Leeds Metropolitan University

Everest West Ridge 2006

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John Allan

Location

Kathmandu to Tsongdu

Time

26th May 2006

Romance to Reality

I am being driven through a diluge to the Nepalese border town of Dokari. Leaving the sprawl of the city behind, we enter a lush, impressionist landscape of patchwork greens, rich earthy reds and yellows and chocolate rivers. Everything from wheat,rice and corn is grown here on terraced plateaus carved from the near vertical hillsides. An assortment of smells ranging from warm, damp vegetation and sweet jasmine to pungent animal dung is blown in to the jeeps interior.

As we wind up the valley, we view people of all ages engaged in work and leisure. Some are toiling in the minature fields half way up the montainside. Others seem to be repairing the road which is potholed. All are wearing make-shift plastic bags during the intermittent terrential downpour and blazing sunshine. A recent landslide delays our progress, and from the community of adult workers and playing children, we pick up two teenge girl passengers who chew gum and chatter all the way to the border.

Before crossing into Chinese Tibet, we eat with our fingers at the roadside, a mountain of rice and small dishes of curried vegetables and meat.
All of this is enthralling, dynamic and real. It is a massive culture difference, but constants remain. This means to an end existence is no different from our own, however, the simplicity of context and shared vulnerability seems to exude virtues of commaradarie, trust and social bonding.

Families work, share and communicate freely with each other and others whether they know them or not. Such cohesive qualities are of paramount importance in overcoming adversity and dealing with everday uncertainty. Life is precious here and preserving this is a joint effort. Children here are growing up in a society that has severe inequality and poverty. Chidren in our society, are also subject to social and economic pressures that produce unhappy, unhealthy kids. If we can learn anything from the notion of resilience and observations made, it is that a unified whole and teamwork will dilute problems that can be understood and managed.

John Allan is researching Psychological Resilience with the Everest West Ridge Expedition

Carnegie Visiting team 26 April

John O'Hara 24 April

John Allan 24 April