The Mountain of all Mountains

I feel like I have accomplished so much in life. I feel renewed and overjoyed. Climbing Mt. Everest was the most amazing experience in the world. I felt like I was in heaven, looking down on the rest of the world. I felt like I was a cloud floating by Earth. I also felt small in the scheme of life. God's creation is so majestic and graceful. Knowing that the same God who made these beautiful mountains loves me enough to die for me, amazes me.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help? 
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber. 

Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

~Psalm 121~

I leave to go back to the States tomorrow. I know that this place will forever live in my heart and my memory. I am sad to go, yet I am looking forward to seeing my friends and sleeping in my own bed. 

Lhasa -The Holy City

Lhasaa -a place where culture meets religion and politics. Lhasa is the capital of Tibet and is the home of the magnificent Potala Palace. The Potala Palace is considered the palace of Tibet's religious leader, the Dalai Lama. I have been told that he does not live here anymore because of the rigid Chinese rule. He is living in India, and leading his country from there. The Chinese have a very tight grip on the city. It was very difficult for us to even enter. There is a sadness about the city. A few other hikers and I were welcomed to lunch by a lady who has lived in Lhasa for nearly 60 years. She told me the story of the Chinese takeover. Since the 1940s, the people of Tibet have been harassed by the Chinese government. Tears welled in her eyes as she told us about the many deaths that have occurred over the years. I cried myself...

Hiking Through Tibet

I had no idea what to expect when I began hiking through the Himalayas. The mountains are absolutely gorgeous; they turn gold when the sun hits them in the morning and at night. We were able to hike one of the most sacred mountains in Tibet, Mt. Kailash. We saw many Tibetan pilgrims at the base of the mountain. They have a tradition where circumnavigate the base of the mountain, a total of 52 km (about 32 miles to us Americans)! Many do prostrations as they walk. Hindus, Buddhists and Jains all believe the mountain to be holy. Along the trek we saw Tibetan prayer flags. To me, they are like decorations on a Christmas tree, beautifying the mountain with culture and religion. It was a long trek, but we have gone up and over the mountain. Our next stop will be in Lhasa.

Last Day in Kathmandu

Today is my last day in Kathmandu. I had a really fun time! Although it is a wonderful city, I am very ready to move on. The Himalayas are calling out my name! We will hike some of the mountains on the border between Nepal and Tibet and spend some time in the world's highest elevated community in the world.

I do have to share one thing before I sign off on. I completely forgot to mention one of the coolest things I saw today in my travels in Kathmandu! Earlier this morning I visited the Kopan Monastery. What a cool place! I have never seen so many monks in the same place before. I could not figure out what the humming noise was that I was hearing; at first I thought it was an electricity issue, but then I realized that it was people making those noises! They were meditating. The place was gorgeous and the monks were very kind. They are very smart and talented people. I am so glad that I got to meet them.

Having So Much Fun!

History has always been a passion of mine. That is probably why I love these trips so much. My first stop was Durbar Square. This is considered on of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  The square's history dates all the way back to the 12th century. The streets and buildings themselves can be dated back to the 16th-18th centuries. It is where the Nepalase royals built their palace! Inside the square now, one can find lots of temples and tourist shops. I had to hold myself back from spending all of my money!

I also visited many temples in Kathmandu. The one that stuck out the most to me was the Swayambunath Temple, also known as the "Monkey Temple." People here believe that there are holy monkeys living in the area. How one can tell if a monkey is holy or not, I have no idea. It was very fascinating though. The temple was covered in eyes painted like those of a monkey. This temple was not a Hindu temple, but a Buddhist one. It is so neat to see the mix of the two religions come together in one area.

The Boudhanath was another interesting Buddhist temple. This is a famous Buddhist site as it is one of the largest stupas in the world! It too had large eyes on the temple. I really should ask some of the Nepalese for the background story on that!

Kathmandu

We have finally made it to Kathmandu! This city is a bit more lively than Pokhara. That is because Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal. We are only here for a week, so I am going to try to get in as many sight-seeing adventures as I can!

More Adventures in Pokhara

Today I was able to see the Old Bazaar! It is a beautiful place where one can shop and meet with traders. I bought myself a necklace as a reminder of the trek up Annapurna. After visiting the Old Bazaar, I took a trip to Seti River. I found this river quite fascinating. Parts of it run underground!

Being on a nature streak, I broke away from the rest of my group and saw the Mahendra Gupha, otherwise known as "The House of Bats!" When I was little, I used to love bats. I remember capturing one and bringing it into the house. My mother went wild! I think she found it in her room in the middle of the night. My dad caught it and brought it outside. Anyways, the Mahendra Gupha was probably my favorite part of Pokhara. Tomorrow, we head off to Kathmandu!

Exciting news!

I am absolutely exhausted... BUT........ I DID IT! I climbed Annapurna! It took a while, a LONG while, but I made it! We got back three days ago, but I couldn't write because I was too exhausted. I do not remember very much about the past few days... I am glad to be awake now though and I plan to do a little more sight seeing before we move to Kathmandu, Nepal.

I'm in Nepal!

I am finally here! Wow, that was a LONG flight! It was definitely worth it though! This place is fascinating. We are about to climb our first mountain Annapurna, which is right outside of Pokhara, Nepal. It is the largest mountain I have ever seen! I know I will see larger ones, but Annapurna is breathtaking. The Appalachians and Rockies do not hold a candle to the Himilayans!

Right now we are staying in Pokhara. It is a great city. Today I visited the World Peace Pagoda, known to the locals as the Shanti Stupa. It is what I would call a mystical place. World Peace Pagodas are being all over the world. The first one was built in memorial of the atomic bombs America used to take out Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Everyone was so friendly and kind. It makes me loathe my country and what it stands for. I should say I do not dislike America, I just dislike some of its values.

The inn we are staying at overlooks the Phewa Lake. It takes one's breath away to look at it. The locals say that in the middle of the lake is the Barahi Temple. I think I will try to go see it tomorrow. They say it is dedicated to the Hindu god Ajima in boar form. Ajima is said to be a reincarnation of the god Shakti. Despite my traveling to India a while back, I still have a very difficult time remembering all the gods and goddesses. There are just so many of them! It is worse here because there are Hindus and Buddhists, both with their own set names of gods and goddesses.

Well, I better get some sleep! We start climbing the mountain in two days, so I will need my rest!

On my way!

I am so excited! I am on a journey to the Himalayan mountains! I have been training for this trip for months! I am very eager to climb some of these mountains. I am going with a group of other hikers. We have already teamed up with the locals who will be there to guide us. I am on my way to the airport now!