During the last day I tried to relax and see some more parts of Kathmandu. Its so busy and you find people everywhere. But in some way I think Kathmandu is a charming city. Many changes could be wished for this city but I try to accept things as they are.
I visited the area called Pashupatinath which is divided by the holey river Baghmati. In this area the hindus take care of there deceased relatives. The approach to death is very different compared to how we in Sweden view the procedures. Bodies are cleaned and then burnt on stone foundations in the river. After some hours, the ashes are swept into the river. Everything is done in a very open manner and lots of people are present. The soul is said to continue in a new and better life and hopefully into a state of Nirvana. In some way I felt a discomfort with the visit but I am still satisfied to have seen the procedures that most people face after death in this environment.
Well, its the last day in Nepal before departure. I am happy that we have had a safe expedition with hardly no injuries. I feel mixed emotions about leaving what I really love doing, high altitude mountaineering in the Himalayas. At the same time its great coming back to family again! These three weeks have been awesome. The team has trekked 120km, flewn twinotter planes 190km and helicopters 98km. We reached our goals. I have gained lots of new insights that will help me in the next Everest North Col expedition in April 2017. This will be an even larger challenge that will require more preparations. Today the expedition, going through Lhasa in Tibet, has 6 participants- two Americans, two British and one polish member – all aiming for the peak summit. This is perfect, I can gain more experience being participant in a full blown Mt Everest expedition.
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The main topic I have been working on is understanding the teamwork beteeen breathing and thoughts this time. I have made some progress in this area. Its amazing how big impact our thoughts have on the possibilities reaching our goals and feeling good at the same time. This isn’t new but takes time to embrace and gain insights into.
Robin Trygg has been a great support during all endless questions from my side during this expedition. One important insight that I learnt from Robin is to focus on building the capacity to manage yourself independently if your friend might not be available. It’s so obvious but still we tend to forget this in many parts of our lives.
Many other top performers have also helped me in the preparations towards higher altitudes: Linda Sölund, Annelie Pompe, Norröna, Suunto and Balance – humble thanks to all of you!
The largest remaining challenge from this expedition is now if I should keep my beard or not. Any thoughts on that?
Take Care!/Björn
In a week or so, I will release a cleaned up set of images and videos for my bloggers!
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