Ripcord Adventure Journal 2.3
Our seventh issue of Ripcord Adventure Journal and the first for 2017 brings us on some very intriguing journeys of adventure and discovery. In our Guest Editorial, Mark Evans recounts the crossing of the famed Rub' Al Khali of Arabia by his team as they followed the footsteps of the almost forgotten Bertram Thomas who had crossed it back in 1931 guided by Sheikh Saleh bin Kalut al Kathiri. Jacki Hill Murphy follows Isabella Bird's Guidebook to find that adventures are indeed timeless. In 1889 Isabella Bird ventured into Ladakh region of Kashmir to experience these remote lands and cultures. Rory Golden, a man of many talents give us a glimpse of the world of undersea exploration, the discovery of the Titanic and the life and times of the original 'Ripcord' adventurer Ralph White. In the first of a regular slot, explorer and photographer Jeremy Curl remembers his journey to witness a Donga Fight in the western side of the Omo Valley where manhood is tested and tribal feuds settled. In our final article in this issue, Jimmy McSparron finds hospitality and enjoys the dangers of an unconventional hike to Machu Picchu.
Our seventh issue of Ripcord Adventure Journal and the first for 2017 brings us on some very intriguing journeys of adventure and discovery.
In our Guest Editorial, Mark Evans recounts the crossing of the famed Rub' Al Khali of Arabia by his team as they followed the footsteps of the almost forgotten Bertram Thomas who had crossed it back in 1931 guided by Sheikh Saleh bin Kalut al Kathiri.
Jacki Hill Murphy follows Isabella Bird's Guidebook to find that adventures are indeed timeless. In 1889 Isabella Bird ventured into Ladakh region of Kashmir to experience these remote lands and cultures.
Rory Golden, a man of many talents give us a glimpse of the world of undersea exploration, the discovery of the Titanic and the life and times of the original 'Ripcord' adventurer Ralph White.
In the first of a regular slot, explorer and photographer Jeremy Curl remembers his journey to witness a Donga Fight in the western side of the Omo Valley where manhood is tested and tribal feuds settled.
In our final article in this issue, Jimmy McSparron finds hospitality and enjoys the dangers of an unconventional hike to Machu Picchu.
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21<br />
Baruntse - A World Apart<br />
Alex Staniforth<br />
Sunrise Hotel was cosy, but a tad more rustic than The Ritz: with<br />
bare wooden floorboards, tables and a cast-iron stove. The name<br />
was less misleading with the early glimpses of the surroundings<br />
outside. We met Thoman, our sirdar (base camp manager), our<br />
cook, Purna, and two climbing Sherpas, Ongchhu and Phur Temba,<br />
whilst the porters assembled gear in a babble of camaraderie. It<br />
saddened me how they were treated like the underdogs despite<br />
doing the hardest work of all.<br />
The cobbled high street of Lukla village bustled with life in the<br />
morning shade. Pungent juniper smoke filled the doorways and<br />
counterfeit outdoor clothing hung above the mass of tourists. The<br />
creature comforts of the imitation ‘Starbucks Coffee’ would be the<br />
closest to home we would get for weeks, and the chocolate cake<br />
would become a distant, fond memory.<br />
We left the masses travelling towards the village of Poyan, gradually<br />
ascending to acclimatise our bodies. Only now could I truly begin<br />
to appreciate the diversity of such a place: passing through lush<br />
greenery, alpine meadows and humid forested valleys. Suspension<br />
bridges swung across dizzying gorges and prayer flags rattled<br />
overhead. Waterfalls crashed to the ground. Vibrant Mani stones<br />
and crumbling Stupa shrines littered peaceful trails like Buddhist<br />
street art. It was deeply satisfying to stop and reflect on why I was<br />
here.<br />
Dramatic backdrops and a warming welcome greeted our team as<br />
we moved ever higher towards an entirely subsistence way of life.<br />
Curious locals watched on as we passed through their tiny village<br />
and stopped for tea. Inquisitive children chirped “Namaste!” and<br />
occasionally followed for a closer look at my iPhone. A period of<br />
torrential rain soon made the daily trekking a miserable routine,<br />
trudging through muddy sub-tropical forest for miles, and eating<br />
gone-off fried meat in huts whilst pulling leeches off our clothes.<br />
The abject poverty and the beauty of nature still met in the same<br />
place, and the people were still happy. But the primitive expedition<br />
life was new to me. This was no package holiday – we just got on<br />
with it.
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