Hello Mount Everest Foundation news readers! After 32 hours of plane travel I made it safely to Kathmandu.

Driving into Kathmandu from the airport, I was impressed by the bravery of the bicycle riders. They showed as much fear in the weaving auto traffic, as they did helmets and closed toe shoes. No one seemed to need street signs or turn signals to get where they were going, and shortly I was at the Hotel Kathmandu in Jyatha, Kantipath.

Above all the vibrant street life, I glimpsed a great piece of graffiti near the high school. The image highlighted my infantile command of the Nepali language and complete ignorance of the Devanagari script. Despite my language barrier, most people had good English and everyone was friendly; particularly the hotel staff.  I soon met Deha from Summit Climb at the hotel’s small restaurant. 

We discussed the Mt. Everest Biogas Project, altitude sickness and various pharmaceuticals while I enjoyed lamb curry. After I had had a few cups of chai, Deha excused himself to get back to work and I went for a walk in the neighborhood. 

The plan of the roads, the small shrines everywhere and the smell of incense mixed with raw spice kept me walking through my jet lag.

Once the sun went down, I retired to the hotel and did my best to get some work done. I have yet to get a rough draft of my 20 page paper off to my adviser in Seattle. But by 9PM in Nepal, typing up biogas digester heat losses was not my top priority. 

I gave my thanks for sleeping in a clean bed, instead of nodding off onto the shoulders of Korean businessmen, and fell into weary sleep.