Volume 1 (1999/2000)
Issue 1 (March 1999)
Issue 2 (Nov. 1999)
Issue 3 (Dec. 1999)
Issue 4 (Feb. 2000)
Issue 5 (March 2000)
Issue 6 (April 2000)
Issue 7 (May 2000)

Volume 2 (2000/2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2000)
Issue 2 (Oct. 2000)
Issue 3 (Jan. 2001)
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Issue 5 (April 2001)
Issue 6 (May 2001)

Volume 3 (2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2001)
Issue 2 (Nov. 2001)

Categories
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Event: 1 2 3

Himalayan Expedition

Aideen Higgins
St. Joseph's SS, Stanhope Street

I am a member of the Outward Bound Adventure Club/Cabra Mountaineering Group. In October 2000,after a year and a half of preparation, we finally left for Nepal. The group consisted of six junior members, aged between 14 and 19, three senior members of the above club and seven members of the Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team. We said our goodbyes and were happily on our way. Nobody knew what to expect. We had all seen photos prior to departing and each had our own idea of what it would be like, but nobody really knew. There was an air of excitement and discovery about everything.

On our descent into Kathmandu airport we could see the snow covered peaks that represent the "Top of the World". Everyone was astounded at their height and just stared in amazement. As we continued our descent we flew over paddy fields and little houses. This was our first real glimpse at this fabulous country that has so much character. The airport was small and basic. We were welcomed very warmly by really kind and friendly people. The whole group was on a high despite the long and tiring journey.

Driving through busy Katmandu for the first time was an experience I won't forget in a hurry. They have no rules for driving and they use their horns like we would use our indicators. After two nights in the Bluestar Hotel we left for our trek. The people of Nepal are so poor, yet so rich in spirit. They are always smiling and their strength is unbelievable. They carry huge loads and just kept smiling. Parts of our trek I found really tough and I couldn't understand how they kept going. A lot of nights we sang and danced with our crew. They are a very musical people and enjoyed dancing. We enjoyed learning their songs and dancing and I hope they enjoyed ours.

The feeling of achievement when we reached Annapurna Base Camp was great. Everyone was really tired but extremely happy. We were surrounded by huge mountains, which made us feel so tiny and insignificant. We were above the clouds and it felt great. On our way down to our finishing point, Pokhara, one of the lads in our group hurt his ankle. He couldn't walk on it and so he had to be carried somehow. A local man sold us a basket for Sean to sit in and then the Sherpas carried him from their heads! This was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed in my life. After lunch it was decided that there was no way we they could continue carrying him as we had over 1,000 steps to climb. When we reached our camp he hired a horse and this was how he got to Pokhara. The next morning we said our heartfelt thanks and goodbyes and set off on our white water rafting trip.

The rafting was unbelievable. Our raft guide was a madman and was named "death wish Dave". He managed to bring our boat into every rapid possible. Our boat had all the girls from our group in it and was named the girlie boat. At the end of this we said our good-byes once again. Next we headed for a wildlife reserve, Chitwan National Park, where we moved around by dugout canoes, jeeps and elephants during our stay here. We got up at 5.30am for our dawn activities (optional). Although we didn't see very much wildlife we still really enjoyed it. We headed back to Katmandu after 2 nights in Chitwan.

While back in Katmandu we visited a few of the many sights and did some last minute bargain hunting, this didn't involve much hunting, as everything was so cheap. On Thursday 9th November we left Katmandu. Everyone was sad to leave but most of us had already decided we would definitely return someday.

I learned a lot about the Nepalese culture and way of life from this trip. The people shared so much with us and we shared some of our traditions with them, our songs, dancing and our Halloween games. It really made me look at life in a different light. It was an experience I will never forget and worth every minute of fundraising and hard work. I would like to thank everyone who made it possible, it wasn't easy.

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