The following is a continuation of Mera Peak Expedition — Why Basa matters so much If arriving in Basa was remarkable, spending a day there was incredible. We slept incredibly well after our prior evening of rahksi and dancing…and rahksi. Even though we were in their home village and they slept in their own homes, the […]

The following is a continuation of Mera Peak Expedition — Arriving in Basa Challenges Nepal is a great example of what happens when extremely poor meets well-meaning. Westerners have been coming to Nepal in large numbers for several decades because of its amazing mountains and equally amazing people. Westerners have opened their hearts and pocketbooks and donated […]

The following is a continuation of Mera Peak Expedition — Phaplu at last. The next day’s trek was almost entirely downhill from just above 3000 m. (about 10,000 ft) and ended up at 1800 m. (5900 ft). We were in the sun most of the time, making it a warm but very enjoyable journey into […]

Craig Welzbacher standing in while Chris and Jeanne are in Nepal climbing Mera Peak. My wife and I decided to go to Peru this summer to see Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. It’s been a bucket list item for me for the last 20 years, although at 40, I hopefully still have a long […]

The following is a continuation of Langtang Valley Nepal in April 2010, Part 1: Kathmandu to Kyangjin Gompa After a short meal, we made the decision to hike to the glaciers we had seen as our helicopter landed. It was a very aggressive plan considering that we had only arrived from Kathmandu that morning and […]

The following is a continuation of Langtang Valley Nepal in April 2010, Part 2: Hiking the Langtang Lirung Glacier Only twenty-four hours into actually trekking and on our fourth day in Nepal we were treated to a hike up a nearby peak known as Tsergo Ri at 5024 m. (16,428 ft.).  The approach involved heading […]

This post is a continuation of Arriving in Kathmandu, Nepal, April 2010. Going trekking Few experiences in our lives compare to spending two days trying to fly out of the Kathmandu domestic air terminal. Our destination was Tumlingtar, east of Kathmandu and south of Mt Everest, but weather conditions both days were hot and humid, […]

We saw Everest for the first time from our Thai Airways flight from Bangkok to Kathmandu.  After departing Bangkok, we traveled northwest along the cost of Myanmar and began going overland as soon as we reached the northern-most part of the Bay of Bengal, which touches Myanmar, Bangladesh and India.  Our trajectory took us over […]