Pictures from the mountains and a rant

Sherpas are an ethnic group that comprises of nomadic tribes from some of the most remote regions in the Eastern Himalayas, their name literally means "eastern people". Tenzing Norgay (a Sherpa) and Edmund Hillary were the two people first known to have have reached the summit of Mt Everest.

Every year inexperienced western climbers use Sherpas as guides and people who carry their loads up steep mountains. I have unfortunately witnessed many wannabe climbers with more money than sense using these hardy hill people to carry absolute nonsense up mountains.

Around spring when the snow starts to thaw and the climbing season is about to begin, the Sherpas are the first people to rapidly cross a particularly treacherous area around Khumbhu icefall putting up gear and making a safe path to make the lives of inexperienced climbers easier.

They make about $25 a day for something that is not less than a death wish for many, I have witnessed first hand how much these people do for very little money and at a great personal risk. This year the climbing season began with an avalanche that killed 13 of these brave wonderful people. No group take as much risk as them, they go back and forth multiple times so their clients have an easier climb and they carry the heaviest burden of them all.

Over the years I have come in contact with the sheer generosity and courage that makes these people so special and was extremely distressed to hear this and to be honest I have no patience for rich idiots climbing mountains for thrills while others take a massive risk to fuel their pseudo adventure. Seriously dude when one needs team of twenty people to carry your gear, extra oxygen and sometimes carry oneself up and down the mountain, its not mountaineering its tourism.

Mountains are sacred and command great respect in people who live there, its not something that we treat lightly. You can read more about the contributions Sherpas makes and about the tragedy here and here.

Roadtrip Day One: Mountain Sunsets

We're back from the outback and really inspired from all that we saw and experienced; being away from most things modern did us a lot of good.We started off from the city and crossed the Blue mountains region to the very centre of NSW and camped in the middle of no where with dusty red earth, barely any cellphone network and a whole lot of fun.

The trip was visually inspiring but also so much more in the sense that one gets so much time to think and reflect while driving past spectacular fall foliage and quaint small towns. Lately I have been feeling the urge to maybe reduce the burden of having so many belongings and go back to having a smaller collection of things that are fabulous to me. Lets see how far I am able to pare back.

I have always been drawn towards comfortable clothing in natural fabrics that let my skin breathe and accesories that mean something to me. The earings in these photos were something I admired long ago on a friend from Columbia who promptly took them off and gave them to me, this vintage beaded belt was something picked up on travels and my various sweaters have so far been worn in multiple continents. I hope to continue to love my things, resist picking up things from impersonal shops and build a collection of truly eclectic items that mean a lot to me.

Here are a few pictures from our first sunset from the trip. Hope everyone had a relaxing break.

Autumn roadtrips: In the woods, around mountains and by the sea

One of my most favourite things to do is to go through instagram feeds of National Geographic, various travel photographers and mountain climbers. For weeks now this urge to go away and be closer to nature has been hard to control and finally this long weekend we've rented a campervan with a tent and are going away camping into this wonderful continent that I have come to love so much.

I wish things work out as planned and we are able to travel a bit more in the coming years, so far having our families on two different continents and us living in the third has ensured a lot of moving and I can't wait to add more destinations to our "already visited" list.

As the temperature drops and the leaves start to change colour it is the best time to run around trees, up the hills and walk by the water. Here are a few things clotheswise that I am packing for my roadtrip, do you have any suggestions?

I can't be bothered wearing jackets on top (unless I have to) and hide my flowy tops so I generally do my layering under my clothes; which is when my collection of merino baselayers come very handy.

As the glorious Vix says "None of this running off to the shops for a new wardrobe when the season changes. Its lurid Hawaiian prints and gauzy cotton maxi dresses all year round for me. After all, isn't that why thermal underwear was invented?"

Outfit 1: Silk blouse, denim cutoffs, tall fringe boots with a merino baselayer under and a pair or merino leggings if needed with a Morroccan backpack from the Glebe markets.

Outfit 2: For those days in the mountains when its too cold to wear shorts; Icebreaker merino singlet with a Kathmandu merino pull-over on top, colourful pants to not look too wintry, a gifted suede bum bag from Pondicherry,my trusty Palladiums with thick woollen socks.

Outfit 3: Torn jeans with a merino singlet, an old tee, a block print scarf, Vintage chunky sweater and my broken in Converse with thick socks.

What are your road-trip must-wears?

Lakeside whiteout

Spend an afternoon kayaking in a lake, generally having fun meeting kitties, puppies, baby ducks and collecting plant cuttings to start bringing the green indoors. The best kinda day and the sunset over the lake was spectacular.

The clouds make for wonderful photos in my opinion, I could watch the patterns in the sky reflected on the still water for ages.

Happy Sunday world.

Badass Goddess tee-shirt

Another day, another Goddess tee shirt, worn with shorts & grandpa cardigan, a Mexican backpack and docs because it was raining. Taking overactive puppies out for exercise in the rain means one has to be comfortable and prepared to get dirty jumping in puddles and wrestle in the muck. Not that I am complaining, give me puppies and kitties over most people anyday and I am a happy little girl.

This time the lady on the tee-shirt is one of the avatars of the Hindu Goddess of power who is known for her annihilation of evil forces and as one can imagine she is one of my favourite-st. I mean she gets drunk on the blood of the demons she destroys, dances in a frenzy on the corpses, almost destroys the world and frightens powerful realms. Badass Goddesses make the best role models, what's not to love?

Hope everyone's had a wonderful start to the week, happy Wednesday.

Buddhist flags, books and plants

Some of the things that remind me of home are loads of plants & books, a little prayer corner, temple incense, Buddhist flags, the smell of wet soil after plants have just been watered, fresh flowers and spices.

I keep trying to bring in influences of my childhood & what is familiar; to my current home and I've realized it is slowly morphing into little corners that remind me of homes I've lived in and the places I have visited and that stayed with me. I love hours spent de-weeding or re-arranging my green babies, reading amongst them and generally lounging about in my pjs and embroidered slippers with music playing in the background and a book in my hand.

This is a little glimpse into my home and a lazy Saturday evening relaxing after being slightly under the weather.

Post cards from the hills

Aah to be back where it smells of the fresh mountain air, where there is so much to marvel at, so much to stop for & stare at, little rivulets of delight flowing down mountains, few people except for the special individual/s one is travelling with, every moment feels like a tremendous memory is being made and the pictures bring back those feelings of being utterly happy in that moment.

Exploring the world has been a passion since I was a little girl and I haven't been able to shake off the gypsy bug yet, every few years I yearn to pack my bags and move to another corner of the world. Travelling is one of the most exhilarating things on this planet, I wish I can travel the world soon-ish.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend spend camping at the Blue mountains away from the hustle and bustle of the city just a simple life of walking/ climbing all day, eating/ drinking by the campfire and sleeping in our little van. Ah bliss!

We go on the road soon to camp around this wonderful continent and I can't wait to start. One of our friends just visited us on his travels round the world and it got me fired up once again to go off on our little adventure. You can visit his blog here (if you like) he writes in French but his pictures are wonderful and inspires one to pack up and go.

Fingers crossed we save and start off soon.

Happy Thursday world!