We are back in Pokhara after a grueling five-day trek in the Annapurna’s in Nepal. Even as the trip was rated “easy to moderate” we found it extremely taxing. We climbed perhaps 12,000 feet throughout, up and down and up and then down again. On the second day, we trekked up 4,600 feet from Hille to Ghorepani, a very long day and the most we have ever climbed in one day. That day included 3,300 stone steps at the beginning. I imagine younger kids might take them two at a time. We were at low altitudes, never going higher than 10,500 and also at Miami-like latitude, so it was not like climbing a North American mountain where oxygen is sparse. But each evening found us exhausted, knees sore and body drained.
And worth it. The mountains are spectacular, of course. The one pictured above is called Machapuchre, translated to mean “Fish Tail.” It is 22,943 feet and is regarded as a sacred place in the Gurung culture, the place where Lord Shiva resides. It has never been climbed. What I think is that the east face rivals the north face of Eiger (“Ogre”) and is a challenge for those crazy fools who do that sort of thing.
The people are amazing, every bit as smart as people anywhere of course, but it is a third-world country. They walk the trails and steps, porters carry upwards of forty kilos routinely. They wear sneakers, sometimes mere sandals of the type that do not strap behind the heels. Their legs are muscular and sleek, possessing amazing strength. They are friendly and warm – we are tourists, of course, so we will see that face, but there is genuine warmth and spirit among them.
The food is quite a change for us, and I limited myself to those that were hot enough to kill bacteria that the locals are immune to. We also ate very little, not by choice, but because we were not very hungry. My daily diet was porridge and lemon tea for breakfast, noodle soup (think “Ramen”) for lunch, and the same with Gurung bread for dinner. I never felt hungry or low on energy. Water is a problem, and we had to drink either treated or bottled. A young Siberian couple we met refilled their water bottles from a big blue jug like we have in our offices that said “safe water” and were very sick for two days.
We met delightful people throughout, including the Siberian couple, Natalia and Dmitri, who emigrated to Sydney, Australia. I asked them about the difficulties in doing so, and she said there were none. You just fill out papers and get on a plane. They were not escaping repression or anything like that, she said. Siberia is a cold dark place with long, long nights. They had enough, and had enough education to take their skills elsewhere.
There’s poverty, not so bad in the mountains as in Katmandu. Young men aspire to become guides and porters for tourists. They also join the army, for there they receive good pay, medical care and three squares. Americans join the military for the very same reasons.
Education is universal, but they are missing a spark, some civil engineering and a hydroelectric project to get them moving. One or two of our cruise missiles would buy maybe a hundred thousand flush toilets and some sewage treatment? These are tough resilient people in need of development, and like so many others in Asia, once it takes hold they will take off.
But right now the poverty is brutal even as the people are delightful. It is a wonderful place.
Piece of Mindful 
Quite the photo. You should make it the header.
… they are missing a spark, some civil engineering and a hydroelectric project to get them moving. One or two of our cruise missiles would buy maybe a hundred thousand flush toilets and some sewage treatment?
Industrial development is a mixed bag. Don’t be too eager to give stuff away.
The people are amazing, every bit as smart as people anywhere of course
Jared Diamond went on at some length in his book “Guns, Germs, and Steel” about how New Guinea tribesmen were smarter than his countrymen. Maybe: they at least seem to maintain their culture and demographics to some extent, unlike the Western counterpart who can’t seem to flip the flush handle fast enough. But this praise seems more akin to a gracious compliment from someone to whom intelligence is an important trait.
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There is very little difference in people from a physical standpoint. These folks here, if born and raised in Israel, would be wearing silly hats and growing locks and flying American F16’s. Born in the US they’d be bagging groceries or pushing a pencil. Among them are scientists and engineers, teachers and other valuable professionals, but the pot is not stirred so that their expectations are for much less.
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But there is a little difference. And that sometimes matters.
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Please state your views forthrightly and your evidence. This gets tiresome. Have you set the world on fire, or are you just a white male in a society dominated by white males? Reminds me of Swede, all Galty, just a privileged dude who doesn’t know it, kicks the ladder out underneath. We’re all made of the same stuff.
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Yes, you are tired and sore. And crabby. Can I have my head back?
We’ve been over this before. When looking at the world, one should be alert to the kinds of people that make up our institutions. Norway is a certain kind of country because it is full of Norwegians. Nigeria is a certain kind of country in large part because it is full of Nigerians. Sweden was a certain kind of country because it was full of Swedes. Now that it is filling with people from the Middle East, it is taking on the characteristics of countries occupied by that type of person. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Life is partly a clash of cultures, and the winners call the shots.
If you think that we are all blank slates, and that we all have the same DNA; I don’t think you have made an accurate assessment of the human condition. And small differences in this regard make a large difference: brothers and sisters have almost the same DNA except for small differences, but that small difference makes a lot of difference. Boys and girls are not the same; the differences are not culture based. That I have to explain this to you tells me it is a lost cause, but I guess I don’t have anything better to do.
And what’s wrong with being “a white male in a society dominated by white males”? That’s my heritage, and I would like to see it maintained. There is a component of merit in White privilege, despite your dissembling. I suggest we could use more of it. Most things of note were brought forth by White males, including societies to which people want to immigrate. That we have people like you anxious to toss it all away in the name of guilt and a misplaced sense of fairness is a weakness. I’d like to think my people could overcome that weakness, but maybe not.
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Evidence, man! Evidence! Science, sociology, brain chemistry, DNA … What makes people different? You’re afraid to say it and so only hint, that we are a superior race. And you miss the point about white guy in white guy-dominated society – that all you have accomplished has done we many helping hands that are not available to non-white guys. That’s why I brought up Galty Swede – born on third base, thinks he hit a triple.
I think a lot of what is wrong with this country is the profit motive, not bad by itself, but used to drive things that it should not. IT is the reason our health care system sucks, and it’s absence is the reason for success elsewhere. Not race, creed or culture.
Just an example.
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For evidence I would point to the various studies on twins raised separately; blended families; siblings raised apart; family histories; demographic studies;epidemiology . This has been laid out in references I’ve mentioned before: “The Bell Curve”, Herrnstein and Murray; “IQ and the Wealth of Nations”, Lynn; “The 10,000 Year Explosion”, Cochran and Harpending.
The take from my side on the nature/nurture dichotomy is 50/50. What do you think the split is? 0/100?
It is not a matter of superiority. In year 1900, people of European extraction were 35% of the world’s population. Now they are 8% and falling. This is a path to extinction. How superior can a group be if they are going extinct?
all you have accomplished was done by many helping hands that were not available to non-white guys.
Yes. But that is the deal with any endeavor. I’m proud of my GM car, but I did little to actually build the thing, or maintain the infrastructure that makes it viable. We are beholden to the outliers, the marginal actor. European society raised up Lebnitz, Newton, Maxwell, et al. These guys gave us the modern world, for better or worse. I’d like to maintain that kin group with such a fat tail distribution to maybe cast off some more achievements for the future. I doubt the Gypsies or the Indonesians are going to craft the next wave of space exploration.
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While in R&R mode, check out the carpets. Carpet-weaving culture is quite interesting. Many young people working hard to make carpets for McMansions in Colorado and Montana.
Many come from poorer agricultural parts east of Katmandu looking for work, or are “sold” into the trade.
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Requires that we move our legs. Check back in morning.
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