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Kazi Sherpa
Thursday, 06 May 2010
Nirvana Gardens is a small guest house right next to a beautiful river. Since it had been raining for the past few hours we decided to stay there for the night. They had a huge garden with fresh vegetables and nice rooms. Kazi Sherpa (age 47) has lived there his entire life. His great-great Grandfather built a temple in a nearby cave and the town used to be called Thumbung - Bear Cave. Kazi spoke good English and even some German. We talked about the wildlife, the mountains, the water and his garden. Three if his dogs had been eaten by “common” leopards. (and we thought the coyotes were bad!)
The discussion changed tone as we asked him about how different the Kumbu area is now from 15 years ago. He said it’s very different. Many Sherpas have gone up Everest and many come back with frostbite, nerve damages, or amputated limbs. Some do not come back at all. If a Nepali man dies his wife now has to do all of the work and the children cannot afford to go to school. A Shepra who goes on an Everest expedition gets paid about $8 - $9 per day. After the main event, their grand total may be $500-$600 plus their equipment, which an expedition tends to donate. They might choose to sell their equipment or keep it. Making the grand total about $1000. About half of this is usually donated to various temples for prayer before their expedition. Everest is the oldest of five sisters, she provides water and life for all. In Buddhism, nature is god. “These mountains,” Kazi says, “are God. Walking up Everest is like stepping on God. Younger people have lost their respect for religion and technology has created a false intelligence. We think we are smarter than God. There is a reason you get sick when you go up to a higher altitude.” Reuben and I ate our breakfast and talked with Kazi for several minutes. It was so nice to finally connect with a local and hear his thoughts.
Posted: 05.06.2010
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