Islamic Relief Everest Challenge successfully reach Base Camp

The Islamic Relief Everest Challenge team all arrived safely back to Kathmandu today. Congratulations to eleven members of the team who successfully trekked to Everest Base Camp on December 13th.

This group has raised a significant amount of sponsorship for various water projects in Africa.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

A few days in Bandipur

Between my Mera Peak group leaving Nepal last week and the Islamic Relief Everest Challenge arriving on December 5th I had a few spare days so decided to go visit the small town of Bandipur. Bandipur is located on a ridge above the Kathmandu to Pokhara road and has superb views of the Himalayan peaks to the north (Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Ganesh Himal).

Bandipur has been considerately developed for tourists whereby some of the old houses have been carefully converted to hotels and there are thankfully few concrete buildings like elsewhere in Nepal. Compared to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu Bandipur is very peaceful as vehicles are not allowed into the main square.

Photo: Bandipur town

The history behind Bandipur is that it was originally a Magar village then in early 19^th century Newars moved in to take advantage of its location on the historical trading route from Kathmandu and also the absence of malaria due to its higher altitude. However once the road the Kathmandu to Pokhara road was built lower down in the valley below, Bandipur lost its importance as a trading centre and many people moved out. Since the arrival of tourism the town has been revived and fortunes reversed.

Photo: old library in town square

Bandipur would be a lovely place to visit after a trek or if you only planning on having a short tour of Nepal. By wandering around the town and nearby villages you will get a good feel for Nepalese village life. There are several places to visit including a number of temples and also Siddha caves the largest in Nepal.

Photo: entrance to Siddha cave

Photo: stalactites in Siddha cave

Photo: Gaun Ghar hotel

There are some good hotels in Bandipur, by far the best is Gaun Ghar off the main square. This hotel is an old village house that has been restored and renovated into a guest house while preserving the traditional architecture. Other hotels worth considering are Old Inn (next door to Gaun Ghar) as well as Bandipur Mountain Resort.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

The Colonel arrives to Kathmandu!

Photo: KFC on Durbar Marg, Kathmandu

The big news in Kathmandu this week is the arrival to Nepal of KFC and Pizza Hut, the new restaurants opened their doors on Durbar Marg on November 25th for the first time. For purely research purposes I went to visit yesterday and can confirm that the chicken at KFC tastes very similar to the last one I had in Rawalpindi last year!

It seems that Kathmanduites are pleased with the new arrivals and there was a long queue out of the door onto the street. It looks like Pizza Hut will give the established pizza restaurants in Kathmandu like Fire and Ice, Dolce Vita and The Road House a run for their money.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Narayanhiti Palace Museum in Kathmandu

Photo: Narayanhiti Palace Museum

I have just come back from an interesting afternoon visiting the old Royal Palace in Kathmandu. This was the scene of the royal massacre on June 1st 2001 and is now called the Narayanhiti Palace Museum.

The buildings where the killings took place have been knocked down however it is chilling to still see the bullet holes in the walls and markers showing where various members of the Royal family were shot. I remember that day well as I had just come back from an expedition to Everest and was shocked to read about the massacre in the Himalayan Times over breakfast in my hotel in Kathmandu.

The palace opened to visitors on February 26th, 2009 when Nepal became a Republic. The entrance fee for foreigners is 500 rupees and the ticket office is open from 11am to 2pm. It is not possible to take photographs in the museum so cameras and bags have to be left in the locker room near the entrance.

The Mountain Company will include an option to visit the Narayanhiti Palace Museum during our sightseeing tour of Kathmandu before or after your trek in Nepal.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Our November '09 group successfully reach Everest Base Camp

The Mountain Company's November '09 Everest Base Camp group arrived safely back to Kathmandu after a successful trek where seven people reached Base Camp.

I met the group yesterday in Kathmandu to hear more about the trek, I gather they experienced similar weather conditions as my group on Mera Peak however they had a sunny and clear day for the walk to Everest Base Camp. Many thanks to their Sirdar Jhire Rai for his help in leading this trek.

The Mountain Company has four Everest Base Camp treks scheduled for 2010 (March, April, October and November), please get in touch if you would like to join any of these groups.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

An evening with Ian Parnell at RGS, London

We have just received an email from Porters Progress about their annual lecture, this year it will be given by leading alpinist Ian Parnell. If you are in London on November 24th then I highly recommend attending. I have copied the details below:

British style mountaineering: from Ben Nevis to the Himalaya Mountaineer and photographer Ian Parnell is probably best known for accompanying Sir Ranulph Fiennes on his successful ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, but he is one of Britain's leading alpinists, whose own climbs have attracted international praise, including an impressive four nominations for the world's most coveted mountaineering award, the Piolet D'or.

At this year's PPUK annual lecture, Ian will share the idiosyncratic secrets of 'British style mountaineering' and tell tales of his adventures on some of the world's toughest peaks (and worst campsites) accompanied by video footage and his outstanding photographs.

Fellow alpinist Andy Kirkpatrick describes Ian's approach: "I've seen Ian trim his mountain gear to the minimum, chucking out his sleeping bag just to squeeze in extra camera equipment. The fact that he's will to suffer for his ar means he brings back photos that few others can achieve."

Date: Tuesday 24 November

Time: Exhibition Road Doors open at 6.00pm. Talk from 7.00-8.30pm.

Where: Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR (nearest tube: South Kensington)

Pay bar: Before and after the talk in the Map Room

Fundraising event in aid of Porters' Progress UK www.portersprogress.org

Tickets: £10 each from World Expeditions (£2 refunded on the door for PPUK members)

Our November '09 group successfully summit Mera Peak

The Mountain Company November '09 Mera Peak expedition arrived safely back to Kathmandu this morning. Congratulations to the five members of the team (Ian O, Greg, Ian H, Richard and Karen) who successfully climbed to the summit of Mera Peak while experiencing very strong winds and cold conditions. A full expedition report will follow in due course.

Roland will lead his fifth consecutive Mera Peak expedition in November '10, please get in touch if you would like to join the group.