| IMEC Information | |
 |
|
| IMEC Projects | |
Porter Assistance Project |
|
| IMEC Partnership for Responsible Travel | |
| About the Partnership Current Partners Partner Treks |
|
| Volunteer Opportunities | |
| Mountain Information | |
|
Books and Maps Mountain FAQs Mountain Links Current Travel Advisory info |
|
|
HimalayaNet #86 (September 2001)We at the Himalayan Explorers Connection are deeply saddened by the recent events in New York and Washington. We'd like to express our condolences to all that suffered in these tragedies, and hope for a peaceful, long-term solution to ending international terrorism aimed at the United States and other countries.This issue of HimalayaNet includes summaries and links to articles that offer some insight on the pressures and interests of the Himalayan nations most closely affected by the potential of a new conflict in Afghanistan. In terms of the safety of international travel to the Himalayan region, we remind readers to visit the Web sites for the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu (http://www.south-asia.com/USA/), U.S. travel warnings (http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html), and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office travel info (http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/) Scott Dimetrosky Executive Director, HEC IN THIS ISSUE: REACTIONS TO TERRORIST ACTIONS 1. AFGHANISTAN'S LEGACY OF WAR 2. PAKISTAN'S DIFFICULT CHOICE 3. INDIA PROVIDES EAGER ASSISTANCE IN U.S. FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM 4. NEPAL'S RESPONSE TO THE TERRORIST ATTACKS OTHER LOCAL NEWS 5. MAOISTS CANCEL KATHMANDU RALLY 6. AMERICAN ABDUCTED IN KASHMIR DECLARED DEAD 7. EVEREST HAS NO TAKERS THIS FALL 8. NEPAL ENDORSEMENTS STILL REQUIRED FOR CLIMBING EXPEDITIONS 9. UTTARANCHAL INDIA IS LOOKING FOR ECO-TOURISM MODELS FOR NANDA DEVI SANCTUARY HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS CLUB UPDATES 10. CONGRATULATIONS TO SHERI NEPAL ON NEW BABY 11. HEC PORTER ASSISTANCE PROJECT UPDATE: COURIERS REALLY(!) NEEDED 12. VOLUNTEER NEPAL HIMALAYA UPDATE 13. JOIN THE HEC KHUMBU REFORESTATION PROJECT MONTHLY FEATURES 14. INTERNET CONNECTION: WHAT'S NEW ON THE WEB (THE NEPAL HOME PAGE) 15. DID YOU KNOW? SHERPAS ARE NAMED AFTER THE DAY OF THE WEEK THEY ARE BORN... MEMBERS POSTINGS 16A. LOOKING FOR INFO ON GOKYO/EVEREST BC 16B. PHYSICIANS SEEK TO VOLUNTEER IN NEPAL 16C. LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON HELPING HAND CLUB NEPAL CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SECTION VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES HOW TO POST ON HIMALAYNET HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION ********************************************************************** LOCAL NEWS ********************************************************************** 1. AFGHANISTAN'S LEGACY OF WAR The New York Times ran an in-depth feature about the obstacles, human and geographical, that have thwarted Afghanistan's would-be conquerors over the centuries. Many of us who have traveled in the Himalayas have encountered refugees from Afghanistan in Pakistan and other neighboring countries, and so we are especially concerned about the tremendous human toll that another extended war in the region would exact. Afghanistan, a poor, landlocked, and ruggedly beautiful country, has for centuries been a mountainous obstruction to trade routes from Persia and the Middle East to the Indian subcontinent and much of Central Asia. Afghanistan's most recent history of foreign incursions dates back to December 1979, when a decade-long war followed, pitting the mujahedeen - the U.S. and Saudi-backed anti-communist Afghan Muslim warriors - against well-equipped Soviet troops. The Soviets withdrew, defeated, in 1989, and the mujahedeen captured Kabul three years later. The new government, however, proved to be as incompetent, corrupt and fractious as the worst of any earlier Afghan regime. In 1996 they were driven from Kabul by the Taliban. Many of the new movement's youthful leaders were born in the refugee camps spawned by earlier war or in small rural villages, knowing nothing of the world and motivated only by a primal orthodoxy learned in religious schools. As the United States plans a battle strategy against Afghanistan, it should draw lessons from the country's history. The Soviet Union bombed, mined and strafed the terrain with helicopter gunships, yet lost the war. Sending troops into ragged, barren mountains where the opposition is at home would only move the disadvantages of Vietnam to a new and harsher setting. As one Afghan refugee notes in a letter circulating the Internet, nobody has survived the years of conflict in Afghanistan unscathed - not least the ordinary people who live there. Approximately two million Afghan men were killed during the war with the Soviets. The Taliban regularly executes women and has buried some of their opponents alive in mass graves. The soil of Afghanistan is littered with land mines and almost all the farms have been destroyed. As far as the threat of "bombing Afghanistan back to the Stone Age" says this refugee, "it's already been done. The Soviets took care of it. Make the Afghans suffer? They're already suffering. Level their houses? Done. Turn their schools into piles of rubble? Done. Eradicate their hospitals? Done. Destroy their infrastructure? There is no infrastructure. Cut them off from medicine and health care? Too late. Someone already did all that." http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/18/international/asia/18AFGH.html?pagewanted=print ********************************************************************** 2. PAKISTAN'S DIFFICULT CHOICE While many in Pakistan expressed sorrow over the attacks in the U.S., they also expressed bitter resentment against the United States and said it would be equally wrong to retaliate against Afghanistan, home to purported terrorist Osama bin Laden. Pakistan now finds itself in a dilemma as U.S. officials press its leaders to cooperate in a manhunt for bin Laden and possible military strikes against Afghanistan. For years, Pakistan has been a society with a split personality. The majority of its 140 million people are poor, devout Muslims with little faith in their political rulers, who have increasingly turned to Islam, and identify with suffering Muslims in other countries. On the other side are more educated, religiously moderate Pakistanis who see their country's future as dependent on improved economic and political ties with Western powers. They fear that Pakistan risks economic collapse, international isolation and a bleak future if it sides with Islamic extremists. Until now, the government of President Pervez Musharraf, an army general who seized power in October 1999, has tried to placate influential Islamic groups at home while seeking credibility among Western governments and lending institutions abroad. But the terrorist attacks in the United States have brought enormous pressure on Musharraf to cooperate with U.S. intelligence gathering and possible military actions, forcing him to choose between risking domestic upheaval and international isolation. Musharraf has spent days trying to rally opinion makers, clerics, and politicians behind his decision to back the United States, while pro-Taliban Pakistanis rallied in the streets and his top envoys tried to persuade Afghanistan's leaders to turn over bin Laden. In a live, televised address, Musharraf soberly braced his nation for ''the most critical moment'' since a breakaway war split this Islamic republic 30 years ago, calling for national unity behind a United States-led war on terrorism as the only way to ''save ourselves from danger.'' Recent articles on Pakistan's dilemma: http://detnews.com/2001/nation/0109/15/nation-294914.htm http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/263/nation/In_critical_test_Pakistan_ruler_urges_support_for_America+.shtml An opinion piece on the historic opportunity the new war on terrorism presents to resolve the conflict with India over Kashmir: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/18/opinion/18HAQQ.html?pagewanted=print ********************************************************************** 3. INDIA PROVIDES EAGER ASSISTANCE IN U.S. FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM India has suffered countless terrorist attacks on civilians in the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir. It has long expressed its frustration that the United States has not leaned more heavily on Pakistan, which India holds responsible for sponsoring the Islamic fighters it blames for atrocities in the Himalayas. Now, with the United States reeling from its own experience of terrorism, India has welcomed the Bush administration's decision to use America's military might against terrorists and has eagerly offered military cooperation. India has agreed to provide maps, phone transcripts, video and photographs that show how Islamic militant leaders run training camps in Pakistan and southern Afghanistan. The evidence provided to the American investigators includes transcripts of conversations between militant groups; descriptions and locations of training camps; and photographs and video footage of training camps, intelligence officials said. The training camps India pinpointed are located in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, in the Pakistani hinterland of Punjab and Baluchistan, and in provinces on the Afghanistan frontier, the intelligence official said. The camps within Afghanistan are in Khost and the historic southern city of Kandahar, according to interrogation reports of arrested militants. There are now fewer than 120 training camps and they shift locations, especially when there is a focus upon them. Pakistan denies supporting terrorism, and said it would cooperate to find the perpetrators of last week's attacks. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/15/international/asia/15INDI.html http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=indiahelp&date=20010917 ********************************************************************** 4. NEPAL'S RESPONSE TO THE TERRORIST ATTACKS Nepal has expressed unequivocal support for the United States as Washington prepares a broad international coalition to combat terrorism. The local press reported no word of Nepalis caught in the carnage at the World Trade Center, although at least a dozen worked in the Twin Towers and surrounding area, and it is possible that a few may have perished. New York City is now home to thousands of the Nepali diaspora. Bond traders on Wall Street to doctors and students, United Nations employees, news venders and others have made their homes in New York. Nepalis are still new migrants in New York City, and are by and large at the base of the economic ladder. This may have been a saving grace: the "demography" of New York skyscrapers is such that many Nepalis may not have had the opportunity to work in the world of high finance. To read more about Sherpa immigrants in New York, see: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=sherpas16&date=20010914 Only months after Nepal's own dismaying acts of violence last June, many in the country saw striking parallels. "This was our royal massacre," wrote one American diplomat, addressing the sense of shock and dismay that has gripped both countries. Indeed, the Nepali Times noted an uncanny resemblance in the bewildering acts of terror in Kathmandu and in New York and Washington. "In both cases, the sheer volume of killings was made possible by modern technology. In Kathmandu, it was the terrible power of automatic weapons able to spray a roomful of royalty. In New York City, and before stunned viewers worldwide, it was the ability of suicidal extremists to convert sleek commercial airliners into deadly missiles." The support for the United States, however, was not universal. Different communist groups criticized the Prime Minister for offering United States of America Nepal's air space and re-fueling facilities in the possible attack on Afghanistan. Communist groups issued a joint statement opposing government's decision saying the decision was against five principles of peaceful co-existence or Panchaseel, which are the basis of Nepal's foreign policy. Nepali officials also fear that the horrific events in the U.S. will precipitate a downturn in tourism, as Americans avoid travel abroad, especially in Asia. The Thai government has already predicted a 15 percent drop in tourism earnings for the rest of the year. Nepal's tourism was just beginning to pick up after the royal massacre and news of political instability. ********************************************************************** OTHER LOCAL NEWS ********************************************************************** 5. MAOISTS CANCEL KATHMANDU RALLY Following the collapse of talks aimed at ending 51/2 years of insurgency, the strongman of underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Comrade Prachanda asked militias to break the one-month ceasefire between the government and Maoist rebels and to resume the "resistance movement." His statement came after the government rejected rebel demands to form a republic, and followed the government's decision to ban mass meetings and gatherings in the Kathmandu Valley to prevent Maoist students from holding a 200,000-strong rally scheduled on September 17 and 21 in the capital. After Maoists shifted the venue of their mass meeting to Biratnagar, the government lifted the ban. On September 19, many schools in the Kathmandu Valley heeded Maoist calls to cease operation for five days, fearing retribution after military and police raids and arrests of Maoist students. Maoist rebels carried out an arson attack on a school close to the biggest repository of books in the Nepali-speaking world, Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya. The attack appeared to be part of a campaign of intimidation against private schools that had defied the Maoist demands that they close. The library escaped harm. Several Maoist activists were arrested attempting to force school closures, Nepali officials said. ********************************************************************** 6. AMERICAN ABDUCTED IN KASHMIR DECLARED DEAD Six years after his abduction by Muslim extremists in India, missing Spokane, Washington psychologist Donald Hutchings has been declared officially dead by the U.S. State Department. Hutchings and his wife, Jane Schelly, were on a trek in the Indian state of Kashmir when he was abducted with another American, two Britons, a German and a Norwegian in July 1995. American John Childs escaped; the decapitated body of the Norwegian was found a month later. Hutchings' body has never been recovered. Schelly believes her husband and the three other Western tourists were killed by their captors and buried near Dooru Anantnag in Kashmir after a December 1995 gunbattle with the Indian military. Hutchings and the other tourists were abducted by militants who demanded that Kashmir be turned into an independent Muslim state. The separatists demanded the release of three leaders by the Indian government. The Indian government initially refused to capitulate but did release rebel leader Masood Azhar after an Indian airliner with 155 passengers was hijacked in December 1999. The two other extremist leaders were killed in an escape attempt. Schelly, a teacher at Arlington Elementary, has made six trips to India to learn of his whereabouts. She set up a series of post-office boxes, hoping she would be provided with anonymous information, but heard nothing. Schelly said she now accepts that her husband is dead and that his body may never be located. http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=hutchings07m&date=20010907 ********************************************************************** 7. EVEREST HAS NO TAKERS THIS FALL For the first time in 28 years, no expedition will be attempting to climb Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak, this fall from Nepal's south face. Nepal's Ministry of Tourism issued permits for 22 teams from nine countries to climb 15 peaks in the Nepal Himalaya. Everest was opened for climbing in autumn in 1973 and two Japanese made the ascent that year in what many considered then was an impossible feat. Last year 64 expeditions came climbing in Nepal in autumn, Nepal's most popular climbing season. Ganesh Karki, Nepal's Undersecretary of Mountaineering in the Ministry of Tourism, explained that major expeditions are now concentrating on spring climbs. Several teams, however, will be attempting Everest this fall from Tibet's north side. ********************************************************************** 8. NEPAL ENDORSEMENTS STILL REQUIRED [FROM THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB] Charley Mace, Chair of the Expeditions Committee had a meeting this past March with Nepal's Minister of Tourism who stated that letters of endorsement would not be required for this fall season. Since then, this policy has been rescinded and the letters are still required. Over the last several months, Charley Mace has had many conversations with officials regarding the endorsement requirement. The most recent was September 3rd. Unfortunately, the letters are still being required. The Government of Nepal has announced that its ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has granted permission to 22 teams from 9 different countries for carrying out mountaineering expeditions on 15 different mountains from September 1-November 15 2001. Three mountaineering teams have been given permission to climb Ama Dablam (6812m), and Mt. Dhaulagiri (8167m). Two teams each to Annapurna IV (7525m), Baruntse (7129m) and Pumori (7161m) and one team each for Annapurna III (7555m), Mt. Api (7132m), Mt. Hungchi (7036m), Mt. Manaslu (8163m), Mt. Numbur (6957m), Mt. Ramtang (6700m), Mt. Raksha Urai (6539m), Mt. Teng Kampoche (6500m), Mt. Tilicho (7134m) and Mt. Tukuche (6920m). The 22 teams are from nine different countries of which five teams are from Japan, four teams are from Germany, three teams are from Austria, and two teams each are from Australia, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, United States of America, and one team each are from Italy and Poland. ********************************************************************** 9. UTTARANCHAL INDIA IS LOOKING FOR ECO-TOURISM MODELS FOR NANDA DEVI SANCTUARY I have been talking to a colleague of mine here who is advising the Government of Uttaranchal on eco-tourism aspects. There are plans to re-open the Nanda Devi Sanctuary again next year and plans are being made to ensure that the area is not damaged by explorers/mountaineers/trekkers. He is particularly interested to find information on the experiences of similar areas, how to selectively limit tourists, what amounts people are prepared to pay for entry to such areas and suggestions on who to contact for more advice. Are there any agencies that are prepared to provide grant funds to help in developing the controlled tourism of the Sanctuary? Keith Virgo, keithvirgo@mantraonline.com ********************************************************************** HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS CONNECTION UPDATES ********************************************************************** 10. CONGRATULATIONS TO SHERI NEPAL ON NEW BABY With the horrible news of the terrorist attacks there is also some good news in the past month, as Sheri Nepal gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Kiran Nepal ("keyron") on September 8, 2001, at 3:45pm. Kiran was about 19'' inches long and weighted 7.0lbs. Sheri, her husband Mahesh, and Kiran are all doing great. ********************************************************************** 11. HEC PORTER ASSISTANCE PROJECT UPDATE: COURIERS REALLY(!) NEEDED STAFFING: Look for the smiling face of Brandom Jones this fall at the new Lukla office! Brandom will be expanding the tourist education component of the project, reminding trekkers to visit the office to properly outfit their porters before heading up to the high passes. Porters' Progress, a Nepal-based initiative of the Himalayan Explorers Connection that serves to promote the empowerment, education, and safe treatment of Nepali trekking porters is currently looking for a volunteer to assist our local staff in Kathmandu with the organization and operation of our Clothing Lending Program and Tourist Education Programs. Work will include establishing creative means of promoting tourist awareness of the importance of porter safety in the mountains, assisting staff with inventory and maintenance, and being an advocate for porters' rights in Nepal. This is an opportunity to contribute to a dynamic new initiative, and to make your voice heard! If you are interested please contact Ben Ayers at ben@mountainexplorers.org NEW DONATIONS, COURIERS NEEDED: The HEC has received a HUGE donation from Mammoth Mountain Resort in California - 26 boxes (900lbs!) of ski jackets and pants! We've also received four huge boxes - about 90 pairs - of hiking shoes from Montrail. The good news - we've gotten a record donation of equipment this fall. The bad news - we are in desparate need of couriers to help carry over the gear! If you live in the Denver/Boulder area please contact Billy at billy@mountainexplorers.org as soon as possible to help. Our garages are full! ********************************************************************** 12. VOLUNTEER NEPAL HIMALAYA UPDATE The ten teachers all arrived safely to Nepal before the terrorist actions. Following a few days in Kathmandu they spent nine days in Phaplu with Wendy and Pasang for language and teacher training. Unfortunately, some of this time was spent glued to a television set watching the BBC for news of the terrorist attacks in the United States. Fortunately everyone's family was fine, all the participants stayed, and they are now teaching at schools in the Solu-Khumbu region. The next program begins in February, 2002 - please contact us soon if you are interested! Jane Sabin Davis, jane_sabin_davis@hotmail.com ********************************************************************** 13.JOIN THE HEC KHUMBU REFORESTATION PROJECT The HEC, Manaca.com, and the Everest Foundation are teaming up to help a local community forestry group plant 20,000 trees in the Khumbu region in Nepal. The 16 day trip departs from the U.S. on April 20, 2002, and includes six days working side-by-side with a local community forestry group to collect soil, prepare the soil, and plant the saplings. There is also an optional six day extension to the Tengboche Monastery. For more information please contact us at info@mountainexplorers.org or visit http://www.mountainexplorers.org/club/reforestation.htm ********************************************************************** MONTHLY FEATURES ********************************************************************** 14. INTERNET CONNECTION: WHAT'S NEW ON THE WEB (NEPAL FORUM OF ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS) The Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) launched an impressive new Web site this past summer. Formed by a group of journalists with an objective of promoting the participation of mass media in raising public awareness in the filed of environment and sustainable development, NEFEJ now undertakes various programs and activities to bring positive changes in the field of environment, development and other social areas. The site looks at all aspects of the NEFEJ and environmental journalism in Nepal. Visit http://www.nefej.org.np/index.htm 15. DID YOU KNOW? SHERPAS ARE NAMED AFTER THE DAY OF THE WEEK THEY ARE BORN... Ever wonder why everyone has a favorite Sherpa friend named Dawa, Pasang, or Pemba? The reason (apart from the fact that Sherpa's are such wonderful people) is that many Sherpas are named after the day of the week they are born. Sunday = Ngima Monday = Dawa Tuesday = Mingmar Wednesday = Lhakpa Thursday = Phurba Friday = Pasang Saturday = Pemba ********************************************************************** MEMBER POSTINGS ********************************************************************** 16A. LOOKING FOR INFO ON GOKYO/EVEREST BC My daughter and I are planning a trip to Nepal in April and are looking for a few people who have been trekking and could answer questions. WE have been doing a lot of research and have a lot of the trip together, but we would like to ask a few questions to those who have been there recently. We will be doing the Gokyo/Everest BC trek. Your help would be appreciated. David Duffy, David.Duffy@esis.com 16B. PHYSICIANS SEEK TO VOLUNTEER IN NEPAL I am a primary care physician in Canada. I recently returned from a month in Nepal including trekking to Base Camp. I thoroughly enjoyed the people & the country & would like to volunteer medically .Any leads would be appreciated . Dave Hoag M.D.,C.C.F.P., choag@auracom.com I am a physician who has been to Nepal a number of times and done medical volunteer work twice in the village of Tipling. I will be in Nepal October 27th for four weeks, and am interested in the possibility of short-term volunteer work as a physician. Do you have or know of any programs that would provide for such an opportunity? Len Shulman, lenshulman@hotmail.com 16C. LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON HELPING HAND CLUB NEPAL I am going to be volunteering for November and December in the Chitwan region with Helping Hand Club Nepal. I was wondering if any one has any knowledge or experience with this organization. Diane LoPiccolo, dougfircone@yahoo.com ********************************************************************** CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SECTION (UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2001) ********************************************************************** ARUN TREKS & EXPEDITIONS. Personal Service. Good Value. Great Times. Trekking, Climbing, Mountaineering, Horseback & Overland Touring. Asia, Africa, S.America, Europe. Customized itineraries and group discounts available. Please contact us for further information. Phone: 888-495-8735 or 512-407-8314 info@aruntreks.com http://www.aruntreks.com EARTHBOUND EXPEDITIONS - Himalayan Adventure Travel. Join us for small group, eco-friendly, impeccably planned treks, tours, climbing, and guide services to the Himalaya, from the high peaks to the lowland jungles. Special SPRING trips to Mustang and Mera Peak. Phone: 716-317-4964 www.trekthehimalaya.com damian@trekthehimalaya.com Explore Himalaya: Can arrange individual/group holidays to all destinations in Nepal, India, and Tibet. High altitude treks & climbing, mountain biking, and white water rafting. Contact Suman Pandey, PO Box 4902, Kathmandu, Nepal Fax: 977-1-252 115 adventur@mos.com.np Join the Himalayan Explorers Club in the Himalayas! In March 2002 Pemba Sherpa leads Everest trek with Island Peak. The trip include an excursion "off the beaten path" to Sewangma, where Pemba grew up and the location of the HEC Bridge Project, and to the Sano-Gomela School project. Phone: 303-998-0101. info@mountainexplorers.org A HIMALAYA, AFRICA, ACONCAGUA INEXPENSIVE climb with Daniel Mazur. Amadablam, Kangchenjunga, 7000m snowpeaks, EVEREST, Cho-oyu, Manaslu, KILIMANJARO-TREK, Kenya rock climb Phone: 206-329-4107 summitclimb@earthlink.net www.summitclimb.com Ladakh, India; captivatingly beautiful mountain desert-scapes and Tibetan nomads. Kanchenjunga, Nepal; huge rewards for the intrepid, classic trekking as good as it gets. Everest with Jamie McGuinness, who wrote the guide book to it...Wild treks, but as fun as they come. http://www.project-himalaya.com NEPAL, SIKKIM, BHUTAN & TIBET. Scheduled treks & tours with USA leader of 33 Sierra Club Himalayan trips. From $425. Custom itineraries too. Off-the-beaten track areas. Environmentally sensitive and porter friendly. Peter Owens' Asian Treks. Phone: 800-223-1813 or 510-222-5307 petertrek@worldnet.att.net http://www.instantweb.com/p/peterowens World of Wonder Adventures, Inc. - The adventure travel specialists that personally take you to the places you've always wanted to go, to do the things you have always wanted to do. Visit our website at http://www.wowadventure.com for upcoming adventures including Everest Base Camp and Mt Kilimanjaro - Africa. 888-4-WOW-FUN wowadventure@earthlink.net ********************************************************************** TRAVEL Himalayan Treasures and Travel. We have seats to Kathmandu all the time. Call us for the best price and best service. We book for many HEC members and give HEC discounts! Call 800-223-1813 or 510-222-5307. govindsh@himtrek.com http://www.himalayantrekking.com. ********************************************************************** VOLUNTEER/STUDY ABROAD Volunteer Nepal Himalaya offers participants a unique opportunity to teach English in Sherpa villages in the Himalayas, near Mt. Everest. Accommodations are with local families. While not teaching, participants work on community service projects or explore the endless trails and villages of the Khumbu region. For more information, please contact the Himalayan Explorers Club at info@mountainexplorers.org or call (303)998-0101. Bridges-PRTD now accepting applications for Fall 2002 expedition (Sep 7 - Dec 10, 2002). This study/volunteer work program focuses on tourism development in a remote valley of Nepal; includes full Everest trek, optional excursion to India. $1800 plus personal expense. Open to students and non-students. www.bridges-prtd.com or e-mail seth@bridges-prtd.com The Nepal Volunteer Handbook offers potential volunteers everything they will need to know about volunteering in Nepal, including a personal skills assessment, background on the history of foreign assistance in Nepal, tips for ensuring a worthwhile experience, and information on over 50 volunteer leads. Contact the HEC at (303)998-0101 or info@mountainexplorers.org Porters' Progress, a Nepal-based initiative of the Himalayan Explorers Connection that serves to promote the empowerment, education, and safe treatment of Nepali trekking porters is currently looking for a volunteer to assist our local staff in Kathmandu with the organization and operation of our Clothing Lending Program and Tourist Education Programs. Work will include establishing creative means of promoting tourist awareness of the importance of porter safety in the mountains, assisting staff with inventory and maintenance, and being an advocate for porters' rights in Nepal. This is an opportunity to contribute to a dynamic new initiative, and to make your voice heard! If you are interested please contact Ben Ayers at ben@mountainexplorers.org ********************************************************************** HOW TO POST ON HIMALAYANET (1) Send your HimalayaNet postings to himalayanet@mountainexplorers.org Be sure to include your membership number in your e-mail. Only members can post on HimalayaNet. If you've lost your membership card, E-mail the HEC at info@mountainexplorers.org. (2) Put your E-mail address at the bottom of your posting. (3) Send responses to postings directly to the author at the address listed. (4) If you receive responses to your posting, please send the moderator (himalayanet@mountainexplorers.org) a summary if the topic is of general interest so it can be sent it out to all subscribers in the next issue. ********************************************************************** HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS CONNECTION MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION The Himalayan Explorers Connection (HEC) is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to promote a better understanding of and respect for the environment and cultures of the Himalayan Region. The HEC coordinates education, assistance, and cross-cultural experiences for members, volunteers, trekkers, and Himalayan residents. Members can receive e-mail and postal mail, store luggage, use our Internet phone to call the U.S. (no cost), and browse through trip reports at our Clubhouses in Kathmandu and Islamabad, Pakistan. In addition, members receive discounts with many hotels, restaurants, shops, and travel agents. Members also receive our hardcopy newsletter, Himalayan News. For more information about the HEC please contact us at: Himalayan Explorers Connection PO Box 3665 Boulder, CO 80307 Phone: (303)998-0101 Fax: (303)998-1007 info@mountainexplorers.org http://www.mountainexplorers.org |
