Phortse Sherpa

This article strikes a cord from within, for various reasons. I was living with Pemba's family in 2012 at the Namaste lodge in Phortse. While running the clinic in Phortse, Kumaran was climbing Mt Everest and so was Pemba.

Both his parents and I were anxiously waiting for the return of our loved ones.

The feeling is familiar.... the fear, the anxiety, the uncertainty...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150410-Everest-climbing-sherpas-mountaineering-Nepal-Himalayas-guides/?rptregcta=reg_free_np&rptregcampaign=2015012_invitation_ro_all#

Furthermore, this articles describes much of what I was trying to write on my blog about the life of the sherpa people.

Khumbu trail

Indian S'porean climbs Everest.. Now for the airport adventure!

Indian S'porean climbs Everest- Dr Kumaran Rasappan scales Mount Everest

Right... so his craziness had led him to be the 1st Singaporean Indian and 1st Singaporean doctor to reach the summit of Everest. While we were in Khumbu, little did we expect how excited Singapore would be excited about this. I was just glad to see him safe with all body parts intact after weeks of waiting for him to reach the summit of Everest.

Our schedule was very tight from then on. While people usually take 2 days to return from summit to base camp, Kumaran had to do it in a day (together with the sherpas) and the following day he was at Phortse. Once he returned to Phortse on 27th May, we had one night of rest and planning. The next day we had to head off for our crazy walk to the airport (which is usually done in 2 days at least, but we had to do it in a day, on order to catch our flight on the morning of 29th May). For me, this walk would take about 11-12hrs, uphill and downhill!

The journey to the airport was an adventure that deserves an entry of its own. Firstly we had difficulties finding a porter, as most of the men were still out on expedition. Finally Lhakpa found us one and told us he couldn't speak much English. We had to detour to the Kunde hospital to drop off our extra medications, before heading to the airport. Oh... yes.. we have to walk to the airport! There are no taxi, buses or animals to bring us to the airport! Its all by foot!

Usually, despite the heavy load, porters are usually fast and tough. However, we reached Kunde hospital only to find that or porter was missing. We spent about 3-4 hours looking for him in Kunde and Namche. Eventually he was found soaking in the atmosphere at the open air concert in Namche. This 4 hour delay meant that we would not be able to reach Lukla (where the airport was). Hence we decided to walk to the village of Phakding and spend the night there. Following which, we would have to set off at 4am the next morning to reach the airport to catch our 8am flight. The walk to Phakding was exhausting. We were walking till 11pm (which is illegal btw as trekkers are not allowed to walk after sunset). During the walk, I thought back on how I would just flag a taxi to get to the airport in Singapore. The simple things in life that makes a great difference... and which we take for granted!

Hence on the morning of 29th May, we set off to the airport, only to find that our flights were cancelled because of the bad winds!! What luck!!!! But he had to reach Kathmandu as we were setting off to Gorkha the next day. Hence we had to get the helicopter out of Lukla to Kathmandu. What an adventure! Those 2 days felt like 2 weeks!!!

Kumaran Summitted Everest!!!

Apologies for the abruptness of the blog.... since returning to Singapore and starting work, it has been hard finding time to put the photos together and pen down the rest of the journey. There has been so much to do since arriving home, it is easy to get lost in the sea responsibilities and this fast paced city life.

Perhaps it is about time, I complete the narration of our journey. It has been almost 6 months since our return from Nepal... so much has happened in Singapore and our journey seems so far away. However, events, reflections and strong emotions from the trip remain so embedded, it is unsettling not to pen these down.

My last blog entry ended in Pangboche.

After 2 weeks in Pangboche, I had returned with a heavy heart to Phortse. It was time to round things up in Phortse. The 3rd part of the journey was drawing close. The 3rd part of the journey involved travelling back to Kathmandu, where we will meet Mr Krishnan (Kumaran's ex secondary school teacher) and travelling together to the village of Gorkha.

As I returned to Phortse, Kumaran was about to start his summit push on Mount Everest. Once he had summited, the plan was for him to meet me in Phortse and then travel together to Kathmandu to meet Mr Krishnan.

Kumaran's Everest summit push
At this juncture, it is time to talk about Kumaran's Everest espedition. Kumaran was the only Singaporean climbing this season, with IMG (International Mountaineering Group). There are usually 2 climbing seasons for Everest- one starting in April and the other in  October (which is colder and harder). There were about 30 grounps and 300 climbers stationed at Everest Base Camp, waiting to reach the summit of Mt Everest.

After having trained in many different countries on many mountains, these climbers arrive at Everest Base Camp.  They spend about 6 weeks at Base camp preparing to reach the mighty summit of Mount Everest

There are 4 camps along the mountain before the summit itself. Initially some groups will bring their climbers to a smaller peak nearby to acclimitise (about 3-5 days). After a few days of rest they would start their 1st cycle to camp 1.

This is one of the more exciting parts as it will be the first time they get to cross the legendary Khumbu Ice falls, where the highest number of deaths on Everest occurs. The ice falls are basically stacks and stacks of ice with crevassses that needs to be crossed. Ladders are placed across the crevass for people to cross. There are sherpas who are called 'ice doctors' who have to check the ladders daily. This is because the ice fall is a dynamic place where the ice is constantly melting and forming and essentially resulting in the ladders moving too.

Climbing the ice falls

The 1st cycle (going too and fro) takes about a week, after which they rest. The next cycle is to camp 2. Besides base camp, camp 2 is the other site where tents can be set up and helicopters can land (very cautiously of course). This cycle too, takes about a week, after which they rest.

During their break at base camp, the climbers will receive training on using the oxygen tank and masks and wait patiently for a date where the weather will allow them to reach the summit of Mt Everest.

And no.. this is not an auspicious date. It is a date of clear skies and low winds. Essentially good weather for the sherpa to put the ropes as well as for the climbers to climb.

While I was in the villages running the clinics, I would get firsthand updates of the Everest expedition. In Phortse, nearly all the men were away on the expedition. We would get news about any sherpa accidents or mishaps via word of mouth.

And before each cycle, I would get to talk to Kumaran and receive updates on the situation at Everest. Then it would be a week before I speak to him again.

The wait can be nerve wrecking indeed... not just for the climbers.. but for loved ones waiting for them back home...

Kumaran summited!!!
This year saw particularly bad weather. The weather was too warm and hence the snow was not formed well. The summit date was delayed terrible. Eventually, there were 2 windows for the summit push.

Right.. so after all the wait and delays, Kumaran finally summitted on the morning of 26th May 2012 at 0650hrs.

Kumaran on the summit of Everest. Brands was the official sponsor of his climb.

He set off at night from camp 4 to reach the summit. The trek up takes about 12 hrs. Throughout the night, I kept waking up thinking that he may have summitted at any point now. Funnily, I received news of his summit from Singapore as it was up on the internet almost immediately (via IMG blog). His sister, Kumutha, had seen it and rang me almost immediately.

Finally, after 4 years of planning, Kumaran reached the summit of Mt Everest. Words cannot describe how I felt at that point.. but the fear was still there as he had to return to base camp safely. Finally he did so safely.. and it was a huge sense of relief to hear his voice again.

A day we will never forget. His name on the IMG website. 

The next crazy part

While he took 3 days to climb up Everest, he had to rush to return to base camp in 2 days. We had to reach Lukla within 2 days in order to catch our flight to make it on time to the school in Gorkha. This meant that he had to walk to Phortse in 1 day. It was a long 9 hr walk uphill and downhill. Normally people would take 2 days to walk from Base camp to Phortse. 

Throughout the day, sherpa's started trickling into the villlage of Phortse from Base camp. And eventually Kumaran arrived, drenched in sweat despite it being 4 degrees outside. His 1 day journey was crazy.. and his determination and resilience to return on time was even more impressive than him summiting Everest.

Special people of Khumbu

It is hard to believe that only this time last week, I was at Gorkha village with Kumaran, Mr Krishnan and the amazing teachers and students of Saraswoti High School. We completed the 3rd and final task of our journey and returned back to Singapore on 2nd June. Finally getting some time to update on our journey.

There is so much to share,  I don't know where to start. Perhaps explaining the events of the past few weeks in chronological order might be a good idea.

My last ramble was about the clinic I ran in Pangboche. This post will be dedicated to a special person I met on this trip.... and how she made me see that difference in language, ethnicity and culture do not stand as barriers to integrating into a community. A person's warmth and positive personality alone is sufficient for one to feel at home in an alien community.


Throughout the trip, I had been traveling alone (except for the journey to base camp). Though language can be an issue, I didn't have much problem as the people I always lived with spoke a little English. Except for in Pangboche.

View of Pangboche

My residence

This is a dedication to Jima. She is the owner of Gomba lodge in Pangboche. I was recommended to live there as it is close to the clinic.

When I met her, I realized that her helper Kanji and her can’t speak much English. However, she understood that I was a doctor at the health post. 

Kanji on the right and Jima on the left

During my 2 weeks stay there, I learnt that knowledge of a common language is not necessary to understand where someone has been and what they have been through. From the pictures in the lodge, I had the impression that her husband was well known in the community. His name was Namkha Sherpa and he was a Himalayan Rescue Association medical assistant for over 20 years. Hanging in the lodge were many certificates of appreciation as well as photos of many merry times.

 

Pictures paint a thousand words- her life with her husband appeared rich and colourful. I later found out that they used to be very prominent people in the community and everyone liked her husband and her. However her husband passed away a year ago and she runs the lodge alone. She has 3 children, 1 of whom is residing in America with her family. She then excitedly showed me a photo album of her daughter in America. However, she has not been to America before, for the reason that it is ‘Big money’ (in her words).

As there were no other lodgers during my stay there, every night, I ended up having dinner with them in their cosy, warm kitchen, where I got to try their food. (which was usually potato in all different forms) I would be reading on my laptop while she and Kanji would be cooking or looking at my photographs on the laptop. Whenever she saw my parents’ photograph, she would say, ’Awww!!! Good people’ which just makes me smile to myself. Though we couldn’t hold a full conversation, her warmth and chirpiness was contagious. Through pictures, we both learnt a lot about each other and shared a part of our lives.

My hangout- the kitchen

Then one day she brings out this plastic bag filled with wires and a small laptop. She said someone gave it to her husband. She also said her husband was very smart and could speak both English and Japanese, while she can’t even speak English. I laughed and told her that her English is better than my Sherpa or Nepalese.

Anyway, that was the start of our after dinner documentary sessions. In the laptop, there was an array of pictures, documentaries, American dramas and cartoons.

Our after dinner movie sessions

I made the mistake of showing them an episode of Family Guy (thinking that a cartoon might be entertaining) However it is the episode where Meg likes Brian. She kidnaps him and strips to her undergarments to seduce him. The horrified look on their face was alarming. I decided not to show them Family Guy again.

On the laptop, I also discovered BBC planet documentaries on various natural landscapes (jungle, mountain, ocean, snow, dessert) Kanji and Jima loved it! These sights and sounds were new to them. (I also got to learn the names of some animals in Nepalese too!) They would watch at least 2 documentaries a night!!

It was their entertainment every night after dinner. And each night, a different friend would be invited to watch the documentary. Eventually on my last night, Lama Penju (the local monk) was invited for dinner and a dose of BBC documentary. Jima was really excited about inviting the Lama for dinner and elaborate preparations were made beforehand.

Lama Panju of Pangboche

I tried to teach her how to operate the laptop in my absence so that she is still able to watch the documentaries. However, it was a challenging task indeed- when not only it’s a 65-year-old lady’s first time using a laptop, she couldn’t read English either. I managed to teach her the basics.

Jima practicing on the laptop. I do hope my lessons have helped.

Leaving her the next day was unexpectedly sad. Her warmth, simplicity, generosity, kindness and chirpiness was beyond what we spoke. She didn’t even count the cash when I gave it to her. She presented me with a Katar (white scarf given in respect and appreciation by the Sherpa people). I hugged her and we said our goodbyes. I know I would return to Khumbu one day in the late future… but am not sure if I’ll see her again. My heart felt heavy as I left Pangboche….. 

Pangboche Health Education

Once again, with the help of Shiva, we conducted our health education sessions. It was harder to gather a crowd in Pangboche as the women folk were busy on the fields as well as scattered between upper and lower Pangboche.

But we managed to gather a few people and conduct the sessions, similar to the ones in Phortse. Below are a collection of pictures of the session as well as faces of Pangboche that I managed to capture along the way...

Teaching the villagers

The villagers got rather gigglish when Shiva discussed delivery positions

I brought some medications along 

Sherpa man who didn't speak Nepalese. Even Shiva needed a sherpa translator

Chronic illness management

Pangboche is a village at an altitude of 3985m.  A village very much like Phortse, where the staple farming is potato and buckwheat and most of the men are climbing sherpas.  Lower Pangboche is a village most commonly encountered by the trekkers enroute to base camp. I was residing in Upper Pangboche where the clinic and the Pangboche Monastery (Gompa) is.

Me with the health worker

I was at the clinic with Shiva, the health post worker. I ran the clinic together with him, teaching him along the way as well as conducting the health education sessions similar to the ones in Phortse.

Unlike Lhakpa, Shiva is not of Sherpa origin. He is from lower valley and speaks Nepalese. Hence he communicated with the patients in Nepalese, except for the older ones who only spoke Sherpa language.

Interestingly, as compared to Phortse, though the patient load was less, there has been a wider array of cases here (less of the URTI… perhaps it’s the weather). Of course, dyspepsia still dominates the clinical picture.

Faces of Pangboche

The villagers of Pangboche and Phortse are closely related. Many are in laws. I feel like I have come a full circle as now, many are becoming familiar faces. I had seen a lady a few weeks ago at Kunde, with a terrible wound. At Pangboche, I got to follow up on her wound healing, which is doing well.

Wound initially

Wound a week later

Management of chronic illness

I saw my first diabetic patient. According to her, she was found to be diabetic, started on medication and then stopped. She decided to just come by today for a ‘checkup’ (as what most of my patients have been telling me for the past few days) since she heard the doctor was in town. Her random capillary blood sugar was 29.1!!!!! My heart sank. Unfortunately we do not have any insulin or antidiabetic in the healthpost. Hence, we had to send her to Kunde Hospital to initiate treatment as soon as possible.

Managing chronic illness is a problem. People find it hard to grasp on the idea that if you have hypertension, diabetes or ischaemic heart disease you have to be on lifelong medications. It was easier in the Western world (while I was in the UK) as people understood they needed to be on lifelong medications and kept to one family doctor, which allowed good continuity of care.

However, in Nepal and even in Singapore, there are a couple of problems. Firstly, people think that if they have no symptoms, they don’t need to continue on medications. Which is totally wrong, especially in the case of diabetes…. Diabetes KILLS SLOWLY…. One may have no symptoms, yet over the years, it slowly damages your organs…. The eyes, kidney, heart, nerves, legs and eventually one suffers a slow painful death. It frustrates me when I see patients with sky high blood glucose and the reason is because they have ran out of medications for a week and hence have not been taking them.

Secondly, people doctor hop and hence either get prescribed different family of anti hypertensives, lose the continuity with their doctors and end up collecting all the various antihypertensives in their drug cupboard at home.

Clarifying medication doses

Here in the Khumbu region, many take medications from Kathmandu… but stop taking them once its finish and then randomly appear for a blood pressure check in the clinic. This is a very familiar problem we face in Singapore too…… but yet, we are a much smaller and developed country.

Right, I have totally strayed from my Pangboche experience and rambled on about challenges in chronic illness management.

Anyway, I do my best to emphasise to my diabetic and anti hypertensive patients about the importance of follow up in Kunde Hospital…. I hope I manage to get the message across. (Language is a great barrier for such purposes but hopefully my tone of voice and body language gives away the seriousness of the matter)

It was great to see my diabetic patient a week later. She had visited Kunde and was started on antidiabetic medication. We gave her diabetes counseling as well as the potential side effects of the medication. Her husband was with her, which was perfect for the counseling.

Shiva counselling our diabetic patient

Another patient was also found to by hypertensive on 4 occasions. She had initially been on medications from Kathmandu (4 yrs ago) but had stopped once  she ran out of it)  As as she had problems walking, she couldn’t make it to Kunde to have her BP checked and medications started. Thankfully we had some antihypertensives, which we started her on. The following week, she returned for her BP check and it has come down nicely.

It felt like a full circle indeed!!!

Spiritual Quest

Straying away from the medical work, I have to mention 2 highlighted days during my stay there. Mainly for the reason that one cannot avoid mentioning religion during their stay in the Khumbu Valley. And also because I am a strong believer that different religions are different paths to the same destination… though a Hindu, I have great respect for Buddhism. Here in the Khumbu valley, in every task and every trek one takes, religion takes great priority.

Its also a perfect time to also thank the Gods of this valley for protecting Kumaran during his ascent and summit at Everest today. May his descent be just as safe!!!

Ancient Tibetan scriptures on the stones. Usually found along paths and at the entrance to each village

One has to always walk on the right of mani walls & prayer flags.
The path always splits into 2 around mani walls.
Apparently, it aids to test the concentration of the walker.

Right, so the first highlight is a Friday 11^th May when we decided to walk to Tengboche. The day itself had a spiritual start. Apparently it was an important day in the calendar and the gompa (monastery) idols were being brought around the villages.

At the start of the day we ran into a friend who brought us to visit Lama Geishe, a very powerful and renowned Lama. We both received blessings from him.  Most climbers will stop enroute to get their blessings from Lama Geishe. Walls of his room are filled with pictures of those who had received his blessings and summited.

Lama Geishe's blessings

Tengboche Monastery

We then walked to Tengboche monastery.  It’s a pleasant 1-hour walk with beautiful views of Ama Dablam. I kept stopping just to absorb the amazing views of Ama Dablam.

Stupa with Ama Dablam in the background

I couldn't stop snapping- Ama Dablam was simply breath taking

It is located on a hill at the confluence of the Dudh Kosi and Imja Khola rivers. It is enroute on the Everest Base Camp trail. (we had missed it earlier as we went on a different trail) Hence visited by most trekkers. It was first built in 1916 but then got rebuilt after an earthquake in 1934 and then in 1989 after a fire.

Ancient Tibetan scriptures described Khumbu valley, together with Rowlang and Khanbalung valleys as sacred places. (not surprising, considering the beauty of Khumbu). Tengboche gompa was found by Lama Gulu, with the blessings of Ngawang Tenzin Norbu (considered the 5^th incarnation of Lama Sangwa Dorje who founded Pangboche monastery). It is also closely related to Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet (on the Northern face of Everest)

Footprints of Sangwa Dorje

Always turn it in a clockwise direction

The village and the monastery are splendidly beautiful. Sitting in front of the large Buddha, in the Khumbu Valley, one is reminded how small we are in the grand scheme of things in this universe.

Back in Pangboche

When we returned that evening, we learnt that the villagers were awaiting the return of the idols to the gompa. So we waited with them. Finally we heard chantings and ‘dongs’ around dinnertime. We scrambled to the gompa and were ushered to the 2^nd floor, where we found ourselves seated with the villagers. We waited for the elaborate prayers and instead found that we were being served food. The guy next to us asked me if I was the foreign doctor in town. We took the opportunity to find out what was happening. Apparently, prayers were over and now; they were serving food as well as tea and chang (the local equivalent of beer… in the monastery!!! We were also served buff, yak meat.. in the monastery!!!!) We ended up having dinner in the gompa.

Pangboche Monastery- one of the oldest in Khumbu

It was a memorable moment, sitting with the vllagers, having daal baat and tea. It was priceless. The cohesiveness and spirit of the village was impressive. Each year, a group of families are picked to host this special event… hence the food and drinks will be prepared by them. It reminded me of home… being served food in the temple after Friday prayers. (minus the beer and meat of course)

The Sunday of 20^th May, just like the previous Friday turned out to be a spiritual day.  As Kumaran was supposed to start his summit push that night, I thought I would pay Guru Rinpoche a visit. In Pangboche, there is a main gompa housing Guru Rinpoche- it is most well known to trekkers passing by. It is one of the oldest gompa in Khumbu, found by Lama Sangwa Dorje.

Guru Rinpoche and Ama Dablam in the background

What many don’t know is that there is another huge Guru Rinpoche sitting on a hill above the whole village of  Pangboche. It is right next to the ‘Pangboche Human School’ (which is actually a school set up by the Koreans.)

Guru Rinpoche

Anyhow, the temple housing the Guru is half completed. But upon setting foot in his vicinity, one cannot deny the feeling of peace and serenity in his magnificent presence. An enlightening place indeed. With the great mountains on my right, the bronze statue in front of me and the strong winds blowing the prayer flags, everything fell into place. I’m sure the climbers will be safe…

The great mountains in the background

Ama Dablam

The day went by. As I was about to have dinner, the lodge owner, Jima commented on how many of her friends have been visiting her.  When I asked her why, I believe she said something about it being a special day where people are here to place lights in the temple. (btw, communication between me and  her has been the most interesting as she speaks minimal English and I can only say pain and thank you in Sherpa language! But I have learnt one doesn’t need language to understand a person’s life story... this story shall be for another chapter)

Anyway, she brought me to the gompa, where we met Lama Panju who brought out a whole row of butter lamps to light up. It was just us 3 in the Gomba. I still have yet to find out the significance of that day in the Buddhist calendar.

There is something very special, spiritual and rustic about the village of Pangboche indeed… or maybe it is the Khumbu Valley itself.....