LETTER FROM KATMANDU: Toques and treks
By Contributor
Dear editor,
The purpose of my letter is to let the citizens of Rossland who were so generous in their donations of toques for Everest and quarters for porters know that we will be flying into the Everest region with the toques in two days. We will be travelling with two porters, and Kaji’s brother a sherpa guide to the school that Sir Edmond Hillary built 50 years ago.
We are in Kathmandu-where load shedding happens on a regular basis for the next four months. There is not enough water in their dams for regular power production-so what they have is shared all over the city.
Computers and other commerce is powered by noisey polluting generators.
Life here, economically speaking, appears the same as it was 16 years ago-and that to a large degree is due to a very weak political structure.
It is two days walk from Lukla and the teachers and 300 students-grade 1-10 will be waiting for us. Kaji and Sarita are the ambasadors for our Community and RSS. If there is a place-could you post this some where in the paper. We have an 18 day trek planned-but that depends on our response to the altitude.
Today is Holi, a joyous celebration with bags of dyed water being thrown from everywhere. The merchants have shut down and there aren’t many people on the street. A whole bucket of water just came down in front of us.
Kaji has red dye on his shirt. Kids are running around with wet dyed hands smearing peoples faces. Trekking season is just starting so we are seeing more people now.
Audrey Doell
Rossland
