Trekking to the Everest base camp

Himalayas. The name itself explains a lot about this colossus mountain range -- the madness, exhilaration, excitement and most importantly the spiritual chasm. Home to some of the world's most infamous mountains plus the highest peak of the world Everest, Himalayas dwarfs all other mountain ranges by far. It is solitary in every sense.
Mt. Everest has an undeniable ability to seduce explorers, travellers and climbers alike with its breathtaking pose and supernatural conviction. It is indeed a colossal icon of everlasting excitement to people of all ages throughout the world. Following the conquest of North and South Pole, this peak came to be known as the third pole of the world and the centre of eternal human interest for centuries. Mt. Everest named after the first person to record its height, Sir George Everest, translates in Nepalese and Tibetan as 'Goddess in the Sky' and 'Mother Goddess of the Universe', demonstrating the immense respect and reverence that the locals have for this awe-inspiring 8848 meter mountain.
I have been to the Indian part of the Himalayas in a previous expedition in Himachal Pradesh climbing a 6,187m peak.
In October 2008, I left home to trek up to the Everest Base Camp with three of my adventure friends. Arriving in Kathmandu Airport with backpacks and all the courage we could gather in our young hearts, we could smell the excitement in the air!
Stupa for Sherpa Tenjing Norge
The majority of trekkers headed to Everest Base Camp start by flying into the precariously situated mountainside village of Lukla. The flight is an adventure itself as you wing your way up the steep-walled valley of the Dudh Koshi River. From Lukla, it is an 11-day bone-cracking trekking to the base camp. However, since you can't even see the summit of Everest from base camp because of the structure of the mountain, you're really better off skipping this climbers' tent city and instead head to Gorakshep to climb to the summit of 18,190 foot /5,550-meter Kala-Patthar, from which you have a view of Mount Everest that would take your breath away! We planned on following the same route.
Leaving the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, we board a small aircraft of some sort, mutter our prayers and cast a worried eye on fellow passengers not to mention the flight crew. Some 40 minutes later a tiny land strip tucked between lush valleys and majestic mountain walls emerged below. Touching down on Lukla airport, we breathed deep for the first time. The air is crisp and thin; chatty porters -- looking for a day job came rushing from all directions.
We started our trekking leaving the busy Lukla valley behind. It was a four hours' moderate trekking when we reached Phakding (2,610m) on the first day. We continue north up to Dudh Koshi valley on the next day and the terrain was starting to play its part on us. The trail was getting harder and harder as the gradient started to grow. The route was breathtaking as we the snow-capped Himalayas and the Everest were in view. We made it to Namche bazaar after the hardest day of trekking so far. The temperature fell close to the freezing point at the Sherpa capital.
We spent a day for acclimatization there. We had the first comprehensive view of the Everest as we left Namche Bazaar. On the trek we crossed rivers on cable and wooden bridges decorated with colourful prayer flags, some of them quite rickety.
We came across Yaks moving up and down the trail carrying heavy loads of expedition parties every now and then. We moved up the trail to Lobuche (4,910m) in the five few days and camped and spent nights at Tengboche (3860m), Dingboche (4410m) and Dughla (4620m).
Thiyangboche monastry
The air became thinner and the level of oxygen dropped as we were struggling to make progress. As you reached higher altitudes oxygen in the air dramatically decreased. At 20,000 feet there is only half as much oxygen in the air as you are used to. The temperature also fell closer to zero and made it even harder. We had a one-day rest at Lobuche for acclimatization. We had had some magnificent views of the Everest along with Amadablam, Nuptse, Lohtse and overriding Pumori -- some of the greatest mountains along the trek.
We reached Gorakshep (5140m) the next day. Kala Patthar was visible in the distance from our camp. The air was too thin and the sun was nowhere to be seen for the last two days. We were literally gasping for oxygen on our trek and the extreme temperature along with shivering blizzard made life even harder even though we could barely wait for the next morning to climb up to the top of Kala Patthar to watch Everest in its complete poise. Everest was just around the corner of our tent that night.
Climbing up to the top of Kala Patthar (5550m) the next morning, it was a view we earned rightfully. The sun was out and shinning with all its glory and the Everest was majestic. Looking intently to the great mountain, we were speechless and bewildered. All the trouble and hardship of the trek paid off. We were not just staring at the greatest of all mountains; we were gazing at the centre of the last greatest human adventure interest of the world.

The Diva

She is not afraid to show her true colours; the show-stealer. She may be bold or demure but her appeal is striking. Carrying herself with flair, she simply loves her presence to reflect personal charm. The way she commands attention has a powerful message of strength and sensuality.

Local firm gears up to grab US nursing jobs

A local healthcare professional recruiting firm has set a target to grab at least 10 percent market share of nurses in the US in the next 10 years.
As part of the firm's export plan, the first batch of 20 nurses will sit for US nursing board examination and an English test at the end of this year.
“We will be able to send nurses to the US from early next year,” said Shaheen Faruque, president and chief executive officer of Momtaz Memorial Medical Services Bangladesh, a US-Bangladesh partnership.
She said they have been developing and training 20 nurses under a pilot project since 2007. The next batch has already been selected for training, she added.
The US is going through a severe shortage of professional nurses. According to statistics from the American Nursing Council, currently the US faces a shortage of 22,000 nurses per year and if the trend continues the figure will reach 80,000 in 2020.
India and the Philippines are currently holding the major share of nurses in the global market.
The two countries sent some 50,000 nurses between 2005 and 2007 to the US, Shaheen said. Of them India alone sent 40,000.
In today's globalised world nursing is considered as a highly skilled profession. A nurse can earn $4,000 to $10,000 a month, which a very few professionals can earn.
“There are other potential markets for nurses. Europe, especially the Scandinavian countries, has a huge demand for professional nurses,” said Shaheen who is a US citizen and worked there as a doctor for 15 years.
The Middle East can also be a big destination for Bangladeshi nurses, she said.
But Shaheen thinks the business is not so easy and smooth as people think. There are stringent quality and standard compliance issues.
“At first we will have to gain international quality in nursing education,” she said.
Shaheen said the government has to address three broad issues -- revision of curriculum, incorporation of computer training and introduction of English language courses -- before tapping the export markets.
“We request the government to revise the curriculum for nurses and add courses in line with international standards,” she said.
Knowledge about modern equipment and technology is also vital, she pointed out.
India and the Philippines have already set stringent educational and regulatory requirements to maintain standards.
Kerala Nursing Institute in India is an international standard organisation that is training nurses and sending them to developed markets, Shaheen said, adding that the Philippines has quality hospitals and clinics to train nurses for sending them abroad.
According to government statistics, there are 53 nursing institutions in Bangladesh and the number of registered nurses is 25,000 against around 55,000 registered doctors.
Over 90 percent of the nurses are diploma degree holders and only 200 nurses with BSc (Bachelor of Science) degree are coming out a year.
“The export market has a comparatively high demand for BSc nurses than diploma degree holders,” Shaheen said. Internationally, course duration for BSc nursing is four years, but it is 4 years for diploma course in Bangladesh, she added.
She said her firm would go for producing BSc nurses in the next three years.

The familiar face of Bangladesh

Rivers get polluted and dry up, traffic jams become even more intolerable, natural calamities continue to decimate localities but the frequent pure, wide smile on the face of a hungry street urchin never fades. And this is the familiar face of Bangladesh.
As photographer Nayeem puts it: "Bangladesh, as we all know, is ridden with problems...But even in the depths of despair that I sometimes find all round me, I like to see a positive side...Despite their desperate poverty, the friendliness and goodness of the common people of my country is a shining example of inner strength. It is this strength that I try to capture and reflect in my photographs."
Nayeem's solo photo exhibition, titled "The Face of Bangla," is now on at the Drik Gallery in Dhanmondi. The collection includes photos taken between 2007 and this year.
Photos at the exhibition have been arranged as part of several series. For instance, "Prakriti O Jibon" (nature and life) highlights riverine life in rural Bangladesh. Sailboats get the focus. The photos (shot in Paturia, 2007), however, seem to lack sharpness/clarity. Perhaps, the resolution or the original images was not high enough.
"Kailanjir Baich" (Ghagor river, Tungipara, 2008) series features traditional boat race. One image that stands out is of a participating boat rowed by women; older women singing and cheering the rowers in the back.
"Panam Nagari" (Sonargaon, 2007) series shows the facade of a mansion that had evidently seen grander times. The two images -- fittingly in black and white -- articulate the crumbling glory of a once thriving city and its beautiful architecture.
"Naach" (Dhaka, 2009) shows swirling forms on stage. A split second of dancers in motion has been captured, as the title suggests.
"Padma" (Rajshahi, 2009) does not feature a mighty river and its tides. Instead the viewer sees a sandy plain from one end of the frame to the other.
"Bok" or Cranes (Amua, 2007) series includes some of the most visually stunning images from the collection. The cranes are seen resting, taking off, and frolicking with each other -- in all their glory.
Then there are individual photos. "Bedey Polli" (Ghorashal, 2008) shows a serpentine queue of gypsy boats anchored. "Bali Sromik" (Mawa, 2009) features Safar Ali from Brahmanbaria, who works as a labourer. He shared his tale of woes with the photographer thinking his story might be published in some newspaper.
"Three Boys" (Dhaka, 2009) shows children with their backs to the camera. Covered in mud, two of them flash brilliant smiles.
One noticeable aspect is that the viewer can sense Nayeem's growth as a photographer from the exhibition, as the collective quality of his photos have gradually improved.
UK-based writer and translator Norman Thomas di Giovanni wrote in his appreciation, "...Twice over, with my own eyes and Nayeem's, I came to witness the unforgettable face of Bangla -- and, joyously and miraculously, they were one. Now, with the gift of Nayeem's vision, it is the landscape of the country and the intrinsic dignity of the Bangladeshi that I hold with me and that I have brought back to England."

Indonesians vote in presidential election

This is a combo photo of Indonesian presidential candidates, from left to right, Jusuf Kalla, the incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati Sukarnoputri. Photo: APAP, Jakarta
Indonesians voted Wednesday in their emerging democracy's second direct presidential election, with the incumbent expected to win a single-round victory thanks to recent economic and political stability.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has won popular support on a campaign of anti-corruption and financial support for the poor. Opinion polls indicate that Yudhoyono, who won his first five-year term in 2004, will get the necessary 50 percent plus one vote to defeat two opponents and avoid a September runoff.
Polling booths opened across Indonesia's three time zones, from Aceh in the west to remote Papua province in the far east, without any reports of incidents.
"I voted for SBY," said Fransiscus Bokeyau, a 40-year-old elementary school teacher in Papua, referring to the president's initials. "People feel free of fear and peaceful under his leadership. Slowly the standard of living and the economy in Papua are improving."
Before dictator Suharto was ousted in 1998, Indonesia was under brutal authoritarian rule for decades, and until recently was wracked by secessionist battles and suicide bombings by al-Qaida-funded Islamic militants. It suffered towering unemployment after the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98.
Today, the predominantly Muslim country of 235 million is enjoying a level of harmony its critics had said was impossible, with its economy growing at 4 percent a year amid a severe global downturn.
"We are optimistic our candidate will win in a single round based on recent poll results," Andi Mallarangeng, Yudhoyono's campaign spokesman, said on the eve of the election. People "want the continuation of stability in politics, security and economy."
Still, Indonesia faces huge obstacles in attracting foreign investment to improve its crumbling infrastructure, creating an independent judiciary, and reducing poverty of up to 100 million people. It has also struggled to stop illegal logging and mining that are depleting its natural resources and causing global warming.
Most public opinion polls in Indonesia are funded by political parties, but even the surveys paid for by Yudhoyono's opponents put the 59-year-old former general 10 percent ahead of the closest rival. Pro-Yudhoyono pollsters give him a 30 percent lead at 70 percent of the vote. Yudhoyono needs 50 percent of cast ballots to win in one round.
Yudhoyono is competing against Megawati Sukarnoputri, a former president whose father was the first postcolonial leader of Indonesia, and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, the frontman of the ex-dictator's political machine, Golkar.
Leaders of the country's military past still play an active role in politics. The courts, police and parliament are regularly ranked among the most corrupt institutions in the world by anti-graft watchdogs.
The running mates of Yudhoyono's opponents, former generals Prabowo Subianto and Wiranto, have faced accusations by U.N. prosecutors and rights groups of atrocities during the dictatorship, but are expected to win millions of votes.
Yudhoyono has gained a reputation as a clean politician and a leader who cracked down on the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network blamed for a series of attacks between 2002 and 2005 killed more than 240 people, most of them foreign tourists on Bali.
The Indonesian Survey Circle, which has accurately forecast previous elections, predicted in a poll published Monday that Yudhoyono would win more than 50 percent of the popular vote. It said Sukarnoputri and Kalla would garner less than 30 percent.
The independent agency said it conducted 2,000 face-to-face interviews in the nationwide survey in mid-June, and that it has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. It declined to tell The Associated Press who commissioned the survey.
Around 176 million people signed up to vote at more than half a million polling stations. The Constitutional Court sided with an opposition demand this week that other citizens — possibly tens of millions — will be allowed to make last-minute registrations to exercise their right to vote.
The National Election Commission has been widely criticized for failing to compile a list of registered voters, as it did in the April elections. Yudhoyono's rivals — while providing no proof — claim that millions of people will be unable to participate.

Herath helps Sri Lanka stun Pakistan in series

Sri Lanka's bowlers engineered a dramatic Pakistan batting collapse to clinch a 50-run victory on the fourth day of the opening test on Tuesday. Pakistan resumed the day on 71 for two, needing just 97 runs with eight wickets remaining to win the opener of the three-match series, but wickets tumbled from early in the morning session and the tourists were bowled out for 117 in less than 45 overs. Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who was rushed into the contest from English league cricket after an injury to Muttiah Muralitharan, sparked the collapse with the wickets of Mohammad Yousuf (12) and Salman Butt (28). Herath was Pakistan's chief tormentor, showing plenty of guile to claim impressive figures of 4-15 from 11.3 overs. Yousuf, Pakistan's first-innings top scorer with 112, was the first man to go when he was trapped lbw with a well-disguised arm ball and Butt self-destructed with a wild slog-sweep that was caught at deep square leg. Left-arm fast bowler Thilan Thushara, a controversial pick ahead of veteran Chaminda Vaas, vindicated his selection when he had former captain Shoaib Malik caught behind for a duck to leave Pakistan in disarray on 72-5. Thushara, getting the ball to swing both ways, followed up with an inswinger to trap wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal lbw for six. Sri Lanka keeper Tillakaratne Dilshan then seized on some clumsy calling to run out Misbah-ul-Haq for six shortly after an appeal for leg before was turned down. Spinner Ajantha Mendis made an instant impact, bowling Umar Gul for nine with a fizzing leg-cutter. Abdur Rauf and Mohammad Aamer threatened to stall the home side's victory charge with a partnership of 15 for the ninth wicket, but Herath deceived the latter with an arm ball soon after being called back for a second spell. Herath then wrapped up victory just before the scheduled lunch break when he got Rauf to edge to Jayawardene at slip.

Windies players to boycott Bangladesh series

West Indies players are to boycott the test series against Bangladesh due to start on Thursday, the Caribbean team's players' union said Tuesday. But Julian Hunte, president of the West Indies Cricket Board, said the first test in St.Vincent would go ahead, although he refused to be drawn on whether they would select an alternative squad for the game. The West Indies Players Association (WIPA) said it had attempted to hold talks in the past few days with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to resolve a number of issues. "The players have requested me as President of WIPA, the players' body, to inform the WICB, sponsors and the public that, regretfully, they cannot with immediate effect continue playing without any contracts with the WICB," WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine said in a statement. WICB president Hunte, however, told Reuters he still expected the series to go ahead. "As far as we are concerned (there) will be a test match on Thursday," he said when contacted by telephone. Hunte declined to comment on whether the WICB was now seeking to recruit an alternative team to replace those on strike. "Goodness me, we can't play a test match without players. I can't go beyond that," he said, adding that he intended to release a statement about the game Wednesday. Media reports in the Caribbean said most players from the West Indies squad had returned to their homes and were not preparing as planned for Thursday's game. The union, which threatened strike action during England's tour of the Caribbean in March, said the West Indies players have played the last four series without a contract. In a lengthy statement, the WICB detailed the financial disputes between itself and the WIPA regarding payments for the tour of England in May, the Twenty20 World Cup and the recent four-match ODI series against India in the Caribbean. All of those competitions were highlighted by WIPA as being at the centre of the dispute. The WICB said as far as it was concerned negotiations were ongoing to resolve their issues, though the players, who met at the weekend, have clearly lost patience with their employers. "The decision was taken that if the WICB did not meet with WIPA to resolve outstanding issues, the players would not make themselves available to participate in the upcoming series against Bangladesh," the WIPA statement said. "We have written to the WICB to meet Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th July, but unfortunately the WICB have not responded." Bangladesh are already in the Caribbean having played a warm-up game in Barbados against a West Indies A team.