The Recent Journey

Ops time-out, seems like we're all too focused on "summit" & "first" topics hehe. People think it's just climbing, just a reminder that the odds are against us, Ev summit is still a distant dream so let's not make an issue or make too much noise on that, a li'l less than 2 months we'll know if we can talk about it.. ;)

Let's sidetrack a bit and move away from the summit blackhole. Live the journey with us - so, how was our recent trip?

Back in Nepal
After a few months of resting in Manila, I was happy to be back in Nepal.
This is my 4th Nepal trip, but every visit - a whole new experience.

This is my 2nd Khumbu trip, but yet again - it's a different experience. I didn't know that the power crisis in Kathmandu is a subtle hint for me that smtg's gonna happen on my march trip. It hasn't been raining or snowing for a while in Nepal, and when it did (on our 3rd trekking day), oh boy it did a LOT! It was actually fun at first, it was like visiting Alaska. My co-trekker ('LA') was child-happy at first, shooting endless digi pix from his hi-tec cam, all his lens on high use. 3 days after, he was fed up HAHA! I recall my first trek in Nepal (1998), I was jumping like a happy cat seeing Himalayan white peaks for the first time, then I started cursing white peaks after 5days ;)

True also when i was hiking in Karakoram Pakistan (2001), first day of snow was a "wow"! Nothing like it! 2nd day it bored me. 3rd day we were hit by a blizzard, what I thought was pure beauty (snow) was now seen as color of cold hell ;( But, there are good days after storms, and experiences to cherish, so I kept coming back to strange places w/c are very different from our tropical paradise.

And so on our way to Tengboche, snow started hitting ground, and after 16days, snow still lay stubbornly in the Khumbu trails. I recall LA saying: "I wont go w/ you anymore, always off season with off-ideal conditions!" haha. Last Aug05 a pinoy group (incl him) went hiking w/ me in Langtang Nepal - during the end of monsoon. And so we got endless rain, and eekie jumping limatics (leeches). hehe.

But our Khumbu March trip was not w/o reward. We caught several glimpses of Thar (deer), saw a herd only 10m away, then again after the snowfall as close as 7m away. We saw a fox running towards Island Peak basecamp, our camp was visited by tamed (or hungry) cuckatoos (w/c I called hi-altitude chickens), saw eagles from time to time, have good photos/videos of majestic white himalayan peaks, greeted by a swarm of rhododendron flower-trees, tasted the warm hospitable caring from the locals, and overall, a near-ideal trekking experience. Seeing and experiencing the beauty of this wonderful place made me forget about the upcoming ordeal.. the good experience we had is a morale booster, so that hopefully we'll breeze thru the expected difficulty in the next coming months...

A Snapshot

Check out my only digi picture, more like a proof of life =)
Yes, I am in Nepal and not Siberia or Alaska. The background mt is Ama Dablam (6800m), north of that is Island Peak, and further north is Mt Everest. (Ah why only 1? Tsk tsk I'm videoing 90% of the time and film-cam shooting the rest. )
I hope the video clips are aired on Tv, so I can share this great travel experience back home... (abangan)

The Battle we can win

Join the cause, and be a part of this big leap in our history...

Today, there are hundreds of thousands of poor and struggling families all over our country;
children who do not have opportunities to enter primary school,
poor indigent patients who cannot afford to pay for their medical expenses,
kids who are malnourished and suffering from serious illnesses,
families who are victims of calamities,
and a million more who are simply ignored, neglected and uncared for.

Here's a call for us to live a life of shared wealth and success,
Together, we can make a big difference in uplifting the lives of our struggling countrymen.

JOIN ME in this campaign, as I CLIMB the highest point on Earth...

Help, donate or pledge now, and be part of "MT EVEREST CLIMB FOR A CAUSE 2006"!
The future is ours to make!


Thanks to Fr. Bong of Lucena for his 5000p pledge. Really appreciate it po =)
I'm also pledging 10k for the charity foundation.
You may email ph_climbforacause@yahoo.com if you wish to help us in this fund-raising, we'll collect after the climb.
You may also drop by Kapuso Foundation GMA office in Quezon City, or drop your contribution to any The North Face shops (Davao, Rockwell, Shangrila, Glorietta?).

Mabuhay!!