had faded beyond recognition. You can also get a wooden yeti foot and sign it to comemorate your accomplishment. Our group did just that! I've got a picture.
Tomorrow I'm going to figure out exactly what I'm going to do over the next week and where I'm going to go. I'll be sure to keep you informed on what I decide to do! I'm missing you all and I am getting excited to see you all in only a short while! Oh, and Lukla airport was pretty interesting, I saw a protest and the wreckage of the plane that crashed a month ago. Yak's are interesting animals, extremely strong and they just plow by you if your not watching. I got thrown by one pretty good! Yak poop is also the main source of fuel fuel for the stoves at all the tea houses. It burns really well but stinks! Anyways I miss you all and I'll let you know as soon as possible what my plan for the next week is.
Love Raymond
so i'm back from Everest Base Camp and Kala Pathar (5,643 meters!) It was pretty amazing! only me and one other volunteer summited Kala Pathar but it was definitely one of the hardest climbs i've done. I think for me it was the altitude. I didn't take any of the prescription drugs everyone else was taking to cope with the lack of oxygen and altitude sickness (I talked to 4 - 5 other groups and they were all on something). It was also a little scary as a person died at 5000 meters two days before on a nearby pass! I wasn't feeling any symptoms so I decided to try and do it without anything. Leaving at 5 am (in the dark) was very cold! To give you an idea, my water bottle was frozen solid when we got to the top! We did the first quarter with headlamps then it slowly got bright enough to see. Everest slowly grew larger and larger. I think the 13 kg (28 pound) bag slowed me down and really became a struggle because it just felt so heavy. We reached the top before the sun came over Everest and I must say it was pretty emotional. My hands were so cold that I didn't want to pull my camera out but don't worry, I did! (I even changed lenses!) The summit was a dead cliff on one side so getting right to the top was a bit tough but I managed and I took a video. I tried to say some words but I kept pausing to hold back the tears. The pictures of Kala Pathar you find on the net make it look small, the issue is that it's only the first half, there's an entire section that rises up in the back that you can't really see from many angles. It's the same rock type as Everest which has it all rocky and black, not to awe inspiring but when your on top it's amazing! There were at least a dozen helicopters coming through the area each day with people suffering from altitude sickness, most of them from below 5000 meters! It was amazing and Everest base camp was awesome as well. I got to see the Khumbu Glacier and the Khumbu ice fall which is the first challenge for those heading for the top. Base camp was empty as attempts are only made in spring due to the cold of fall/winter. It was awesome! however I stunk by the end, no shower for just under two weeks made for an interesting time. When I arrived in Kathmandu today I went straight for the shower. I also had to add another notch to my belt! I lost some weight! This evening we went to the Rum Doodle (a local restaurant) and had dinner. The place is known for having every person who has made it to the top Everest having signed a piece of it's wall. I got a picture of Sir Edmund Hillary's signature (unfortunately Tenzing's (the Sherpa who summited with him)) had faded beyond recognition. You can also get a wooden yeti foot and sign it to comemorate your accomplishment. Our group did just that! I've got a picture.
Tomorrow I'm going to figure out exactly what I'm going to do over the next week and where I'm going to go. I'll be sure to keep you informed on what I decide to do! I'm missing you all and I am getting excited to see you all in only a short while! Oh, and Lukla airport was pretty interesting, I saw a protest and the wreckage of the plane that crashed a month ago. Yak's are interesting animals, extremely strong and they just plow by you if your not watching. I got thrown by one pretty good! Yak poop is also the main source of fuel fuel for the stoves at all the tea houses. It burns really well but stinks! Anyways I miss you all and I'll let you know as soon as possible what my plan for the next week is.
Love Raymond
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
EVEREST here I come!
Hello!
I am back in Kathmandu, it feels weird and i was definitely sad to leave trisuli this morning. last night durga and i had a long conversation in which he told me that Hannah, Cameron and i really became apart of the community. that unlike many volunteers before we became locals to them and that all though my time was short i had made a large impact on the reformation of the young leaders group and started what will hopefully be a life changing project at the mosque. one of the girls in the young leaders group took Cameron and i up to her house on Wednesday as it was the celebration of buii tika (brother tika) and we presented with tika and a sweets by her family and sisters who now consider us their brothers. it was really amazing! over the last two weeks the kids have started to call Raymond buii, which means Raymond brother. it was really cool to be considered one of them. the kids all came out this morning and gave me tika again which ended with me having red stuff all over my face then they gave me garlands of flowers, 10 of them! it weighed a lot but it was really awesome! one of the older ladies wanted me to take one of her daughters (both young leaders) cause she liked me so much! I couldn't stop laughing and the girls were so embarrassed. On Tuesday we took all the kids to badipur and the hike was quite long for a bunch of kids but we all made it and bandipur was simply beautiful. the work that is going on there is really great but there is a problem with alcohol abuse amongst some of the parents so it makes it tough for the volunteers as there is little they can do to stop the parents from beating up on their kids. Anyways, leaving this morning was really tough but i'm planning on stopping over for a night on my way from Pokhara (where I'm planning on going after my trek) because durga would like to have me over for dinner. I've been doing very good in keeping a written journal in the book Elbert gave me so I look forward to typing it all out. there's been a lot of little things to remember and I've really been able to keep track of them which will make explaining and remembering it all later a lot easier. I fly to lukla tomorrow so it'll be about two weeks before i have internet access again but I'm really excited for the trek to begin. one of the girls droped out of the program about a week and a half in so there's only 4 of us going on the trek but there sending two guides because they think i might be faster then the rest because i've been hiking almost every morning in trisuli. i don't want them to break up the group but i guess we'll see how things are once we get on the trail. I realized today that the acclimatization days will most likely mean that during those days we'll most likely make a 500m ascent then come back down and sleep the night which means 6 - 7 hours of hiking on those days as well. my suspicions were proven correct this evening when I asked the guides, the rest of the people in the group were unpleasantly surprised to say the least! haha! they keep telling me it's going to be so cold like MINUS 10. haha, then i remind them I'm from Canada and they say i could probably do it in shorts! I decided to rent a jacket because I don't see myself using it at home and it's only a dollar for every two days so it's not like I'm breaking the bank. I got waterproof gloves and a really nice ear/neck warmer for $5 and i bought those, other then that i'm saving my money for some fun stuff when i get back and souvenirs.
i know that paragliding and bungee jumping were two things mom didn't want me to do but I've been assured that both are run by the best agencies in Nepal and i know people that have done both and said they were absolutely incredible and top notch. they are arranged by GVI (they offered me a really good discount) and I was told they are two things you have to do in Nepal. however, I would like mom to be ok with them so please let me know.
Thanks for taking care of my car, sounds like it'll be top notch when I get home and I love you all. I better get packing for my trek to BASE CAMP EVEREST so i will talk to you all when i return! love you again and take care!
I am back in Kathmandu, it feels weird and i was definitely sad to leave trisuli this morning. last night durga and i had a long conversation in which he told me that Hannah, Cameron and i really became apart of the community. that unlike many volunteers before we became locals to them and that all though my time was short i had made a large impact on the reformation of the young leaders group and started what will hopefully be a life changing project at the mosque. one of the girls in the young leaders group took Cameron and i up to her house on Wednesday as it was the celebration of buii tika (brother tika) and we presented with tika and a sweets by her family and sisters who now consider us their brothers. it was really amazing! over the last two weeks the kids have started to call Raymond buii, which means Raymond brother. it was really cool to be considered one of them. the kids all came out this morning and gave me tika again which ended with me having red stuff all over my face then they gave me garlands of flowers, 10 of them! it weighed a lot but it was really awesome! one of the older ladies wanted me to take one of her daughters (both young leaders) cause she liked me so much! I couldn't stop laughing and the girls were so embarrassed. On Tuesday we took all the kids to badipur and the hike was quite long for a bunch of kids but we all made it and bandipur was simply beautiful. the work that is going on there is really great but there is a problem with alcohol abuse amongst some of the parents so it makes it tough for the volunteers as there is little they can do to stop the parents from beating up on their kids. Anyways, leaving this morning was really tough but i'm planning on stopping over for a night on my way from Pokhara (where I'm planning on going after my trek) because durga would like to have me over for dinner. I've been doing very good in keeping a written journal in the book Elbert gave me so I look forward to typing it all out. there's been a lot of little things to remember and I've really been able to keep track of them which will make explaining and remembering it all later a lot easier. I fly to lukla tomorrow so it'll be about two weeks before i have internet access again but I'm really excited for the trek to begin. one of the girls droped out of the program about a week and a half in so there's only 4 of us going on the trek but there sending two guides because they think i might be faster then the rest because i've been hiking almost every morning in trisuli. i don't want them to break up the group but i guess we'll see how things are once we get on the trail. I realized today that the acclimatization days will most likely mean that during those days we'll most likely make a 500m ascent then come back down and sleep the night which means 6 - 7 hours of hiking on those days as well. my suspicions were proven correct this evening when I asked the guides, the rest of the people in the group were unpleasantly surprised to say the least! haha! they keep telling me it's going to be so cold like MINUS 10. haha, then i remind them I'm from Canada and they say i could probably do it in shorts! I decided to rent a jacket because I don't see myself using it at home and it's only a dollar for every two days so it's not like I'm breaking the bank. I got waterproof gloves and a really nice ear/neck warmer for $5 and i bought those, other then that i'm saving my money for some fun stuff when i get back and souvenirs.
i know that paragliding and bungee jumping were two things mom didn't want me to do but I've been assured that both are run by the best agencies in Nepal and i know people that have done both and said they were absolutely incredible and top notch. they are arranged by GVI (they offered me a really good discount) and I was told they are two things you have to do in Nepal. however, I would like mom to be ok with them so please let me know.
Thanks for taking care of my car, sounds like it'll be top notch when I get home and I love you all. I better get packing for my trek to BASE CAMP EVEREST so i will talk to you all when i return! love you again and take care!
Kids at the Mosque
Hello,
I figured i'd drop you just a quick email as i won't have internet until i get back to Kathmandu before my trek. Nepal is going into another festival (the festival of light). It's kind of a celebration of brothers and sisters but it means another week of no school and limited work for the business sector. kind of annoying which is something Durga (a really nice, quite, humble, and wise guy that runs Trisuli and the rafting) has been hoping will change because Nepal has a lot of festivals and they really interfere with a lot of things, especially school. Things are still going really well and actually we have a new teaching opportunity. The Mosque here is starting to allow its kids to ask questions and explore, as before they were pretty much forced to stay to themselves and in the mosque. we've been invited to teach sports, art and English. Most of them have never had the opportunity to play sports or do art so it's really great to see them having fun. most of them are really young so exciting that we get to design this new outreach and project as it's really opening up that part of community which, till now, has been really secluded. I'll be sure to send you an email when I get to Kathmandu and yes, I'm extremely excited to go to Everest but I'm definitely going to miss it here as we've done so much to really jump start this program. Cameron, the guy I've been working with, is going to be here for the rest of the month so i know it's in good hands and we've already got people lined up to continue it when we leave.
I love you all and take care!
Raymond
I figured i'd drop you just a quick email as i won't have internet until i get back to Kathmandu before my trek. Nepal is going into another festival (the festival of light). It's kind of a celebration of brothers and sisters but it means another week of no school and limited work for the business sector. kind of annoying which is something Durga (a really nice, quite, humble, and wise guy that runs Trisuli and the rafting) has been hoping will change because Nepal has a lot of festivals and they really interfere with a lot of things, especially school. Things are still going really well and actually we have a new teaching opportunity. The Mosque here is starting to allow its kids to ask questions and explore, as before they were pretty much forced to stay to themselves and in the mosque. we've been invited to teach sports, art and English. Most of them have never had the opportunity to play sports or do art so it's really great to see them having fun. most of them are really young so exciting that we get to design this new outreach and project as it's really opening up that part of community which, till now, has been really secluded. I'll be sure to send you an email when I get to Kathmandu and yes, I'm extremely excited to go to Everest but I'm definitely going to miss it here as we've done so much to really jump start this program. Cameron, the guy I've been working with, is going to be here for the rest of the month so i know it's in good hands and we've already got people lined up to continue it when we leave.
I love you all and take care!
Raymond
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