The Himalayas

The Himalayas – the word conjures up images of snow-capped mountains of incredible height.

The name Himalayas is therefore very fitting as, in the local language, it means “snow abode.”

So don on your snow gear and let's go learn about it!

Top of the world

The Himalayas are a chain of mountains that extends along the border between India and China, taking in Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet along the way, and extends into Afghanistan.

Satellite view

Satellite view The range itself is crescent-shaped and has some of the highest mountains in the world.

In fact, it is home to the highest point on Earth – Mount Everest.

Picture of Everest by Pavel Novak**

And boy is it high up, topping out at 29,029 feet or 5.5 miles above sea level! Just for comparison, when you see an airplane flying way up in the sky it is 36,000 feet in the air – just a tad higher.

On May 29, 1953, a team led by Sir Edmund Hillary became the first to reach the top of Everest.

Or, … were they?

Everest has a mountain mystery.

In 1924 an expedition was launched with the goal of reaching the top, it was the second such attempt. From their camp partway up the mountain, the explorers made two attempts on the summit itself. The first attempt was unsuccessful, and those making the second attempt were never heard of again. Later their bodies were found, but it couldn't be determined if they died before or after they arrived at the top.

Even to this day, the debate continues as to whether Everest was first climbed in 1924 or 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary.

Living at the top of the world

As you can well imagine, life in this part of the world is vastly different in many ways from the rest of the world. Picture, if you will, living in a world of high altitude and mountainous landscapes.

It should then be of no surprise that the world's most dangerous airport is in Nepal, the Tenzing–Hillary Airport

The Tenzing–Hillary Airport, taken by Reinhard Kraasch***

But life there does have it's compensations. A story has it that there is a town at the foothills of Mt. Everest that has a boy's soccer team. For them, everyday life provides them with excellent high-altitude training. They usually go undefeated.

There are pluses to anywhere you live.

You beast!

Amongst the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas, there is a legend of the Yeti, commonly called the "Abominable Snowman." This ape-like creature is supposed to walk on two feet and be taller than an ordinary man. While there are no recorded witnesses to seeing the Yeti, believers refer to two photos of alleged Yeti footprints, shown below, as proof.

Alleged Yeti footprint photoed during Edmund Hillary's climb of Everest

Alleged Yeti tracks taken in 1937

Some have accounted for this legend by saying the basis of the legend is the Himalayan brown bear.

But regardless of your take on the Yeti question – fraud or fact – there is no denying one thing, the Himalayas is home to a fascinating world like no other.

Great Films

Lost Horizon

(1937) Robert Conway is returning to England to take up the post of the new Foreign Secretary. Yet while flying over the Himalayas his plane is hijacked and deliberately crashed. The passengers are then led across the frozen mountains to a paradisaical valley called Shangri-La.

Even to this day, the term Shangri-La is often used to denote total paradise.

On the web

Life in the Himalayas: Part One and Two

A two-part video of two men and their wives who felt called to teach the Christian Gospel in the Himalayas. They speak in-depth about their call to preach, but it also provides a good look a the life and area of the Himalayas.

**License by Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

***License by Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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