tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91460528808564119662024-03-18T23:58:15.783-05:00Suburban SherpaFrom Carpools to Kathmandu:
My Trek to Everest Base CampUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-89735582348603913612013-09-02T18:46:00.003-05:002013-09-02T18:47:25.263-05:00LOOKING FOR SUBURBAN SHERPA'S BLOG ABOUT CLIMBING COTOPAXI IN ECUADOR?<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">LOOKING FOR SUBURBAN SHERPA'S BLOG ABOUT CLIMBING COTOPAXI IN ECUADOR?</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Click on the link below:</span></i></b><br />
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<a href="http://suburban-sherpa2.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="font-size: large;">http://suburban-sherpa2.blogspot.com/</span></b></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-35590842898306807992013-01-13T09:54:00.002-06:002013-01-13T09:54:19.808-06:00An Added Bonus<a href="http://amzn.to/101eZMN" style="background-color: white; color: blue; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" target="_blank">http://amzn.to/101eZMN</a><br />
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Published? On Amazon? Who Me?<br />
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Special thanks to Marilyn Black for introducing me to Gaye Mack (www.GayeMack.com) who introduced my blog to April M. Williams (cyberlifetutors.com).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-40773801261537158772011-11-12T08:35:00.009-06:002011-11-17T22:40:42.492-06:00Clearing a few things up...Several people have asked me if I'm happy to be healthy again, now that I'm back. Although the cough is still lingering, it is not unexpected that it''ll be around for a few more weeks. I tend to believe that people do not fully realize the extent of my Everest obsession. I knew exactly how sick I could be on the trip.<br />Since reading Into Thin Air, I have probably read every book or magazine article that was ever published related to the 1996 Everest disaster. Has to be well into the hundreds...I have seen every film and documentary too, multiple times. Ive looked at so many photos online and read so many mountaineering and trekking blogs and journals that I know far too much about Everest and trekking to base camp than any sane person ought to know. It was like hiking in a world that I, in some capacity, had visited before. I fully expected that I would be extremely sick somewhere along the way, whether it was due to poor sanitation or the climate. The mountains are unforgiving, they do not care who you are, how much your trip is costing you, or what your health history is. Have I mentioned that before? Altitude sickness can strike anyone, even someone who has a lot of mountain experience, even after never having any symptoms on any previous trips. As you ascend and begin to feel unwell, your mind can't help but wonder what it will progress into. The rescue helicopters that break the silence during the day are a constant reminder that you are not in control in this environment. When you get above 10,000 ft., nothing heals, either. So if you have a slight cold or a headache at lower altitude? Its not going to get better in a few days. Again, you expect and prepare for the worst but hope for the best. You can take care of yourself by being in good physical condition, hydrating, consuming lots of calories, using a buff to cover your mouth, climbing slow and acclimatizing as needed, but luck is still a <em>huge</em> factor. I absolutely knew the possibilities and expected every symptom that would happen along the way to people in our group. The insomnia was somewhat worse than I anticipated. But certainly not unexpected. Its challenging to be physically exhausted, losing brain cells at 17,000 feet and climbing for 6-7 hours a day on only 2-3 hours of sleep, fighting bronchitis. But to have escaped with ONLY bronchitis and insomnia while capturing my dream? I am a lucky, lucky girl.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-30506891113383233132011-11-09T11:12:00.008-06:002011-11-16T17:06:36.794-06:00Missing Nepal, aka The Turn-Around Time Is Quicker Than ChildbirthI do love my 5:30 a.m. Spin class at the gym! Love, love, love the energetic instructor Leslie. But when she screamed at the class to put our heads down and just CLIMB! I had to laugh, Climb. I've been doing that a lot lately! And then she said, BREATHE! and I chuckled. Yes, breathing is very, very important, I recently had that idea reinforced somewhere. It seems that no matter what is happening to me during the day that I am relating it to something that happened on my trip. Watching the entitled suburban drivers on the highways here made me think of how the Nepali drivers are actually very patient. Granted, it's a game of Frogger when you try to cross the street in Kathmandu, but they are patient and kind people, even as drivers, and when you start to cross the intersections, they stop for you to scurry pass. The only rule is "don't make any sudden moves". I'll try to find an instructional video on Youtube that shows you...<br />I'm missing lots of things about Nepal this week. Its similar to childbirth where right afterwards, you swear youll never do it again, but then you gradually reconsider. At the Rum Doodle we talked about how much money someone would have to pay us to make us turn around the next day and do the trek again. I said $5,000. By the time I got back to the United States, it was just someone paying for my trip. This week? Its almost as if I should contacting Mountain Madness to see when the next group is leaving and if there's space for me. And maybe I'd like to go higher this time! Ahh, how soon we forget...<br />There, I was a person in the midst of the quiet mountains. No traffic, no media, no obligations, no nothing. Just me and my dream. I could hear the stones crunch under my boot with each step and I listened to myself breathe into the fabric around my neck that kept the dust out. The noisiest thing I can think of was a passing yak's bell or someone coughing in the next bed. Here it is sensory overload everywhere I turn.<br />I can't seem to make my Milk Tea the same as RamKaji did for me every morning. I miss Sila's inquiry of "Pleeze, Milk?" at breakfast.<br />I miss mindlessly picking up my heavy pack and throwing it on my shoulders and just walking, walking, walking...<br />I miss the string of "Namaste" greetings we get from people we pass on the trail.<br />I miss the friends and the laughs we shared along the way.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-23296145012966687152011-11-09T10:45:00.004-06:002012-04-30T12:09:59.913-05:00Dreams"There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, 'Yes, Ive got dreams, of course I've got dreams.' Then they put that box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they're still there." --Erma BombeckUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-56233247411580719662011-11-06T09:27:00.003-06:002011-11-12T16:22:27.035-06:00Prayer Flags on the Playset<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-ONQh5L7P2-vfbOVLFN7QcYiP1n4KdYltG9K_nmHY2pmkVl_35mmVfXoI_iMg2jqMDomDDhYvOgFNEtJikJyi9lvKeHyrUUe5430bHt0J1EYvecgmhIfUp6NIyqMx6ZdKWxeh9ATlpgZ/s1600/IMG_4298.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674238222940071906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-ONQh5L7P2-vfbOVLFN7QcYiP1n4KdYltG9K_nmHY2pmkVl_35mmVfXoI_iMg2jqMDomDDhYvOgFNEtJikJyi9lvKeHyrUUe5430bHt0J1EYvecgmhIfUp6NIyqMx6ZdKWxeh9ATlpgZ/s320/IMG_4298.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGf5Dudzh2JFg1ZrtSbmvdQJH3MRtqC2BzPc4IATHGusr18ScXefFbR0CzyPJ_LLvcyyK51INONT1d7UI8nq6wQEVjJPbqaQmzD3Aoe08iXd2Il737Ir6P0UNrd45J7adO2wagcd-bSnj/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMzktMjAxMTExMDYtMDkyNS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-753938"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671904840818593090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGf5Dudzh2JFg1ZrtSbmvdQJH3MRtqC2BzPc4IATHGusr18ScXefFbR0CzyPJ_LLvcyyK51INONT1d7UI8nq6wQEVjJPbqaQmzD3Aoe08iXd2Il737Ir6P0UNrd45J7adO2wagcd-bSnj/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMzktMjAxMTExMDYtMDkyNS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-753938" /></a></p>Tibetan prayer flags we had blessed by the lama in TengbocheUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-1869327702972615342011-11-06T06:39:00.004-06:002012-04-30T11:34:42.335-05:00Why?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK7-7KDCWf4XUuwPtvPIPOOvzhyphenhyphengD2rh4NaE5NGxFVmtnZRhNCE_tJjCLk1ppiXiTGxgM5fKXCsQ1YOpu4COt1VggGZH9P9UqMBLZGavSwiQ-lIeHTisifu0HzY7B2-j3UHoGEg8X-_NH/s1600/EBCfromGorakShepDescent.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674238453053252754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK7-7KDCWf4XUuwPtvPIPOOvzhyphenhyphengD2rh4NaE5NGxFVmtnZRhNCE_tJjCLk1ppiXiTGxgM5fKXCsQ1YOpu4COt1VggGZH9P9UqMBLZGavSwiQ-lIeHTisifu0HzY7B2-j3UHoGEg8X-_NH/s320/EBCfromGorakShepDescent.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Maybe its best summed up by Sir George Leigh Mallory who actually summited Mt. Everest...<br />
"So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle of life itself is forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for".</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-86004510716320444822011-11-05T15:22:00.004-05:002011-11-12T14:19:34.121-06:00Timing is everything...2500 trekkers are currently stranded in Lukla, Nepal because bad weather has not allowed flights in or out!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/04/Tourists-stranded-in-Nepal/UPI-27181320444574">http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/04/Tourists-stranded-in-Nepal/UPI-27181320444574</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-6950784383571459052011-11-04T16:08:00.002-05:002011-11-09T09:33:32.450-06:00One thing I should've packed but didn't<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr29EGPLMjxdfxwwBZU-gQfQDEZSwd2gKAEgbiw7ANer5jOqVHVv8S94M2nASIOylcoz1AqfEr_hoxaXmPObhJR3mKJOMiAYcoV7I_qUPOtq0DIYKudLlWD5vS77Iz_rvf8zkClIMbeoT/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMzUtMjAxMTExMDQtMTYwNS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-732047"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671250623533375170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr29EGPLMjxdfxwwBZU-gQfQDEZSwd2gKAEgbiw7ANer5jOqVHVv8S94M2nASIOylcoz1AqfEr_hoxaXmPObhJR3mKJOMiAYcoV7I_qUPOtq0DIYKudLlWD5vS77Iz_rvf8zkClIMbeoT/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMzUtMjAxMTExMDQtMTYwNS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-732047" /></a></p><br /><p class="mobile-photo">The kid, not the football</p>Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-75117519134856822652011-11-03T17:54:00.002-05:002012-04-30T11:33:13.799-05:00Sunsets at home are almost as nice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaQ7kbLwuNwSua73CNYQzbFoWm5JQhNKjnFqzqGovlmI_DScNbm643ZVA3e-YjJz8CpPe9OA5qyVUPCsqKychJkBBiVvIUNgDLF9yXD5r2BZ635aJ6rQQ3uUnAeEqQRtcUhyphenhyphenwnKRBuE6t/s1600/IMG_4255.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674239266901619250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaQ7kbLwuNwSua73CNYQzbFoWm5JQhNKjnFqzqGovlmI_DScNbm643ZVA3e-YjJz8CpPe9OA5qyVUPCsqKychJkBBiVvIUNgDLF9yXD5r2BZ635aJ6rQQ3uUnAeEqQRtcUhyphenhyphenwnKRBuE6t/s320/IMG_4255.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 214px;" /></a><br />
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Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-27697090209489843822011-11-03T14:17:00.001-05:002011-11-03T20:03:13.724-05:00Tea Time in the Himalayas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNuKNoM56I5056b6KNrQQx8dpDc8HCfTqInXe_jwhw8-Vt8XX_j9VvVYmYU9Qqp8FowXIH1z_eIc5N14Z15uidtOUbo59XPpk_PcaEKeLH3QHQU-whCokw7OY5D7lly8Wna5HZUdNE384/s1600/Nusco.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670939771377713922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNuKNoM56I5056b6KNrQQx8dpDc8HCfTqInXe_jwhw8-Vt8XX_j9VvVYmYU9Qqp8FowXIH1z_eIc5N14Z15uidtOUbo59XPpk_PcaEKeLH3QHQU-whCokw7OY5D7lly8Wna5HZUdNE384/s320/Nusco.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRez5gB3f6cGfBtMbapiHwe3nDtzu5yWFVdCzl7cOI0WZgiroZjH7MYh4zkzbNMyROKESDIqtN6pMVJKNaZxnMH2JLZXzQVCLXhQQGg5SMn0o7qYrIcZfDeYm_pXdb8B1FY8egLA8LwPP/s1600/Nusco.jpg"></a><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHg3HHpxfwOvpI1mpvPJnRFKT802t3ycbm4ds6-XSfGlqcc5IV9XvtcIxEzHFGYdxTaa42WSZGueO_ELPKN5iOl8dU-r9ParK_Qb9c4dDGfZlXKXtRzavvRNUICbwxXulgR3jVS84Cffi/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjktMjAxMTExMDMtMTQxNS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-790053"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670851008918507570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHg3HHpxfwOvpI1mpvPJnRFKT802t3ycbm4ds6-XSfGlqcc5IV9XvtcIxEzHFGYdxTaa42WSZGueO_ELPKN5iOl8dU-r9ParK_Qb9c4dDGfZlXKXtRzavvRNUICbwxXulgR3jVS84Cffi/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjktMjAxMTExMDMtMTQxNS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-790053" /></a></p><br /><div>Found the hot chocolate in the imports section. Almost as good as when the sherpas make it in Nepal! Now...if I could only find my other friend...Nusco Duo.</div><br /><div>Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-31391578984092599082011-11-02T10:16:00.000-05:002011-11-02T10:17:01.947-05:00Out my window in Namche Bazaar<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8D3M-3BYCdeXXeb1XrCSevb-5kIVe7Dw23o4Nhkm1jCAC6kRQu_5vbLvq6SmzXs8wZcG1Kb0Jj_leXKeqmNrxMK9hLfyjTCC3bbppHPqf7eUKI9gZHusemrM-XM_bUgG_jTZz1zRHCURv/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAyNzYtMjAxMTEwMTQtMDgxOS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-721948"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8D3M-3BYCdeXXeb1XrCSevb-5kIVe7Dw23o4Nhkm1jCAC6kRQu_5vbLvq6SmzXs8wZcG1Kb0Jj_leXKeqmNrxMK9hLfyjTCC3bbppHPqf7eUKI9gZHusemrM-XM_bUgG_jTZz1zRHCURv/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAyNzYtMjAxMTEwMTQtMDgxOS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-721948" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670417786015557778" /></a></p>One of my favorite photos from my Blackberry<br>Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-46952614941396457382011-11-02T09:49:00.004-05:002011-11-10T11:49:55.262-06:00Check out these links!My friend Chris got his very own article!<br /><a href="http://www.ourmidland.com/news/article_71b47020-a5fd-5770-a6d4-52dfcd431127.html">http://www.ourmidland.com/news/article_71b47020-a5fd-5770-a6d4-52dfcd431127.html</a><br /><br />And, my friend Jon has an awesome blog from our trip with some spectacular photos.<br />Even a photo of me smiling! <a href="http://everest.jonwist.net/">http://everest.jonwist.net/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-21309939740407587242011-11-02T06:33:00.004-05:002012-04-30T11:33:26.676-05:00All you really need in life is oxygen, water and some chapstick with a high SPF"The lust for comfort murders the passions of the soul." --Khalil Gibran<br />
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After my face cracked, peeled and bled at 18,000 feet from blowing my nose too much and being exposed to the elements, it's finally healing. I keep examining my skin in the mirror and I'm pretty sure its never looked better. Or felt softer. Is it because I'm back in the land of moisture content? Or does it feel that way because its been hidden under layers of clothing for weeks and I just have forgotten what skin feels like? Either way, I'm fascinated. Getting up for work today, the house was set at a balmy 64 degrees. It felt like an Alabama summer afternoon in the bedroom. As I waited for the shower to heat up (!), I realized that I was about to get in and I wasn't even shivering. This is how a shower at 16,000 feet (highest elevation that I took a shower) goes: Dangle your soap and camp towel from a rusty hook, take off all of your fleece, leave on your flip flops, ready, go! The warm water trickles out from a small tube attached to a barrel on the roof. You race to scrub every inch of yourself as fast as you can so you can get a once over of a rinse before your teeth start to chatter. You try not to look down at the "shower floor" because its so disgusting. And oh my God, you're wearing the same flip flops you trudge to the squat toilet in every night, the same toilet that people routinely "miss", ahem... You try to get re-dressed while standing on one leg so as not to get your "clean" pants wet from touching the ground. In the end you don't care because you've "cleaned" the top layer of grime away. There are no mirrors anywhere to see yourself anyway. Your beauty regimen consists of slathering the face and ears with SPF 50. Or REI GLUE as some called it. No need to pluck the eyebrows or even check them...nothing grows at this altitude anyway. It's funny that during the trip I once wore my winter hat for 3 days straight, even to sleep. When I took it off, my hair was a matted rats nest, so I just put the hat back on again. When we finally got back to the Yak and Yeti in Kathmandu I think many of us were shocked at our reflection in the mirror. All of the guys on the trip had full beards by the time we returned. We'd all lost a ton of weight. When we finally came down to dinner, it was like seeing a whole new group of people. The women all had makeup on and blow dried hair. The men had all shaved. We all had a previoiusly unseen set of clean clothes on! Thank God for the small things in life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-4887772035051631932011-10-29T19:08:00.004-05:002011-11-03T19:03:50.093-05:00Arrival back homeI lucked out and had a whole row to myself on the flight from Seoul to Chicago. Directly across the aisle from the 3 year old who played with the on/off lightswitch and call button for the flight attendant the entire 14 hours. Landing in Chicago and breezing through immigration/customs, I was home by noon.<br />Seeing my kids for the first time in a month was sweet! Laying down for a nap an hour later was almost as sweet.... I meant to rest for a few hours but it turned into 6. Then I got up and ate some leftover sushi and then went back to bed for another 7 hours. Curiously, the first things I ate when I got home from the airport were a goat cheese/chicken salad and some Hostess powdered donuts (?!) Nothing like going to the store on an empty stomach. The house was clean and warm, my bed was soft--like an exaggerated-sensory-experience softness. Looking around, everything seemed like it was in excess: taking a shower suddenly involved a choice of 3 shampoos and 4 conditioners, not a bucket of cold water and some Dial soap. I had 3 blankets and 2 pillows, none of which I was worried about getting lice from! When I got OUT of bed, I wasn't damp and shivering--I wandered into a huge closet full of clothes. Emptying my bags into the laundry room, the first load was whites and lights, on HOT with a big cup of BLEACH. Followed by a second washing of the same load on HOT again, this time with OXYCLEAN. There were very few items that I did not use: my balaclava, an extra bandana, and some mittens...thats about it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-35639164279064659492011-10-27T09:39:00.001-05:002011-10-29T18:40:32.168-05:00Seoul Airport Transit Hotel<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38uxrqI3MPiH8cPwJRFqHDDvp4bpJN3z_589pEZa4Xv2eWKp7RtpKaogGixVtM6Oz2wrkBrLAXywmBIBz_MWNEiR5426SGchNGPyAV1eumdUKJwVB-SCFd5UtbUT8v98T37BYeHQo_EUE/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjgtMjAxMTEwMjctMjMzMi5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-791379"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668182550845980866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38uxrqI3MPiH8cPwJRFqHDDvp4bpJN3z_589pEZa4Xv2eWKp7RtpKaogGixVtM6Oz2wrkBrLAXywmBIBz_MWNEiR5426SGchNGPyAV1eumdUKJwVB-SCFd5UtbUT8v98T37BYeHQo_EUE/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjgtMjAxMTEwMjctMjMzMi5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-791379" /></a></p>A picture of my hotel room at Seoul Incheon Airport. It's IN the airport- you do not have to even go thru immigration/customs if you have a boarding pass for your connecting flight. Its within the secured area and the room's window overlooks the Departure counters. The room is bigger than the tea lodge rooms we shared. Oh, and clean! Its almost midnight and walking around this huge airport that's currently empty is eery. Soon enough it'll be packed, though. The flight from Kathmandu went relatively quick. 3 glasses of wine, 2 stupid movies, and a few chapters in the book. Now, to get some sleep before the 14 hour flight....<br />Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-87656149559686204442011-10-25T23:01:00.010-05:002012-04-30T11:34:14.261-05:00Drinks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQ3Zf0m6TZFYhJl5CO9IqZhB82YvmKq7h-2gANccuQC31PzQrV6Za51Stvuq_RtXKmrIDB9Tj_BdblgEPmULvUR_kQScm3iloAhiH-2L8zqHsh4php2Pnpr5cgnDPvLtIF33gfdYdidny/s1600/rumdoodlefoot.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674202661472285826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQ3Zf0m6TZFYhJl5CO9IqZhB82YvmKq7h-2gANccuQC31PzQrV6Za51Stvuq_RtXKmrIDB9Tj_BdblgEPmULvUR_kQScm3iloAhiH-2L8zqHsh4php2Pnpr5cgnDPvLtIF33gfdYdidny/s320/rumdoodlefoot.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Last night was spent eating "real food" again. And drinking beer...Everest beer, of course.<br />
The Yak and Yeti hotel is crowded with trekkers coming and going on all sorts or Himalayan hikes, the bar is crowded with a diverse group--young fit people all the way to the old group of travellers who are wearing freshly purchased shirts from the Magellan catalog and matching fanny packs. And then there is our ragtag group of people in their 20's all the way to their 70's, all feeling we have earned the right to be a little loud with our story telling. Everything from the trek is much funnier after several beers.<br />
The festival of Tihar continues today in the city. We may take a stroll to Durbar Square and then later have lunch at the Rum Doodle, a must-visit place in the city:<br />
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<h2 class="lpReview">
Lonely Planet review for Rum Doodle Restaurant & Bar </h2>
Named after the world’s highest mountain, the 40,000½ft Mt Rum Doodle (according to WE Bowman, author of <em>The Ascent of Rum Doodle,</em> a spoof of serious mountaineering books), this famous bar is still milking a dusty (1983!) <em>Time</em> magazine accolade as ‘one of the world’s best bars’. It’s long been a favourite meeting place for mountaineering expeditions – Edmund Hillary, Reinhold Messner, Ang Rita Sherpa and Rob Hall have left their mark on the walls – and a visit here feels like a bit of a pilgrimage for mountain lovers. Trekking groups can add their own yeti footprint trek report to the dozens plastered on the walls. The restaurant serves up decent steaks, pasta and pizza and there’s often live music. You can eat here free for life – the only catch is that you have to conquer Everest first!<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>DURBAR SQUARE</strong></span>- The streets leading up to Durbar Square were massively over-crowded and over-stimulating. I begged someone to accompany me to this must-see UNESCO Worl Heritage site, and Jon graciously agreed to be my escort even though he had already been there when we were in Kathmandu three weeks ago. Thank God I was not alone! Wow-the streets are a noisy maze and the powerful smell of incense and colors of Tihar overwhelmed my senses. I didn't feel unsafe, like afraid of being pickpocketed, but I felt like if I make one wrong turn I might be swallowed up by the city and lost forever. We met up with Andy, Abby, Steve, and Derek at the Rum Doodle, and, as is customary for all trekkers to Everest, left our decorated and signed Yeti print hanging over the patio!<a href="http://everest.jonwist.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_1246.jpg"></a></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-14285760775243784862011-10-25T04:44:00.006-05:002012-04-30T11:33:01.689-05:00Back in Kathmandu<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZJ_KJ600PGTynAbvhQggawiUINVi5k9QlNlr8aOrphFxBUXxBsUzEbrhPQmVKZR6xavVh7Nx_NQXfSxtsPfIhJuO2m1MS7Y-UyIdgWciyWFipyqm47KVVAEPEZ7INITbyAaJXUwRBF5S/s1600/100_4115.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669063645872721426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZJ_KJ600PGTynAbvhQggawiUINVi5k9QlNlr8aOrphFxBUXxBsUzEbrhPQmVKZR6xavVh7Nx_NQXfSxtsPfIhJuO2m1MS7Y-UyIdgWciyWFipyqm47KVVAEPEZ7INITbyAaJXUwRBF5S/s320/100_4115.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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5 am wakeup today with packed bags by 545. As usual, RamKaji and Sila (photo) gave the wakeup knock on the door with our morning tea. Our big duffels headed across the street to the Lukla Airport and we had porridge and toast for breakfast. Our team was on the first flight out on Tara Air at 7am. At Lukla departures, you wait in a tiny room until the guard calls your flight and everyone piles out on to the tarmac. As the flight unloads from Kathmandu, the bags are hauled away and our group is told to hurry onto the plane. The turnaround time for the landing flight, exiting, and then us boarding the same plane for takeoff was less than ten minutes. The reason this is done is that there are many many flights rolling in every few minutes bringing trekkers to the region. The window is short because the weather tends to cloud up by 1pm or so. It is an amazing feat to see passengers and baggage haulers moving so fast. The plane literally rolls off the hillside to take flight. 35 minutes later we were back to the noise of Kathmandu. We have not seen vehicles the entire time we were trekking--because there are none. Everything is done on foot. There are no roads. It is not even 8am yet and the streets are flooded with people. It is a festival week here and so many shops are open early selling strung marigold necklaces, sweets, figs, noisemakers, etc. for the celebration. We arrive back at the Yak and Yeti hotel alert but exhausted. We find some coffee and lychee juice and wait for our rooms for 2 hours. Afterall, no one has checked out yet because its so early. When we finally get our assigned rooms, we shower with all of the hot water in Kathmandu! I think I spent 30 minutes showering, shaving my legs, conditioning my hair, moisturizing my face, and putting on makeup. It's about 80 here today with a nice breeze so its a great feeling not to have a hat and fleece on in the room. And to have a western toilet in the room too! We are all obsessed with the bathroom situation at this point, every meal's conversation revolves around squat toilets and rating how bad each of the lodges' facilities were. I root around for a clean short sleeved shirt and some lighter pants. At noon, we head into the lively tourist district of Thamel, which is akin to a bustling Chinatown type environment. Curiously we eat at a place called Roadhouse which serves woodfired pizza and NO yak cheese. The group is happy to pig out, even getting dessert and drinks. Abby and Andy are with us again which is exciting. He is doing well after the helicopter evacuation. He looks thin, but rested now. He has been going to the clinic everyday for a checkup and his sats are back to normal. His diagnosis was a combination of HAPE and HACE. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema/Cerebral Edema. We split up after lunch for some shopping and wandering. Some of us even took a personalized interactive tour of the US embassy security area. Apparently videoing the traffic jam near the embassy is frowned upon. In fact, it actually buys you an hour with Embassy officials who review your camera photos and videos and take down personal information about you. There are even two way mirrors. Let's just say I wasn't the only one involved and in the end we are all fine and didnt lose our cameras or photos of Everest. Never a dull moment....</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-70988350115606724202011-10-24T18:05:00.006-05:002012-04-30T11:31:34.664-05:00Farewell dinner in Kathmandu<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlG3c-NinLMlJxf-eP9ZCwoGA8KAXHCamhg5Lb0iDg8A1_h8Xgyh-O4OuDk7Q768uvWHEkMtzaRqpHApJ6O7sqwkYdPRx7SAmt5blbMucSD6KIj5S0O1n2NSUZuT99kzrH-lAS45YUUyP/s1600/IMG_4236.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674236896760802786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlG3c-NinLMlJxf-eP9ZCwoGA8KAXHCamhg5Lb0iDg8A1_h8Xgyh-O4OuDk7Q768uvWHEkMtzaRqpHApJ6O7sqwkYdPRx7SAmt5blbMucSD6KIj5S0O1n2NSUZuT99kzrH-lAS45YUUyP/s320/IMG_4236.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 214px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Im not sure why this one posted out of order but it is an awful photo from our dinner last night. Steak and champagne were the highlights! Funny stories, laughing, toasts...our most relaxed evening yet. Sagar, one of the coordinators from the local Mountain Madness offfice joined us. He had lots of good stories from past treks and expeditions... Yesterday during the day was spent picking up last minute gifts and touring the city. We headed to Durbar Square and lunched at the famous Rum Doodle where we left our signed Yeti print hanging on the ceiling in the patio area (see other post from Durbar Square). Wandered back through the chaos of Thamel and relaxed for the rest of the day.Today we all depart at different times for different connections throughout the world- Bahrain, Doha, London, Seoul, Hong Kong....Everyone is looking forward to being home but it will be another day and a half before we all arrive there.</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-12495696658389324712011-10-24T05:00:00.002-05:002011-11-12T16:30:28.838-06:00Leaving Lukla<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibptGXRcwpQr3ekVaHDmeDF8OlMk6VGGaPR0f-lrHpUe9qB9hgqSYUO3SaOySh6KaSDReiZUrD780qFWkeS7mePat8RpledfC3idlNUAb1UaYDrJtJP4xGLneGUTJAShctGhWr9RK1Eakz/s1600/IMG_4147.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674240268518630018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibptGXRcwpQr3ekVaHDmeDF8OlMk6VGGaPR0f-lrHpUe9qB9hgqSYUO3SaOySh6KaSDReiZUrD780qFWkeS7mePat8RpledfC3idlNUAb1UaYDrJtJP4xGLneGUTJAShctGhWr9RK1Eakz/s320/IMG_4147.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gkuP7m8FjJOV35mSyiZwQkyVapp25EyPMj6D-D8ErG3mbEB05VQ28nRJbId_q0mbik-KZXr7OdufZtODlB0I2bOrVcK6fE2WN7396EmLklSxTJLesRre0YoV5eDCmPxAs_bk4nI2UWOj/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjQtMjAxMTEwMjQtMTU0My5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-741643"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667230143149411314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gkuP7m8FjJOV35mSyiZwQkyVapp25EyPMj6D-D8ErG3mbEB05VQ28nRJbId_q0mbik-KZXr7OdufZtODlB0I2bOrVcK6fE2WN7396EmLklSxTJLesRre0YoV5eDCmPxAs_bk4nI2UWOj/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjQtMjAxMTEwMjQtMTU0My5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-741643" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><p class="mobile-photo">Take off and landing can be found here:</p><br /><br /><br /><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/colinstump?blend=1&ob=5#p/u/0/Rq_S_vAsiuo">http://www.youtube.com/user/colinstump?blend=1&ob=5#p/u/0/Rq_S_vAsiuo</a></p>Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-4557194036946669262011-10-23T18:48:00.003-05:002011-11-02T10:39:38.800-05:00A nice thank you from the Sherpas!!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX1fgFtRwTSJcKNgycy9hmNuNRgm_DI2DgIoVuAFFljgizpTeYoND1PY2Bzm6P_QK7Dkp4gngeej0i994bHtHytrG-dKHzfV-K89SXSY-51KLIg3teJ6PPrX_UmPUGiy3UVMjDEcMGFMC/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjMtMjAxMTEwMjQtMDUzMy5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-766434"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667072621237982914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX1fgFtRwTSJcKNgycy9hmNuNRgm_DI2DgIoVuAFFljgizpTeYoND1PY2Bzm6P_QK7Dkp4gngeej0i994bHtHytrG-dKHzfV-K89SXSY-51KLIg3teJ6PPrX_UmPUGiy3UVMjDEcMGFMC/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjMtMjAxMTEwMjQtMDUzMy5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-766434" /></a></p>Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-37080375721915472292011-10-23T17:03:00.002-05:002011-10-25T05:21:32.820-05:00Gambling with the staff<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpADmYDavFQzVZ__DALFHcytbKSMms22hdh9Unx7T7CtF9nhjlRHunPUbgZDAR5jdZi2DquwBk_sCUMvqybseefdwuaTWo7M5r6LdOBXyDF9Aunl3b6pkjiq1U8PKuanGjwGSZhgrnznIJ/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjItMjAxMTEwMjQtMDM0Ny5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-708650"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667045746091169970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpADmYDavFQzVZ__DALFHcytbKSMms22hdh9Unx7T7CtF9nhjlRHunPUbgZDAR5jdZi2DquwBk_sCUMvqybseefdwuaTWo7M5r6LdOBXyDF9Aunl3b6pkjiq1U8PKuanGjwGSZhgrnznIJ/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMjItMjAxMTEwMjQtMDM0Ny5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-708650" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>Celebrating our descent to Lukla. We shared a meal with the entire staff and presented them with their gratuities. Later in the evening we toasted with a little moonshine-- "Roxy" as its known. Or gasoline, as it tasted.... And then we dueled with singing---Nepalis first, then countered with an American song...I wish I had video of the closing production of everyone doing the Hokey Pokey.</p><br /><br /><p>As far as tips and money go...the head sherpa guide in the group makes probably less than $10 a day (a fair wage here, even a little above average), but most of their earnings come from client tips. His total payment for 14 days with us was about $800. Some of cook staff and porters make as little as $250 for those 14 days. They sleep in cold tents, they rise early, they attend to clients every request and yet they are very grateful for this opportunity to work with Mountain Madness because being part of a trekking staff is a lucrative position. </p><br /><br /><p>A fun part of the evening was bequeathing some of our unwanted gear to the guides and staff. We all put our unwanted gear (coats, shoes, boots, sunglasses, waterbottles, socks, hats, etc) in a pile and there was a lottery system and each staff member "won" 2 items. The look on their faces when they received a coat or sunglasses worth a few hundred dollars....its just so hard to reconcile that with the way we consume so much here in the US.<br />Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-57682885293795701122011-10-23T14:45:00.001-05:002011-10-25T05:33:11.892-05:00I told you so!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xjVScEowYIAkxp9YClGXiK8uw5x-uaB9iL3x7cdqkgUd8xtnHum-pDf8aomrUzhDPrwv9pC1QUYHwVocnF5hzjGrzq644NoMqZo_tKq_kzHLliAYNj_t-qorx9tSYX001pkC8wGEzXp0/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMTktMjAxMTEwMjQtMDA1NS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-719693"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667012291138439122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xjVScEowYIAkxp9YClGXiK8uw5x-uaB9iL3x7cdqkgUd8xtnHum-pDf8aomrUzhDPrwv9pC1QUYHwVocnF5hzjGrzq644NoMqZo_tKq_kzHLliAYNj_t-qorx9tSYX001pkC8wGEzXp0/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMTktMjAxMTEwMjQtMDA1NS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-719693" /></a></p>Its not an actual franchise, checkout the mountain in the logo. But the latte was good!<br />Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-29833029795161359672011-10-23T14:11:00.001-05:002011-10-25T05:32:06.885-05:00I told you so!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6arF1wYw0cfTBVL9FZ2RdcwpdpD2apUZOL58ceEE0TIAb2NtbPMeLvxpqL3hTj6HhPaGYJLaLS5jhFhnZNt9WAUh38MeK9Lvy6PNmW1L7q9p3m3Pf-szRLg4WCPqdaI1lzjdztzAIw7Y3/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMTktMjAxMTEwMjQtMDA1NS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-722990"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667010592008323138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6arF1wYw0cfTBVL9FZ2RdcwpdpD2apUZOL58ceEE0TIAb2NtbPMeLvxpqL3hTj6HhPaGYJLaLS5jhFhnZNt9WAUh38MeK9Lvy6PNmW1L7q9p3m3Pf-szRLg4WCPqdaI1lzjdztzAIw7Y3/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMTktMjAxMTEwMjQtMDA1NS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-722990" /></a></p><br /><p>Ok its not actually an authorized franchise. Check out the mountain in its logo: Its Ama Dablam! In protest, I wasn't actually going to visit this Starbucks, but since it's not a "real" one, and I reallllly needed to indulge, I went in.</p><br /><p>It took us 7 hours to walk down from Namche Bazaar to Lukla, the starting/ending point of the trip. The last 40 minutes of the whole trek is uphill (OF COURSE!!!!!!!!!!). We laughed the whole way down about the idiot trekkers in clean clothes we kept passing coming up the mountain! How naive they were to be smiling like that! Giggling at how refreshed they looked when in just a few days they'd be beaten and worn!!</p><br /><p>Walking through the city gates at Lukla felt like finishing an Ironman. Or 100 of them. An amazing feeling of personal accomplishment and physical exhaustion. It is hard to put into words what we all felt at the finish line but our common goal of visiting Everest Base Camp will bind us forever.</p><br /><p><br />Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146052880856411966.post-20043669500835876362011-10-23T13:50:00.001-05:002011-10-25T05:33:27.196-05:00Marigolds blooming in Phakding<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqBV_zyiQyRmTHvnkTwtdX_NwqA9AtDFILcvVyZViBEzJG4G4sHlLHxeTPHlkUdVTdIiuoCGwbSteEfNLx3XHtlCGdYPX4DAzIUlyPlSi5ZoCrT7KV_6GsQ4iULJOpfwR5ppR5XNVpdvp/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMTctMjAxMTEwMjQtMDAzNS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-702633"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666936197379540770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqBV_zyiQyRmTHvnkTwtdX_NwqA9AtDFILcvVyZViBEzJG4G4sHlLHxeTPHlkUdVTdIiuoCGwbSteEfNLx3XHtlCGdYPX4DAzIUlyPlSi5ZoCrT7KV_6GsQ4iULJOpfwR5ppR5XNVpdvp/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HMDAzMTctMjAxMTEwMjQtMDAzNS5qcGc%253D%253F%253D-702633" /></a></p>Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0