Hello San Miguel Students!
Thank you for your awesome questions!
Before we head out for our morning hike I will answer the first round that was sent in by Miss K!
Are you scared?
Colleen: yes, because this is my first time up here and I'm not quite sure what to expect.
Walid: no, I know we're prepared and we are being very safe.
Is it cold?
The sun here is very strong even though the temperatures are low. Sitting in the sun you can wear a t-shirt but when the sun goes away it gets very chilly. As we go higher up it will get much colder. We haven't reached snow yet.
Where have you travelled?
Since we've been married we have traveled through the Caribbean by sailboat visiting Bermuda, Tortola, the Dominican Republic, Puuerto Rico and many more islands there.
In South America we have visited: Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Panama, and Colombia.
We've visited Morocco in North Africa as well as Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In the Middle East we have been to Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Egypt, and Lebanon.
In Asia we have been to Myanmar, Bhutan, Thailand, Nepal, and Japan.
In Europe we live in Spain, very close to the French border so we go to France nearly every weekend! We've also been to Portugal, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Andorra, Finland, Denmark, Greenland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, England, & Scotland.
What is your favorite place you have travelled?
Walid: Barcelona because it's where he chose to live.
Colleen: I agree but I love to always visit new places! I love France, Italy, and Colombia too. There are so many amazing places it's hard to say!
Are you an explorer?
I think we would both answer yes. We aren't an explorer in the sense of Magellen, Columbus, Edmund Hillary, or Shackleton who truly explored the unknown, however, we like to experience new places, new smells, new food, and different cultures. If your mind is open to these different ideas, then you too are an explorerer and adventurer. You can even find your own explorations and adventures a bus or car ride away!
Where do you stay when you travel?
We prefer to stay with friends if we can, but if we don't know anybody we stay in hotels. We camp sometimes as well. On this trip we are staying in lodges called teahouses. They have restaurants, beds, a shared bathroom and shower but they are very comfortable. We are paying $3.00 to sleep tonight!
(Where we are staying tonight)
What is the fastest anyone has climbed Mt Everest?
The fasted speed from Everest Base Camp is just over 8 hours.
What animals have you seen?
We saw monkeys in Kathmandu. Since arriving to the mountains we have seen lots of yak, horses, and a few goats. There are red pandas and snow leopards who live here but so far we haven't seen them.
What language do the Nepalese people speak?
The people of Nepal speak Nepalese, however, in the region we are in the speak mostly Sherpa. They Sherpa people are an ethnic group based in the mountains of Nepal who lived of the land, until recently, when Mountain climbing became popular and now they are some of the best mountain climbers in the world.
What religion are the people of Nepal?
The people of Nepal are mainly Buddhist, but there are also Hindu, Muslim, and Christians as well. (Not many)
What are they doing in front of the fire?
Monkey temple is a Buddhist site still used by locals. The ladies by the fire were performing a local relgious ceremony.
What do the people eat? What are we eating?
We are eating fairly similar cuisine to the locals up until today as it's easy to bring food up. The locals like spicy food...and I do too!
Yak is a popular dish here, as is chicken and rice.
There are also lots of noodles, soups, teas, and bread.
My favorite snack is called a momo. It is like a dumpling filled with vegetables, beef, chicken, or pork.
