Some explorers are truly testing the waters for human limits; such as the kids roaming the oceans and people like Geoff Holt, about to cross the Atlantic in a wheelchair.

Last week also brought Himalayan female milestones and polar speed records; ending with the annual Turkey story for the Thanksgiving weekend!

StatCrunch, take 3: ladies of thin air – beyond Wanda’s footprints With only Annapurna left, Oh Eun Sun is currently leading the world’s14×8000er female rank. But who was the first woman to summit an 8000er? And what is the history of women in Himalaya? Last week ExWeb’s Rodrigo Granzotto Peron continued his interesting crunch of the Himalayan stats, focusing this time on the ladies of thin air.

Spring 2010 Everest preview: Kaltenbrunner & Dujmovits Gerlinde and husband Ralf are reportedly aiming for Everest north face next spring.

2008/2009 Antarctica speed records… The fastest time from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole (1130 km) is currently 33 days, 23 hours and 55 minutes by Canadians Richard Weber, Kevin Valley and Ray Zahab. The fastest solo from Hercules Inlet is 39 days, 7 hours and 49 minutes bagged by American Todd Carmichael. From the Ronne-Filchner (Messner) start point, a distance of 890 km, the speed record is 24 days 8 hours and 50 min done by Norwegians Christian Eide (leader), Rune Midgaard, Mads Agrup and Morten Andvig – averaging a very fast 36.87 km/day. None of the teams/skiers used airdrops or sails for their record-breaking performances.

…and new season roundup Fewer teams are on the ice this season and 11 out of the 17 skiers are women. 5 skiers summitted Everest: Cecilie Skog, Ryan Waters, Meagan McGrath, Bill Hanlon and Arnold Witzig. 5 out of the 17 skiers are Canadians or Canadian residents.

Antarctic wrap-up: Cecilie Skog and Ryan Waters crossed Berkner Island and are skiing on sea ice towards the Dufek Massif, their gateway to the Antarctic continent. They travel fast, up to daily 25 kms in spite of lugging a full load so early in the crossing. Eric Larsen, Dongsheng Liu and Bill Hanlon reported one degree down while the Commonwealth Ladies were “almost sweating” in the sun.

Desert wrap-up: The river Nile Christian Bodegren reached his first big landmark on his Sahara crossing, The Nile. He changed guides and bought a new camel for the next leg.

Two Clipper Race yachts collided A dramatic start on 22 November to Race 4 of Clipper 09-10 in Cape Town, South Africa saw eight of the boats cross the start line for the 4,700-mile race to Geraldton, Western Australia, while a collision between Hull & Humber and Cork resulted in the two teams returning to harbor reported the Clipper team.

ExWeb interview with Geoff Holt, “I’ll be returning as master of a sailing yacht, despite my disability” Twenty-five years ago Geoff’s sailing career was cut short by a life changing accident which left him paralyzed from the chest down. He is now heading back to the Atlantic Ocean which he had crossed three times as a teenager; this time as master and commander of his boat, in a wheelchair and full of life lessons. “You can only achieve any of these things when you are comfortable with who you are as a person,” he told ExWeb.

17-year old Ryan Langley preparing for a sail around the world non-stop He got an introduction to sailing when he was just months old and is playing the violin since he was nine: American Ryan Langley is currently preparing to sail non-stop around the world, working full steam ahead with high hopes to secure a main partner.

A little turkey story rerun It began in 2003. The next year there was a rerun. Now it’s an ExWeb tradition. Here goes the annual turkey story. Happy Thanksgiving, guys!

So here you are, getting ready to enter the world of extreme adventure. You are preparing your sponsor and media pitch and time has come to decide on a strategy. Before you decide on which tale to present, ponder this:

Moral of the story: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there.

Exweb Week-In-Review is sponsored by HumanEdgeTech the world’s premier supplier of expedition technology. Our team helps you find ultra light expedition tech that works globally.

e-mail or call +1 212 966 1928

* Read these stories – and more! – at ExplorersWeb.com

zapraszam do subskrypcji mego bloga

The government of Nepal announced yesterday that the entire cabinet is due to hold a 20 minute meeting at Gorak Shep on the 4th of December, 2009, close to the famous Everest Base Camp where mountaineers begin their ascent of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest.

In a move similar to the underwater cabinet meeting held by the government of the Maldives, the meeting is intended to highlight Nepal’s plight in light of global warming and the demise of the Himalayan glaciers as a result.

NEPAL Everest Base Camp -- 16 Apr 2005 -- The massive ice fall which dominates this image is part of the upper Khumbu Glacier. Like on many of the world's glaciers, here on the main Khumbu Glacier, extensive melting is evident. Everest Base Camp is visible in the lower centre-left of this image, as is the Lo La Pass (NW Col, upper centre right) and the Changtse Peak (Bel Peak) in neighbouring Tibet (centre right). This geography forms the West Ridge of Mount Everest. Scientists have warned that rising temperatures from global warming may cause the demise of these Himalayan ice falls and glaciers - some already melting fast. The effects of this are likely to affect many Asian nations, as these glaciers - and those in neighbouring Tibet - feed most of the large river systems from Pakistan to China. Widespread flooding has began and is expected to continue. In the 2004 Monsoon, some 30 million people in Nepal, India and Bangladesh were affected by serious flooding. Scientists add that after the glaciers have melted, their departure will lead to widespread drought across many areas of Asia. Glaciers are melting all over the world, here in the high Himalaya, on average, glaciers are receding by around 15m + per year, a statistic which increases as the temperature rises. The cabinet meeting will be held on 04 Dec 2009 on the left of this glacier -- Picture © Jon Mitchell / Lightroom Photos

During the past few decades, Nepal has an increasing number of large glacial lakes forming (Tsho Rolpa in the Rolwaling region of the high Himalaya is a prime example, a small pond in the 1960s, now large enough to play several football matches on – and a threat to the villages further down the valley from Glacial Lake Overburst Floods or GLOFs for short).

I flew over the Rolwaling and Everest region in April 2005 and can offer a full-length feature on this topic (which I have been researching since 2005), illustrated with aerial photos of the glaciers and work from one year in the Everest region living with the Sherpas.

As for the cabinet meeting, it is difficult to cover, as no one can get there easily on foot due to altitude concerns and getting up there by air is difficult due to weight constraints.

However, any magazine or news network that would be prepared to cover the costs of this assignment can possibly get exclusive material by assigning me.

Helicopter costs are around €1,000 per hour and the whole assignment would take around 2-3 hours.

Nepal’s civil helicopter fleet is quite small compared to other countries, so anyone wanting coverage by such an assignment needs to move very quickly before all the choppers are booked out (if they are not already).

You can access and license my aerial and ground photos from this story at http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/lightroom/ – I will be showcasing a gallery of this photo essay in the next day or two on this site.

For assignment enquiries, please email jonstmchl@imap.cc (please note assignments for this are on a first come, first serve basis).

Il governo nepalese ha annunciato oggi che si riunira’ il prossimo 4 dicembre in seduta straordinaria sull’Everest per richiamare l’attenzione della comunita’ mondiale sui problemi climatici, prima dell’apertura del vertice mondiale sul clima di Copenaghen. Lo ha annunciato oggi Deepak Bohara, ministro per le foreste di Kathmandu. I 26 membri dell’esecutivo di Kathmandu, insieme a tutto il loro staff, si riuniranno a Gorakshep, a 5164 metri, sull’Everest, il luogo di solito usato da tutti gli scalatori come tappa prima di arrivare al campo base della montagna piu’ alta del mondo, posto circa duecento metri piu’ in alto. Il mese scorso, sempre per sensibilizzare i grandi del mondo sul problema ambientale prima di Copenaghen, il governo maldiviano si riuni’ sott’acqua. La riunione del governo nepalese sull’Everest era stata programmata per lo scorso 13 novembre, ma e’ stata rinviata a casa di una malattia del primo ministro Madhav Kumar Nepal. Sara’ proprio lui ad aprire la due giorni che vedra’ il suo governo riunirsi sull’Everest. Nepal, infatti, terra’ un discorso introduttivo a Syangboche, a 3970 metri, luogo nel quale l’attrezzatura, compresi i vestiti e le bombole di ossigeno, sara’ controllata prima che quattro elicotteri trasportino l’esecutivo verso il plateau di Kalapatthar a Gorakshep. La riunione nepalese sul clima, durera’ almeno 20 minuti, durante i quali i ministri voteranno una risoluzione. L’agenda del consiglio dei ministri sull’Everest prevede anche altri argomenti, come la dichiarazione di zona protetta ricca di biodiversita’ l’area tra l’Everest e il Langtang, che si estendo per oltre 2000 chilometri quadrati. Quest’ultima decisione deriva da una risoluzione adottata dalla campagna ”Save the Himalaya”, i cui membri si incontreranno a Copenaghen l’11 dicembre. La televisione nepalese trasmettera’ in diretta la riunione dle consiglio dei ministri, a cui prenderanno parte una settantina di persone tra ministri e consiglieri. Oltre 15 associazioni supportano l’iniziativa e si stanno dando da fare per agevolare l’organizzazione. Le risultanze dell’incontro, saranno poi portate a Copenaghen dal primo ministro Nepal che, durante il vertice (che si terra’ dal 7 al 18 dicembre) parlera’ per tre minuti all’assemblea chiedendo azioni per la salvaguardia dell’Himalaya e del suo paese, minacciati dai cambiamenti climatici, soprattutto dall’aumento del riscaldamento terrestre che sta portando allo scioglimento di molti ghiacciai.

A hugely important report has been released by Allianz, a leading global financial service provider, and WWF, a leading global environmental NGO. Both do work (commercial and conservation respectively) in India. The report is titled: ‘Major Tipping Points in the Earth’s Climate System and Consequences for the Insurance Sector‘.

What is a ‘tipping point’ and how does it apply to India and our agriculture? The phrase ‘tipping point’ means that a small change can make a big difference for some systems – which for our project is the agro-ecological systems inhabited by our farming households. In addition, the term ‘tipping element’ has been introduced to describe those large-scale components of the Earth system that could be forced past a ‘tipping point’ and would then undergo a transition to a quite different state. That’s the context in which the drought of 2009 can be examined.

You can find the report and more information here. I’m quoting the short summary of the report’s chapter on the Indian monsoon:

Indian Summer Monsoon – shifts in hydrological systems in Asia as a result of hydrological disturbance of monsoon hydrological regimes (particularly Indian Summer Monsoon) combined with disturbance of fluvial systems fed from the Hindu-Kush-Himalaya-Tibetan glaciers (HKHT)

Overview – The impacts on hydrological systems in India under a ‘tipping’ scenario are expected to approximately double the drought frequency (2) and effects from the melting of the Himalayan glaciers and reduced river flow will aggravate impacts.

Drought costs – Extrapolating from the 2002 drought using a simple calculation would suggest that the future costs (in today’s prices) might be expected to double from around $US 21 billion to $US 42 billion per decade in the first half of the century. However, a range of other factors are likely to act to increase these costs and consequences in the same period. The most significant of these are likely to be the combined effects of:

• decreasing probability of consecutive ‘non-drought’ years from which to accumulate surpluses (the probability of two consecutive ‘non-drought’ years is halved from 64% to 36% and for three consecutive years reduced from 51% to 22%);
• the pressures of increasing population on food and food surpluses (identified as equal to an increase in production by >40% by 2020 and continuing thereafter); and
• impacts of climate change on irrigation (with up to a 60% reduction in dry season river flows).

The effect of all of the variables is to increase the likelihood, severity and exposure of populations and the economy to potentially devastating conditions within the first half of this century with implications for water resources, health, and food security, and major economic implications not only for India but for economies regionally and worldwide.

Insurance aspects – The potential scale of drought losses could abort the initiatives to extend insurance more widely into the rural sector. The wider repercussions of drought through an economic slow-down and deterioration in public finances would impact insurers strongly, through the liquidation of private savings and the impairment of investments in public sector securities.

(dedicated for beloved mom… )

Dahulu kala, di sebuah kaki bukit di pegunungan Himalaya, di dekat sebuah kolam teratai, lahirlah seekor bayi gajah. Bayi gajah ini luar biasa indah menawan, putih bersih seperti salju dengan wajah yang sedikit bersemu kemerahan seperti warna batu karang. Belalainya berkilau indah bagaikan utas tali yang berwarna keperakan, gadingnya yang kuat dan kokoh membentuk sedikit lengkungan yang manis.

Ia selalu mengikuti ibunya ke manapun. Ibu Gajah memetik daun terlembut dan buah mangga termanis dari pohon-pohon yang tinggi dan kemudian memberikannya. “Kamu dulu, baru Ibu,” Ibu Gajah berkata. Ia kemudian dimandikan oleh ibunya di kolam teratai yang sejuk diantara semerbak keharuman bunga. Dengan belalainya, Ibu Gajah menghisap air lalu menyemprotkannya ke kepala dan punggung anaknya hingga bersih mengkilap. Kemudian Anak Gajah ini diam-diam mengisi belalainya, dan dengan hati-hati menyemprotkan tepat ke dahi ibunya. Tanpa berkedip, Ibu Gajah balas menyemprotkan air. Balas membalas menyemprot, mereka dengan gembira saling membasahi satu sama lain. Splish! Splash!

Setelah lelah bermain, mereka kemudian beristirahat di atas tanah yang lembut dengan kedua belalai melengkung dan saling membelit satu sama lain. Di bawah bayang-bayang sore hari, Ibu Gajah beristirahat di balik keteduhan pohon jambu air, sambil melihat putranya bermain dengan penuh keriangan bersama anak-anak gajah lainnya.

Gajah kecil tumbuh dan tumbuh hingga ia menjadi gajah tergagah dan terkuat dalam kawanannya. Pada saat yang bersamaan, Ibu Gajah pun menjadi semakin tua. Gadingnya mulai retak dan menguning, dan tidak lama kemudian Ibu Gajah menjadi buta. Anak Gajah yang telah tumbuh dewasa dan kuat ini kemudian memetik daun terlembut dan buah mangga termanis dari pohon-pohon yang tinggi dan memberikannya kepada ibunya yang telah tua dan buta yang amat ia sayangi. “Ibu dulu, baru Aku,” ia berkata.

Ia memandikan ibunya di kolam teratai yang sejuk diantara semerbak keharuman bunga. Dengan belalainya, ia menyemprotkan air ke kepala dan punggung ibunya hingga bersih mengkilap. Setelah itu, mereka kemudian beristirahat di atas tanah yang lembut dengan kedua belalai saling membelit satu sama lain. Di bawah bayang-bayang sore hari, Anak Gajah menuntun ibunya untuk beristirahat di balik keteduhan pohon jambu air. Ia kemudian pergi bersama gajah-gajah yang lain.

Suatu hari seorang raja pergi berburu dan melihat seekor gajah putih yang begitu indah. “Luar biasa indah! Aku harus memilikinya sebagai peliharaan untuk ditunggangi!” Raja lalu menangkap gajah tersebut dan membawanya ke kandang istana. Raja memberikan kain sutra dan permata yang indah serta untaian kalung bunga teratai kepada gajah tersebut. Raja juga memberikannya rumput manis dan buah-buahan yang lezat serta air murni yang segar untuk diminum.

Akan tetapi, gajah tersebut tidak mau makan ataupun minum. Ia terus menerus menangis, dan menjadi semakin kurus dari hari ke hari. “Gajah yang mulia,” Raja berkata, “Aku menyayangimu dan memberimu sutra dan permata. Aku juga memberikan makanan terbaik dan air termurni, namun Engkau tidak juga mau makan dan minum. Lalu apa yang bisa membuatmu bahagia?” Gajah tersebut menjawab, “Sutra dan permata, makanan dan minuman tidak membuatku bahagia. Ibuku yang sudah tua dan buta sedang sendirian di hutan tanpa ada seorangpun yang merawatnya. Walaupun aku akan mati, aku tidak akan makan dan minum sebelum aku memberikannya terlebih dahulu kepada Ibu.”

Raja terharu dan berkata, “Tidak pernah aku menyaksikan kebaikan yang sedemikian rupa, bahkan diantara manusia. Tidaklah benar untuk mengurung gajah ini.” Setelah dilepaskan, gajah tersebut segera berlari diantara bebukitan mencari ibunya. Ia menemukan ibunya di tepi kolam teratai. Ibu Gajah berbaring di atas lumpur, terlalu lemah untuk bergerak. Dengan air mata yang membasahi pelupuk matanya, Anak Gajah tersebut mengisi belalainya dengan air dan menyemprotkan ke kepala dan punggung ibunya hingga bersih mengkilap. “Apakah hujan?” Ibu Gajah bertanya-tanya, “atau anakku telah kembali?” “Ini anakmu, Ibu!” ia berseru, “Raja telah membebaskan aku!” Ketika ia membersihkan mata ibunya, terjadi keajaiban. Penglihatan ibunya pulih kembali. “Semoga Raja hari ini berbahagia sebagaimana kebahagiaanku bisa melihat anakku kembali!” Ibu Gajah berkata.

Anak Gajah kemudian memetik daun terlembut dan buah mangga termanis dari sebuah pohon dan memberikannya kepada ibunya, “Ibu dulu, baru Aku.”

(inspired and adapted by Willy Yanto Wijaya from Jataka, tales of compassionate bodhisatta)

“We zijn het tipping point al voorbij”

Ze was de eerste Nederlandse vrouw op de Zuidpool. Als tweede Nederlandse bereikte ze op 23 mei van dit jaar de top van de Mount Everest. Beroepsavonturier en klimaatjournaliste Bernice Notenboom zoekt de extremen op om de wereld de gevolgen van de klimaatveranderingen te laten zien. In december gaat ze als speciale gast van minister Cramer mee naar Kopenhagen om haar documentaire te tonen over klimaatveranderingen in de Himalaya.

Een gesprek met Bernice Notenboom over haar ervaringen op het dak van de wereld is te lezen in het magazine VROM.nl | nummer 10 | november 2009.

Erik Ravenstijn

Onlangs was in Delft een lezing van Erik Ravenstijn. Hij is de jongste Nederlander die de Mount Everest beklom. Hij bereikte op 20 mei de top. Een eye-opener in zijn verhaal was het bestaan van een reisbureau dat verzorgde reizen organiseert naar de top van de Mount Everest. Afhankelijk van het bedrag kunnen er meer/minder sjerpa’s gehuurd worden. Sjerpa’s kunne touwen en ladders aanbrengen, ook ruimen ze (afhankelijk van het reisbedrag) afval op. Eventueel gaat er ook een arts mee.

Climbing Everest in sport-style 9990 EUR (and we have the option to reduce this price); with guides and Sherpas 15990 EUR; with guides, a docter and individual Sherpas 19990 EUR.

Verschillende blik

Waar Bernice Notenboom zich richt op wat buiten haar gebeurt, was Erik Ravenstijn meer bezig met wat hem overkwam. Dat zal mogelijk ook te maken hebben met leeftijd? Het valt in ieder geval op.

Erik vertelde over zijn plannen voor 2010. Hij wil een nieuwe poging wagen, wel met een andere insteek. Meer oog voor duurzaamheid en klimmen met een leuke groep mensen …

I would like to invite you to watch one of movie of Everest collection…

Erik Weihenmayer blind climber.

“I think this is the best time in history, the most precious time in history to be a pioneer, to reach out, to seize hold of adversity and challenges we face, to harness energy not only to transform our own lives, but to elevate the world around us.” Erik Weihenmayer

Erik Weihenmayer – World-Class Blind Adventurer.

On May 25, 2001, Erik Weihenmayer became the only blind man in history to reach the summit of the world’s highest peak – Mount Everest. And on September 5, 2002, when he stood on top of Mt. Kosciusko in Australia, Weihenmayer completed his 7-year quest to climb the Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, joining only 200 mountaineers who have accomplished that feat.  At age 33, he was also one of the youngest. Additionally, he has scaled El Capitan, a 3300-foot overhanging rock wall in Yosemite; Losar , a 2600-foot vertical ice waterfall in The Mt. Everest region of the Himalayas; and a difficult and rarely climbed rock face on 17,000-foot Mt. Kenya.

In September, 2003, Erik joined 320 stellar athletes from 17 countries to compete in the Primal Quest, the richest and toughest multi-sport adventure race in the world: 457 miles through the Sierra Nevada’s, nine days, sixty thousand feet of elevation gain, and no time-outs. Averaging only two hours of sleep a night, Erik and his team surged past the finish line on Lake Tahoe, becoming one of the 42 teams to cross the finish line out of the 80 teams that began.

After Erik’s Mt. Everest ascent, Braille Without Borders, a school for the blind in Tibet, invited him to teach its students mountaineering and rock climbing.  His many climbs gave the teenagers the courage to excel in a culture which affords few opportunities for the blind.Erik and six Everest team members went to Tibet in May 2004 to train the students, then in October led them on a climb to the Rombuk Glacier on the north side of Mt. Everest. Once seen as pariahs, the teenagers ultimately stood together at 21,500-feet, higher than any team of blind people in history.  Steven Haft, producer of such blockbusters as Dead Poets’ Society, made a documentary on the ascent which opened to standing ovations at the Toronto, L.A., and London Film Festivals. The film was released theatrically in fall of 2007.

A former middle school teacher and wrestling coach, Erik is one of the most exciting and well-known athletes in the world. Despite losing his vision at the age of 13, Erik has become an accomplished mountain climber, paraglider, and skier, who has never let his blindness interfere with his passion for an exhilarating and fulfilling life. Erik’s feats have earned him an ESPY award, recognition by Time Magazine for one of the greatest sporting achievements of 2001, induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, an ARETE Award for the superlative athletic performance of the year, the Helen Keller Lifetime Achievement award, Nike’s Casey Martin Award, and the Freedom Foundation’s Free Spirit Award.  He has also carried the Olympic Torch for both the Summer and Winter Games.

In addition to being a world-class athlete, Erik is also the author of the book, Touch the Top of the World, published in ten countries and six languages.According to Publisher’s Weekly, Erik’s memoir is “moving and adventure packed, Weihenmayer tells his extraordinary story with humor, honesty and vivid detail, and his fortitude and enthusiasm are deeply inspiring.”  The book was made into a feature film which aired on A&E in June, 2006.

Erik’s second book, The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles Into Everyday Greatness, co-authored with business guru and best selling author, Dr. Paul Stoltz,  was released by Simon and Schuster in January, 2007.  Through Paul’s science and Erik’s experience, the book shares seven “summits” for harnessing the power of adversity and turning it into the never-ending fuel  to growth and innovation. Steven Covey, author of the best selling business book of all time, wrote the Foreword. Erik has also been published in Time, Forbes, and Reader’s Digest.

Erik’s award winning film, Farther Than the Eye Can See, shot in the same stunning quality HDTV format as the ‘Star Wars’ prequels, was ranked in the top twenty adventure films of all time by Men’s Journal. Bringing home first prize at 20 film festivals and nominated for two Emmy’s, the film beautifully captures the emotion, humor and drama of Erik’s historic ascent as well as his team’s three other remarkable ‘firsts’: the first American father/son team to summit, the oldest man to summit, and the most people from one team to reach the top of Everest in a single day. Through screenings, the film has raised over $600,000 for charitable organizations.

Erik’s extraordinary accomplishments have gained him abundant press coverage including repeated visits to NBC’s Today Show and Nightly News, Oprah, Good Morning America, Night Line, and the Tonight Show to name a few. He has also been featured on the cover of Time, Outside, and Climbing Magazine.

In 1999, Erik joined Mark Wellman–the first paraplegic to climb the 3000-foot face of El Capitan, and Hugh Herr–a double-leg-amputee and scientist at Harvard’s prestigious prosthetics laboratory, to climb an 800-foot rock tower in Moab, Utah. As a result of their successful climb together, the three formed No Barriers, a non-profit organization with a goal of promoting innovative ideas, approaches, and assistive technologies which help people with disabilities push through their own personal barriers to live full and active lives. Erik also serves as a National Braille Literacy Champion on behalf of the American Foundation for the Blind.

Erik’s speaking career has taken him around the world, from Hong Kong to Switzerland, from Thailand to the 2005 APEC Summit in Chile. He speaks to audiences on harnessing the power of adversity, the importance of a “rope team,” and the daily struggle to pursue your dreams.  Clearly, Erik’s accomplishments show that one does not have to have perfect eyesight to have extraordinary vision.

* Source : – http://leadingauthorities.com/13649/Weihenmayer_Erik_detail.htm

** Previous story : –  Jerzy Kukuczka: Greatest Polish Alpinist Tribute – video.

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.

zapraszam do subskrypcji mego bloga

(MountEverest.net) With only Annapurna left, Oh Eun Sun is currently leading the world’s14×8000er female rank.

But who was the first woman to summit an 8000er? And what is the history of women in Himalaya? ExWeb’s Rodrigo Granzotto Peron continues his interesting crunch of the Himalayan stats, focusing this time on the ladies of thin air.

Women’s 8000ers
By Rodrigo Granzotto Peron

I – First Female Ascents on 8000ers:

EV – 1975 – Junko Tabei (JAP)
K2 – 1986 – Wanda Rutkiewicz (POL), Liliane Barrard (FRA)
KG – 1998 – Ginette Harrison (UK)
LH – 1996 – Chantal Mauduit (FRA)
MK – 1990 – Kitty Calhoun (USA)
CH – 1984 – Vera Komarkova, Margita Sterbova (CZE)
DH – 1982 – Lutgaarde Vivijs (BEL)
MN – 1974 – Naoko Nakaseko, Masako Uchida, Meiko Mori (JAP)
NP – 1984 – Liliane Barrard (FRA)
AN – 1978 – Vera Komarkova (CZE), Irene Miller (USA)
GI – 1982 – Marie-Jose Valençot (FRA)
BP – 1983 – Krystyna Palmowska (POL)
GII – 1975 – Anna Okopinska, Halina Kruger-Syrokomska (POL)
SH – 1981 – Junko Tabei (JAP)

First: Manaslu – last: Kangchenjunga – Everest: two (!) female ascents in 1975

The table shows that the first 8000er summited by women was not Everest.

Members of an all-female Japanese expedition, Naoko Nakaseko, Masako Uchida and Meiko Mori topped-out Manaslu in 1974, one year before fellow Japanese Tabei Junko completed her Everest feat.

Junko became world famous for being the first woman to summit Everest on May 16th, 1975 (via the south side). Few know that only 10 days later, Tibetan Ms. Phantog topped-out Everest via the north side.

The last 8000er to be summited by a woman for the first time was, very recently, Kangchenjunga in 1998.

First female doubles: Junko, Vera and Liliane (Wanda permitting)

By her summit of Shisha Pangma in 1981, Junko became the first to bag two female 8000er virgins.

Three years later in 1984, Czech Vera Komarkova summited another female first – Cho Oyu – after becoming the first woman to summit Annapurna in 1978.

However, I have also included French Liliane Barrard, who completed the first female ascents of Nanga Parbat (1984) and K2 (1986).

It is a controversial subject though as K2’ first female ascent is credited to Wanda Rutkiewicz who actually climbed together with Liliane on the summit push. Wanda was faster and topped out a mere one hour ahead of the French.

In my opinion, the two women deserve to share the achievement and I believe Wanda would not oppose to this, had she been alive.

II – Female 8000ers historical ranking

01×8000er – Naoko Nakaseko, Masako Uchida and Meiko Mori (JAP) [1974]
02×8000ers – Junko Tabei (JAP) [1981]
03×8000ers – Wanda Rutkiewicz (POL) [1986]
04×8000ers – Wanda Rutkiewicz (POL) [1987]
05×8000ers – Wanda Rutkiewicz (POL) [1989]
06×8000ers – Wanda Rutkiewicz (POL) [1990]
07×8000ers – Wanda Rutkiewicz (POL) [1991]
08×8000ers – Wanda Rutkiewicz (POL) [1991]
09×8000ers – Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (AUT) [2006]
10×8000ers – Nives Meroi (ITA) [2007]
11×8000ers – Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (AUT) [2008]
12×8000ers – Edurne Pasaban (SPA) [2009]
13×8000ers – Oh Eun-Sun (S-K) [2009]
14×8000ers – ???

Wanda’s kingdom

The 80’s and the 90’s were dominated by the first woman 8000er collector, the astonishing Wanda Rutkiewicz, widely considered the most talented high-altitude lady climber ever.

Polish Wanda summited Everest (1978), Nanga Parbat (1985), K2 (1986), Shisha Pangma (1987), Gasherbrum II (1989), Gasherbrum I (1990), Cho Oyu (1991) and Annapurna (1991). Intended to become her 9th 8000er, Kangchenjunga took Wanda’s life one year later – and the world lost an icon.

It would take 15 years for another woman to equal Rutkiewicz’s record.

Friday, final: Individual and National female ranking

Author’s Notes:
a) The lists are updated to October/2009.
b) Only confirmed main summits are accepted. Non-proved claims, fore-summits (like Shisha Pangma Central, Broad Peak’s Rocky/Fore-Summit, etc.) and disputed summits are discharged. Some facts were proof-checked with Miss Hawley’s Himalayan Database.
c) Some summits are still being investigated – so some entries may be revisited in the following months, with possibly a few corrections to be done.

* Previous story :

– StatCrunch: 8000er mountaineers with 6 summits or more, updated – October/2009.

* see : – Wanda Rutkiewicz – skarb narodowy. /Version polish and english/

* Read these stories – and more! – at ExplorersWeb.com

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(MountEverest.net) Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and husband Ralf Dujmovits are aiming for Everest north face next spring, according to local media.

Ralf and Gerlinde, together with regular mate Hirotaka Takeuchi, attempted the Supercouloir on Everest north side back in 2005. The climb was aborted when Hiro showed symptoms of HACE.

“I’ve been dreaming of Everest’s north face since I stood at its base back in 2005 – I just wanted to return there with my husband again,” Gerlinde told Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Friday. “Everest south side is too crowded, and most climbers there are on supplementary O2 – I’d rather avoid that side of the mountain,” Gerlinde told media after a lecture at Salzburg’s Film Festival.

The “inexistent race”

Ralf bagged his 14th 8000er on Lhotse in spring this year with Gerlinde. This time he hopes to summit Everest without supplementary O2.

The peak would mark Gerl’s 13th 8000er. With just Everest and K2 to go, Gerlinde said, ”I would be happy if Miss Oh summited Annapurna, so I could forget about that inexistent competition everybody keep asking me about! I don’t want to be the first, I am not giving it a thought: I just want to climb beautiful mountains via beautiful routes – such as Everest’s north face.”

As for other 2010 plans: “I’d rather focus completely on Everest until I’m done with it. Just in case though, I’ll be applying for a K2 climbing permit anyway,” Gerl was quoted by Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

* Read these stories – and more! – at ExplorersWeb.com

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(MountEverest.net) To be a journalist worth your salt does not come down to witty articles, flashy assignments, big name newspapers or pretty awards. A true reporter provides equal scrutiny to all, no matter personal preference.

This can be a difficult task.

“Pending,” ruled ExWeb about Andrew Lock’s Shisha Pangma summit when the climber, bound by a contract with Australian media, could not provide summit images for our stats checkers.

We had followed Andrew’s climbs for years, and were happy to break news on his final 8000+meters summit. In the aftermath of lies reported on Shisha during the fall 2009 season though, we were forced to ask every team claiming to have reached any high point on the mountain for details – including Andrew.

“I don’t make false claims”

“Let’s be very clear: I have returned to Shisha Pangma on five expeditions to make the true summit – I don’t make false claims,” says Andrew about his final 8000er, bagged on October 2nd.

Lock and British mate Neil Ward were the only to reach Shisha’s Main summit this fall, after climbing from the north side via a variation of Iñaki’s route. Hard weather forced the two climbers to improvise an open bivouac on descent.

While a debrief was posted on Lock’s website on October 8th, the climber got a contract with the Australian Geographic Society for a complete article and photos to be published in January – so no summit pics were available on his website. “Anyway, we were in cloud (as we summited), so there was very little view,” Andrew later told ExplorersWeb.

But here goes an image shot by Andrew from Shisha’s Main summit, pointing along the ridge towards the Central, including details and GPS readings from summit day.

Andrew & Neil’s summit day, step by step

“Neil and I traversed east across the north face from camp 3 to a rib pretty much in line with the true summit, and then went straight up,” Andrew explained.

”Once we’d traversed east under the north face from camp 3 we climbed fairly directly straight up. When we came up under the 3 fingers of rock at about 7600 metres, we climbed to the left of them (to the east) and continued straight up to the summit ridge.”

Topping-out from the east side of the ridge

“When we hit the ridge about 2pm, we were to the east of the main summit. That means we were NOT between the Main summit and Central summit; instead we were on the part of the ridge that most of the routes on the south face come up to. It was quite broad, but as we started up towards the Main Summit, the ridge became quite sharp.”

“We climbed to a point probably only 25 metres in altitude below the true summit but then had a long traverse to the summit. On that section, we traversed under a long square-shaped serac. When we finally got to the end of that serac, we were right beneath the true summit – and it was an easy walk up to the top.”

Worsening weather and GPS readings

”The weather was clear when we started in the morning and was good pretty much until we got to the 3 fingers of rock. Then it started to cloud over. It was patchy cloud though and we could still see glimpses of the ridge that goes from Camp 3 to the central summit.”

“I carried a Garmin Foretrex GPS and took 3 readings on the summit day:”

“The first waypoint was filed up was at the end of the traverse across the north face from camp 3 where we started to head straight up the face through the seracs. The reading showed N 28 deg 21.744 min; E 85 deg 46.875 min; Altitude 7454 metres.”

“Second was where we finally topped out from the north face onto the main summit ridge (to the east of the main summit, NOT between the main summit and the central summit). It read N 28 deg 21.114 min; E 85 deg 46.891 min; Altitude 7951 metres.”

“Final reading was checked on the Main Summit, where I got the following data: N 28 deg 21.124 min; E 85 deg 46.772 min; Altitude 8020 metres.”

Notes on the route

“Looking at previous routes on the area, I reckon that Neil and I traversed across the face via the route previously followed by the Russians, before heading directly up the face via the Inaki route, and then continued to the top close to, the Austrian route. So our line was a combination of 3 existing routes.”

“I DID IT!,” Andrew Lock reported from Shisha’s BC on October 4th. “I summitted the true summit of Shishapangma at 5.05pm, October 2nd, together with Neil Ward.” The achievement made Andrew the 18th man to ever summit the 14 8,000ers, and the first Australian.

Himalayan quests such as Andrew Lock’s demand major sacrifice – often spanning decades – in terms of financial and private life, not to mention the very real risk of death.

False summit claims steal not only from these mountaineers, but every honest soul in the mountains. The community has in later years commenced self-policing where the top climbers – leading by example – often are subject to the hardest scrutiny.

* Previous story :

- Himalaya Fall 2009: Shisha Pangma true summit special report, part 1.

- Himalaya Fall 2009: Shisha Pangma special, part 2 – Central Summit, virtually there?

- Himalaya Fall 2009: Shisha Pangma special report final: false summit claims – and the winner is…

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A four-part investigative report from Shisha Pangma, two Himalaya legends lost, Antarctica kick-off, a number of interviews with great explorers and spellbinding stories from the seas. We didn’t expect such an eventful November, but here it is.

ExplorersWeb fall 2009 Shisha Pangma true summit special report, part 1 Climb until you reach a point where you can’t climb any higher. Mountain tops are that simple. Or are they? Himalayan quests demand major sacrifice, often spanning decades, not to mention the very real risk of death. False summit claims steal not only from serious climbers but from every honest soul in the mountains. Because most every summit claim on Shisha last month was countered by contradictory reports, ExplorersWeb editors launched a major investigation of them all.

ExWeb’s fall 2009 Shisha Pangma special, part 2: Central Summit, virtually there? Due perhaps to the big number of “summits” actually ending below the knife ridge, Shisha Pangma is a vastly underestimated climbing target. There were only two summits this fall, and only one “Central summiteer.” But how low below even the Central point do claims actually stretch these days? Check the answer in part 2.

ExWeb fall 2009 Shisha Pangma special report final: false summit claims – and the winner is... Among all the incomplete, inaccurate or plainly wrong statements from Shisha Pangma this season, Annelie Pompe and Johanna Öhrn’s story got the cake. Aided by local and international mountaineers, one Swedish climbing veteran finally did what local journalists failed: unveiling a mess of false statements, contradictions, and pictures both stolen and manipulated.

Shisha Pangma TRUE summit report: and the winner is… “Pending,” ruled ExWeb about Andrew Lock’s Shisha Pangma summit when the climber could not provide images due to a contract with the Australian Geographic Society. But when an image from Shisha’s Main summit including details and GPS readings from summit day arrived, it became clear that Andrew and Neil were the only Shisha Pangma summiteers this fall. The achievement made Andrew the 18th man to ever summit the 14 8,000ers, and the first Australian.

Tomaz Humar Lost His amazing life came to an end on an unknown peak, in the company of local kitchen boy Jagat, on a climb very few knew about. Air Zermatt Swiss rescue team Pilot Robert Andenmatten and rescue-climber Simon Anthamatten finally found Tomaz at 5600 meters on the south wall of Langtan Lirung on November 14. Robert dropped Simon with a 25 meter static rope on the accident site but it was too late. Tomaz had died, apparently after breaking his leg in a fall.

The good guys In the relatively short time that ExplorersWeb has been around, we have lost too many great climbers, and friends. Tomaz Humar was one of the very first we interviewed, in 2003. Humar’s temperament and climbs left few indifferent and Tomaz a man to be remembered in climbing history. Read ExWeb’s American editorial and European profile about the climber plus a word from Simone Moro.

K2 pioneer Lino Lacedelli gone Achille Compagnoni died earlier this year at age 94. Friday, Lino followed Achille for one last time, after making peace if not with Bonatti, then at least with himself. Italian K2 pioneer Lino Lacedelli died on November 20, a few weeks shy of 84 years.

ExWeb interview with Bill Hanlon: One of the biggest difficulties in his job? “Access,” said Bill, “as result of political and geographical reasons.” One of the Everest summiteers who will challenge themselves on skis this Antarctica season; Bill Hanlon does all these extreme adventures to promote and develop public health and primary health care projects in remote and high altitude communities. Last week he spoke to ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer about his Basic Health International (BHI) Foundation as well as skiing to the South Pole. “Our medical work emphasizes improvisations and working with limited resources,” Hanlon told ExWeb, “This trip will parallel many similar issues.”

Preparing for Mongolia with a big list of “to do’s”, “might do’s” and ”have done’s” With less than five months before his Mongolia trek starts, “This business of searching for sponsors, I should explain, is a very time consuming duty,” Ripley Davenport told ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer who caught up with him during his preparations.

Eric Larsen, “The job of explorers in the 21st century is not to conquer these places but to protect them.” Eric is skiing to the South Pole at the moment, but this is part of a bigger plan; to complete the Three Poles in 365 days. Before he left for Antarctica Larsen spoke in length to ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer about the quest and its mission.

Popular re-run: Hercules Inlet start point – leaving from where exactly? This season there are three start points to the South Pole, the “classic” start from Hercules Inlet, the somewhat shorter route from the Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf and the longer route from Berkner Island. Last week ExWeb posted a re-run about the Hercules Inlet Start Point.

Call to preserve the South Pole Dome The Dome at the South Pole has been the prominent feature at the Pole, sheltering as many as 200 scientists and support workers in the summer seasons and 50 winter-overs for 30 years. Replaced by the new building, the Dome is scheduled to be demolished in the next few months, but a small group of polar veterans is trying to preserve the structure.

Patagonia Ice Cap wrap-up: The Norwegians on the Northern Patagonia Ice Cap and the Germans on the Southern Ice Cap reported most spectacular views – mountains, forests and glaciers. The beautiful terrain though was not easy and progress slow.

Exweb Week-In-Review is sponsored by HumanEdgeTech the world’s premier supplier of expedition technology. Our team helps you find ultra light expedition tech that works globally.

e-mail or call +1 212 966 1928

* Read these stories – and more! – at ExplorersWeb.com

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It’s Sunday in Palm Springs, 75 degrees out, beautiful mountain backdrop, happy friendly people and their pets are out enjoying the life…

And I feel like shit.

Why?

My first week eating only raw food was rough.  Imagine cutting yourself off cold-turkey from drinking over 100 adult beverages per week, abstaining from your morning cup of crack with the pretty mermaid on it, and suddenly refusing your body any access to pizzas and Mexican food…NOT a fun transition.

If you’ve seen New Moon, and watched Kristen Stewart’s “Bella” writhe and scream in her sleep over her lost Edward (who I still maintain looks an awful lot like Bert from Sesame Street), you have an inkling of what my first week raw felt like!

Weeks two and three were a different movie…I felt euphoric and “high” and ate up all the positive comments I was getting from friends and strangers.  EVERY SINGLE DAY I saw a thinner, sexier, happier, healthier, more in-tune version of me in the full-length mirror.

Having a cute young raw foods chef at a Santa Monica cafe ask me if I was “raw” the second I walked in the door surprised me.  When I answered yes, and she told me she “thought so, because my eyes were so clear and I really had a case of the glow” I was beyond flattered.

But here I am near the end of week four, a week of apathy and fatigue.  What’s up?  I feel like I’m doing this right…I’ve slowly been upping my intake of greens, I’m making sure I get natural fats like hemp oil, I’m still eating a lot of juicy organic fruits…

Also, I eat very little dehydrated raw foods (they make me feel as dry as they are) and most days just eat foods in their whole simple form without trying to “doll” them up.

I’m hoping that it’s just another cleansing level I’ve hit?  I would expect my recent toxic past to haunt me for awhile. Maybe it’s a little bit mental…one month is the longest I’ve ever gone before raw…? But Jesus do I hate the idea that some or all of the benefits of raw eating might just be in my head.

One interesting distinction I’d like to make: I’m not depressed.  I’ve spent much of my life in moderate to severely depressed states, this isn’t anything like that.  I’m clear about things–almost scary sober–but I don’t necessarily like how that feels…

Sometimes eating raw makes so much sense to me, and I see it as the answer to a lot of peoples problems both on a personal level and a collective one.  That’s how I mostly feel…at other times the whole thing seems ridiculous and absurd!  Not eat ANY cooked foods?  Not get drunk and stupid?  WHY?!?  What am I trying to prove? To whom?

As an example last night a guy at the bar wanted mashed potatoes.  We don’t have that on the menu, but Mike the Chef made some for him anyways, that’s the kind of old school cool we serve up.  When I bring him the potatoes I’m drooling.  When he adds a few dollops of real butter I’m butter.  So I try and remind myself that when I get home later I was actually going to make my own version of mashed “potatoes” which are made from soaked cashews and cauliflower blended up with salt & pepper.  They taste pretty good.  But they are NOT potatoes, and they are cold.  For some reason it just seemed stupid to me…am I too good for potatoes?

My intention with this blog is not necessarily to inspire anyone to do anything.  I simply want to reveal what eating raw is doing for me (now and in the future).  So please take what I say with a grain of pink Himalayan crystal salt.   I’m half-way through my trial and will continue to candidly share my peaks and valley floors with anyone interested…

Dalmatia

By Viorel Udma

Book Preview

Just published it on Blurb. There is a free preview of the whole book.

This is the other book, published earlier this year, with photos taken in Himalaya, Nepal.

Siddhartha

oameni si locuri d…

By Viorel Udma

Book Preview

Film catastrofico diretto da Roland Emmerich, prodotto da Centropolis Entertainment, Sony Pictures e distribuito dalla Sony Pictures.

Roland Emmerich e Harald Kloser hanno scritto la sceneggiatura di questo film e hanno venduto i diritti alla Sony Pictures.

Per realizzare questo film ci sono voluti 200.000.000 $.

La responsabilità degli effetti speciali è stata affidata alla Sony Pictures Imageworks e le scene sono state girate ai Vancouver Film Studios.

Più di 100 artisti hanno lavorato sui 1300 effetti speciali presenti nel film, tra cui eruzioni vulcaniche,terremoti e inondazioni.

Gli artisti presso la società VFX Uncharted Territory hanno costruito dei blocchi di città in 3D con 60.000 immagini ad alta definizione come riferimento. Poi sono stati eseguiti i ritocchi finali.

Il regista, spiegando una delle tantissime scene, ha ripreso i suoi attori in stanze con schermi blu (bluescreen) e posizionati su una piattaforma in acciaio, sotto questa vi erano delle pompe pneumatiche per simulare terremoti e movimenti del suolo causate da crolli vari. Questo per avere una reazione naturale degli attori al movimento del finto suolo ricostruito poi in post produzione in 3D.

La Digital Domain, con la supervisione di Mohen Leo, ha lavorato sulla seconda parte del terremoto e su Washington DC dopo che è stata colpita da una nube di cenere vulcanica. Lo si era stabilito da subito che tutto l’ambiente e la distruzione doveva essere creato in 3D. Sono stati creati palazzi, strade, alberi, vetture ecc.  Ad ogni oggetto creato in 3D si è dato un effetto particolare nella scena ed è stato dato anche una secondo effetto grafico, una revisione aggiuntiva per rendere il più realistico possibile la scena finale. Grazie ad un software chiamato Drop hanno potuto gestire al meglio la rottura di palazzi e i crolli, ad esempio, lavorando e simulando su pezzi geometrici. In un terremoto ogni cosa si move ed è soggetta alla scossa, quindi anche in animazione 3D doveva essere così. Il regista ha voluto che il terremoto venisse realizzata e visualizzato come un’onda che si muovesse, alzando strade,suolo, case e tutto ciò che vi era. Questa è stata la parrte più difficile da realizzare.

Nella scena sotto si possono vedere i passaggi per realizzare una scena del film. Nella prima foto si notano gli attori che recitano la loro parte su una piattaforma con pompe pneumatiche, è stato ricreato una parte del paesaggio distrutto e al fondo vi sono i pannelli verdi (greenscreen). Nella seconda foto invece è stato inserita la scena creata in 3D con un altro software al posto dei pannelli verdi. Nella terza e quarta foto invece viene fatto interagire la scena realmente girata tra i pannelli verdi e la scena creata in 3D, sincronizzando ogni oggetto e persona nel dettaglio.

Anche la Double Negative, guidata da Alex Wuttke, ha collaborato nella realizzazione degli effetti grafici del film. Essi hanno lavorato sulla rottura della terra e la fuoriuscita della lava. Per realizzare le bombe di lava lanciate sulla città, la DN, ha fatto uso del software Maya, questo servito per il posizionamento e per la tempistica dell’animazione. I dati così forniti sono stati inseriti ed elaborati dall’altro software Houdini in cui si è fatto interagire tutto l’ambiente con la lava, l’impatto delle bombe di lava con il suolo, le varie esplosioni, rotture di strada e del terreno ecc. Lavorare su Houdini non è stato facile, hanno simulato la caduta di ogni singola bomba di lava, calcolando la traiettoria e la potenza con il quale impattavano sul suolo. Per gli ultimi ritocchi hanno spedito tutti i dati di nuovo su Maya, per effettuare il rendering.

La Sony Imageworks ha lavorato sulla stazione nel mezzo dei monti dell’Himalaya. Hanno modellato tutto in Maya e hanno lavorato molto sulla texturing Arche e sula raytracing fornito dal render Arnold. La ray tracing va a calcolare il percorso della luce e la sua interazione con l’ambiente circostante.

La corsa in limousine è stata realizzata posizionando l’autovettura in una stanza con pannelli blu (bluescreen),  la macchina è stata posizionata sopra ad una piattaforma con delle pompe pneumatiche per simulare le sterzate, buche e urti, solo gli attori erano reali. Fra le tecniche di simulazione computerizzata utilizzate dalla Sony Pictures per la realizzazione di questa scena c’è un software chiamato  Drive-A-Tron e sviluppato dalla Californiana Sway Studio. Si tratta di un software che permette di ottenere scene  3D credibili di automobili in movimento. Drive-A-Tron simula la dinamica dell’auto non solo tenendo conto di molti componenti come comportamento del corpo vettura, delle sospensioni, delle gomme e del tipo di terreno. Grazie a un vero posto guida dotato di volante, gli operatori possono condurre l’auto lungo il percorso.

Interessante è il cannone creato per lanciare le macchine, si tratta di un cannone che con aria compressa riesca a scagliare le automobili in aria, vetture ovviamente alleggerite

Concludo postando qui sotto le parole del regista per quanto riguarda il riferimento a Berlusconi :

“Volevamo che un capo di Stato di un Paese importante restasse indietro nella fuga perchè si era fermato a pregare Abbiamo scelto quello italiano”, dice Emmerich in un’intervista, che poi aggiunge “Non c’è dubbio che, in un caso come quello del film il vostro primo ministro sarebbe il primo a correre in Cina per salire sull’arca di Noè. Per dirla tutta, ha già comprato un posto”.

Lhasa to Everest Base Camp – Trek with Himalayan Planet.

Everest Base camp tour from the Tibet site is one of the most hidden, beautiful and untamed place in the world with its rich culture with hundreds of Monastery and chorten can be seen during your whole trip to Tibet that is starting to emerge from centuries of isolation.

Tibet – Mysterious land of Himalaya

Tibet is a spiritual land which is a culturally, religiously, ethnically, linguistically and geographically distinct region located to the north of the Nepal and India. Tibet was once an independent kingdom and since 1951, when China invaded Tibet; it has been fully incorporated into the Peoples Republic of China. Tibet is rewarded by the largest and highest plateau of the World with an average elevation of 4,900 meters referred as roof of the world. Tibet is a home to the indigenous Tibetan people and it has unique Buddhist culture, spiritual land, magnificent wildlife, and giant peaks are the main attraction of the Tibet.

Tibet is the Shangri-La for travelers and has many interesting part to visit as Lhasa city, the capital of Tibet including famous Potala palace, Shigatse is an another attraction with Tashilhunpo Monastery and the fort, Everest base camp has its own meaning for adventures including Shakya monastery and rongbuk, Mt. Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are the popular destination for pilgrimage tours and many beautiful lakes as Yamdo-Tso, Namtso can be seen during the Tibet visit. We organize all the tours, treks and expedition in Tibet and Himalayan Planet Adventures P. Ltd. dedicated to make your wonderful holiday during your Tibet travel.

Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Tour – 12  Days.

This trip aims to introduce you to wonderful and colorful city of Lhasa with exotic ancient mysteries and wild beauty of Tibet and make the journey to the Base Camp of the highest peak in the world, Mt. Everest. During the visit you’ll experience some of the highlights of this spiritual land and its traditions, its awesome landscapes, ancient trade routes, mysterious nomadic peoples, revered monasteries and seats of power, spiritual wonders and timeless legend and splendor. You’ll achieve one of the world’s ultimate highs when you arrive at and explore Everest Base Camp (EBC) and you’ll have plenty of time to rest, relax and enjoy your journey as you travel through stunning and diverse landscapes from the high Tibetan plateau to the lush jungle lowlands and foothills of Nepal.

Outline Itinerary

Day 01: Arriving in Lhasa Day 02: Visit Norbulinka, Sera and Jokhang Day 03: Visit Potala and Dreprung Monastery Day 04: Drive from Lhasa to Gyantse Day 05: Drive from Gyantse to Shigatse Day 06: Drive from Shigatse to Shegar Day 07: Drive from Shegar to Rongbuk Day 08: Explore Everest Base camp Day 09: Drive from Rongbuk to Zhangmu Day 10: Drive from Zhangmu to Kathmandu Day 11: Leisure at Kathmandu Day 12: Departure from Kathmandu

Detail day to day itinerary

Trip Cost Includes

Trip Cost Does Not Includes

• Chinese Visa US$45.00, for American US$128.00 (Can be arranged from Kathmandu)
• Nepal entry visa fees
• Intl. airfare (Kathmandu to Lhasa can be arranged on request US$ 376.00)
• All departure taxes
• Excess baggage charges
• Lunch and dinner in Tibet & Kathmandu
• Travel and rescue insurance
• Personal expenses e.g. phone calls, laundry, bar bills & extra porters
• Tips for driver and guide
• Any extending trips
• Services doesn’t includes in service inclusive column

* BOOK THIS TRIP

**Source : – http://www.himalayanplanet.com/

We wish you a wonderful Himalayan experience with us!!

** Previous story : – Trekking

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.

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For thousands of years the Himalayas have been a refuge for seekers of relaxation and inner peace. Due to its remoteness the Tsum Valley has remained such an oasis of quietness and recreation up to the present time, a hidden spot where it is easy to forget the hectic and the turmoils of our daily life.

This serene valley in the north of Gorkha is situated under the impressive backdrop of the mighty Buddha Himal and its towering peaks Himal Chuli (7‘823m) in the west, Ganesh Himal (7‘429m) in the south and Sringi Himal (7‘187m) in the north and is carrying a long history of ancient Himalayan civilization styles; culture, art, tradition, religion, customs and thinking.

Tsum is one of the eight “sacred” valleys (Beyuls) in the inner Himalaya and owes its genesis to the Buddhist saint “Padmasambhava”. According to the legend he created these “beyuls” in the 8^th century as safe havens for people fleeing from the effects of war, famine and religious oppression. In these valleys the Buddhist culture has remained in its traditional form up to the present days and its religious values and the lost way of life have been preserved here for generations.

In and around the Tsum Valley

The Tsum Valley has been opened to tourists only in October 2007 and since then its well kept numerous historic monuments can be admired by interested visitors in their original forms.

Once you reach the first settlement in Upper Tsum you get the impression of entering into a new world. Decorative stone built settlements, crystal clear streams, massive forests, cultivated fields and magnificent snow covered peaks characterize this small and beautiful valley. The route through the Tsum Valley takes trekkers along the old “Nepal – Tibet” caravan path to Mu Gompa, the last inhabited settlement in the valley. Mu Gompa features two important monasteries, the 1895 AD established Mu monastery and the oldest monastery in the valley – Dephyudonma – which was founded about 700 years ago.

The trail through the Tsum Valley is dotted with many mani walls, chortens and kaanis (gateway chortens). Chortens are distinctive features of the Tsum Valley which were built to keep away evil spirits from important places like river confluences or bridges and to commemorate the visits of historic figures or the death of important personalities and lamas. Kaanis are the typical gateway chortens which can be found at the entrance of most villages and it is expected that everybody walks through them. Many walls are long stone walls decorated with important mantras (words/formulas of spiritual significance) whose main purpose is to ask the gods for the wellbeing and the protection of all travelers.

In the higher areas of the Tsum Valley and closer to the snow clad mountains and frozen glaciers the more adventurous visitors can follow a number of attractive pilgrimage trails and explore the high alpine landscape on the border of Tibet.

The Tsum Valley – A World Apart

The Tsum Valley is an ideal spot to escape the hectic of everyday’s life. Here people still live in complete harmony and in perfect unison with nature. In this remote and poor valley there is for example no slaughter of animals not even as offering to the gods, a religious procedure otherwise still practiced in many parts of this country. It is also the custom for each family in Tsum to send one child to the local monastery to become a monk or a nun.

Monasteries are therefore the outstanding landmarks in this forlorn valley. Rachen Gompa is the largest monastery in Tsum and is inhabited by monks and nuns. Its life size statues of Avalokiteshvara (Lord of Infinite Compassion), Guru Padmasambhava (Founder of the Tibetan Buddhism), Tara (The Holy Mother) und Buddha Amitabha (Lord of Infinite Light) are the main attractions in this important Buddhist learning center. Besides these statues visitors can also admire a large number of traditional paintings with scenes and symbols of classical Buddhism.

The “Piren Phu Caves” (pigeon caves) located in the village of Burji are considered to be the most important caves in the valley. They are of great spiritual significance and also called Milarepa caves after the great Buddhist Yogi Milarepa (The Yogi of Tibet) who is supposed to have meditated here for a while and whose “footprints” have been preserved in these caves. The Milarepa cave is probably the largest and best known cave in the district of Gorkha. Attached to the cave are also two monasteries which house again life size statues of Avalokiteshvara, Buddha, Tara and Milarepa.

Kyiumulung is the sacred and mysterious Buddhist pilgrimage trail in the mountains around the Tsum Valley. The trail goes along the Nepal-Tibet border and is passing through various important pilgrimage sites. On the 30 days pilgrimage the more than 5’000m high Lajyang Bhanjyang and Thapla Banjyang passes are crossed and the settlements of Chhekam, Philim, Sirdibas, Dyang, Bihi, Namrung and Loh in Nepal and Rui Gaon, Sala Himal and Nyang Tibet are visited.

While visiting the Tsum Valley one can feel the Buddhists’ deep mystical sense for the beauty of nature and learns to understand the importance of a harmonious interaction between man and nature, a way of life that is considered to be the basis for reaching a higher and deeper sphere where simple existence turns into an experience of living with wisdom and compassion.

The Tsum Valley – A Place forgotten by the World!

Because of its isolation, its remoteness and due to the exodus of many young people the inhabitants of this valley suffer from great poverty and massif economic problems. Even the most basic modern infrastructures have never reached Tsum and the people were turned into a minority who is fighting for its survival. Their traditional way of life with its art and religious values is threatened with extinction. It would be the Nepalese government’s duty to protect the existence of this exotic spot and to assure the needed support measures. But also travelers from all over the world who are looking for a special trekking experience in Nepal can contribute their part to improve the economic situation of the people of Tsum by visiting this long forgotten valley thus helping to create new income opportunities for them.

The Tsum Valley owes its reputation as an exotic and forgotten spot on the border of Tibet primarily to the fact that it has been spared from the impacts of modern civilization – however, the inhabitants of this isolated area also have a right to a life where they can in some ways benefit from the achievements of today’s civilization, at least in the areas of education and health care.

As one of the first international trekking program operators we are giving a limited number of participants the opportunity to explore this remote area with us in May and October 2010. From a trek to the Tsum Valley participants return not only with many happy memories but also with the feeling of having made a small personal contribution to the improvement of the living conditions of the people in this forgotten valley at the foot of the Himalaya.

More information on our Tsum Valley Trekking Expedition you find here: Tsum Valley Exploration

Der Himalaya gehört schon seit Jahrtausenden zu den bevorzugten Rückzugsgebieten für Menschen die auf der Suche nach Entspannung sind, ein Ort der Stille und der Besinnlichkeit wo jeder die Chance hat den inneren Frieden zu finden. Das Tsum Valley ist dank seiner Abgeschiedenheit eine solche Oase der Ruhe und Erholung geblieben in der es uns leicht fällt die Hektik und die Turbulenzen aus dem täglichen Leben zu vergessen.

Dieses vergessene Tal liegt im Norden Nepals im Gorkha Distrikt, eingebettet zwischen der mächtigen Gebirgskette des Buddha Himal mit ihren markanten Gipfeln, dem  Himal Chuli (7‘823m) im Westen, dem Ganesh Himal (7‘429m) im Süden und dem Sringi Himal (7‘187m) im Norden. Es ist eines der acht „heiligen“ Täler (Beyuls) im inneren Himalaya deren Geschichte stark verbunden ist mit dem Buddhistischen Heiligen „Padmasambhava“der diese „Beyuls“  im 8. Jahrhundert als sichere Schutzgebiete für Menschen geschaffen haben soll damit sie sich von den Auswirkungen kriegerischer Auseinandersetzungen, Hungersnöten oder religiöser Unterdrückung  in Sicherheit bringen können.

Dieses von den hohen Gipfeln des Himalaya geschütze Tal an der Grenze Tibets  ist ein lebendes Museum mit zahlreichen antiken Schätzen und Sehenswürdigkeiten aus  Kultur, Kunst und Religion,  es ist eine lang vergessene Talschaft die heute noch geprägt wird von traditionellen Bräuchen und Buddhistischem Denken und Handeln.

Im und um das Tsum Valley

Das Tsum Valley darf offiziell erst seit dem 17. Oktober 2007 von Touristen besucht werden. Den Besucher erwarten in dieser abgelegenen Gegend zahlreiche historische Zeitzeugen die hier über viele Generationen gepflegt worden sind und deshalb immer noch in ihren ursprünglichen Formen bewundert werden können.

Sobald man die erste Siedlung im oberen Tsum Gebiet erreicht hat fühlt man sich versetzt in eine andere Welt. Das wunderschöne Tal wird geprägt von kleinen aber sehr schmucken Dörfchen mit Gebäuden aus Stein, sorgfältig bebauten Feldern, rauschenden Bächen mit kristall klarem Wasser, grossen Wäldern und mächtigen Schnee bedeckten Gipfeln. Die Route durch diese abgelegene Gebirgslanschaft führt entlang des alten „Nepal – Tibet“ Karawannen Pfades nach Mu Gumba, dem letzten bewohnten Ort im Tal. Hier sind auch zwei wichtige Buddhistische Klöster beheimatet, das gleichnamige, im Jahre 1895 gebaute und 1998 restaurierte Kloster Mu und das älteste Kloster des Tales, das vor gut 700 Jahren gebaute Kloster Dephyudonma.

Der Weg durch das Tsum Valley ist gesäumt von zahlreichen Mani Walls, Chorten und Kaanis (Portal Chorten). Chorten sind religiöse Monumente des Buddhistismus die auch Stupas genannt werden. Es sind die unverkennbaren Merkmale des Tsum Valleys die nicht nur gebaut wurden um die bösen Geister von wichtigen Orten wie Flussmündungen oder Brücken fern zu halten sondern auch zum Gedenken an Besuche oder zur Ehrung von verstorbenen wichtigen Persönlichkeiten und Lamas. Kaanis sind sg. Portal Chorten die jeweils an den Eingängen zu den Dörfern erstellt worden sind und durch die jeder Besucher gehen sollte. Mani Walls sind lange mit Mantras verzierte Steinmauern die den Zweck haben die Götter zu bitten sich um das Wohlbefinden der Reisenden zu sorgen und sie zu beschützen.

In den höheren Gebieten des Tsum Valleys in der Nähe der Berge und Gletscher findet man zudem eine Reihe von interessanten Pilgerpfaden auf denen man u.a. auch das Gebiet entlang der Grenze zu Tibet in mehrtägigen Hochwanderungen erkunden kann.

Das Tsum Valley – Eine Welt für sich

Das Tsum Valley ist ein idealer Ort um der Hektik des Alltags zu entfliehen. Hier leben die Menschen noch in totaler Harmonie und im perfekten Einklang mit der Natur. In diesem Tal werden zum Beispiel keine Tiere getötet, weder für die Ernährung noch für religiöse Opfer an die Götter wie es in anderen Teilen dieses Landes immer noch üblich ist. Auch ist es Brauch, dass jede Familie im Tal ein Kind ins Kloster schickt damit es Mönch oder Nonne werden kann.

Im Tsum Valley sind daher eine ganze Reihe von z.T. sehr alten Klöstern zu besichtigen, das grösste heisst Rachen Gumba und beherbergt sowohl Mönche wie auch  Nonnen. Die lebensgrossen Statuen von Avolitekshvara (Gott der Erleuchtung), Guru Padmasambhava (Begründer des Tibetischen Buddhismus), Tara (die Göttliche Mutter) und Buddha Amitabha (Buddha des Westens) gehören zu seinen wichtigsten Sehenswürdigkeiten. Im Inneren des Klosters können zudem zahlreiche Wandmalereien aus dem traditionellen Tibetischen Buddhismus bewundert werden.

Ein weiteres attraktives Besuchsziel im Tsum Valley sind die „Tauben Höhlen“ (Piren Phu) in der Nähe des Dorfes Burji. Diese Höhlen haben insbesonder für Buddhisten eine grosse spirituelle Bedeutung weil der berühmte Yogi Milarepa (Tibets grosser Yogi) hier eine Zeit lang meditiert haben soll und weil Überreste seiner „Fussabdrücke“ in diesen „Milarepa Höhlen“ konserviert worden sein sollen. In den dazugehörigen zwei Klöstern kann man wiederum lebensgrosse Statuen von Avaloketishvara,  Buddha, Tara und Milarepa bewundern.

Kyimulung ist der heilige und geheimnisvolle Buddhistische Pilgerweg in den Bergen des Tsum Valley. Die 30 tägige Pilgerreise führt in einem 30km Radius entlang der Grenzgebiete von Nepal und Tibet zu den wichtigen Pilger Orten Chhekam, Philim, Sirdibas, Dyang, Bihi, Namrung, Prok und Loh in Nepal und Rui Gaon, Ning, Sala Himal und Nyang in Tibet und beinhaltet die Überquerung der über 5‘000m hohen Pässe Lajyang Bhanjyang und Thapla Banjyang.

Im Tsum Valley kann das tiefe mystische Empfinden des Buddhismus für die Schönheit der Natur verspürt werden, man kann erfahren wie gross hier die Bedeutung des harmonischen Zusammenspiels von Natur und Mensch ist um die Seele aus der irdischen Welt in eine höhere Sphäre zu bringen wo das einfache Dasein zu einer Erfahrung eines Lebens in Weisheit und voller Mitgefühl wird.

Das Tsum Valley – Ein von der Welt vergessenes Tal!

Wegen seiner Unzugänglichkeit, seiner Abgeschiedenheit und des Wegzugs vieler jungen Menschen leiden die Bewohner dieses Tals unter grosser Armut und massiven wirtschaftlichen Problemen. Bei der Einführung der minimalsten modernen Infrastrukturen wurde dieses abgelegene Gebiet total vergessen! So sind die Menschen hier gezwungenermassen zu einer Minorität geworden die nun um ihr Ueberleben kämpfen muss. Die traditionelle Lebensweise mit ihrer Kunst und ihren religiösen Werten steht heute vor dem totalen Aussterben. Es wäre die Aufgabe der nepalesischen Regierung diesen exotischen Fleck Erde in seiner Existenz zu schützen und dafür einen Beitrag zu leisten. Aber auch Menschen aus allen Teilen der Welt die in Nepal ein spezielles Trekking Erlebnis suchen können mit ihrem Besuch etwas für die Verbesserung der wirtschaftlichen Situation der Bevölkerung in diesem vergessenen Tal tun und ihnen alternative Einkunftsmöglichkeiten eröffnen.

Das Tsum Valley verdankt seinen Ruf des exotischen und vergessenen Ortes an der Grenze Tibets vor allem der Tatsache dass es von den Einflüssen der modernen Zivilsation weitgehend  verschont geblieben ist  – trotzdem haben auch die Menschen dort ein Anrecht auf ein Leben in dem sie von den elementaren Fortschritten zur Verbesserung des täglichen Lebens profitieren können, wenigstens in den Bereichen Bildung und Gesundheit.

Als einer der ersten internationalen Trekking Programm Anbieter  werden wir deshalb im Jahre 2010 im Mai und Oktober einer begrenzten Anzahl von Menschen die Gelegenheit geben mit uns dieses Gebiet zu  entdecken. Von einem Trek in das Tsum Valley wird man nicht nur mit vielen schönen Erinnerungen zurückkehren sondern auch mit dem befriedigenden Gefühl einen ersten Beitrag geleistet zu haben der zur Verbesserung der Lebensumstände der Menschen in diesem vergessenen Tal am Fusse des Himalaya führen wird.

Mehr zur Tsum Valley Trekking Expedition finden Sie hier: Tsum Valley Exploration

I would like to invite you to watch one of movie of Everest collection…

Jerzy Kukuczka: Greatest Polish Alpinist Tribute.

Jerzy ‘Jurek’ Kukuczka, the famous Polish climber, has entered mountaineering history as ‘the second man to conquer all 14, 8000ers” after Reinhold Messner, lost on Lhotse in 1989.

There have been a lot of rivalries surrounding Everest over the years, some so subtle they went unnoticed, some so blatant they erupted into a full-fledged battle-of-wills at base camp. Few however endured as long or seemed as heroic as the battle between Jerzy “Jurek” Kukuc zka and Reinhold Messner during the early 80s. Both men were attempting to be the first climber to summit all 14 peaks in the world over 8,000 meters.

While Messner would finish a year ahead of Kukuczka, it would take Messner 16 years to complete this feat compared to only 8 for Kukuczka.

* see:  – Jerzy Kukuczka – famous Polish climber /Version polish and english/

-  Jerzy Kukuczka – the ultimate legend, part 4, final. /Version english/

-  Jerzy Kukuczka – the ultimate legend part 3. /Version english/

-  Jerzy Kukuczka – the ultimate legend part 2. /Version english/

-  Jerzy Kukuczka – the ultimate legend part 1. /Version english/

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.

zapraszam do subskrypcji mego bloga

O expoziţie de amintit, văzut şi povestit, intitulată Povestiri din Himalaya, vă aşteaptă la Cafeneaua Dalles din capitală.

O călătorie fantastică printre cele mai înalte vârfuri ale Pământului, pe drumul de munte anevoios parcurs de fotograful Mihai Moiceanu, cu personaje pitoreşti şi peisaje desprinse din poveşti.

Cele 50 de imagini expuse “vorbesc” despre decorul exotic şi legendele Nepalului. Fotografiile expuse au fost realizate în martie şi aprilie, în timpul expediţiei “Nikon Himalaya Trek”.

Expoziţia de la Dalles e deschisă publicului în perioada 18-27 noiembrie 2009 cu program de vizitare de luni până sâmbătă între orele 10.00 – 21.00 şi duminica între 10.00 şi 19.00.  Cafeneaua Dalles,  Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu la numărul 18, Bucureşti.

the bag-carried charms of lonely school-girls

blue crushed dreams drowned at noon-day

vented fortunes melted and re-created

morphed laughters reflected in a magenta pool

shadowy remains of the over-large green lantern

vultured skulls swinging by their guitar strings

music honeyed lions pondering the dancing stars

there a stare – here a smile – everywhere death

paper-thin mannequins feasting on shrimp salads

oceanic largesses buttoned and stored sideways

sun-dried tomatoes drank with overmuch salt

zion led saints proportioning those fairly decked nuns

swing crushed remains – the bread cracks of yore

the vegan induced convulsions of some carnivore

emperor dreamed lords dressed in nakedness

street whispered symphonies overtaken with sun-dried laughters

slithering oysters wrestling with some stranded toe

darling buds gnashing their teeth as they gently kiss those receding winds

suffocated wedding bands recalling past conquests

suffused pleasures desiring a proper vessel

the sweaty palms of boys chained in boarding schools

green sullied roof tops laced in brown jacaranda leaves

death masked violins overran with a craving for strings

there be but a remainder of mats – herded feet whistling their displeasure

overmuch excitement – the sure emblem of lovers at war

gloried bosoms rounder than the fairest august apple

middle apportioned fortunes starved of the seasons fallings

i pose a conundrum – suppose i cared

those circular yearning s teasing the pathetic fortunes of our failings

trombone led bands cowering beneath flute dresses

museum honeyed murals of masters unknown

leather clobbered loins remained upon the chiefest lizard cliffs

shop stewed beans rustling in their metal prisons

willows distantly dancing a fresh of the flowing muds

the punished sounds of choirs hanged at dawn

boot driven passions remained on a plastic plate

a loose lip here – a shoe there – everywhere death

numidian mushrooms sheltered beneath kilimanjaros shoulders

kissed birds overcome with grief

the booked imaginings of shy pupils giggling in rain

pampered lobsters sunbathing in their coffins

oiled thighs standing erect besides michelangelo’s david

yellow scented lusts of husbands given over to theatre

comedy driven longings – the perpendicular stares of wronged lover

the karoo streams – kalahari basins – toureg chants – gorgon encampments

they all be but simple venison servings

table laid charms bottled in salt

how fair are those dancing bears – even the same fur-less devils

suspended aloft that soon disappearing iceberg

night stars rushing purposefully to their deaths

sychellian crustaceans wallowing in grief

the bushveld  tropics leaning gently upon fair mozambique’s cheeks

soon-approaching monsoons announcing their arrival in himalayan chants

train hurried suns murmuring for a lack of attention

the haired touching of lovers stranded at and in the sea

easterly badlands housed in some papal estate

toe-tugged yearnings elegantly decked in straw skirts

of epher’s children – salute them with a gentle tug in either direction

craven red shoes seated upright in some rainy mud hut

of mau mau and his abandoned harlots – whistle only and touch not

burning forests housed wholly in her mouth

olympian straits considered and rejected

righteousness forced upon unwilling saints – they chose sin instead

snow-covered churches overcome with laughter

coat pocketed jealousies of rivals resorting to righteousness – dueling

scorched lands immigrating downward and into hell

cherry scented mustangs awash in fresh aloe

dew carried feet refusing the flung serving of fresh boots

the remaining african horn fed to the nomadics of eritrea

diseased waters bottled and sent to epher’s descendants

soap deprived ankles painted in valley yellow

dark suns prejudiced at the sight of blue oranges

suited bullfrogs desiring an audience with the priest

mournful dirges of some tragic anthem lorded over the plains

serengeti woodlands teaming with overmuch grasshoppers

lateral – dental – palatial

the rice grown hatreds of aphrite’s rude cousins

millet rinsed touchings of loves and lovers clothed in burnings

sight condemned ancients rehearsing their final movements

hurried motionings of sharks harpooned at the high deserts

drunk instructors condemned to the wine cellars

drought moustaches grown arrogant with the occasional brush

ankle dipped hands dancing on freshly painted ceilings

roman centurions sheepishly waiting upon the priests

the back covered lashes of whips crying at dawn

zebra teethed lions lying sideways – the feed was much

meditating monks nightly preaching patience as they doubt its efficacy

rib jointed searchings of parents transfixed upon some tragic statute

guitar stringed understandings of lovers soon to be loosened

hurricane gales refusing freely gifted medications – they instead desire destruction

church chimed machinations – the loud shadows of sarcadortal hems

leather-covered sweaters speaking of soon returning father abraham

marsh covered bibles resurrected to their mournful parents

papered lips pretending to care yet found out

fortuned souls buried in moses’ bosoom

piano starved school children emaciated and in need of fresh cassava

drunk pilgrims desecrating their holy places

curses courtiers given over to overindulgence

pleasured hips forgetting how to dress

earth abused servants despising their hoes

equator neglected bears doubly aggrieved

polluted musics distilled in yellow barley

tomato crushed dreams of lovers separated by war

tributaries of untamed passions spewing from eva’s bosom

tribal instincts of mothers caressing their pops – confused loves

crucified sailors condemned for purity of passions

the yellow ribbons circling about in their blue trousers

bus driven fears of known futures

boiled mannequins cascading in sheltered rage

the oiled ankles of lovers destined to fail

teaming marshes pregnant with the anticipation of your impending hanging

what would shylock do

such purity contained in those unassuming holy loins

not a penny more or less

the weighty pendulums of earthly expectations placed shoulderwise

upon such lowly flesh – pray for his rich poverty

freely consider the run – jonah did

circular chains layered outwardly upon her cheeks

wandering stares of the decomposing tortoise

craged backs of prisoners rejoicing at the sight of a whip

unseemly lovings of the nile priests

snow married rains competing for the mastery

roaming preachers begging for fresh underwear

any recall the simple pleasures of death

hyacinth troubled waters refusing to suffocate

consider the daffodils and their fair cousins – the black mamba

following – continue your runnings

street dancing muses overtaken with giggling willows

haggard poets taking up whistling

layered burnings of victims returned from their nightly flames

the bleached denials of lovers untrained in the art – of lying

caressed lips of saints hanged and burned by the eclipse

green creeks snaking around eva’s proud towers

ever populated with the bagged trifles of smiles sealed and delivered

expected rains falling only the honest sinners

touch not but freely reach

the flasked remains of wars forced upon the innocent

dirt condemned shoulders praying for rain

honeyed nights scribing the moanful chants of reunited lovers

built ruins of some ancient king – god

boot-straped cowboys jeaned and straightwith saddled

onion ringed stairs of pilgrims unfurling their carpets in prayer

stoned devils loosened on an unassuming friday afternoon

the shamelessly chanted charms of choirs rehearsing compassion

free range grains frustrated at the sight of a sickle

garden manufactured sandals covered in cassava peelings

the red vases of fortunes’ train soon approaches

temple plundered riches housed in some temple

boat driven suspenders tugging the wily doe

arabian summers spend it hibernation

square run destinies married to music slithered hands

love-worn seagulls taking up residence on greenland’s beaches

the pilgrim stares of submerged penguins

superfluous gains of tormentors destined to burn

collected unicorns aimlessly peddling their air cycles

terrace covered nakedness of summers spent at the arctic

zerubabel conducted symphonies arrested by the passing eclipse

the retrograde joys of past loves recalled in regret

of pains  known and grown out of – try harder

vase-shaped frustrations – even the same man nurtured

sandals of ambitions dead at birth

any care pass along the rope – how make you a proper noose

how sweet the contradiction daily raping humanity

baleful mourns of innocence hushed in the still of the night

bewildered stares fixed upon the priestly robes of the temple vultures

scavengers given over to overmuch prayer – before consuming their flesh

teeth mapped meats shaking with fear

with love and for love yet always serving self

hades scented saints marching triumphantly towards their sabbath pews

those proper passions gently housed in some harlots bosom

care consider her kind

rude awakenings of skirts hugged one upon another

round fingers – the meandering coins emblazoned with sea fortunes

sword kissed deaths transfixed upon some tragic mount

that they too desire to commune with father moses – any care find him

knee-nursed yearnings of some crawling pop

kettle-whispered lovings of mothers overcome with joy

loves journeyed in darkness only to be condemned by the searching light

some waffled longings of imprisoned cousins – twice removed

fortunes plundered and straightaway surrendered to mightier foes

watched yearnings of those round face anthills

care imitate the socialized hatreds of the sheppard

joyous singings at the news of the stranded winters upon the seas

today be the burial of some tragic figure – some son of three parents

scared remains of lovers burned in love – rather it be love that burned then -

or love caused these burnings – love burned them – in a word: they be dead

the dragon costumes singularly common yet without a mother

companies of soldiers bewailing their blood-muddied swords

pure-bred expectations of fathers married to daily runnings

parisian harlots – even those decadent damsels of notre dame

lamp lighted walkings of some painted corridor

symphonic laughters given over to overmuch prayers

recall the butterfly laced travels of righteous odysseus

the drought peopled apartments quietly screaming for chardonnay

touched purities of priests aggrieved in spirit yet glad in the flesh

palm lined libraries of cairo giddily seated adjacent jerusalem’s famous lamps

summer covered carpets laced with gerbera ferns

nightly runnings of forbidden lovers conspiring their next escapes

apostolic sureties of saint eva – blessed be her musical loins

poems collected in empty wooden wine skins

coerced laughters masked in the lying giggles of the anaconda

prayerful knees of the arabian monk wrestling with an empty sea shell

rehearsed returns of the blue women of the green lagoon

liberian tiles refusing their ordained marriages to cuban cements

any care hear of the loud shrills of the debauched crickets

plimsol expectations of princes ignored in plain sight

the returned piercings of lapped waters dancing in a great danes mouth

restrained sheep recalling their wild histories as dakota mustangs

of sacrifices a dove yet wholly unrepentant

rosy mornings carried in an empty jar

that the sistine chapel was erected by a harlot – aye even eva

that most righteous and upwardly decked saint of the weeping sheets

known of most for her convulsing inducing hands

virgin pilgrims remained upon their store-bought piety

some raisin cured yawns of the whited sepulchers housing her blessed remains

glass layered centuries of accusations returned and loosened

sweet-honeyed chirpings of the wooly mammoth

crane-spoted hyenas jumping rope in the serengeti plains

crowned turtles desiring the company of boiling lobsters

any recall the tearful repentances of proud nabucco

slaves become masters and enslaving their fellow slaves

how that in running – they instead lost themselves

have a care