Updates

Well we made it to Kathmandu just fine but then the itinerary got foiled by the monsoon weather. We sat in KTM airport for 2 days waiting for a flight to Lukla but no flights went, they'd been cancelled for the past 5 days before we got there due to the weather as well. So after waiting for 2 days with little hope of the monsoons lifting we decided we would drive to a place called Jiri and hike to Lukla then trek to EBC as well so that we could still provide dental supplies to this area. This actually worked out well in some ways because the villages from Jiri to Lukla see even less outsiders since most people fly to Lukla then hike in the surrounding Solukhumbu region from there. So we were able to provide dental supplies and dental healthcare education to alot more people who have even less access to such things. Secondly, most people in this area speak very little english since they have so little contact with foreigners, however somehow almost every child we passed knew the word "sweets" or "chocolate". So clearly you can tell what handouts they generally get from the few foreigners they see. Despite feeling a bit like the neighborhood dentist who hands out toothbrushes on halloween, I think our handouts will be more beneficial for the people in the long run and all the children seemed just as happy and excited to get toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Unfortunately a couple of us (one being me) had to turn back from the trek early. With a history of knee issues, my idealistic goal of hiking a 7 day trek in 4-5 days and ascending around 9000meters (higher than even mt everest, it just includes going down several times as well) didn't exactly work out. Take that body...So while the rest of the group continues our mission in the Solukhumbu region those of us back in Kathmandu a little early are going to some schools in the area to hand out dental supplies, talk about dental healthcare/education, and do screenings. Thanks to our wonderful Nepali friends who are able to rework and reschedule anything at the last minute so there can be some benefit to our extra time in Kathmandu.

TTFN :)