News Archive
Kristen: Live from the Himalayas Part 2
AHF recently bid farewell to our awesome project coordinator, Kristen Parrinello. Before she ventures off to graduate school, Kristen is off on an adventure to see many of AHF's projects in the Himalayas. Here is her second dispatch from the field:
Day Two - Zhangmu (2300m) to Zhamgmu (2300m)
When we woke up and went to breakfast we were introduced to our morning usual for the next seven days: coffee or tea with a fried egg and toast or a traditional Tibetan bread that is slightly similar to an English Muffin. Over food, we were disappointed for a second time as we would have to stay in the small town of Zhamgu the entire day because we finally were cleared through customs but had some blocks for our future road travel. Amid much confusion, we found out we would have to check out of the hotel, put our stuff in the car and wait until 11:00 pm to leave from Zhamgu to get to Nyalam. There was construction on the "Friendship Highway" and we could only travel over a certain portion of the road between 1 am and 4 am. Since nothing will ever compare to the insane work hours I kept in the Navy as a ship driving officer, I didn't think that this would be a big hassle.
Tom, Doug, Simone and I spent most of the morning walking around the continuous slight hill of a road town, discovering the Chinese version of Tibet as I received many photography lessons. The fog set in the evening before and the sight of many lines of prayer flags covering the sky over the street made me feel welcome. The day went by quickly between getting used to the unpredictable rains and the sight of two recently cut Yak heads on the road while the meat was being divided on a cart close by.
Day Three - Zhangmu (2300m) to Shigatse (3900m)
Around 11:00 pm we left Zhangmu to make up for our lost day. Tashi, our driver, was a rough rider with skill, like the drivers in Kathmandu. The late night escapade brought me back to the sand dune tour I took in Dubai, UAE, of 2001. The air was taken out of the tires before we entered the hilly, yet smooth playground. Tashi had to get us through very rocky and tight roads in the dark while avoiding other cars and construction hazards. It was a tough ride that kept us awake along with the constant alarm of the horn. We arrived in Nyalam (3750m) at 2:00 am and rushed to bed in another guesthouse to wake at 7:00 am and continue our drive to higher elevation.
The sun had risen by the time we left Nyalam and we were in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. The Tibetan landscape that I had been exposed to by the photos on a computer screen at AHF came to life within the first half hour. Filled with excitement, I couldn't sleep and just looked out the window. I took one for the team and as victim of my long legs by sitting in the middle seat in the back. We drove through Gutso and stopped in Tingri (4390m) for breakfast.
We passed Everest on the way and the mysticism of the mountains that had been described to me by many, finally came alive. I can now appreciate why people love the mountains as much as I love the sea. Tibet reminds me of the ocean when the sky is clear as almost every gathering of water reflected the pristine clouds and bright blue sky flawlessly. When the USS FLETCHER was off of the Horn of Africa, we were sailing at about 3 kts one morning, when I took the watch on the Bridge to find that the water perfectly reflected the sky; the horizon didn't have a defined line and the sky and ocean seemed to go to infinity.
The Tibetan teahouse visit was very rewarding as I saw a smokeless stove and witnesses a woman eating tsampa for the first time. A smokeless stove is a big deal in the remote areas of the Himalayas. Many people in remote Nepal live in homes where their food is cooked over fires and the smoke suffocates all who reside there. AHF has a project that replaces these stoves with locally made smokeless stoves, adds light to the home with solar panel-energized LED bulbs and helps to maintain hygiene by building latrines. The before and after pictures in the reports on this project are amazing and seeing a similar product was gratifying.
Tsampa, a Tibetan food staple, is roasted barley placed in a bowl to be rolled by hand into a ball when mixed with yak butter, milk or water. "Kundun" is a good movie about the 14th Dalai Lama that has a scene of a family eating tsampa. Since then I was intrigued to see it in person and I was able to get a few live action shots of a woman going through the motions. While the drivers ate momos (dumplings) and other traditional Tibetan food, we quickly ate our fried egg, traditional Tibetan bread and a thin flour pancake that looked and tasted incredibly similar to a tortilla.
We headed back on the road to make it to the high pass at 5220 m. Tashi, our driver, was very experienced and told me to get out of the car slowly as he observed all of us for symptoms of altitude sickness.
Would you like to help Tibetans in their struggle to maintain their culture?
Click here to find out how.
Day Two - Zhangmu (2300m) to Zhamgmu (2300m)
When we woke up and went to breakfast we were introduced to our morning usual for the next seven days: coffee or tea with a fried egg and toast or a traditional Tibetan bread that is slightly similar to an English Muffin. Over food, we were disappointed for a second time as we would have to stay in the small town of Zhamgu the entire day because we finally were cleared through customs but had some blocks for our future road travel. Amid much confusion, we found out we would have to check out of the hotel, put our stuff in the car and wait until 11:00 pm to leave from Zhamgu to get to Nyalam. There was construction on the "Friendship Highway" and we could only travel over a certain portion of the road between 1 am and 4 am. Since nothing will ever compare to the insane work hours I kept in the Navy as a ship driving officer, I didn't think that this would be a big hassle.
Tom, Doug, Simone and I spent most of the morning walking around the continuous slight hill of a road town, discovering the Chinese version of Tibet as I received many photography lessons. The fog set in the evening before and the sight of many lines of prayer flags covering the sky over the street made me feel welcome. The day went by quickly between getting used to the unpredictable rains and the sight of two recently cut Yak heads on the road while the meat was being divided on a cart close by.
Day Three - Zhangmu (2300m) to Shigatse (3900m)
Around 11:00 pm we left Zhangmu to make up for our lost day. Tashi, our driver, was a rough rider with skill, like the drivers in Kathmandu. The late night escapade brought me back to the sand dune tour I took in Dubai, UAE, of 2001. The air was taken out of the tires before we entered the hilly, yet smooth playground. Tashi had to get us through very rocky and tight roads in the dark while avoiding other cars and construction hazards. It was a tough ride that kept us awake along with the constant alarm of the horn. We arrived in Nyalam (3750m) at 2:00 am and rushed to bed in another guesthouse to wake at 7:00 am and continue our drive to higher elevation.
The sun had risen by the time we left Nyalam and we were in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. The Tibetan landscape that I had been exposed to by the photos on a computer screen at AHF came to life within the first half hour. Filled with excitement, I couldn't sleep and just looked out the window. I took one for the team and as victim of my long legs by sitting in the middle seat in the back. We drove through Gutso and stopped in Tingri (4390m) for breakfast.
We passed Everest on the way and the mysticism of the mountains that had been described to me by many, finally came alive. I can now appreciate why people love the mountains as much as I love the sea. Tibet reminds me of the ocean when the sky is clear as almost every gathering of water reflected the pristine clouds and bright blue sky flawlessly. When the USS FLETCHER was off of the Horn of Africa, we were sailing at about 3 kts one morning, when I took the watch on the Bridge to find that the water perfectly reflected the sky; the horizon didn't have a defined line and the sky and ocean seemed to go to infinity.
The Tibetan teahouse visit was very rewarding as I saw a smokeless stove and witnesses a woman eating tsampa for the first time. A smokeless stove is a big deal in the remote areas of the Himalayas. Many people in remote Nepal live in homes where their food is cooked over fires and the smoke suffocates all who reside there. AHF has a project that replaces these stoves with locally made smokeless stoves, adds light to the home with solar panel-energized LED bulbs and helps to maintain hygiene by building latrines. The before and after pictures in the reports on this project are amazing and seeing a similar product was gratifying.
Tsampa, a Tibetan food staple, is roasted barley placed in a bowl to be rolled by hand into a ball when mixed with yak butter, milk or water. "Kundun" is a good movie about the 14th Dalai Lama that has a scene of a family eating tsampa. Since then I was intrigued to see it in person and I was able to get a few live action shots of a woman going through the motions. While the drivers ate momos (dumplings) and other traditional Tibetan food, we quickly ate our fried egg, traditional Tibetan bread and a thin flour pancake that looked and tasted incredibly similar to a tortilla.
We headed back on the road to make it to the high pass at 5220 m. Tashi, our driver, was very experienced and told me to get out of the car slowly as he observed all of us for symptoms of altitude sickness.
Would you like to help Tibetans in their struggle to maintain their culture?
Click here to find out how.