One of my dreams is to climb Mount Everest.
Given my age and financial status, I don't think it will ever happen. But maybe, just maybe, I will be able to visit base camp one day. Who knows?
I would love to explore Kathmandu, and to see the Sun Dhoka, the Patan Museum, and other temples like the Pashupatinath Temple, and also the Swayambhu Stupa, the Boudha Stupa, and the monasteries. It will be a cultural, historical as well as a spiritual experience.
Because of all the books I've read about this mountain, it feels as if I've been there. It all sounds so familiar: Lukla, Phakding, Namche Bazaar, Debuche, Pangboche, Dingboche, Lobuje, Gorak Shep, and then, base camp. I would like meet and shake the hands of those brave Sherpas who pave the way across the Khumbu Icefall and in the "death zone" with those ropes and ladders, with great risk to their own safety, so that others can summit.
To hear the happy shouting of people reaching base camp, to hear and see those prayer flags and tents flapping in the wind, to smell the burning juniper during a puja ceremony, and sitting there with a cup of steaming hot tea in my hands, listening and watching the other climbers preparing physically as well as mentally for their big moment.
(Google image of prayer flags, for now, until I can take my own photos!)
But, until I can be there in the flesh, I'll explore these beautiful villages in my mind, and through the eyes and the written words of those who had so far been fortunate enough to experience it all first hand. My advice to those who are able to be there, make every moment count!
Enjoy this beautiful day, and take care!
