“On a Mish” #433 The Day Sagarmatha Shook. Barpak village of the Gorkha district (location of epicentre), Nepal. 25.4.2015. Ten years ago, on this day in 2015, Nepal was rocked by a 7.8 earthquake. Once the shaking had settled, along with the destruction of around 600,000 buildings, around 9,000 people had lost their lives, and many more were injured. It was a disaster of epic proportions, and the country and its amazing people needed help A.S.A.P…
Growing up I always had three places I really wanted to visit. The first two are (still) Antarctica and Alaska, one day I hope to see the many snowy mountain tops of both places. The third was Nepal, home of the world’s largest mountains. As fate would have it, I would get my opportunity to go to Nepal in part thanks to the earthquake. It took a tragedy to get me over the ocean to a place very far from my home, and now I consider Nepal my ‘Home away from home’.
One of my best friends ‘Mr Danz Bus Keys’ happened to not only be working in Nepal as a guide when the earthquake struck, but also be right amongst the action the day Sagarmatha shook. Along with his guiding, he had just set up a library in a remote school with help from friends and whanau from all around the world. The work Active Hearts do is remarkable and I am so proud to be associated with the legends that make up the team.
Alongside Dan every step of the way is the cofounder of the Active Hearts Foundation Mr Arjun Adhikari. Arjun is a very special human whose heart is bigger than his smile, and he has one of the biggest smiles on earth! While in the process of helping those in need, the boys and the charity’s job got a whole lot bigger thanks to one wild minute of tectonic trembling. Dan and Arjun knew that help was needed, and they put out the call to anyone around the world who would like to come and help.
The idea was to hike help into areas that hadn’t received any assistance since the initial event. Due to Nepal’s very important tourism industry, help was sent to the most famous places in the country like around Sagarmatha Mt Everest. As good as it was to see help getting to those in need, there was still a huge amount of the place that hadn’t received any assistance. As it would turn out, getting to these places would be an incredible adventure which would create a connection with not only Nepal but also the many amazing people that live there.
After a false start involving me having to get a new passport within only a couple of days, I was on a plane heading towards the mighty mountains of the highest land on the planet. I was excited but also a little nervous as I knew what an earthquake could do to a place where people lived from my experience with the Christchurch earthquake.
Nothing prepares you for your first view of the tallest peak on the planet, and when looking out the aeroplane window at Sagarmatha I briefly forgot all the pain and hardship that was going on beneath her snowy feet. While admiring the beauty was part of the plan, the real reason we had come to this incredible country is to help those who hadn’t received any yet after the day Sagarmatha Shook.
After touching down in Kathmandu I was driven to my hotel, and the sad drive through the destruction was a real eye-opener and an immediate way of showing me why I had come so far from my home in Aotearoa. I was here to help, and it was now time to meet the rest of the team that was here to do the same…
