Saw the Taj Mahal today!

You know the game Jumanji where all of the animals are running down the middle of the street? That's Agra. We took a train from Delhi to Agra today, home of the Taj Mahal. The train ride was fine, they fed us every time the train creaked, but the highlight was the Taj. Getting to it was fun, though. So, you might be surprised if you saw a dog on the street. You'd be careful and drive on. What if you then encountered a goat? That's weird, you'd say. Then a cow crosses the street. Hmm, I wonder if I'm dreaming. Next comes a group of monkeys, then water buffalo. We're definitely not in Kansas anymore. Then, a camel, then two others. The only thing missing was a rhinoceros, and I think we just missed seeing one of those also. Sometimes I wonder who's in charge.

Anyway, the Taj Mahal was magnificent, much whiter than I thought, and much more grandoise. The size and beauty of the palace is one thing, but the intricacy of the jeweled carvings set in pure marble was incredible. Steph cried. I, of course, ... well you know. We also saw the Agra Fort, a massive, self-contained city built for a population of about 10,000, but entirely self-sufficient. Then, we saw what they call the Baby Taj, built several years before the actual Taj Mahal (which was built in 1631). It, too, was beautiful, but on a much smaller scale. We ended up buying a marble table, really beautiful, and the best part is I can put water glasses on it without worrying of leaving rings.

Tomorrow it's off to see the only remaining animal not yet seen crossing the road--Tigers. Hugs.

India here we come!

We're in New Delhi, having survived a wild taxi ride that almost ended in the driver smashing into a median, Steph cursing him out, and me laughing all the way. The taxi cab has swastikas in each of the corners of the window. Not sure exactly what that meant, me no speak English, but I should have known he'd tried to kill us. India is cleaner, by a bit, and has paved roads. Plus, our hotel is beautiful, and actually has a working toilet (plus, we don't have to pay for toilet paper!) that allows us to sit and read a paper rather than wonder what might come crawling out of the hole underneath us.

We had a really nice dinner last night at Mingma's home. It was the first building in Kathmandu that wasn't falling down. Very modest, but he and his wife are unbelievably sweet people. We've asked him to come to CO but who knows if that will ever happen. He's he first sherpa to ever become a dentist, and he works his butt off for virtually nothing. Incredibly, he would make more money if he were a waiter.

Tomorrow we're touring Old and New Delhi, then it's off to hunt tigers and the Taj.

We're done with hiking!

We're finished hiking!!! We trekked back to Lukla today (the modern airport into which we flew in). Altogether about 24 hours worth of hiking, perhaps 20 miles over 5 days, we lost about 7 pounds each (we think), and we're supposed to fly back to Kathmandu tomorrow. The flight out is not supposed to be as chilling as the flight in (yeah, right), but we'll see.

Today, while walking, Stephanie peed in a hole. We've seen hundreds of cows carrying thousands of pounds of equipment, luggage, propane, other cows, etc. Even more amazing are the 12 and 13-year old boys who weigh perhaps 70 pounds and are carrying 100 pounds uphill. Remember how we say when we were kids we walked barefoot 2 miles uphill both ways? That's about what happens here. They call it the "Nepali Flat Walk" which means going up in elevation about 600', then back down. We call it the Himalayan Shuffle, which basically means that we walk like we're using a walker with our shoes tied together. That's how we navigated most of the terrain here.

As much as we have been stunned by the beauty here, the poverty is just as overwhelming. No heat for the past week, toilets are hit and miss, and a shower is a luxury. It's really been rather life-changing seeing how little these people have (at least as far as tangible things) compared to us, but strangely enough they have internet all the way up to Everest, cell phones everywhere, and--not surprisingly--an amazing sense of community.

Back to civilization tomorrow.

WE SAW EVEREST!

So after our near-death experience flying to Lukla, we trekked 6 miles to a small village named Monju. The trek was relatively flat (vertical rise of only a couple of hundred metres), but took us forever. 9 hours later we arrived just as it was getting dark. The unusual thing about all of these villages is that 1) the toilets consist of holes in the ground (picture me squatting--not a pretty sight), 2) there is no heat in the building whatsoever so we freeze our butts off at night ( we do have wonderful sleeping bags that are paper thin but keep you VERY warm) , 3)the. swimming pools are not even heated. We are longing for a Radisson.

Today we trekked only about 4 hours, but the vertical rise was 2000'. This was an absolute bear of a hike, and we had some minor altitude sickness, but about 2/3 of the way through we turned a corner, and there was Everest in all of its majesty. It was probably one of the 3 or 4 highlights of my life. The weather is absolutely perfect, and the view was just something that cannot be captured in words. Steph cried. I, of course, did not (LLPOF). We arrived in Namche around 1, took a 3 hour nap, and we're now going to try to have some kind of food that doesn't have Cumin in it.

Tomorrow we hike to our guide's home so he can observe the 49th day of his mother's death, which is a big ceremony for Buddhists. The trek tomorrow should not be as exhausting as today's, but we continue to rise in elevation. We will get up to 11,500' tomorrow, then on to the Monastary at 12,500'.

Our untimely death in an airplane

Well, we have some interesting news to report. We are now in Lukla, Nepal. How we managed to get here is beyond me, since most of my intestines are sitting either on a mountain near Everest or on the runway in Lukla. Let's start with Kathmandu. We were supposed to leave yesterday, but there were too many clouds in Lukla (which is about a 25 minute flight), so we spent an extra night in Kathmandu. That allowed me to go shopping at a wonderful bazaar, during which I promptly got lost. Now, getting lost in Nepal in probably not on the top 10 list of the best things to do as an American in a foreign country, particularly when you have forgotten the name of the hotel you're staying at, and when every street looks exactly the same. You know that feeling where you just want to sit down, not move, and wait for someone to hold you? Well, I didn't quite experience that, but I did miss my mommy for a brief period of time.

Anyway, today we got in a small bi-plane and took off for Lukla, which is basically the gateway to Everest. How to describe the flight? 20 minutes of thrilling mountains, astonishing beauty at seeing the top of Everest from the plane, and 5 minutes of the most terrifying experience of my life. Lukla is situated in a valley in between several mountain ranges. It, itself, backs up to a mountain. This means that the plane has to be above the mountain range, then bank sharply (and by sharply, I mean turning at such an angle that saying the bottom drops out is like saying Bill Gates has a little bit of money), and then landing on the world's shortest runway, and then stopping in 8 seconds so you don't crash into the mountain. I swear to God that when you land you have 200 feet to stop. The runway is banked uphill to aid in the stopping. And, immediately next to the runway, they have the remains of a plane that didn't quite make the stop in time (those crafty Nepalese sure know how to joke around). Stephanie's right hand will be forever in the bear-claw position since I squeezed it so hard.

But, after putting on a new pair of pants, we then took a short hike to a school where Stephanie and the other dentists inflicted enormous pain on the Nepalese children just to get back at the adults for building a runway like this. Seeing her work on the kids was a blast and the Luklaean children are absolutely adorable. We have a 5 hour trek tomorrow to Yakland, where they have a Space Mountain ride and a wet-n-wild that is to die for. Much more on Stephanie's arrest. For now, I think I may have found a kidney on the left side of the runway.

Still in the States, leaving soon

As we await our transatlantic flight to the land of the high mountains, I write our final update before proceeding to London, then Mumbai, then Khatmando, then Oompa Loompa to visit the Liliputians. Spent a glorious day in NYC with Marika, saw her play hoops, had a yummy chocolate phos, and pulled our luggage 6.3 miles throughout NYC because Steph forgot that the subway actually let us off 2 minutes from Marika's apartment, instead we got off in Upper Pittsburgh and walked 4 hours. Pay no attention to the bruise on her lip, she slipped and hit her head on the sidewalk. We'll be out of service for the next 24 hours or so. Can't wait to see what adventures we'll be having!

Our upcoming trip to Nepal

Hello all, this introductory message is to warn you about our blog which will detail every child Stephanie strikes while attempting not to get bitten, thrown up on, hit, screamed at, and generally abused while we are trekking across Earth's upper regions. We're leaving March 3 from NY, arriving in Kathmandu (and signing with Bob Seger) March 5, then who knows what will happen. If Stephanie has not yet made you feel guilty for not donating money and/or supplies for our trip, feel free to feel guilty. Late fees apply, and all donations should be sent directly to me. We will post updates to our trip as frequently as possible, but last time I checked the Monks at the top of Everest were deep in negotiation with ATT for internet service. Hugs to all. Oh, to access this blog, I think you go to www.blogger.com and type in litztriptonepal.