Namaste and warm greetings from Nepal.
The Asian Trekking Family joins me in wishing you a very happy New Year and look forward to hearing of your success in all your endeavors.
With the beginning of 2008 we are now consolidating our experiences and professionalism in every aspect of adventure tourism and allied services under one umbrella: The ASTREK Group of Companies. We now move ahead to a wider spectrum of professional quality services not only in Nepal, but also in India, Tibet, Sikkim and Bhutan.
In the months to come you will be noticing our new corporate logo in more and more quality services being offered by us at extremely competitive and affordable rates.
My son, Dawa Steven Sherpa, is busy in his preparations for the Eco-Everest Expedition in the Spring of 2008. I have always taught him to appreciate his heritage of the Khumbu and the Sherpa people. I am happy to say that I see him doing his best to honor, appreciate, and preserve the Khumbu and the culture and traditions of the Sherpa people.
During his successful climb of Mt. Everest in the Spring of 2007 he saw the real danger to lives and property posed by Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF). Although Mt. Everest is the highest peak in the world, she is still a fragile “Mother Goddess” in terms of global warming. This made him take a bold step — to organize the first Eco-Everest Expedition 2008 — to study the effects of global warming on the Himalayan Glaciers and to document the high risk to the people and the land in case of a glacial lake outburst flood. In the future we hope to install an early warning system at Imja lake incase it should burst its bank and devastate the Khumbu valley — the bread basket of Nepal’s tourism industry.
I will keep you updated on the progress of the expedition.
With very best wishes,
Ang Tshering Sherpa
Editors Note: Ang Tshering Sherpa is the President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, a non-governmental, non-profit and non-political organization working to promote mountain tourism, climbing sports, protection of mountain environments and preservation of the cultural heritage of Nepal and the Himalaya.