Where in the World is Amy?

New York City 29 September 2007

The following posts are a retroactive overview of my trip through Tibet and Nepal. There's a little China, too. These days, the Chinese would say Tibet is China. Returned joyfully to "the motherland." But we all know that's not true. It's Tibet. This picture of me was taken in Kham, near Minya Konka by my Dutch trek leader, Bart, who lives in Hanoi with his Danish wife and two kids. Sounds pretty global, huh? We were "talking" with a group of locals who were all so exquisitely beautiful in face and costume that everyone started madly taking photos of them. It was like a paparazzi moment outside The Ivy. Bart took this picture in a string of nonstop photos of all of us photographing all of them.

This is a picture Julia took of the Tibetans as they looked through images from the book "Men Against the Clouds", written by an expedition team member about the first ascent and triangulation of Minya Konka,
which was once thought to be the tallest mountain in the world. Taller than Everest. So getting there first was a matter of great national interest and pride.

In 1932, 75 years ago, a group of four Americans succeeded in their quest. One of those climbers was a 23 year old Arthur Emmons, the father of two of my traveling companions, Julia and Louise Emmons. As a result of Mr. Emmons and his team's efforts, we know that Minya Konka is in fact the 33rd highest mountain in the world (we're talking hundreds of feet between 33rd and 3rd...so it's still exceptionally BIG) and the 3rd highest mountain outside the Himalayans. Mr. Emmons' experience, as expressed through the memories of his daughters, made the entire trip a truly personal one, as we visited places he had been, homes he had stayed in and family and neighbors of people he had once known.

It's a simple world in this region of Tibet. Hard, but simple. Things don't move as quickly as they do at home. And despite the fact that China has incorporated Kham into Sichuan Province, the area remains largely Tibetan in every way, with the exception of a few Chinese pagoda roofs.
Note: that isn't a cloud at the top. It's the top of the mountain.

Tashi Dele! (Blessings!)