Greetings from Darjeeling!

< Newer Wed, 03/07/2007 - 12:19 — Gavin
  View of the awesome south face of Kangchenjunga from Goecha La, 5000m, in Sikkim. This mountain is considered extremely sacred by the local people, and so no climbing parties are permitted from this side. Any summit attempts on Kangchenjunga are made from the Nepalese side of the mountain.

Hi Everybody!
In between taking students to the doctor for various gastro problems and listening to the inspiring story of a young Nepalese boy who left his remote village to find work in Darjeeling, I have been busy writing and uploading photos onto this website.

Firstly, I want to thank Paul and Fiona for all the work they have put into this website and for giving me the opportunity to be part of it.

I will be using the same technology as Paul and Fi used on Everest during my upcoming climb on Ama Dablam. The plan is to send updates with photos via a pda and satellitle phone while climbing one of the most alluring mountains in the world. While sending updates from Ama Dablam, this website will allow me to receive messages from around the world!

I am currently in Darjeeling in India, a Himalayan hill station in the north of West Bengal. I am one of the instructors on a three-month student program - Where There Be Dragon's Himalayan Studies Semester. We have 14 students here, staying with local families, learning Nepali language and studying with various mentors in the community. Next week we leave Darjeeling for a trek up towards the base of the third highest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga, in Sikkim. After Sikkim we head to Kathmandu where we attend a 10-day Buddhist retreat in the Kathmandu valley, and then it is off to Tibet for more Himalayan adventures!

I hope everybody enjoys this site...more than that I hope people feel inspired by what they discover here and that you also share your own inspiring life challenges, whatever they may be. I think the idea behind this website is fantastic...I know many inspiring people who should be sharing their story here and I am sure you do as well.

Well I have been invited to a student's home for dinner, so I need to go.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Cheers

Gavin

Messages

You make me dream!!!

aeronik — Wed, 03/07/2007 - 18:46

Wow!!!

How amazing your work is! What you do is so inspiring! How wonderful it is to follow your passions and help people at the same time... I read about where you're going, I close my eyes and then I get transported right there in Nepal. I've been there last year and I just want to go back!!! I'll be there for 2 months in october and november 2007. Keep up the good work with all those students!!!

Aeronik :o)

Thanks for sharing

Gavin — Fri, 03/09/2007 - 09:40

Hi Aeronik,
Thank you for sharing your story with us. As I kept reading I was amazed at the degree to which you have turned around your life! That's awesome and you must feel so happy with what you have done.

Island Peak is a great climb and I'm sure you'll love it. I will be in the Khumbu in the first three weeks on November, warming up for Ama Dablam and then I'll be on the mountain itself from mid November to mid December.

Let me know if you'll be there then---we can eat some rice and dal together!

Thanks for writing...your story is incredible.

Gavin

Meet you in the Khumbu!!!

aeronik — Sat, 03/10/2007 - 05:23

Hi Gavin,

Thanks for the good words! Yes, I guess I'll be around in november. I don't know the dates exactly but we'll try to keep in touch through this web site. I will be in the khumbu for around 35 days, all october for sure and maybe the beginning of november. I'm climbing Kilimanjaro this june and then I'm off for Nepal end of september!

And you know what ? About my former life ? I sometimes think that the only thing that remain from the old days is..... my name!!!!

Aéronik :o)

Gavin has given me some good advice on hotels

Paul Adler — Sat, 03/10/2007 - 22:31

I wrote to Gavin telling him where I was going to stay in Kathmandu and he came back saying that unless I liked really loud noise late at night, that he wouldn't reccomend staying at that particular place! We changed our hotel.

Paul.

Good Luck

Alan Arnette — Wed, 03/07/2007 - 22:47

Ama Dablam was maybe my most satisfying climb ever. It is a beautiful mountain with everything a mountaineer wants: rock, ice, snow and altitude.

Enjoy and Climb safe!

Alan

Thanks Alan

Gavin — Fri, 03/09/2007 - 09:44

Hi Alan,
Thanks for the message. Yes, Ama Dablam does have it all and hopefully it all goes well later in the year. When I climbed Island Peak I looked over at Ama Dablam and knew that it was a mountain that I would climb oneday. It's a few months off yet, but in a way it feels like the expedition has already begun, if you know what I mean.

I'll keep you posted (right here) as to how it goes.

Cheers
Gavin

himalayan adventure

Visitor — Sun, 04/01/2007 - 17:27

Dear Gavin..
Sent you a mail again :) we should meet up when u come to L.A in may...:) let me know ! will keep reading ure updates on ure himalayan adventure :) the spirit behind the climb reminds me of Emily Dickinson's famous poem on success...have u read it? if not..do so..its vey inspiring..
Sonali