Everest Or Sagarmatha Or Chomolungma? Different Names of the Highest Mountain of the world.

Blog number 11.  28.11.2020.  nguptatravelscrapbook.blogspot.com

Everest or Sagarmatha or Chomolungma? Different names of the highest mountain of the world

Heaven is a myth; Nepal is real. Jeffrey Pasley.

COVID-19 Status: Amidst introduction of stricter Tier based lockdown across the UK, there are reports of Oxford based Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Swayambhunath Temple in Kathmandu

Clutched between India and Tibet, Nepal's assorted and luxuriant spectacle varies from lowland wildernesses with tigers, snow leopards and mythological Yeti, to Mount Everest's frozen summit, where no life endures for long. We can count Nepal being synonymous to Mount Everest. To begin with, I have bullet-headed some facts about the Himalayan peaks. 

• Nepalese call the Mount Everest Sagarmatha (सागरमाथा), Goddess of the sky, rising to a staggering 8848 meters (29,029Feet) above sea level. It is the highest mountain peak in the world, straddling across Nepal and Tibet.
• Tibetan Sherpas name Mount Everest Chomolungma (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ།) Goddess Mother of the world. 
• Britishers termed it as Mount Everest in 1865, after Colonel Sir George Everest, a geological topographer from Wales, UK.
• Hindus believe Gods created their abode in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal and Tibet, the most venerated being Mount Kailash, the Holy Abode of Lord Shiva.
• Out of the famous ten highest peaks of Himalayas, eight peaks are in Nepal, namely Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho-Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Annapurna.

Everest views from our aircraft

Traversed by the Mountains, long rivers, valleys and lakes amidst ancient temples, Sadhus, Monks, stupas, vibrant culture and ever exuding buzzing thrills; Nepal has almost everything! This small Himalayan country is the template for high-end adventures including mountaineering, trekking, bungee jumping, para-gliding, helicopter rides above the Everest, river rafting, camping, mountain biking, kayaking fishing, and much more. Nepal is the oldest country in South Asia and has remained an independent Hindu state. It's worth knowing a bit about turbulent and brutal Nepali politics leading to current geopolitical scenes; it is now a stable member of SAARC.

Nepalese Royal Massacre dated 01/06/2001

Crown Prince Dipendra shot and killed his parents along with nine other immediate royal family members and himself, in love and duty conflict. Monarchy continued to rule Nepal until 2008, at which time a democratic republic and a constitution determined and improved over the next several years. With all its heterogeneity, Nepal has a mixed bag of religions. Predominantly Hindu, the country blends Buddhism and animism too.

My travel account to Nepal and beyond in the past years.

Back in 2011, my husband and I booked a road trip starting from Tibetan capital Lhasa to the North Face Everest base camp, taking ten days trip inclusive of three days in Lhasa to get acclimatised to high altitudes. We took a long haul flight from the U.K. to Delhi, followed by a short Air India flight from Delhi to Kathmandu airport, a small airport providing the essential services back in 2011. The two nights stopover in Kathmandu involved meeting with our tour guide, Seema Sherpa from On The Go Tours, which empowered us the Tibetan travel permit for our onward journey to Tibet and arranged our sightseeing in and around Kathmandu, including visiting Bhaktapur. 

Kathmandu had always been a famous Bollywood film location, creating a long-lasting personal desire to follow the footsteps of favourite Bollywood celebrities. We travelled back to Kathmandu as the remaining last leg of our enduring road trip to Tibet by Japanese Friendship Highway, to a permanent camp location called The Last resort, for an overnight stay.

Beholding The Royal state visit ceremony to Kathmandu on 17/2/1986

We took a city break to Kathmandu for three nights, as early as in February 1986, during one of our trips from London to Delhi to visit the family. We travelled with our two small children aged five- and two-year-olds.

After arriving in Kathmandu, we learned of Queen Elizabeth's and Duke of Edinburgh's state visit to Kathmandu from our fellow guests in Yak and Yeti hotel. Durbar Marg and Durbar Square were extravagantly decorated and that a Royal ostentation was due to start at 9 am next morning from Durbar Palace. King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya hosted the sovereignty, coming 15 years before the catastrophic Nepalese Royal Massacre in 2001. We stood amongst the masses rimming Durbar Marg and watched the royal spectacle with great pride, waving at royal guests; something which we may not have ever prearranged back here in the U.K.

The Royal Parade Circa 1986

Kathmandu Circa 1986

It was an elementary town; we had significant challenges in getting the food, especially for our young children. A newly inaugurated Indian fast-food chain called Narulas came to our rescue and became our lifeline for those few days.

What tenders Nepal so welcoming and enticing to travellers from all over the world? 

I have attempted to draw the crucial features associated with tourism and adventurers in Nepal in simple headings.

1 Everest peaks. 

Viewing from your aircraft: Though there is famous-hour flight tour to let you have the views of the famous peaks, one can easily view these peaks as the pilot makes the announcements and explains on board. Many flights now take an astonishing route during which the western Himalayas scroll right past your window. I have posted a few pictures of Everest peak, South face here, taken from our aircraft window.

Distant views of Everest from our aircraft

Other places travelled around Kathmandu for views of the peaks, were Nagarkot and Bhaktapur.

Clouded views of Himalayan peaks from Nagarkot valley

2. Birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha.

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was born in 623 BC in Kapilvastu, Lumbini, Nepal, and achieved Enlightenment close to 652 BC. Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini is the pilgrimage site for Buddhists, in the southwestern part of Nepal close to the Indian border. 

3. Dense concentration of World Heritage Sites

Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur (all three inclusive) have seven UNESCO world heritage sites within a small radius of 15 km.

Gods and Goddesses in temples of Kathmandu.

4. Tenzing Norgay is the most famous and well known Sherpa of Nepal.

Sherpas are an ethnic minority from the eastern Himalayas. Most of them work as porters for mountain parties as they do not suffer the effects of high altitude because of their genetic composition, acclimatisation and the lifestyle. 

A study suggests that the Sherpas have a Super- Athlete gene that regulates the production of haemoglobin in the body, allowing for higher and beneficial efficiency in using vital oxygen.

On 29th May 1953, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary (New Zealand Mountaineer) became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. In 1996, Norgay's son Jamling Tenzing Norgay climbed Everest in honour of his father.

5. The Land of brave Gurkhas.

"If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is lying or is a Gurkha," Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.

"Better to die than to be a coward," is the motto of the world-famous Nepalese Gurkha soldiers who are an integral part of the British Army since 1815 and becoming Gurkha Brigade in 1947.

Since then, the Gurkhas have loyally fought for Great Britain all over the world including the Falklands, Bosnia, Kosovo and lately in Iraq and Afghanistan earning 13 Victoria Crosses. In 2018 a campaign led by British actress Joanna Lumley, whose father served with the 6th Gurkha Rifles, led to retired Gurkhas awarded British Nationality.

7. The legend of Yeti 

Yeti, an ape-like creature, is the mystical creature and is said to be spotted in the Nepalese Himalayas by many, including Sir Edmund Hillary. We stayed in the famous Yak and Yeti Hotel, on Durbar Marg, at both times of our travel to Kathmandu, Nepal. Did we spot any Yeti? Of course not!

Most of the areas around Kathmandu are the cultural and administrative hubs of Nepal. One can locate three of Kathmandu's main and finest temples named Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath and Boudhanath temples within easy reach of each other. I have posted here amazing pictures of these premises. 

Pashupatinath temple

Durbar Square and the old Patan Square, Bhaktapur Square. 

One of the city's major attractions, Durbar Square, showcases the craft and skill of the Newar artisans going back many centuries. The square is a treasure trove of woodcarving and metal handicraft that adorn the windows and doors of the extraordinary temples around, along with the legendary Hanuman Dhoka Palace. The day we toured the square was the festival of Dussera. They decorated the temples and the deities; packed with people waiting in long lines for entry to temples premises. We saw women decorated with red-coloured rice on their foreheads representing the living Goddesses. Animal sacrifices (goats and buffaloes) in front of the deities with blood streaming in the streets, was a common sight that day. 

Temples of Kathmandu

Living Goddesses

Images of Durbar Square, Kathmandu

Bhaktapur Square

My experience from The Last resort, Tatopani, Nepal.

On our return journey from Tibet, we took an overnight stop at The Last resort, Camp, which is about 12 KM from the Nepal-Tibet border.

Set in a gorgeous spot on a ridge above the Bhote Kosi River, the resort is reached by a vertiginous suspension bridge housing one of the word's highest bungee jumping station. The bridge is about 160km high across the most extended canyon swing in the world, surrounded by a virtual paradise of green jungles.

For adventurers, bungee jumping was the ultimate thrill. For us two, the most exhilarating and excruciating experience was crossing the 180 meters long suspension bridge on foot, which was swinging because of high winds. Later on at the campsite, we interacted with fellow travellers and listened to their adventurous travel tales while enjoying a chilled beer and delicious Nepalese food including daal, roti, poppadums and curries. 

The suspension bridge

Scenes at The Last Resort, Nepal

Nepalese cuisine.

Nepalese cuisine lacks the complexities of well-spiced Indian flavours, but the chefs and cooks use much of the variations in their food. 

The most common food on the menu is Dal- Bhat and momos, but other specialities including Chinese, Italian and Mexican etc. are readily available as a varied choice. Indian Thali style serving is customarily available in leading restaurants to savour. 

On the day of our arrival in Kathmandu, our guide Seema Sherpa took us to UTSAV, a very famous Newari restaurant in the town. I had taken a few pictures of the food that was served to us and posted here now. 

Mewari Thali cuisine at Utsav restaurant

Meet The wondering Sadhus of Nepal

While moving in and around Kathmandu, we came across many wondering holy souls called Sadhus. They were mostly concentrated on the river banks in Pashupatinath temple, adding a huge tourist attraction and character. Their appearances varied from brightly coloured face paints, headdresses, long, extended and matted dreadlocks to a minimalistic, practical clothing. Some of them cover their bodies in ashes before decorating themselves further. They may be expertly using gadgets like a mobile phone, or I pad while supporting their looks with branded shades, given by a tourist. Traditionally, they smoke pot to gain high levels of meditation. They live on meagre grounds, surviving on the offerings given to them, and are often seen haggling the westerners for a snapshot.  

Sadhus at Pashupatinath temple and in the city

What is the future of Nepal tourism in the post Earthquake times?

Few of us can forget the catastrophic images that engulfed the media in the weeks following 25/04/2015. A powerful earthquake (7.8 on the Richter scale) shook Nepal to its core with calamitous effect on the people of Nepal, destroying ancient temples, stupas and monuments. Losing historic structures made me recognise how cherished the remaining temples are all the more. Nepal is facing a long, challenging and slow going road ahead to rebuild itself and become the most favoured visitor's nation once again. Tourism is one part of a solution, but only when tourists are committed to a responsible Eco-tourism along with a depth of understanding of the countrymen's plight. Nepal would never be the same, at least in the foreseeable future.

Next blog: I am eagerly waiting to write my travel adventures in Tibet via a road trip and reaching to the Everest Base Camp. I thank you for reading my Travel Scrapbook blogs.