Local kids in the Everest region of Nepal try to charm trekkers out of chocolate. Photo / Winston Aldworth
Local kids in the Everest region of Nepal try to charm trekkers out of chocolate. Photo / Winston Aldworth
Winston Aldworth is impressed by the strong, resilient people of Nepal.
I'm walking in the Everest region of the Himalayas - up a steep stretch of path - and it's hard going. The air is thin; the track is rough. Thankfully, I'm only carrying a daypack with a water bottle and a jacket stuffed inside it.
The guy walking ahead ofme is carrying a 110kg diesel generator. He's stooped under the weight of the thing. His tread is heavy but certain, he's bent at the waist and his back is ramrod straight. This guy could literally be piggybacking me up the hill.
And in many ways he is. In the towns tucked into the hillsides of the Everest region, pretty much everything a Western trekker will eat, drink, sleep on or sleep under is carried in by a guy like this.
We stopped for a breather alongside him and shared some food. He was 19 and getting paid about $130 for carrying the generator from Lukla to Namche. He figured the job would take him two days. If you think that's good money, shoot down to a hire shop and sling a diesel generator on your back. I could barely lift the thing.
I was in Nepal in 2013 for the 60th anniversary of Hilary and Tenzing's summitting of Everest. We hiked around some of the villages on the trail leading towards Everest with a group hosted by World Expeditions. The mountain scenery - of course - was stunning, but meeting the locals was the real highlight.
These smiling people make the best of a tough environment. Foreign trekkers aren't just the main source of income, they're pretty much the entire economy.
So, the Sherpa people simply get on with the business of living in a harsh land, caring for visitors and caring for each other.
A Nepali porter carries a 110kg diesel generator up a steep hill in the Everest region. Photo / Winston Aldworth
After the loss of lives and buildings, the longest aftershock of the recent earthquakes in Nepal will come with the loss of a trekking season. Next year, they'll need double the business - and more - to run the schools and medical centres. Whether the business comes or not, they'll go on doing what they do - caring for guests and their community - with wonderful grace.
They are as warm-hearted as they are practical. At the mani stones - beautifully painted landmarks along the track - it's customary to walk to the left to cleanse your soul. But these guys aren't mugs: a porter laden with heavy kit will take the quickest route.
Uphill and downhill, porters and yaks get right-of-way.
The porters with our group are all 18 and from the lowlands. There are few jobs for them other than carrying hikers' gear or joining the army. The pay here is better. When the hiking season is done, they go back to family farms.
The rock stars of this economy are the high-altitude Sherpas, whose heroic antics on the peak of the world - carrying the equipment to high-altitude camps, setting up the ropes and, ultimately, walking big-paying Westerners to the summit - are the key to the cash that trickles down throughout the region.
Dressed in first-rate climbing gear (for them, none of the "North Fake" knock-offs so common in the region) and with their faces hardened by wind and sun, these guys are easily recognisable.
A Nepali porter takes a break from carrying a 110kg diesel generator. Photo / Winston Aldworth
The locals adore them. And yet, most of them would dearly love to have some other job.
It's dangerous work. Many hit the bottle.
"They drink before an expedition because they might die," says our group's head guide, Sonam Sherpa. "They drink after an expedition because they survived."
These guys steep up in the brief climbing season - they'll earn up to $8000 for working on one expedition - then return to their families to tend small farms. Around here, that's seriously big money.
Getting there:Cathay Pacific has return airfares to Kathmandu. Through sister airline Dragonair, Cathay is operating its normal flights to Kathmandu, but is recommending that passengers defer all non-essential travel.
Travel advisory: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has advised against all tourist and other non-essential travel due to earthquake damage. Aftershocks are expected to continue for some time.
The earthquake has caused widespread infrastructure damage throughout the country. Many roads are damaged.
