First View of Everest

First view of Mount Everest.

Monjo
April 14th

We hiked for 3 hrs today. I saw Everest for the first time. Unfortunately, I didn't get any spectacular feelings about it. I've been waiting for that crazy-imaginary fantasy feeling. Tonight, I got that long anticipated moment of peace. After dinner in Naamche Bazzar, Lhakpa, Pam, Theresa and I went to one of Lhakpas friend's bars and had a few drinks and danced. I went outside to the hole in the ground toilet and after coming out I sat outside on some stones that were going to be used to build a house. I felt the roughness of the stone under my fingers, the cool fresh mountain air against my face. I looked up at the big dipper and illuminated stars above me. In the distance stood a grand mountain, just visible in the moonlight, all of it's snow lit up. I listened to the cold flowing stream behind me and to the Hindi-Nepali music playing behind me in the bar. This is travelling I thought to myself. There, my first unscathed, pure happiness on this trpi. I have started my journey now.

Bonding with the girls
Tonight, Pam, Theresa, Lhakpa and me are sharing a room. It was like a sleepover in middle school. We pushed all of our beds together and cuddled. Pam is Indian and her parents were from Fiji. Theresa is Filippino and recently went to visit there. Lhakpa is Sherpa and I'm half-Chinese so we taught each other how to count in our languages. I thought that Filippino was spelt Phillipino, Theresa was after me for butchering her ethnic country. Pam dances an ancient style of Indian dancing, the type that are in most Bollywood movies. Pam really loves music which is inspiring to see, and she's pretty open-minded which is refreshing. We all went out dancing tonight and Theresa who is generally more shy was the first one out on the dance floor. Theresa works in Victoria fixing machinery. They're both 24 soon 25 but I don't feel much younger than them most of the time. Earlier tonight me and Renata played backgammon and she was so cute, giggling like crazy, she's 26.