Secret Spot 7 Summits Blog: Shimbuno Re-visited...B^]

Shimbuno Re-visited...B^]

(This dispatch is available with plugins at: http://blog.secretspoteverest.com/2011/03/26/shimbuno-revisited.aspx)

Two Fisted Crackberry action in Kathmandu, Nepal

I love my Kathmandu(KTM) office!

I am equipped with 24 hours of clean 220V power and all the trappings of the First World...but firmly rooted in the Third World...Nepal. Most people in KTM are subject to 'load shedding'...a phenomenon where power is available for about 10 hours a day...on a rotating schedule.

With the help of a generator, the Kathmandu Guest House has furnished some of their rooms with full time power. I like it! Ramro!

Gone are the days of trying to figure out when the power is going to be on or off...or how one is to charge a laptop, etc, etc.

Also...with the Ncell USB modem I'm using...I can...as Kharel would say, 'Surf the Internet verrry niiiiicely!'

I'm also catching up on my B-movie viewing...as I like to have the TV on in the background when typing/skyping. The 60 or so channels available are lousy with programs we North Americans would rather soon forget. Fortunately, there are some diamonds in the (extreme) rough. I have to admit that I'm starting to enjoy the Hindi channels with the swamis and yogis. That stuff is trippy...yet edifying. I'm sure it would be even more so...if I understood the language!

We are still trying to find time to process all the media from the recent SherpaSchool.ORG Winter Foundation Trek. Slowly but surely! Here's a short video of the view from the top of Peekay Peak on March 6th, 2011:

Download | Duration: 00:00:22

Peekay talking at 4096m/13,365ft.

There's still tens of gigabytes of images and video to go through. All in good time. We've been busy while in civilization...but not so busy that we couldn't attend the Gorakhani picnic last Sunday. It happened near the Bodinath.

The world famous Bodinath...a Unesco World Heritage Site!

Our day started well as...Unda Manchi(Dawa) made me one of his patented omlettes!

Shimbuno re-visited...indeed! B^P

I guess it is the year of the Rabbit in Sherpa-land?!

Phuri Sherpa, Ang Dawa Sherpa and Phill Michael on the way tot he Gorakhani picnic

One nice surprise was encountering Phuri Sherpa (Dawa's nephew). He's the fellow who had the aortic valve replacement in May 2009! You can learn more about that here!

Phuri is alive and well...and continuing to enjoy being Phuri the Monk!

Phuri Sherpa and Phill Michael re-united almost two years after Phuri's Aortic Valve replacement.

For some reason...they planted me on the stage?! =^>

There was food for hundreds of people!

Mitotsa! B^P

Nuri's (Dawa's brother-in-law) beautiful kids enjoy the picnic!
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I just returned from a long day of running and riding around KTM. It ended with digesting some tasty morsels at Kharel's...and utilizing his 'high speed' ADSL connection. I was uploading at 20kbs. It was like watching a yak shed.

These sisters made us a fine dinner...again! B^P

By the time 1030pm rolled around I was cruising through the deserted streets...taking the mini Time Machine through some paces. I saw very few vehicles...though there was a big water truck with a motorcycle COMPLETELY jammed under it...with plenty of people standing around it...in the dark.

Every moment in Nepal is Chaos...every minute in Nepal is a glimpse into a greater Cosmos.

This is truly the Centre of the Universe! B^]

A brisk jog up the stairs at the KTMGH and my balcony door greeted me with flowers!