I ALWAYS COME BACK TO THE HIMALAYAS

For years the Hillary family dreamed of camping in Alaska and eventually achieved this when they camped in a State of Alaska park near the Matanuska Glacier. The family revelled in the unpolluted air, the beautiful wild flowers and the stunning landscapes. The long 20 hours of sunlight during summer produced enormous vegetables. 1956 brought Ed’s first trip to the Antarctic led by Dr. Vivian Fuchs, and despite enjoying every adventure, Hillary states in voice over; “Each expedition is a separate adventure, and each location has an attraction of its own - but I always come back to the Himalayas” Situated north of India and on the border between Nepal and Tibet, the Himalayas provide superb trekking, campsites and beautiful flowers. But one of the main attractions are the people and the things they do, especially the Sherpas. In 1961 the first elementary school was built for the Sherpas in Kunjun. The Hillary family are greeted warmly by the whole community when they visit. Ed has also assisted in the construction of a hospital and classroom; a bridge strong enough to withstand the monsoon; a pipe providing clean water to a monastery; reconstruction of a terrace at another monastery near the Tibetan border. The terrace is completed in time for the biggest celebration of the year, Mani Rimdu [?]. For the occasion the villagers lay on a special lunch for Ed and his wife. The boy Lama presents the couple with scarves of honour before he takes his seat and the official programme of celebration begins. The blow of the trumpets signals the end of the two day festival, and the beginning of a new year for the Sherpas.