Saturday, 20 March 2010
In Nepal, free-time was actually really free. There was little power, i.e. 6hrs of power a day, and 3 hours of power is in the early morning or other equally unsuitable time. Although, my Ipod was not affected due to more time spent at the Tycoon’s, where it was is charged at his power station. I should explain the Tycoon was a friendly British businessman who has been in Nepal for 30+ years. However, my Ipod was mainly used in the evenings when, there was no light, and my head torch was lent to Prem so he could continue his studies. In the day time, I read my books.
A Confederacy of dunces was a really interesting book with a sad story about the author. It was about a fat american guy, educated, hopelessly looking for a job. How fitting it seemed for me, apart from me not being fat or american. It was full of humor and side plots. The characters were really well defined as if they were believable with unbelievable behaviours.
At first reading books were really difficult for me. I was just used to reading textbooks and technical papers knowing the key words to spot on each page and skipped pages in order to cover as much material as soon as possible. It was a complete contrast to reading a novel, a welcomed contrast. At first, I struggled to string 4 pages together. Eventually, it all just clicked and I finished the book in a complete manner.
‘After Dark’ by Haruki Murakumi is another book I had with me. It was pleasant read afterall. The author is very aware of the surroundings. Again, the descriptive, inspiring stuff.
Tried to teach the dog english, he was having none of it. He responds to Nepali though.
I also read ‘Into Thin Air’ by John Krakauer. It was about the 1996 Everest ‘Disaster’. It was a truly thrilling read, since it was about a real event. I was not interested in who was responsible for the failures that lead to a lot of people dying on that mountain. It was the experience and the limit that really left an impression on me. The writing might have been emotive but it really explained what people would die for. I actually read it after my trek which is a good thing. It would have made me more nervous if I read it before the trek. I was really far away from death even with my almost 2000m in 2 days ascend. There was some distance between me and hospiltalisation as well. A mountain is an unforgiving place. The death zone, 6000m+ should not be messed with. The weather was so unstable up there at about 5500m, (I would have been much better equipped if I tackled the trek in season time). It is scary stuff, maybe mankind liked to be scared. I enjoyed it.
In the news a few days after my return from Nepal, a young british mountaineer reached the Everest Summit, but he was unable to return. ‘Getting to the top is the easy part’. Amazing what people would do to chase their dreams.
Adventures of Delboy 