The People You Meet: Himalayan Healers – the Diva in Down’s (slight) Diversion from ‘The Hardcore”

Despite this blog’s ‘title’, “The Diva in Down”, I *try* not to be a ‘diva’ on expedition. I generally *try* and stay away from worries about ‘hair and makeup’, brightly coloured nail polish, conversations about designer handbags, and the latest fashion tips offered by Maire-Claire magazine… So, it was a bit ‘out of character’ (ah hem) to cut my ‘team coffee’ short yesterday because I had to get a massage.... Needless to say, this raised a few eyebrows as I’d protested earlier that day that even though I was sporting bright blue sparkly nail polish (which matched my jacket and my shoes) that I wasn’t ‘high maintenance’. I could almost hear the eyes roll as my team mates chuckled quietly as I scurried down for my hour of indulgence.

I must admit, I’m not a ‘massage person’ but Sushila Shakya, one of the owners of one of the main and historical buildings on the ‘main street’ (including Cafe Danphe and Namche Cyber Cafe and Restaurant)  in central Namche had given me a tour of the boutique massage and sauna facilities on a previous expedition and encouraged me to give it a try. I’d never had the time to do so but found myself today feeling ‘adventurous’ and treating myself following the long hot slog up Namche Hill…!

The spa is part of the Himalayan Healers social enterprise which was established in Nepal about 10 years ago. It was set up for trauma victims in Nepal – primarily women who have been raped, abused, orphaned and/or trafficked – to allow them to go through a process of rehabilitation while learning healing and massage in the safe environment of a healing arts school in Kathmandu. 

Since its humble beginnings with two massage beds, Himalayan Healers now has branches throughout Nepal in Kathmandu, Pokhra and Namche in many botique hotels. Since its inception, at Himalayan Healers, the message is clear: everyone is equal. The training is open to anyone with a profound need, and the organisation’s success is determined by the healing of its students. 

For the students, the personal healing begins on the first day of training. The students train for five hours a day, six days a week. The training slowly progresses from a simple “feet treat” to a full body massage over the 14-week course. But what makes the programme unique is that all of the students have faced profound trauma. From Ashmita, who was raped and left for dead, to Pooja, who was rescued after being trafficked across the Indian border, each student suppresses many emotions related to these events, and as the weeks progress, these emotions begin to come to the surface as part of their rehabilitation. 

Himalayan Healers work on a social entrepreneurial micro-credit scheme. A good faith deposit based on the student’s economic background, which can range from Rs. 1 upward, is paid by the student towards the Rs. 25,000 fee (circ 250 USD). The student is responsible to repay the fee after they’ve secured employment and their lives have stabilised following the training. The recovered fees pay for subsequent batches of students, helping to make the organisation self-sustaining. Each batch ranges from eight to 10 students, and the school does not take on any student without being able to guarantee employment following the completion of the programme. A majority of the students start by working in one of the five Himalayan Healers Spa Boutique locations and several have chosen to take positions at world-renowned spas abroad. For others, the confidence regained through the training has inspired them to pursue other interests. Like Satish, who is now attending medical school. 

The massage – complete with heated stones – was absolutely amazing and a ‘must do’ for anyone passing through Namche either going to or coming back from an expedition or trek. I thoroughly enjoyed the hour of indulgence and it felt fantastic to be supporting such an excellent cause. I would highly recommend that anyone passing through Nepal visit one of the Himalayan Healers facilities..! 

Many thanks to Sushila and her team at: 
Namche Cyber Café (complete with Starbucks coffee)
Café Danphe Bar, Restaurant and Hotel 
Himalayan Healers

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The long hot slog up to the Sherpa Capital of Namche Bazaar

Blue skies and a sunny morning greeted us as we awoke in Monjo and began our plod up Namche Hill to the town of Namche, the ‘Gateway to the Himalaya’ and the first major stepping stone on any trek into the Khumbu region of Nepal. We made good time up the hill and arrived at 10am which gave us the luxury of the day to acclimatise and allow our bodies to respond to the lack of oxygen at 3200m by producing more red blood cells. 

It’s great to be back in Namche - a ‘holding place’ that most climbers and trekkers pass through on their way into the Khumbu and on treks / climbs to the Everest region. During the day the city is alive with internet cafes blaring music, shops selling all kinds of mountaineering gear (from down jackets to technical climbing tools) interspersed with the occasional pharmacy. There are some real legends from the climbing community here at the moment and it’s fascinating to learn more about everyone’s plans. 

I'm looking forward to rolling out my sleeping bag and enjoying a solid nights sleep, taking in my fill of coffee and maximising the last of the reliable internet facilities for the coming weeks..!

We stay in Namche for 2 nights and then make our way up to the small mountain village of Deboche – one of my favourite sections of trail in the region.

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An up-close & personal tour of every air pocket between Kathmandu & Lukla: Flying into the most dangerous airport in the world

 At 2860m Tenzing-Hillary Airport (better known as Lukla airport) bears the infamous title of being the ‘most dangerous airport in the world’. At the end of the short and abrupt runway (angled at a ‘gentle’ 30 degree upward slope) is a very large and very solid unforgiving mountain and the dangers in landing are often compounded by hazardous weather. The airport is ‘overlooked’ by the mountain village of Lukla which is the starting point of most treks and expeditions into the Khumbu region of Nepal. 

This morning at 5am I found myself fitting in a last minute packing job, strategically cramming in all the ‘non-essentials’ that I’d responsibly decided that I wouldn’t need (e.g. the electric blue nail polish, scented candles…). At 5.45 I found myself in the lobby ready for the days adventures to begin..!

The theme of the day seems to have been ‘hurry up and wait’ – a part of life that you learn to quickly accept here in Nepal. Today was no different…  At 6am we rushed from our hotels to get into line at Kathmandu’s domestic terminal and then proceeded to wait; weighed our bags on an old grain-scale… and then proceeded to wait; we rushed to get through ‘security’ and then proceeded to wait; rushed to the transit bus and then proceeded to wait for our slightly rusted twin prop plane… The flight was a slightly harrowing one and the pilot kindly gave us a ‘tour’ of every air-pocked between Kathmandu and Lukla. Had the flight been in a helicopter it would have been fairly ‘normal’ however I had to remind myself that twin-prop planes generally don’t really fare well in dealing with vertical movement and 20m ‘drops’...!! I closed my eyes and cranked my ipod up a little louder to drown out the sputtering of the engines and the gasps of my fellow passengers.

Seeing the small runway in Lukla reminded me however that I was now officially in ‘expedition mode’. My main focus for the coming weeks is to embrace the steady pace of expedition life where days and moments and memories are taken and enjoyed one step and one day at a time.  It was a brilliantly clear day with the sun peeking over the panorama of snow-capped mountains and the farmers making their way into the terraced fields.

The walk up to the village of Monjo (our stop for the night) was relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable – bumping into both Ian Ridley from my Everest 2010 team and Jon Gupta, a friend from the UK enroute..!  It isn’t a surprise to see familiar faces as the well-trodden trail is bustling with trekkers and the air is filled with the sound of the steady clink of their poles on the stone steps. The sound of chimes and prayer wheels turning in the wind fill the air with a familiar ‘mountain melody’. The colourful spring blossoms add vibrance against the clear blue sky and cold grey mountains casting their shadows over the land.

I’m soooo happy to be back and excited to use these days to get to know our fantastic little team, all of our mutual acquaintances and exchange stories over bottomless cups of hot tea..!

Rene and Anthony enjoying the walk

Bumping into former team mate & friend, Ian Ridley on the trail

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Enroute to climb Ama Dablam - Back in Namche Bazaar....

Following a delicious breakfast of porridge, cereal and bottomless cups of tea from a spotlessly clean lodge we set out under a cloudless blue sky from the small village of Monjo this morning up 'Namche Hill' to the thriving metropolis of Namche Bazaar... As usual we are graced with absolutely breathtaking views through the Khumbu Valley in the shadow of Everest off in the distance.  I've done this walk now numerous times and the views never cease to disappoint. The narrow path cut into the side of the hill  and heavy yak traffic means we often walk in a long and winding 'trekking train'; the sounds of the white-water of the Duda Kosi river far below broken only by the 'clink' of our trekking poles chipping against the rock underfoot and the occasional porter carrying small battery powered radios playing what I can only assume is the Nepali Top 40.

The smells along the trail enliven and overwhelm the senses. The valley is filled with smell of sweet blossoms, richy fertilised earth turned over by local farmers planting potatoes in their fields, the intoxicating smell of crushed juniper underfoot, the sweet milky smell of the porters carrying their heavy loads,  and the occasional pile of steamy yak dung planted unceremoniously in the middle of the trail. Whilst it is a rather unique combination of scents and not altogether unpleasant, I don't suspect that 'Eau de Nepal' will be bottled and sold in a French perfumerie any time soon.

While the path is undulating and steep in certain sections, it is by no means impossible and for anyone considering a trek in the Himalayas where they can enjoy relative 'creature comforts' (beds, culture and hospitality of the local people, fantastic food, breath taking views...) I would highly recommend it. There are literally people of all ages, shapes and sizes along the trail making the experience their own. 


A challenging part of the walk has been to try and stay on the left side of the 'mani-walls', 'stupas' and prayer wheels which are found along auspicious sections of the trail and at the entrance to the numerous villages through which we pass. Mani walls are generally about 4-feet in height and can range from 4 feet - 30 feet in length and are made up of flat stones carved with the mantra (prayer) "Om Mani Padme Hum" which means (roughly) 'Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Diligence, Renunciation, Wisdom'  Given the early arrival of the high winds on Makalu last month I refuse to take any chances with charma and have been giving each stupa, mani wall, and prayer wheel its due respect!

Spinning the written form of the mantra around in a Mani wheel (or prayer wheel) is also believed to give the same benefit as saying the mantra, and Mani wheels, small hand wheels and large wheels with millions of copies of the mantra inside, are found not only in Nepal but everywhere in lands influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. 

We made it up 'Namche Hill' in almost record time and settled into our gorgeous lodge which looks out over Namche. Breathtaking view of many mountains and routes (the Losar ice climb will be EPIC in a few weeks time!). SO many things to do, so little time.!

It's also been great to see old friends here - Tsadam, KC at Sherpaland, as well as the team here at the Internet Cafe and the bar downstairs where I've spent (perhaps!) too many evenings enjoying the hot rum punch...!

Our group 'splits' tomorrow as Valdes, Chad and I (taking advantage of our 'Makalu Acclimatisation' continue on to Phortse and then on to Ama Dablam Base Camp. The rest of the team will continue with their acclimatisation here and meet up with us in a few days time.

It's great to be back in the Khumbu and to be moving on tomorrow - am very much looking forward to our day into Phortse, meeting up with the Sherpa team and the adventure ahead on Ama Dablam..!

Police checkpoint to check permits...

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