Hidden Treasure

In our many trips up the mountain to escape the heat and to visit friends, we have missed a hidden treasure that was right under our noses…the Tibetan Refugee Center.  Not only did we hardly know that it existed, just a twenty minute walk down the mountain from our friend’s house, but we were completely oblivious to the plight of the Tibetan people under the hand of the Chinese.  There is still so much we do not know or understand about our neighboring country and its people, but we are grateful for this center’s existence and for what it means to those it serves.

The Tibetan Refugee Center started in October 1959 with four workers and two rooms.  Since China invaded Tibet in 1950 and took control of it, over 120,000 Tibetans have fled their country, even crossing the Himalayan Mountains into India to escape the oppressive rule of China.  This refugee center not only gives it residents a safe place to live but it also allows them an opportunity to continue their artisan works, like spinning wool, making their own yard and crafting beautiful rugs. 

I wish I could give you more information about Tibet and specifically about the Refugee Center but I cannot. Even still, I am excited to share my pictures from our time at the center.  It was a true privilege to watch these precious people hard at work in chilly and primitive rooms handcrafting such amazing works of art.  Incidentally, their rugs are sold and shipped all over the world.

The Highest Point...

A few weeks ago, Tony and Dylan went on a once in a lifetime, father-son trek, with another father-son duo from the States.  They trekked to the highest point...in the state of West Bengal, Sandakphu.  Its elevation is 11,941 feet.

The guys left our house early one morning to drive into the mountains to meet their guide, Swastik.  Swastik, who is in his mid-twenties and stands a little higher than Dylan’s shoulders, has been leading tourists to Sandakphu for seven years now.  It was about 1 pm before they began their ascent up the mountain.  The path up to Sandakphu took the guys back and forth across the borders of India and Nepal several times.

The first day they trekked six mile and stopped at The Everest Lodge, which was a wooden shack, with a fire in the kitchen that filled the entire house with smoke.  Their host made them chicken curry and then they settled down for the night.  It was very cold and the wind was blowing really hard.  To use the facilities, they had to walk outside to a small, unlit outhouse.  Sleeping was very difficult that night due to the elements as well as the absence of any source of heater.

The second day, they awoke at 5 am to get a peak at Kanchenjunga and Everest.  The guys trekked for over 8 hours (about 10 miles) and reached Sandakphu that evening.  They stayed at a beautiful spot that had no running water and only solar generated power.  There was a filled bucket of water in the indoor bathroom that was supposed to be used to flush the toilet.  They had to break the ice out of the bucket to access the water.  They slept with hot water bottles in their sleeping bags that night.  Dylan says, “That was beautiful.” 

The next morning, Swastik woke the guys up at 5 am to get the most magnificent view of Kanchenjunga and Everest they had ever seen.  That day, they trekked all the way back down the mountain.  In 4 hours, they had descended 6000 feet, where they stopped for a delicious Tibetan chicken noodle soup lunch.  An additional 4 hours, brought them to a village where they were finally able to buy a hot bucket of water for 100 Rupees so that they could take bucket baths.   

The next morning, after breakfast, they took a mountain road taxi back to the van and then drove home.  The guys were exhausted but they had an amazing time and many great stories of their adventure together…memories that will last a lifetime!