On April 25th 2015, a massive earthquake hit Nepal killing over 8000 people and injuring thousands. An avalanche struck the Everest Base Camp taking the lives of 21 people.
Patan Durbar Square, Kathmandu (Nicholas Allen, Copyright 2015)
Nepal, a major tourist destination, but also one of the poorest countries in world, relies heavily on tourism and the money it brings in to their economy. For a long time after the earthquake, a lot of countries issued travel warnings and bans on travel to Nepal. By February this year all warnings were lifted and it is deemed safe for travel now. But the after effects of the disaster and the bans have left their economy is dire straits.
Earthquake damage at Khumjung Village, Khumbu (Nicholas Allen, Copyright 2015)
With this in mind, I am heading to this mountain country. I have engaged with Nepalis at work and otherwise and always experienced their friendly attitude towards all people. After hearing about the situation there on the media over the past year, I felt a bigger urge to go and visit this beautiful nation. Although one person’s efforts cannot add much to their economy, this can trigger, motivate and inspire more people to do the same without any fear. Well, that’s the idea anyway.
Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Lukla (Nicholas Allen, Copyright 2015)
I will be heading to the mountain trails of Nepal, to the Khumbu region, famously known for the Sagarmatha National Park which also holds some of the highest peaks in the world and of course, the world’s tallest mountain, Chomolungma in Tibetan or Sagarmatha in Nepalese or Mt. Everest, what it is known as to most of the world. My plan is to trek to the base of Mt. Everest and also traverse the three high passes of the Khumbu region that will take me through a lot of Sherpa villages, some which were badly affected by the earthquake. I intend to learn about the life since the tragedy and how the Sherpa people are coping up in these villages.
I leave on May 5th and will document my experiences here, with a hope that some of you reading will get inspired to do the same
From the time I took my trips to the mountains of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh in India, all of these within the Great Himalayan Range, I have felt a special connection with the Himalayas and its people.
What I want to achieve with this trek is not just to fuel my passion for adventure and travel, but also to go out there and do a little from my part to help the economy of this shaken country; to witness the culture and great hospitality that the people of Nepal are known for. Whatever tourism dollars spent here, will directly help the people and their families.
Snow at Chukkung (Nicholas Allen, Copyright 2015)
I leave on May 5th and will document my experiences here, with a hope that some of you reading will get inspired to do the same in the months and years to come and help this little country and its people.
I am also going to Nepal to trek, but not until October. I will follow your experience, I hope you have some great tips for me! 🙂
That’s great Harriet. You can always contact me if you need any specific info. Apart from that, I’ll be blogging my experiences in detail once I’m back home from this trip.