Our Sherpa guide and dear friend Pema Dorje Sherpa sends his cheery regards from Nepal and he’s very excited for the new trekking season that is building up now. Pema is a vastly experience expedition and trekking Sirdar from countless adventures through the high mountains of his home country and he loves sharing his stories common sense. He led us on a hike through the Khumbu last October and we had a very enjoyable and safe journey with his wise guidance. Of course he’s pretty well balanced with a great sense of humor and a funny laugh. Of course we won’t be able to set out for another trek soon, but Pema loves meeting and taking care of other outgoing trekking groups. For the rest of us stuck only reading about Nepal on websites, Pema is there for us and ready to send responses to questions. We’ve added a little banner button on the right panel with “Ask Pema!” Click on the banner and open up a mail client to send him a question at pema@sherpatrek.com and he’ll certainly have something to say.

There I was, flapping in the frigid wind and clutching to a chunky boulder, my jaw gaping in amazement at my personal view of Mt. Everest. That’s one (melodramatic) way to describe the pinnacle of our journey trekking through the Himalayas last fall. To be honest, I didn’t get a very clear view of anything because my legs were locking up from the chill in the gusting wind and the steep drop seemingly on all sides. I was so cold and worn from climbing the last hundred meters or so that I only sought out shelter between the rocks for relief from the elements. I had my video camera with me, and I did my best to reach up out of the rocky crevasse to record a panoramic view or the mountains and to assess just how steep the drop was just down-wind from me. Watching the footage now it’s a bewildering sweep across indistinguishable rocky terrain and a crackling audio track of the wind and the violently snapping prayer flags overloading the tiny microphone.

Kathmandu is practically on the exact opposite side of the planet from where I am, and that’s the sense of how far away the culture and perspectives are from here. I’ve discovered that there actually is a small Nepalese community here in Utah, and there are a few things around here to keep them in touch with the familiar comforts of home. Of course the number one joys of the Terai has to be leeches, but Utah is deficient in that regard. However, there are still a few good restaurants that offer fairly authentic recipes. Locally there is the Bombay House, with a kind of pricey but delicious Indian menu. We’re bummed that they’re only open for dinner, because the cravings for curry creep up on us constantly. There are also a few international markets to please foreign tastes, and they even have a few Nepalese RaRa noodles I think and jars of a fossil fuel processing byproduct known as mango pickle.