Noon International: Food Trading Import Export

It is Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in Japan! Hanami has been a custom in Japan since the 7th century when the aristocrats enjoyed the beautiful Sakura (cherry blossom) and wrote poems about them. Sakura is a symbol of Japan and it is said that there are over four hundred varieties of trees. The blossoms flower at different times throughout Japan depending on location and weather conditions. The milder the climate the earlier the blossoms open. For instance on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, cherry blossoms open as early as January while in Tokyo the first blossom (kaika) usually takes place at the end of March. There is nothing more breathtaking than walking under the trees when they are in full bloom (mankai). People from all walks of life head out to the parks where they have picnics under the trees – they eat and drink and have a wonderful time – it is truly a special moment in Japan when Hanami is taking place.

Technorati Tags: Hanami, Cherry Blossom, Japan

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We are currently in Dingboche, 14500 ft and we have found an internet cafe that is run on a generator. IF they don’t have enough people wanting access they don’t crank up the generator.

We spent last night at Dingboche and will spend the night here tonight to acclimitize. This morning we took a short 2 hour hike up to a mountain top at 15,100 ft. Beautiful views of Ana Dablam and others. Mt. Everest is no longer in our view for the next couple of days.

We are all still eating quite well, potatoes, potatoes and more potatoes. In this altitude it is necessary to stay hydrated and we are all drinking about 3 1/2 to 4 liters of fluid each day. Consequently we are always running to the bathroom to relieve ourselves. On top of that,all of us are taking Diamox for altitude sickness as a preventative, this is a diuretic, so it means running to the toilet even more frequently. The Diamox is making my fingers and mouth tingle, a very strange sensation.

A couple of nights ago I elected to convert one of my water bottles to a pee bottle so that I could pee in the tent without having to go out into the freezing cold 4 or 5 times during the evening. It really has helped.

Everyday is getting colder and colder and no longer do we remove our fleece or outer wear.

Everyday is sunny in the morning and then the clouds come in the afternoon and we get afternoon flurries of snow.

Don’t know when we will run into another internet cafe so until then…

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Did you know that Japan’s agricultural ministry estimates that 23 million tons of food was discarded in 2007, about JPY11 trillion worth – that is the monetary equivalent of Japan’s annual agricultural output. It also cost about JPY2 trillion to process that waste. In Tokyo alone food accounts for 30 percent of all household waste. That’s about 6,000 tons a day, which is enough to keep 4.5 million starving people alive for a day!

Convenience stores such as 7-Eleven discard food as the expiration date looms close, however recently they are recycling the foods into fertilizer and livestock feed – well maybe responsible, but it only justifies the wasting of more food.

Freshness of food is extremely important in Japan, especially in the last few years with all of the food labeling scandals, however food safety is not the only factor. There was a survey done by the Sankei Shinbun last fall and based on this survey Japanese diners never ask for a doggy bag because they are afraid it might offend the restaurant owner. Little by little, consumers are becoming less self – conscious about taking home leftovers and you can now buy special colorful containers made especially for doggy bag purpose. What does that mean – Japan’s solution to food waste – make it fashionable!

Technorati Tags: Japan, Food Waste, Doggy Bag

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We finally made it to Lukla. Wow what an airport or should I say runway. The strip is on a slight incline and very short. If the plane can’t stop in such a short distance you end up in the mountain side. There is no room for error and a touch and go is impossible. The planes taking off of course have a decline so they can build speed and lift off just before a drop off into a huge canyon. All I can say is amazing.

After a short rest in Lukla we started on our trek to our first stop Phadking a descent of 800 ft to an altitude of 8800 ft. After arrival they brought us a little bowl of water to clean up. Clean up means we get to splash some water on our face. We had an afternoon refreshment – tea which really tasted great. For dinner we had sliced green beans like they like them in Australia, french fries, cole slaw and toast. It tasted great and after a tiring day we went to an early sleep. It was quite warm in Phadking and we really didn’t need all the super warm clothing we had brought with us, in fact we were wandering if it was needed at all.

After a restful night we had an early morning wake up at 6:30 and they delivered warm tea to our tents. Later they brought our wash basin to have another splash wash. Breakfast was oatmeal, hard boiled egg, toast, quite filling.

Today was our trek from Phadking to Namche, a character building day. It was an ascent of 2700 ft to an elevation of about 11,500. As we climbed it got colder and by the time we arrived in Namche we had light snow flurries. Today we get to test our gear. Everybody was cold upon arrival and we had a chance to wash our face and get out our parka’s to warm up. I actually had to climb into my sleeping bag for a few minutes to warm up.

We expect to have another early dinner and get to bed fairly early because we are all tired. We will spend another day here in Namche to acclimatize. Normally at this altitude you should only go up about 1000 ft per day, since we went up 2700 ft today we have to take an additional day to acclimatize to the altitude.

Last night I did turn on my headlamp and read for a few minutes before retiring. I will do the same today.

Lily has been taking Diamox since we left Kathmandu and she still had a severe headache yesterday. This morning she increased the dosage and took some aspirin and she had no problems today. However about an hour or two from Namche she was quite exhausted and had to give her day pack to a Sherpa to carry. Lily was like a new person without the pack and took off.

I elected not to take the Diamox and had a slight headache last night but no problems today. Today I had no problems on the first part of the trek but after lunch I started to slow down considerable. Carrying the back pack and two cameras took its tole on me. I was dragging as we arrived at Namche. After a quick refreshment and tea I am like a new person and feeling great.

The mountains are beautiful and very majestic. Today was our first opportunity to see Everest but unfortunately the skies were very hazy and blocked any view. We will have to wait for another day.

I believe this is the last stop that will have internet access until our return here in a couple of weeks.

Please help support our effort to raise money for Camp Camelot. www.campcamelot.org.

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After yesterdays aborted landing at Lukla we returned to Kathmandu and waited until 12 noon to see if the weather would clear and allow us a second opportunity. Unfortunately the weather never cleared and we returned to the hotel. Lily was happy to see that they had down graded our room. Smaller room and the bathroom was the shower stall or the shower stall was the bathroom. Either way everything was wet after you took your shower, toilet, sink, floor, etc.

Today we ran the same routine. Up at 4am, a quick breakfast and off to the airport. We have cleared security and now waiting for clearance to fly to Lukla. We all have our fingers crossed while waiting for word from Lukla airport. We all feel that we will make it today. Everybody is anxious and excited to start our trek.

Here we come Everest Base Camp.

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We were to fly to Lukla at 7am this morning. Had to rise at 4am to have quick breakfast and depart for Kathmandu airport. Our flight departed on time. Small 2 prop airplane that holds 14. We flew to Lukla, our starting point for our trek to Everest Base Camp. While attempting to land it became apparent the wind was too strong and had to abort the landing. We have returned to Kathmandu and waiting at the airport for weather clearance. Hopefully we will be able to get out today, weather permitting.

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A miracle in Kathamandu! The electricity came on at 4am in the morning and stayed on until 9am. Lily was ecstatic because for the first time she could use the hair blower to dry her hair.

Today was the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s escape from his home in Tibet (March 11, 1959). We went to Kopan Monastery for the celebration where thousands of Tibetans came for blessings. A beautiful day.

Pictures from today.

Kopan Monastery

Water Festival, Kathmandu March 10, 2009

Vegetable stand Kathmandu

Women walking by food stand.

Fruit stand, Kathmandu

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Lily and Edward are currently in Kathmandu making final preparations for their trek to Everest Base Camp. During our stay here we have visited a few sites – Kopan Monastery, Boudanath Stupa and Bhaktapur. Today was the Water Festival and all commercial businesses were closed for the holiday. During this time all the younger people are throwing water balloons, buckets of water and any other water they can get their hands on at each other, or more particularly the boys throw it on the girls and vice versa. They also use some color paint to smear on each other. It is fun to watch as they throw water on pedestrians, passing cars, or motorcycles. They line the streets and roof tops waiting for the approaching victims. A great time for fun and laughter.

As for working here it is very difficult. We have electricity from 12pm to 4pm every day and also during the nights from 12am to 4am but at all other times they have no electricity except for some commercial businesses that have their own generators. We have to augment the generator power with candle light to read and work. The cell phones only work sporadically and the internet is very difficult to connect (especially WiFi) and almost impossible when the electricity is off.

Time to quite before I lose power or the computer just decides to stop working.

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Lily and Edward Noon will be taking off for the month of March to climb from Lukla, Nepal to Everest Base Camp. They are climbing to raise money for Camp Camelot, a nonprofit working with alternative therapies for autistic and disabled children and young adults.

Lily in training.

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