Update from the Himalayas
Dear Friends,
it's so much to write right now. I've had an amazing trek for seven days in the Himalayas in Sikkim, India. We started from the village of Yaksum (1700m) and a small team of us made it as high as to 4940m to Goecha La, a pass between Goecha Peak and the mighty Kanchendjonga (ca. 8600m) - the third highest peak in the world! So, we literally turned back facing the wall of eternal ice.
We came down yesterday and the rest of our team left back for Kolkata today morning. I decided to stay in the mountain area for some more time and made my way to a beautiful Sikkimese-tibetan village of Pelling (2000m). I came with a German guy, Joy, and two Danish girls, Mette and Nina who are supposed to leave for Darjeeling in a couple of days. But for couple of days we travel together.
Right now I'm sitting in a tiny Internet-cafe in the village of Geyzing. People in Sikkim are extremely friendly, happy and quite well off. There is no poverty and the Nepalese, Tibetan, Bhutanese and Lepcha culture mix up by forming the Sikkimese identity.
This place is closest to paradise I've ever been to!
The complete Himalayan report will be followed as soon as I return to the campus. From here it seems impossible and also unimportant. My Himalayan experience is still building up. I think it never gets ready!
Despite the happiness of this Shangri La, I miss you, all dears. I miss Kaisa, with whom I haven't had the contact yet after my trek / her San Fransisco trip. I hope we get a phone contact tonight.
So, everything is going perfect, I'm several thousands of kilometers away from the earthquake-area (=NO NEED TO WORRY), weather is fine and my trekking gear, attitude and fitness is/was a great success!
From now on I will be available mobile (the Finnish +358-40-7707956, the Indian is so far Kaputt) and "in the civilized world" or "ihmisten ilmoilla", so to say!
I love you people and miss you. Right now I'm doing exactly what I was supposed to: travel all by myself.
And yes, I'll be careful... :-)
posted by Jussi at 5:51 pm
7 Comments:
Hi,
Finnish no? Are you in Finland or in India? I am from Delhi, currently in Helsinki for some time..was looking for Indian bloggers here and found ur page..
4:10 pm
ok.. I read a little more.. looks like you are a Finn in India currently! :).. Have a nice time :)
4:14 pm
I am from America and Germans are sexy!
1:49 am
How was breathing at 4940 m??? I just came back from the Rocky Mountains and 3600 m, where I had a real hard time. But I believe you had more time to get used to it - I went from sea level to 3600 m in one day...
7:37 am
The symptoms of lack of oxygen are a function of altitude and climbing speed. (For engineers, integrate the altitude over time or something)
Thus, starting from 1700 and going gradually up is easier than climbing 2000m in few minutes (for example ski lift to the top in the Alps).
The altitude starts to affect people very differently and one really can't know in advance, how. Which leads to the fact that great care has to be taken with the ascent! The high altitude sickness is an eminent threat above 3000 (or 4000 depending on the source) after which not more than 300m should be permanently (*) ascended per day.
*) by permanent I mean actually staying in that altitude. Of course "up and down"s are done with much more difference. Summit raids of more than 1000m at least.
4:10 pm
Didn't really answer my question here. How was breathing FOR YOU there?
9:23 am
Hmm, you caught me...
I didn't find any difficulties with breathing. Everything physical made my heart pump a lot immeditially, but breathing was ok.
Another thing is that the lower hills bordering Himalayas are sub-tropical and very dense forest, which creates a lot more oxygen than the ones in the Alps or the Rocky Mountains. I suppose.
Anssi, can you verify? :-)
9:36 am
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