Fall 2002 Gokyo Trek

Trek Update - Sent November 11

Hello Adventurers,
It has been a few weeks since I came back from my last trip trekking in the Himalayas. Life is high speed here in the United States. The adjustment is a shock. It takes time relearning how to get one million things done in a day as opposed to the long, leisurely days trekking and communing with the mountains. I am taking my time getting reacquainted with bills and the daily rush of American life.

My Adventure Journal will be coming soon and will be a little different this time. I will be sending excerpts from Steve Olsen's journal instead of mine. Steve and his wife, Mary Jane, are now official members of the Of Global Interest Trekkers Club. It was another wonderful trip, my sixth professional Himalayan trek. I have now taken twelve people to Nepal. Each trip has been different and successful. Stay tuned for the Fall 2002 Adventure Journal: THE ONESPEED EXPEDITION TO GOKYO. It will be coming soon.

I have gained good experience in the last three years. I have a degree in South Asian studies from the University of Wisconsin, and I speak Nepali. I am a certified Wilderness First Responder (wilderness first aid), and am surrounded by wonderful and amazingly supportive people in both America and Nepal. Friends have been telling me, it is time to raise my price. So I am. I will now be charging $3,000 for 21 days in Nepal. This includes five nights guest house accommodations in Kathmandu, 5 meals in Kathmandu, all transportation and sightseeing in Kathmandu, the domestic flight to begin the trek, a 10-15 day trek, all porters, guides, lodge accommodations during the trek, all meals during the trek, my time and expertise, and more. (This does not include the international flight to Nepal.) I'll send more detailed information. These are customized tours so if you have ideas, interests or hobbies you'd like to explore, I'll make all the arrangements. Don't be shy. The world awaits you.

I will make one deal now for anyone who reads this. If you pay the deposit toward your customized adventure, $300, before the end of the year (by December 31, 2002), I will charge 2002 prices for your tour. Anyone signing up after January 1, 2003, will be charged $3,000 for the trip. I know you are committed to going to Nepal someday -- something everyone must do once in their lifetime! If you'd like to talk to Of Global Interest Trekkers who have "been there done that", I'll send you a list of references. They will tell you about the magic of Nepal, the spirit of the Himalayas and the smiles of the Nepalese people.

Thank you for donating to the Of Global Interest Random Acts of Kindness Fund. I had $850 worth of kindness from you on this last trip. I am working on a report to send to the people who donated. If you did not donate and are interested in reading the report, send me your address and I'll send you a copy in the snail mail. In short, the fund went to several worthwhile causes in Nepal. For example, a senior citizens' group in Ann Arbor was one of the donors, so I visited Mother Theresa's Clinic in Kathmandu which offers free health care to seniors and anyone in need who comes to the door. Also, a woman in Milford, Michigan held a benefit for orphan children in Nepal. The money she raised went to a large orphanage in Kathmandu where 300 children are living. The Olsens and I bought many stuffed animals and other toys for the kids there. We visited a Leprosy hospital run by a German woman. She houses and gives work to homeless and handicapped women. (Some of their crafts are for sale in the Himalayan Bazaar in my Garage.) Among others, we visited a charity that helps porters who carry the heavy loads for the large trekking companies and expeditions. Often they need shoes and warm coats. This organization is dedicated to helping these important people who are too often forgotten.

Perhaps you have seen the Toyota truck commercial with Sir Edmond Hillary? It has been on ABC lately. This was directed by David Breashears, organized by his and my Sherpa friends in Nepal, and was filmed in Lhasa, Tibet a few months ago. While in Nepal on my last trip, my business partner, Pemba, was talking about his big trip to Tibet where he worked on this commercial. He had never been to Lhasa before and with a few other Nepalese, he was working there for 12 days. Everyone including Pemba stayed at a five-star hotel. This was something Pemba had never experienced before. He showed me the key to his room which he actually stole. From his wallet, he pulled out a card with a metallic strip for unlocking the door. At least the hotel probably won't be hunting him down for it. Pemba said his job during the filming was to move the cables and cords from the cameras and lights out of the way. Now that I've seen the commercial, I can't believe all the time, money, effort and man power that must have gone into that 30 second slot on American air waves. I'd love to know how many cars the ad will sell.

In case you are wondering, my documentary movie, Altitude, about the first cancer survivor to climb Mt. Everest, was NOT selected as a finalist at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. The festival took place a week ago in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Of the forty-five finalists, two were National Geographic movies. One I had already seen on the National Geographic Channel when I was in Nepal last May. It's about the search for the Afghan girl with the green eyes. Maybe you read the recent article in National Geographic about her. So this was my competition? Amateur film makers seemed welcome, but I was a bit surprised. I really had no chance. I have other theories about why Altitude was not chosen as a finalist which I will mention when you come see the move next. Anyway, I am still VERY proud to have created a portable, 45 minute show that highlights one of my customized tours. I hope you will come see it if you haven't already. And if you have, it's better the second time!

If you were wondering, the movie is about Sean Swarner from Colorado who became the first cancer survivor to climb Mt. Everest on May 16, 2002. My small company, Of Global Interest LLC in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was hired to make the arrangements for this expedition. This documentary film is a combination of my video footage from the trip, set to music (all my favorite songs) and narrated by me! David Martel, of Martel and Company LLC, was the computer wizard who digitized, clicked, dragged, cut and managed to paste all the pieces together. He is incredible.