jhubbel

By the way, I just had my last meeting with Prem, who reports that they have built some five schools with proceeds from clients, not donations, and people who have gotten actively involved in their projects. He was the youngest Rotarian in Nepal where there are only about three thousand members, and it has served him well to host other Rotarians who've gotten engaged and been supportive of the company and of his development. Smart move. Just something to keep in mind about Ace if you're considering a provider. The cheapest price isn't the only thing to take into account- I like to see the whole picture of business practices and what I'm supporting but then not everyone cares. I hope this information has been helpful in thinking about Ace.

Today I made it out again and this time found myself at Naveed's shop, a cashmere and pashmina place that seems to be on a whole lot of people's radar. It's not far from the hotel and very close to the Courtyard which I know many of you are familiar with, they are friends of his. He likes to show off his acquaintances with the various high and mighty, especially embassy people, but what I like about him was that he allowed me the courtesy of finding my own way around his shop without feeling as though I was being circled by wolves. And you do get that sense. I usually walk away fast when that aggressive greeting starts, and when someone allows me to simply be curious and do my own looking I'm happy to come in. So this shop features some gorgeous shawls, which I don't wear but two dear friends in my inner circle do. Naveed features hand sewn scarves on pashmina, the kind of handwork that is really pretty, and you're tempted to buy it even if you won't wear it just because. He brought out the real thing, then the Chinese machine made knockoff for a fraction of the price, explained the difference, and let me make up my mind. We patiently went through a slew of designs, colors and prices until I had two that were perfect at the right price.

Then he pulls out his finest stuff- it floats on the air, all hand sewn paisley, gorgeous, so soft it's like a cloud. Only $350. Yeah well. Not this trip. But I do have a pal who loves purple...so we did end up going through the layers in his cupboard until we found a purple pashmina with flowers for a Christmas present. And with that, I took a photo of him smiling a huge smile, and I left with three scarves for about $33 each, very happy, and he was happy, and that's how it should be.He has friends in Carbondale, CO who buy from him and I may just look them up. My Christmas list is handled but for one challenging guy and I'm thinking...knife.

There was a funny moment earlier this morning where I'd rediscovered one of the better curio shops- the ones where there's a lot of old old old jewelry and masks and stuff that looks but isn't old. This time the boss wasn't there and no customers, so I was able to get a really good look at the totally cool beads and belts and necklaces and walls full of who knows what from front to back. There were statues of various body parts (can't go there) and statues of deities, but what got me were these amazing beaded belts. At least that's what the guy told me they were. I tried to fasten one around me and look, my waist is 24" and there was no way this thing was going to get clasped. These were small people. So I kept looking.

I found something slightly bigger same colors, and he said it was 20, which a part of my brain registered but the functioning logical part didn't. I didn't hear the "thousand" after the twenty is what I'm saying. Took it down and it fastened. Well there's a sale. So I took it down and he was all excited and then there was a long pull of blue beads, also expensive, and we added it all up and I pulled out my US dollars. Which he looked at askance and showed me the amount again on his readout. I had completely missed where the decimal point landed. This was $212.00 bucks were were looking at total and idiot here is standing there clutching a twenty.

Well tell ya what, that's a nice belt but I'm not feeling that flush, especially when we travelers consider each purchase in terms of how many hotel nights it will buy us. So I had to apologize like crazy and buy the beads, which were gorgeous, and make my embarrassed way out to the street. What a classic case of the mind hearing what it wants to hear. I'm hearing what a steal and he's hearing what a sale and we're on a crash course.

Anu, the housekeeping supervisor, has just come by (I'm sitting out in the lobby area) to remind me to write about her and her ladies in this report so I am again dutifully doing just that. She wants to make sure I wear a set of clothes (a very light top and pajama style cotton pants) that her crew bought me today for tomorrow, which are considerably cooler than what I have, and of course I will. So I'll be taking photos with them on my floor in their gift- which is no small thing given the kind of income these women likely make. To say the least this was a deeply moving gesture which I take to heart. I bought them another supply of Snickers and Oreos for their break tomorrow.

I am at all times in all ways astounded by the simple generosity of people everywhere I go, and the extraordinarily sweet gestures they make, and all you can do is say thank your from your deepest heart and realize how fortunate you are. And I mean really, truly fortunate.

jhubbel

This morning it was raining a blessed cooling rain early in them morning and I'm racking my noggin for other suggestions that might be useful to anyone packing up for the EBC. Here's one, which I've made elsewhere, so for those who've seen this before kindly bear with me.

While the porters will wrap your big bags in plastic when it snows and/ or rains, there is just no guarantee that your stuff is going to arrive dry. A lot of sites recommend ziplock bags, trash bags and the like (trash bags are hugely useful later for- uh, trash- and laundry at the hotel- but they also rip easily, as do ziplock bags. While they are never on sale, I've found that Sea to Summit bags, which come in many sizes and styles with my favorite being the Dry River Bags are the best. They are of course the heaviest and most pricey, but they are investments in DRY GEAR. Especially your electronics, and your down clothing, and an alternate pair of boots. Most of us are familiar with the Eagle Creek packing cubes and their copycats. I pack up all my stuff into the cubes, slide them into the dry bags and mark the bags with their contents. Voila. With the color coding available (bags come in all colors) you know what bag holds what, it's neat, it's dry and safe, and you are guaranteed that in any downpour your stuff is protected. Big River Bags are for water sports so they're made for dunking. Do they add a bit of weight? Yes. Is it worth the weight and the investment (up to $35 a pop or more for a single bag)? Let's ask you that question if you have a soaked-through down jacket at 5000 m, soaking wet boots, nothing to change into, including dry socks. You get the picture. I do think it's worth it- one big fat investment once, or acquired over time, and you are set for good. From the Amazon to the top of the Himalayas my gear has been subjected to wet snow and serious rain and never has it gotten wet. The cubes may be an unnecessary piece which helps me organize and stay neat but that's my military training and a personal preference. You may argue- quite rightly- that a waterproof gear bag will do the same. Well not if it has a big hole from a rock scrape, major damage from a drop, that kind of thing. It happens on adventures. This is my insurance and it's worked, and it's only a suggestion.

When I switched to a bigger backpack and gave up the pockets, the cubes became my organizers. Some of them offer waterproof liners which helped when a few of my hair products leaked, as any female traveler can relate when altitude causes a moisturizer tube to explode.

Sea to Summit also makes a superb bag liner which added about 15 degrees of warmth to my sleeping bag. With the exception of Periche I didn't find it difficult to stay warm and I'm a cold sleeper. Folks might want to check out Outdoor Gear Lab for excellent recommendations for ultralight sleeping bags, keeping in mind that the lighter the bag and the warmer it gets the higher the price. In Peru, I opted for the rental bag which, while warm, weighed a ton and pushed me so far above the allowable weight limit for my porter than I had to hire an additional porter for $150. An excellent lesson when you have uber light gear which would have done a perfectly good job at a fraction of the weight. Zpacs or Zpaks (can't recall) who made my bag has sales on where you can get a returned bag- which is what I got- at a substantial discount if you don't mind a little campfire smell, which dissipates quickly. As I continue to do these hikes I learn more about the balance between rent theirs/bring your own, the quality of gear that is offered for rent and how much that gear is likely to add to the weight a porter has to carry. Sitting at home reading about these options and considering the convenience, it doesn't necessarily occur- but when the guy is weighing your gear to put on someone's back and he's just handed you seven plus pounds of sleeping bag and pad, it really comes home. I literally paid for those lessons and it was worth it, so now I bring my own. But that's because I'll be doing this many times over again in the future, and that's a consideration for other trekkers. Do you want to build your gear for future treks and other sports or is this a one time thing? An investment makes sense if you do multiple sports and things like Dry River bags come in super handy for scuba, horse back trips in high country, kayaking, and other adventures. Not if this is the only time you'll ever do this.

Other things- obvious and not so obvious- for women who may be new to this. When you're heading to the top of the world you don't bring make up and a hair dryer. First of all there's no power. Second of all nobody's really looking at you unless you've got a special companion, and they're going to love you hat hair or no hat hair. You just don't bring that stuff on a trip like this. Yet people do. There's no place to plug it in, there's no point. So leave it at home or at least at the hotel. You can dress up in KTM but on the mountain less is best. You'll find your beauty routine goes down to a minimum for many reasons- time, cold, fatique, lack of sleep. SPF is more important than beauty cream but Neutrogena makes good creams that do both. We had several Nordic women with crystalline blue eyes and that creamy gorgeous white skin who paid a dear price in the sunshine with blistered lips, nasty burns and that was even with slathering on sun cream. Reapplication is necessary, especially when you're removing layers and exposing arm flesh, and don't forget wrists, backs of hands, parts you don't normally consider. For example, one girl's forehead got hammered because of the reflection, and she was wearing a hat. It's so tempting to want to soak that warmth in after we've been cold but there is a cost- a big one. People get skin cancer more often from the occasional big serious burn than from regular exposure. And up top is where that can happen. Most of the men with us who were hair challenged remembered to put sunscreen on their pates, if they weren't wearing hats. And while many wore their ballcaps, the backs of their necks were also exposed, and tops of ears. Little but critical areas.

Anu has come by to check out how her clothing choices look on me (comfy and cool and they fit perfectly) and we're taking photos later as a group. They usually land in my room around 9:30 and they collected their Snickers and Oreos, and there will be a nice tip later when we do group hugs. I am going to miss their presence in my room every day. The sun is now out, the traffic is honking downstairs and time to go out one last time before it gets too warm for the day. Last day in KTM, last day in Nepal. And very nearly all recovered.