The Incredible Journey, Part 5

Posted on 30 May 2009
Tags: Stories, Travel Tales

by Michael McCarthy

Return

Because of the Maoists, Lama decided to take another secret route back, off the map. This would entail crossing two more gigantic mountain passes, and we endured a sudden snowstorm at 16,000 feet where we almost got caught outside for the night. We ran into a huge caravan of yaks—more yaks than you could ever imagine in your wildest dreams; thousands of yaks—and almost got killed by an avalanche of falling rocks.

We crossed cliff faces hanging on by our fingertips, and forded raging rivers. We slept rough with the horsemen and ate primitive Tibetan food, but the only thing that mattered was the kids that kept up with us all the way, step for step.

What heroes these children are! Two of the littlest ones were carried by their fathers, but the rest walked the entire way (100 miles) on foot, over the high mountain passes, and we never heard a single complaint from a single one. This route (”a shortcut,” Lama laughingly called it) must be one of the highest trekking trails in the world, ranging from 12,000 to 17,000 feet with perhaps an average of 15,000 feet, yet the children scampered and laughed all the way. I don’t know what Lama told them, if they knew where they were going, or what our destination was, but I have never seen a happier bunch of children.

We finally arrived at Dunai safe and sound and headed directly to the airport at Juphal. (A reminder here that none of these children had ever seen a bicycle, a car, a road, a phone, and certainly never an airplane.) We slept that night in a “hotel”—ha ha—right next to the landing strip, and the next morning was another madhouse of packing and running for the plane, which arrived very early with the captain wanting to take off again immediately. We snatched the children from their parents’ hands and ran for the plane.

The Yeti Airlines plane was roaring for takeoff and the children were screaming. The army had their guns out and the soldiers were trying to keep order, but we had 12 people to get on the plane in under 30 seconds and events were pure bedlam. Each adult kept one child on their lap on the plane, holding them close. There was no time even to put on seatbelts. The plane dropped off the edge of the mountain like a stone and we were airborne. The kids were terrified, of course, looking out the window in amazement as the ground dropped away below them, and we were on our way to Nepalganj again. We held eat child tight for the 45 minute flight, when the screaming started all over again as we landed.

In Nepalganj our string of good luck finally ended. Lama sat himself in the offices of Buddha Air and pushed hard for 12 seats on the 8 a.m. plane to Kathmandu, but there were other (perhaps cleaner) passengers to whom they could sell tickets, and we were bumped off the plane. We spent another long, blistering hot Nepalganj day sitting on the floor of the foul airport, where some of the children had accidents on the floor. Airport staff came by and stared in amazement at these children dressed in rags, kids from the Stone Age apparently, judging by their jokes.

We trooped on to the 4 p.m. flight to Kathmandu, everyone extremely hot and tired. Again the screaming and barfing and excitement, then a pair of taxis hired in Kathmandu with a ton of luggage and back to the guest house in the Boudinath section of town. Some serious illness in the taxis and a very irate driver, but finally we settled down for four days in Kathmandu, where the children spent much of their time in the window gazing in astonishment at “the motors,” the people, the bikes and the passing parade below. Samchoe bought all the children new clothes; there was some major cleaning work accomplished on the kids, and then they rode the bus two days and a night to Delhi.

Home

There was a long dangerous drive to Dehradun, with not as much barfing going on. Finally we arrived, after a voyage from the 5th century to the 21st, all in the span of a week. Again, more cleaning, but the children are now playing out in the courtyard, amazed at the first toys any of them have ever seen in their lives.

Haircuts are next in line, and there may be some more clothing issued soon. The older CED kids are chipping in with big smiles, and tomorrow we take photographs. Lama Tenzin has fallen asleep in his chair in front of the computer, trying hard to catch up on a month’s mail but too tired to stay awake.

This entire expedition has been totally exhausting, physically dangerous and fraught with the opportunity for disaster, but we have suffered nothing more than the usual ailments associated with treks to wild and crazy places. The success factor is off the charts. We went to rescue two children and came back with seven. The children have changed, day by day, right in front of our very eyes. They have gone from a pitiful existence, condemned to a life of utter poverty, to a brand new world.

None of these kids has ever spent a day in school, ever seen a doctor, or ever tasted a dessert. Today they are playing with toys in the courtyard, with full bellies and clean clothes. Tomorrow Samchoe will take two of them to the hospital and get an initial diagnosis. They may need professional medical attention. All of them will need a year of loving attention before they go to school. They doubtless have worms and other intestinal problems. But the healing process has begun.

The End

Three days ago only one of these children would smile or look you in the eye. Today all are laughing. They are young enough to have bright futures. They will need support from all of CED supporters. Today there are 19 children in the home, whereas last week only a dozen. These kids need more than just love; they need schooling and medical care and clothes and toys and strong parenting and role models. But the hardest part is already over. Just to get to Dolpo in the first place Lama had to jump through hoops and barrels and barter and we all had to hope and pray. What seemed impossible at the beginning now seems merely extremely difficult. Walk 200 miles over the world’s highest mountains? Not a problem. Face up to the terrorists? Okay dokey. Hang off cliffs like a monkey with 1,000 foot drops below? Fine and dandy. Whatever needs to be done.

One night around the fire at the end of the trek, millions of stars glistening high in the night sky above, I asked Lama Tenzin why we were doing this crazy thing. “To set an example,” he replied. “To show others what can be done. The harder that thing is, the better. Then people will follow.”

High above, the constellations winked in agreement and the Milky Way glistened like a giant jewel. One of the horsemen slipped a wooden saddle under my aching back, and another one added a horse blanket to it. The men of Dolpo are very hard men, but so kind. I lay back and wondered at the enormity of everything, the vast mountains and the great passes and the raging rivers, and just then a shooting star whizzed across the night sky. It was time for bed, and I bid everyone a good night.

The New Kids

The seventh child, a 4-year old girl, arrived at the hotel this morning with her mother and Tibetan sister. The girl has been in Kathmandu for five months so she looks really good. The other kids are fine too, dressed in new clothes, and tearing up the hotel room.

Of the kids we rescued from Dolpo, two have medical problems. One 8-year old girl has a breastbone problem, and the littlest boy (I am not sure of his age but he looks like he is 3) has swollen testicles. Both will need proper medical care. The other children all seem fine. With the new child there are now five girls and two boys. The boys are 3 and 6, I think, although they may both be six. The littlest boy is so tiny. They are all tiny, of course.

The other boy, Pema, is very healthy, good looking, laughs all the time, a real ball of fire. Vibrant personality, very quick. I think he is up for adoption. He is a real winner. In Dolpo, his (single, pregnant) mother was the only clean person we ever saw, and he is quite clean too.

Of the girls, one is 12, shy but clever, very willing to help with the younger kids. This little girl carried my backpack all the way back from Upper Dolpo! A sweetie. Two others, around 6 years of age, appear to be sisters. They are not used to working, but pretty, nice personalities. The leader of the pack is a girl around 8 years old, quite a willing worker, but of course none of these kids has ever been to school.

All in all, they seem to be lovely children, although the 8 year old girl is prone to nervousness and barfing on vehicles. All are itching to get out of the hotel room where they have been kept for three days. They need to have some toys and to get some exercise. Right now Lama, Samchoe, Pema Lamo, and Purpa are cleaning up the rooms, which look like a disaster.

No, we did not rescue Purpa’s sister. It was an ugly scene in his parents’ house, with Lama fighting hard for her and Purpa crying a lot. The father is a serious alcoholic and he wants the girl around to serve him. He doesn’t work and I don’t know how they survive. Lama told him if he doesn’t stop drinking he will die and then Purpa will have to come back to Karang and be man of the house, which sounds to me like a punishment worse than death. Karang is so poverty stricken I can’t imagine anyone living there, especially if they have lived elsewhere. I think the father will drink himself to death soon.

I better get back to the hotel before they leave for the bus. I’ve been at this computer for two hours now and the staff here must think I am a millionaire. After all, its 25 rupees an hour, so I must owe them at least 50 cents!

More news as soon as I find time. Bus leaves town at 4 pm, I think, with Lama’s group of 12 people. I fly to Delhi tomorrow. We meet there and all take a hired van to Dehradun. No room for me there at the home what with seven new kids, so I am banished to a local hotel in Dehradun. As long as they have a shower, I don’t care. Hope all is well in the real world.

The Incredible Journey, Part 4 | Intentional Traveler Says:
May 30th, 2009 at 9:54 PM

[...] The Incredible Journey, Part 5 | Intentional Traveler Says: May 30th, 2009 at 9:53 PM [...]

Raj Says:
December 23rd, 2009 at 5:16 PM

It was a pleasure reading your travel story as it was so expressive. Thanks for sharing.

However, I’m sorry to know that you had to go through all those troubles in Nepal. I hope you end up with better service providers next time you visit Nepal and that you carry back only sweet memories. Did you know by the way that accommodations and tours are now bookable online? I’m sure an ‘intentional traveler’ like you will love to know about sites such as NepalHotel-Link.com.

Journey to Dolpo; Following the Snow Leopard Trail

Tracking Jack; Following Keroauc to Desolation Peak

Cambodia: From Angkor Wat to Phnom Penh

Sunrise over Nepal; From Kathmandu to Pokhara

Taiwan, the ‘other China’

Somewhere Down the Lazy River; Yangshuo, China

The Karma Diaries: A Season in the Himalayas

A Quiet Day in Mad Kowloon and other Tales of Intentional Travel

In Search of the Ancient Ones; The Anasazi of Old New Mexico

Deep Into Denali; The Serengeti of the North

In Search of the Spirit Bear; The Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia

Street Children of Phnom Penh

What is Intentional Travel?

Project Kindness

by Michael McCarthy

Return

Home

The End

The New Kids

2 Responses to “The Incredible Journey, Part 5”

Leave a Reply

DVD Available

Journey to Dolpo eBook

Journey to Dolpo Book

Coming Soon

RECENTCOMMENTS

RECENTPOSTS

LINKs

lipitor drug cost

prednisone stopped taking side effects

difference between lexapro and celexa;

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

difference between lexapro and celexa;

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

difference between lexapro and celexa;

difference between lexapro and celexa;

prednisone stopped taking side effects

difference between lexapro and celexa;

prednisone stopped taking side effects

cough and wheezing with lipitor

difference between lexapro and celexa;

accutane timeline

difference between lexapro and celexa;

accutane timeline

lipitor drug cost

prednisone stopped taking side effects

cough and wheezing with lipitor

difference between lexapro and celexa;

prednisone stopped taking side effects

cipro and std treatment

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

lipitor is there a generic

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

difference between lexapro and celexa;

accutane timeline

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

lipitor drug cost

prednisone stopped taking side effects

accutane timeline

difference between lexapro and celexa;

accutane timeline

difference between lexapro and celexa;

prednisone stopped taking side effects

prednisone stopped taking side effects

accutane timeline

accutane timeline

difference between lexapro and celexa;