Thoughts on Nepal

I was off the grid when the news of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal broke.

I had the good fortune to visit Nepal three years ago and to see the Himalayas, Kathmandu and its heritage landmarks (like the Hindu city of Bhaktapur in the photo). Some of these landmarks are now reduced to rubble. Thousands of lives lost.

I also had the better fortune to be spared twice when two planned trips got cancelled: last year's supposed climb in the Annapurna region when a freak blizzard killed dozens of trekkers and Sherpas; and the Ama Dablam climb tentatively set this month, the same time the deadly earthquake hit and cut the lifeline of some climbers up the mountains. (Of course, it doesn't mean I would have been one of the casualties, and Romi said it shouldn't count because we didn't push through anyway. But I still feel lucky not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time).

I pray for the safety of all our dear Nepali and Pinoy friends, colleagues and their family living in Kathmandu, and those whom we know are now in the Solukhumbu Region.

Bhaktapur in 2012. A lot of structures in this wonderful heritage site got destroyed.

Outdoor Talk

The first thing I think of when someone mentions speaking in public is "Nope!". For most of my life I feared talking in front of people. Just the prospect of seeing them looking back at you makes fills me with embarrassment and dread.

Over time I've learned to cope with this fear and somehow accept that I will find myself in front of people, talking about whatever is assigned to me. Partly because I've had more exposure to it in the past ten years teaching applicants of UPM; and also partly because with age, you care less and less of what people say about you, and more for the need to say what you need to say. So when I was asked to give not just one, but two talks over the weekend, I was not as reluctant as I would have been a decade ago.

Hiking 101 at Lagalag Store, SM City (photo: Lagalag)

[Book Haul] Seven Years in Tibet - Heinrich Harrer

Harrer was more famous for his epic book, the White Spider, which is an account of the first successful ascent of the Eiger North Face (a copy of which I lucked upon Booksale, yay!). But arguably, it's Harrer's friendship with the Dalai Lama that has more impact. 

Seven Years in Tibet recounts Harrer's time in the forbidden kingdom at the height of World War II until the start of the Chinese occupation. It was during this time that he got to know his holiness, the young Dalai Lama. His story became even more popular after Brad Pitt starred in the movie based on the book. I haven't watched it yet.

Finally found one! #booksale #HeinrichHarrer

A photo posted by Dennis Lopez (@dencius) on Apr 8, 2015 at 2:56am PDT

I've been looking for a copy of this book for some time now. It was one of the more elusive titles in my checklist. A couple of months ago I saw the sequel to this, Return to Tibet, but did not buy it, as I have no idea yet of how the original book will affect me. Now that I scored a copy, I hope to see the sequel again; and this time, I won't pass on it. 

Climate Change Climb in Pinagheneralan

One of the supposed "perks" of having the UPM application in the summer is the warm but dry weather conditions. Supposedly none of the wet and miserable times usually experienced during the monsoon. Imagine our surprise when they announced a typhoon was expected to enter around the same time as our climb (just my luck). Betty rolled in and threatened to rain on our weekend.

There was a large group of applicants eager to get to the next stage of their training, so we had to divide the group into three teams (Pinagheneralan, Banahaw de Liliw, and Makiling) to lessen our impact on the mountain. I chose to join the Pinagheneralan team since nobody else knew the trail and how to get the permits.

Team Banayad at Camp 1

Valentines in Bungkol-Baka

San Jose, Tarlac has been very close to the heart of the UP Mountaineers ever since the club help develop the trekking destinations there. Spearheaded by Boboy Francisco, several mountains were opened in the early 2000's, and UPM has since become a regular visitor to this part of Central Luzon.

Happy camper. #UPmountaineers #Tarlac

A photo posted by Dennis Lopez (@dencius) on Feb 14, 2015 at 1:33am PST