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Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) | 20 comments (20 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (4.00 / 2)
Beautiful.  I have a co-worker who goes almost every year.  I think he'll move there when he retires.

Was it confusing talking to Yuri about Jiri?  :)

Bribing kids with chocolate for their photos is adorable.

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky

by poemless on Wed May 20th, 2009 at 06:39:28 PM EST
Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (4.00 / 2)
It's very difficult life up there, both harsh and inhospitable climate and from material point of view. Everything is very expensive, like in most expensive cities and one needs some commerical property there to survive or [really] millions of dollars to stay there indefinitely.
Actually Yuri and Jiri are differently pronounced ;)
And any kind of bribing I deplore. But children up there did not seem to be spoilt by tourism. They were not begging for any attention or gifts like in many ther places where they were pursuing me with demands for chocolates, pens etc. Himalayan children are usualy very dignified and express genuine surprise for unexpected bonanza.
by FarEasterner on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 02:04:55 AM EST
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Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (4.00 / 2)
those pix are stunning, a dire poco...

i remember meeting some himalayan people when i was in india, on a pilgrimage up a steep, winding, sharp and pointy trail. they were from nepal, and my mind was totally blown by the strength, grace, humility, and ear-to-ear smiles on their faces.

your pix of those packs brought the memory back brilliantly.

these guys were barefoot, and their packs not much shorter than they were!

beautiful comment above about the dignity of children, far easterner.

so glad you shared this wonderful diary, truly sublime landscape and pix that reflect both your sensibilities and the epic nature of your journey.

just incredible...

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 02:28:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (none / 1)
thank you for your kind words about Himalayan people. It's interesting thing about them - they recognised me as their own. I think it's more likely for big and numerous nation to adopt "others". that's why actually i don't like to stay in home - in my home people are divided, here they are united.

about pix - well, they don't give justice to reality. but better to have them than not to have them.

by FarEasterner on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 02:42:29 AM EST
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Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (4.00 / 2)
they recognised me as their own.

I suspect this might have had more to do with your generosity of spirit than your appearance or community of origin.

Wonderful and dazzling photos of a trip I could no longer undertake.  Thank you for this.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 11:11:27 AM EST
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Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (4.00 / 3)
no it was about my appearance. at home it was always somewhat akward feeling when people would stare at me in bus or in metro. here in asia i found my look quite unsuspicious and whenever I go here, in thailand, nepal or many parts of india (ladakh, sikkim, tibetan communities etc) it is a shock for locals to realize that i am foreigner. some were wondering about links of sakha people with himalayan or thai people. yes, many things are common, even Gesar khan epic, and probably there were more links in the past. but now many my compatriots are happily rediscovering our roots in tibet, nepal or india.
by FarEasterner on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 12:29:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (4.00 / 2)
Forgive me for prying, but where is "home"?  I'm guessing this is not a line of inquiry you're wanting to go into.   I suppose I assumed that non-European ethnicities were not so rare in the Russian Far East.  Of course, one can even be in the majority of a local population and still be subjected to all kinds of racism, unfortunately.  

Someone on ET should write a diary on the concept of "home" (where one is from  or currently lives v. where one feels a sense of belonging, etc.).  Seems to be a theme around here.

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky

by poemless on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 01:10:52 PM EST
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Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (4.00 / 4)
well, home is russia, of course. I stayed for a couple of years in moscow and generally it was ok. there were very cases of discrimination or abuse and i had many many friends of all nationalities. in far eastern city of Yakutsk where i was born situation of course was different, no discrimination at all. in fact after period of trouble in 1990 many ethnic russians and other europeans left this place and much more ethnic minorities moved in. so it became thoroughly asian city where local speech is more often spoken than russian.

the concept of home is good idea. maybe some more experienced writers than I can handle it. I really feel more at home here than in my birthplace, let alone moscow.  

by FarEasterner on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 02:36:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (4.00 / 2)
"in far eastern city of Yakutsk where i was born situation of course was different, no discrimination at all. in fact after period of trouble in 1990 many ethnic russians and other europeans left this place and much more ethnic minorities moved in. so it became thoroughly asian city where local speech is more often spoken than russian."

And this is what I'd assumed (I indeed have an ethnic Russian friend who left that area around that time.)  But you still felt uncomfortable there?  

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky

by poemless on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 02:49:57 PM EST
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Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (none / 1)
yes and no. it's difficult to say as i have not been in russia continuously for almost 4 years now. my family wants me to return but i drag my feet. (i wanted to say prevaricate however i am not sure about meaning of this word).
i don't think i will have problems in my town, it's possible only in european russia where there are many street gangs and some even with racist agenda.
i am actually afraid of life in yakutsk, it's a small place of 200 thousand people and there are not many interesting people around whom i can talk to. here in india or maybe later in south east asia (if i move there) i find many more interesting people. not only from the first world but also (and mainly) locals.
by FarEasterner on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 03:35:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) (4.00 / 2)
sorry, read as this "there were very few cases of discrimination or abuse and I had many...".
by FarEasterner on Thu May 21st, 2009 at 03:25:33 PM EST
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Trip to Everest (Photo round-up) | 20 comments (20 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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