Apr 10th, 2009 at 8:00AM: There are a number of legendary men who cast large shadows over the world of mountaineering. Men like George Mallory, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Reinhold Messener, whose exploits in the mountains are told around campfires from the Karakorum to the Andes. But there is a woman who stands with these legends and casts a large shadow of her own. Her name is Elizabeth Hawley, and even the most accomplished ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Kathmandu posts
The Indomitable Miss Hawley
Apr 10th, 2009 at 8:00AM: There are a number of legendary men who cast large shadows over the world of mountaineering. Men like George Mallory, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Reinhold Messener, whose exploits in the mountains are told around campfires from the Karakorum to the Andes. But there is a woman who stands with these legends and casts a large shadow of her own. Her name is Elizabeth Hawley, and even the most accomplished ...The Logistics of Everest
Apr 7th, 2009 at 8:00AM: As we mentioned last week, the Himalayan climbing season is in full swing, and the first teams of mountaineers should be arriving in base camp on Mt. Everest this week. BC on Everest falls at approximately 17,500 feet, higher than most mountains in the world, but it is only the beginning of the climb that hundreds of people have paid as much as $65,000 each, and devoted two months of their spring, ...Ed Viesturs, America's Top Mountaineer, Returns To Everest
Mar 28th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Yesterday we mentioned that Kathmandu has become a very busy place this week as climbers and trekkers heading to the Himalaya arrive in the city before setting out on their various adventures in the more mountainous regions of Nepal. Amongst those making the journey once again this year is Ed Viesturs, who many consider to be America's premiere mountaineer. Viesutrs has a long, and storied career ...Spring Climbing Season Begins in the Himalaya
Mar 27th, 2009 at 8:00AM: The arrival of spring means different things in different parts of the world. In northern Alaska it marks the end of the long darkness, with the returning of the sun. Further south, in the Mission at San Juan Capistrano welcomes the swallows home, while in the Midwest, the last of the winter snows give way to blooming flowers. Likewise, each spring in the Himalaya is marked with a ritual of its ...Seeking Enlightenment in Kathmandu
Feb 10th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Kathmandu is a vibrant, noisy, colorful city, whose name alone elicits thoughts of adventures in far flung places. It is the Gateway to the Himalaya, and the home of more than 700,000 people. For nearly 2000 years it has been a cradle of civilization in Nepal, and the spiritual center for many practitioners of Hinduism and Buddhism as well. Although steeped in tradition, in many ways this ancient ...Letter from Nepal: Watching HBO with a living goddess (part 2)
Jul 3rd, 2008 at 9:00AM: Patan, Nepal--On this blistering May day, the royal kumari, Preeti, doesn't bother to show up at the third-story window. And why should she? Last year, the independent girl refused to give tika – a blessing in the form of a red mark on the forehead – to the prime minister, who was attempting to take over from the unpopular king the annual ceremonial duty of receiving a blessing for ...Letter from Nepal: Watching HBO with a living goddess
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 9:00AM:
Patan, Nepal--Like any typical schoolgirl, 13-year-old Chanira Bajracharya struggles to finish hours of homework each day. That doesn't stop her from stealing away to watch TV (she enjoys HBO; her younger brothers often change it to Nickelodeon) or use the computer. She even has Barbies, but now that she's older, painting has replaced organizing tea parties as her favorite pastime.
The ...The sex industry is blooming in...Nepal
Jan 28th, 2008 at 10:00AM: Well, there could be a stranger place than Kathmandu to operate a sex parlor...say, the Vatican. But clearly, it is only a matter of time. The search for spirituality and natural beauty is, apparently, paved with lap dances.
This week's Economist has an article on the rise of sex tourism in Nepal. There are now an estimated 200 "massage parlors" and over 35 dance/strip bars, selling "sex" for as ...International Volunteer Day
Dec 5th, 2007 at 12:30PM: If you are a volunteer somewhere, give yourself a pat on the back. This is your day. Started as a UN resolution back in 1985, December 5 is a day to get people fired up for the other 364 days of the year. Even though the areas of economic and social development, are the target areas for applause, I say, if you're helping anyone anywhere, bravo for you. Hmmm. Economic and social development. Those ...
