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morning,ivy with rain. The J

«leal' days loom over theva$entiDels, are now obscu

Thunder echoes against distant foothills, -~

strikes close. Our guide clUtches heI(PI~YIher head. "It's not a

We had risen at

the tiny village oftrail to Mount EveresL

Even.in good weaterow valleys and gorges,With no ground control, piJbts-must fly by landmeaDSthe only "good" dayforj:lying is a perfectly

early spring, such days canbe few and far be~~efi!four of nine planes servicinglliklaar;~W'1

I glance at my traveling compseas Adventure Travel (OA1)jhand almost read their minds.

last night had held such p,night; hopeful the clearing Wicelebratory last suPPer,!clwhere candlesb

J' I:'

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I.

Not that Kathmandu isn't worth a visit.At once modern and medieval, the bus-tling capital of Nepal is relentlessly fas-cinating. Like Alice going through thelooking glass, I'd tumbled into a labyrinthlost in space and time where every turndelivers the unexpected.

Bells chime from hillside templeswhere monkeys roam; barefoot farmerscarry huge baskets of cabbages to marketon shoulder poles. In twisted alleywayscrammed with shops one can buy, why,anything at all: lopsided yak wool mittensand sweaters, Buddha masks, embroi-dered knapsacks with peekaboo mirrors,Tibetan knives with huge curved blades,even Chiclets chewing gum. Icons grinand groan from ancient temples, chil-dren peer from darkened windows, andthrough a succession of open doorways Isee two girls in silk saris sitting in a dark-ened courtyard, picking nits out of eachothers' hair. To those back home I write,"Youcan't imagine."

Down a dusty lane, the Mad Hatter'swatch had stopped in the l%Os. It seemseveryone sports blue jeans, sandals, abackpack; the Western women in long,flowing skirts in deference to Nepali cus-tom. Narrow streets are jam-packed withbookstores, backpackers' shops andcafes with names disorienting in their fa-miliarity, like Alice's Restaurant and Pum-pernickle's, where trekkers pore overguidebooks and scribble furiously intheir journals.

l;7

Now, for the third morning in a row, werise to a gloomy dawn and head to thedomestic airport.

Our OATguide, Cynthia, who has livedin Nepal off and on for six years andspeaks the language, corners an airportofficial in hopes of pulling some stringsin the cat's cradle of Nepali bureaucracy.An hour later she comes rushing towardus, her long red braid flying. "Let's go!We're on! Hurry!"

We stare at her dumbly and follow herto the departure lounge, where we waitanother hour before we're escorted to

the runway and waved toward a smallplane. As I crouch low to enter, I heardroning behind me: Om mani padmehum! COh lotus-seated god of the celes-tial jewel!") Apparently, I'm not the onlyone who's nervous.

Norm, a lawyer/pilot from Los Angeleswho spent a year in an aerobics class totrain for the trek, takes a seat by the cock-pit to keep watch; Cynthia collapses inher seat and draws out her prayer beads.

98

r-....~. - -

Doug, a philosophy professor, and hissidekick, Donna, a newspaper reporter,embrace. As we lift off, I look down onthe airport and say a silent prayer. I'mglad we're on our way.

Meanwhile, in.Lukla the Sherpa guidesare waiting to take us into their homesand hearts. The Sherpas emigrated tothis mountainous region from Tibet 400years ago and still practice an ancientform of Buddhism. In the past century,famous mountaineers discovered in

these gentle, fun-loving people a naturalaptitude for guiding. For the next weekthey would lead us from one small villageto the next and finally to the remains ofthe Thyangboche Monastery at 13,000feet, perched on a panoramic ledge inthe shadow of Mount Everest. We would

stay in the guides' homes and learnfirsthand about their wayoflife.

Out the left window of the plane,snowcapped peaks form a wall; to theright, the countryside rises in stepliketerraces to hazy foothills blued by mistand distance. The plane turns right into anarrow gorge lined by a turbulent river,where cliffs and valleys intersect at un-earthly angles. We follow it to a sheerledge outcropping.

As the plane noses toward the ledge,my stomach flip-flops. It is the Lukla run-way,a dirt strip barely longer than a foot-ball field that bulldozes through townlike Main Street. The plane touches downwith tentative wheels, wobbles along therunway, then shudders to a stop. As thepilot pries open the squeaky door, weleap out to freedom, blinding light and alandscape from Oz.

Emerald foothills soar above a sto-

rybook village of weather-beaten chalets.Puffyclouds play peekaboo with distant,snow-covered peaks and far below roarsa river churning with glacial silt, racingthrough a gorge laced together withthreadlike suspension footbridges,,-

Before we can pick up our luggage, ourguides materialize - a ragtag band ofhearty souls wearing secondhandclothing donated by trekkers and accom-panied by yaks, each wearing a bell.

The guides hug Cynthia, an old friend,greet us shyly with the traditional NepaliNamaste ("The divine in me salutes thedivine in you"), then hoist our 50-poundbags on their shoulders two and three ata time. They lash them to the yaks, alongwith a week's supply of food, tents, potsand pans, even a kitchen table. Then witha flick of a stick against the yaks' backs,we're off. Despite their bulk, the yaks

HOT T.~P

Hygiene in theCountry

Overseas Adventure Travel

N~pal. is'a Third World country,with Third World health

problems. To make sure YOUe,

Clon'ttake home more cultures

than you bargained for, heed

these hygiene tips.

~,Boil all water, even locally

bottled water, for 10minutes,

or purify water with iodine

tablets. Keep your mouth shut

when sh~wering; brush teethwith !;lolledwater; treat allwounds with boiled water.

. P~el and wash all frui!s and

v~get~bles with skins before

eating. Soak leafy vegetables in

~n)iodine solution for at least

~O'minutes, or boil them.

. W~~h your ha!}ds frequently,

~,pecially before eating. M.ake

it a l1abit not to touch yo"!r

face.~Carry \pwelettes al~n~with you.

.I ,ttea~ mi,lkto the boiling

point, and allow it to cool

before'drinking..Wipe off all plates, utensils

and'cuplin public eating places

,b,efore eating from them.

.. Don't leave home without

required.inoculations,

pr:escription drugs and a first

aidmkit(outlined in OverseasAdventure Travel's

predeparture ki~).

8 Never go bar~foot'in Nepal.

The risk of infection, including

hookworm,Js great.

wU....Ja3f-a::«""uaf-V>...J...J«

>-I"-«a::"af-aI"-

step along lightly like cartoon ballerinas.The trail we're on is the major thor-

oughfare from Lukla to all villages andpeaks north, a human highway of load-bearing Sherpas. Small boys trudge pastus with 8-foot beams strapped to theirshoulders; young girls balance giganticbaskets on their heads; old women lugcrates of produce.

About a half-mile down the trail, New-ang, a Sherpa with an impressive com-mand of English, comes up from behindand puts a gentle hand on my shoulder."It is not good to walk so fast," he says."The mountains will wait."

Trekking: The word conjures up vi-sions of trudging up steep, rugged trailswith 60-pound packs strapped to theback. But little of Nepal is wilderness,even though it houses the world's high-est mountains and several national

parks; in the fourth-poorest country inthe world, every acre of arable land isfartned. The remaining forests are felledfor firewood. The high country, full ofmoonscapes bald from deforestation, isused for hunting and grazing. We wouldhike from village to village with guardianangels who insisted we laydown our bur-dens (5-pound day packs) and partake oftea at every available tea shop. "At thisrate," quipped Norm, still on LA. time,"we'll get there in about three years."

The Sherpas live close to their gods.Around every bend is evidence of their

devotion: god statues; stupa shrines;boulders carved with religious symbols,called mani. Tattered prayer flags flutterfrom rooftops and from the swaying sus-pension bridges we gingerly cross.

After hiking an hour, we stop at a teashop bearing a hand-lettered sign whichlists the menu and the suggestion to"Find Your Self" Doug, our resident phi-losopher, muses over the phrase's mean-ing for a moment, still warming up. Bythe end of the week he'd be debating life,death, Jesus and George Bush, not neces-sarilyinthatorde~

The Sherpas are warming up too. Atthe next tea shop, they tell us a storyabout the head of yeti, the sole remainsof the legendary Abominable Snowman.In 1954,large, humanlike footsteps wereseen in the snow near Mount Everest. Ex-

peditions were made in search of the elu-sive beast but all that surfaced was a

domelike scalp, which to this day residesin the Khumjung monastery, near thehigh point of our trek. Experts pro-nounced the scalp a fake, but the Sherpassaid we should decide for ourselves. Wewould be able to do that if we were luckyand the monk was home in Khumjung.

As we hike up a hill to our first night'scampsite, we're amazed to find the Sher-pas have already erected a small tent city,including a toilet tent and dining tent. Afire blazes in the shack where they'recooking dinner; on seeing us approach,the guides carry out pans of hot water

CONDITIONIN,G T'IP

High -Altitude Anxiety

and place one at each of our tents. "Hey!"says Nortn. "Room service!"

Bythe time.we finish cleaning up, din-ner is ready, a four-course meal of soup,chicken-rice casserole, bread, severalvegetable dishes, and pudding and teafor dessert. After dinner we roll into our

tents and fall asleep to the sounds of theSherpas singing as they wash dishes. To-morrow we'll awaken to a tinkling belland another pan of hot water by our tent.

Sophie, a Utah widow with twomonths' worth of Handi Wipes in tow,scolds me about drinking from dirtycups. Newang repeats his suggestionthat I slow down. Do I listen? Nah!

Invigorated by the brisk mountain airand fueled by a hefty breakfast of oat-meal and pancakes, I scamper up thesteep, 2,000-foot rise to the next villagelike a mountain goat and leave the guidesand yaks in the dust. For an hour I'm ontop of the world, with the views to proveit. By the time the rest of the group ar-rives in Namche Bazaar, I'm flat on myback with altitude sickness. So, appar-ently, is Norm, who becomes so weak enroute to Namche he has to hike backdown, and out of our lives.

A day later, I'm still flat on my backwhile my companions romp about thebustling cliff-side streets of Namche, anamphitheatre carved in a rugged hillside,soaring peaks forming a glistening back-drop. (Doug and Donna contracted alti-tude sickness but recovered enough in a

ByTom Simon with Overseas Adventure Travel

Altitude sickness, or acute mountain sic~,ness(AMS»)c~n trip upthe most intrepid trekker and leave tier feeling as ifshe has oeenup all night drinking. Symptoms include nausea, mild sHortnessof breath, vomiting and diarrhea, weakness, sleep disturbance,and slight swelling of the hands and/or feet.

Ifsymptoms worsen or progress to include extreme fatigue,

disorientation, persistent vomiti~g and diarrhea,jt's crUcial'todescend. Serious AMS can trigger cerebral and,\,>ulmonary

edema, or collection of fluid in th~ brain or lungs as well ashallucinations, coma and even death.

AMS is caused by lack of oxygen. At 10,000 feet'there's onlyhalf the oxygen as at sea level. Scientists have1yet to,discoverwhy hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation,~makes us sick.,Some

believe that changes in air pressure mak~ cells'accumulated sodium. There's no t h

flatlanders have some symptoms scape

without symptoms at 18,000 feet. Being in good shape does notoffer added protection; in fact, if'can beta detriment because

you may hav~ the stamina to walk fasfer than you should,

At high altitudes, help avoid AMS with these tips:. Ascend gradually. As your body acclimates, it produces more

red blood cellsand your capillariesexpandto accommodatereduced oxygen availability.. Don't overexert yourself. Carry a light load and don't hike sofastthat you're short of breath. Take frequent rest stops.. Don't climb more than 1,000 feet a day above 12,000 feet.

. Drink plenty of water and make sure that your diet consists of

foods that are high in carbohY9rates and iron.. Avoid salty foods and salt tablets, alcohol, caffeine and other

dehydrating foods and beverages..' The prescription drug Diamox is sometimes prescribed forAMS. Consult your physician.. Ifsymptoms worsen and include persistent vom:ting anddiarrhea, severe coughing, extreme fatigue, delirium, severeheadache and loss of coordination, descend immediately and

rest for a day or two before attempting to climb back. .J:

Tom Simon is a LosAngeles-based freelance writer.

"... day or two to carry on as long as therewas a bush nearby.)

They hike the town's steep trails to amuseum and monastery, and bargain inthe open-air bazaar. Sophie gets a privateviewing of the Namche yeti head which,to distinguish from the "real" thing com-ing up in the next village,Donna dubs the"son of yeti head."

When another day passes and it be-comes clear that I'm not going to recoverwithout going down to acclimate beforecoming back up slowly, the group and Ipart company - temporarily, we hope.

As they ascend to Thyangboche Mon-asteryat 13,000feet, with views of MountEverest and her sister peaks towering21,000 to 29,028 feet, my hiking buddyNewang and I descend 3,000 feet to asmall village.This time he doesn't have totell me to slow down; I'm so weak I nearlycrawl. Normally bilingually loquacious,Newang is silent as a monk. I think he'spraying for me.

I feel better as morning dawns, so weidle back up to the Khumbu Lodge inNamche, a popular hikers' hangout withhot showers, a restaurant and panoramicviews. Here I sleep in the same suite asformer president Jimmy Carter. Hismountain vigor is legendary; rumor has ithis Secret Service escorts fell like flies.

After another day's rest, Newang and Iclimb up to Khumjung on back trails tothe four-star Mount Everest View Hotel;at 13,000feet, it is the highest hotel in the

~

..

world, with its own airstrip and direct 45-minute flights from Kathmandu. Everyroom has a private view of the mountain,which is a good thing.

Because it is nearly impossible to accli-matize to such a high altitude within thespace of a 45-minute flight, many guestsspend most of their time in bed recover-ing from altitude sickness.

Newang pores over the fancy menu,written in English-as-the-Japanese-speak-it, learning a few new words alongthe way.Weorder tea and drink it quickly,not wanting to stay too long: At $120 anight, it's a pricey place for a relapse.

As we hike down a snowy back trail toKhumjung, the group spots us and cheersus on. It's good to see them again; in 10days we have come to know and count oneach other. Tomorrow we willbegin whatshould be a less eventful descent. But notbefore making one last stop.

The monk just happens to be home atthe Khumjung monastery. With greatflourish, he brings out a box, unlocks itand withdraws what looks to be a coco-nut with rock musician's hair. He holds itup briefly before hurrying it back into itsbox. Then he demands an exorbitant fee.

"Oh, come on," says Doug, digginginto his pocket. "Youdon't really believethat's the head of yeti now, do you?" Themonk starts, as if he has been slapped.Donna mutters something under herbreath: "That's a bunch of bunk."

"Bunk. .. what does that mean,

bunk?" Newang asks as we walk back tothe lodge to pack up. When Donna ex-plains, he explodes with laughter, as if it'sthe funniest thing he's ever heard. '

Safely back in Lukla two nights later,we sit around the farewell dinner table

discussing the Sherpas. They are themost polite, good natured and even-tempered people we've ever met. If wehad come between them and their gods,they had never let on.

They are so much more civilized thanwe are that we fear our stumblings,grumblings and wisecracks have of-fended them. When we ask if this is so,they smile and say of course not, al-though we frequently surprised them."In a good way?"I ask hopefully.

They gaze at us for a long moment, ap-parently searching for a polite way to ex-plain. Another minute passes; they areobviously thinking very hard. Then New-ang breaks the ice. "We learned manysurprising things from you," he says,laughing. "But the best was 'bunk'!"

For me, the lesson to learn from Nepalis a lesson for life: Don't walk so fast. Themountains willwait.

Rx FORACTIONFor more informatioIf'Off'";tavehtures inNepal, including 1992 prices and depar-ture dates, contact Overseas AdventureTravel, 349 Broadway, Cambridge, MA02139; (800) 221-0814. Cost, approx-imately $1,900,includes predeparture in-formation; American guides plus English-speaking local guides; Lukla roundtripflights, all meals on treks; hotels, break-fast and three dinners in Kathmandu;complete trekking services, permits andairport transfers if traveling with a group.

Read Nepal-A Travel Survival Kit(Oakland, California: Lonely Planet Pub-lications, 1990). To order this book, call(800) 229-0122;in Canada, Alaska and Ha-waii, (510) 893-8555.

Getting there: KLMoffers daily non-stop service to Amsterdam from severalmajor u.S. cities and continuing serviceto New Delhi, India. From there you canhop a flight on a local airline to Kathman-du. With an unblemished safety record,KLMhas won "Best Passenger Service"and "Airline of the Year" awards. Call(800) 777-5553, or let OAT make yourflight arrangements.

En route: Overnight at the New DelhiHyatt, which has a health club, pools,gardens, restaurants, night clubs and ashopping mall on premises. Call (800)233-1234formoreinformation. .