10.08.2016 UPDATE:

Islamabad, Pakistan

Greetings from Islamabad!

Now I have had 3 days on the move down from the mountains and the beautiful northern corner of Pakistan.

Here are some of my notes about the last days at Diran;

We tried 3 times to go for the summit, but she (Diran) clearly told us that she didn't want us to do so.

The first two attempts we had to returne due to bad weather and storms coming in.

So at our last attempt, we had only a surtain amount of days left. We calculated food and gas (which we also were running low on), packed our backpacks and went for it.

The cerac wall which we wanted to do in one+ day, took us three+ days: a labyrinth of deadly overhanging ceracs and hidden crevasses. Unfortunately we also got more snow (20cm) and the trail breaking slowed us even more down.

Wednesday last week we had reached right below the ridge (sadle) and had now put behind us the most dangerous and challenging part of the climb. We were ready to use the few days we had left effectively; Thursday push to about 6400m and Friday go for the summit and back to the ridge. That would have left us with two days for the descent. Good plan!

Thursday we woke up to more snow and high temperatures. :(

Despite this snowfall, we packed up our camp and sat off!

After short time climbing we had a huge crack in the snow right in front of us. And then an avalanche right below us.....warning enough!

The whole face we were climbing could easily slide off...

We had to return and admitt that the snow conditions were too dangerous to continue climbing.

We sat camp under a cerac at 5600m to wait out for safer conditions. And now we had no choice; running out of time, running out of gas and running out on food: we had to use the better climbing conditions to descend.

Sadly no summit of Diran (4 years since last summit of Diran: two japanees) but fantastic climbing in majestic surroundings.

Some frostbite richer and kg poorer I will reach for the next adventure.

There will always be so many happy memories, so much to learn, see and explore! New adventures, new dreams

Keep on dreaming, even if it breaks your heart! (Eli Young Band)

08.08.2016 UPDATE:

Karimabad, Hunza NW Pakistan

Civilization again! Arrived back from the mountains. I will soon give you more details and photos. Thank you so much for following!

And a huge thanks to Irene for keeping us constantly updated on the weather and keeping you posted on our situation. You r an angel Irene!

Thanks to Maria and Jentesport for forwarding info and to aclima for keeping us warm!!!

19.07.2016: UPDATE

Off we go to the mountains!

We plan to arrive Minapin later today and head for Base Camp tomorrow. We will have two days trekk over the Minapin Glacier and arrive BC hopefully the 21st of July. The weatherforecast tells us it will be rain Friday so we hope we are settled in BC then. We hope the weather will be clear by Saturday so we can start climbing to Camp 1. But we will carefully monitor the snow conditions before we start climbing.

Now we feel the mountains are waiting for us!!!

I am unsure about further internett access but I am happy to have Irene, Maria and Jentesport to forward my Sat phone messangers to you.

Stay tuned and enjoy your summer!!

Greatings from NW Pakistan and the Diran Expedition Team

Buy your awesome Aclima gear at www.jentesport.no

#aclima #helsport #arcteryx #jentesport

19.07.2016 UPDATE:

Gilgit, NW Pakistan 28C, rainy

Gilgit is the capital city of the Gilgit-Baltistan district. It was an important city on the Silk Road. It is considered as a Buddhism corridor from which many Chinese monks came to Kashmir. Now the population is about 10 000 where

71% is Twelver Shia Muslims, 17% Ismaili Shia Muslims and 12% Sunni Muslims. It feels like a melting pot of tribes, religion, culture and traditions; sometimes tens but mostly a friendly and peaceful atmosphere.

This is our third day here and we have been all over the place preparing for our expedition; getting bamboo sticks at the junkyard (the strangest place in Gilgit), getting red fabrick for the sticks, shuffle for Basecamp, ropes, tarpelin, gas, SIM card, 16 meters mattress, postcards and stamps (yes oldfashion), groceries, oil, flour, a new stove for BC, washing powder, spices, exchange of money. We have been to the obligatory meeting with Department of Tourism for registration of our climb, we have visited old friends, been to a 700 years old shrine and already had 3 free taxi rides, lots of mangos, milk tea, phrata and coffe. We have had the neighbours goats visiting us for breakfast, a taxi ride together with 16 meters of mattress in the backseat with 3 persons underneat. We have had a car breakdown in the middle of nowhere, dinner with friends and several visits to the shoemaker.

Now we are testing the tents, packing and doing the final preparations before we head up to Minapin which is the last village before we start our climb.

We plan to arrive Minapin later today and head for Base Camp tomorrow. We will have two days trekk over the Minapin Glacier and arrive BC hopefully the 21st of July. The weatherforecast tells us it will be rain Friday so we hope we are settled in BC then. We hope the weather will be clear by Saturday so we can start climbing to Camp 1. But we will carefully monitor the snow conditions before we start climbing.

Now we feel the mountains are waiting for us!!!

I am unsure about further internett access but I am happy to have Irene, Maria and Jentesport to forward my Sat phone messangers to you.

Stay tuned and enjoy your summer!!

Greatings from NW Pakistan and the Diran Expedition Team

Buy your awesome Aclima gear at www.jentesport.no

#aclima #helsport #arcteryx #jentesport

17.07.2016 UPDATE:

Gilgit, NW Pakistan 32C cloudy

We have had two days in Kalash Valley visiting the indigenous people of Chitral, whom their ancestors migrated to Chitral from Afghanistan in the 2nd century BC.

On our way to our acclimatization trekk, we watched a polo game in the Pakistani elite series. (The funny thing: we 4 white people were nearly more of an attraction then the national heroes, the polo players)

Our trekk sent over a 4600m mountain pass close to the Afghan boarder and the Wahan Pass. We had all kind of weather; sun, heat, rain, thunderstorm, snow... And we met many interesting people.

Now we are two days in Gilgit preparing for our climb; registration, shopping food, gas, maps...

More updates before we leave Gilgit.

Enjoy your summer!

Greatings from NW Pakistan and the Diran Expedition Team

PS a bit of TMI (too much information) for you: I am actually wearing wool underwear in 32 degrees celcius and it is confy!!!

Buy your awesome Aclima gear at www.jentesport.no

#aclima #helsport #arcteryx #jentesport

Everything packed, all set, checked in 44kg all the way. Got it all; awesome wool from @aclima, two tents from @helsport, my goretex jacket from @arcteryx and @jentesport, stove, food, climbing gear, even shuffel and my big boots and a tooth brush!!

I dont know when I will be online again but I will arrive Islamabad Friday morning. There I will meet Irena, Mojca and Tomaz and we will head up to Hindu Kush for a 10 days aclimatization trekk before heading to our mountain.

Wish you all a nice summer!!

I am leaving for the expedition soon....only few hours left to do my final packing (panicking-packing)... 
​Wish you all a happy summer and thank you so much for all your well wishes!!! Sorry I do not manage to get back to you all...but it really means a lot to me; thanks a million for all your support!
I will try to keep you updated here, at the Team Jentesport blog http://blog.jentesport.no and on Facebook 
A huge thanks to my sponsors ACLIMA AS, Helsport, Arc'teryx, Jentesport
We dedicate this climb to raise money to rebuild Nepal.
‪#‎aclima‬ ‪#‎helsport‬ ‪#‎arcteryx‬ ‪#‎jentesport‬ ‪#‎rebuildnepal‬ ‪#‎quakevolunteers‬

We are on the Expedition list!!!!!
Here is the list of expeditions to Pakistan for this year from the Explorersweb - we are on the list :)!! 
​Number 33 ....must be a lucky number :)
so, that means they have already issued our permits... this looks very promising!
Now we are still waiting for our visa....

My next expedition to Diran 7266m (23,839 ft), Karakoram range in Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, I will be climbing with my good Slovenian climbing friends Irena, Mojca and Tomaz. We first met at Mt Makalu Base camp at 5800m and spent a lot of time together there. All the three of them have climbed several peaks in Pakistan before so I am so happy to be in the team now. It will be loads of things to learn and to experience together!
But first we needed to get together and set all the logistics; we had to plan concerning gear, food and schedule. 
Early May I found myself  a cheap ticket to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Very easy...no...So for all of you: if you want to keep the costs down you actually fly all the way over to Istanbul, Turkey and then return to mid Europe: Ljubljana, Slovenia....I felt bad concerning the environment :(
So, after one day travel I finally arrived and was picked up by my dear friends at the airport.
​And who could come up with a better place to do our planning then this place up in the Slovenian Alps!!! Check out my bedroom!!!!

We had some great days planning. We sorted out everything concerning gear and food; who brings what? how many slings, ice screws, shuffles....? how many tents for which camps? what kind of food and how much? Then we planned for our tickets to Islamabad and we filled in our applications for visa. This all to be sent off so we could get our "letter of invitation". Which all have to be attached when we apply for visa at our respective embassies.
Then after sorting out all the planning and going through all our gear, we needed to start the paper work and emails. Now we had to try to get sponsors ....a very difficult job. So we all agreed to do our efforts in following weeks. First we need a tent, maybe we can borrow it from some climbing friends.... Lets see what we manage. Still working on that!!! Do you have a tent for us ? :) :)
Then we needed base layers. And we are so super happy to get ACLIMA onboard: we are so proud to announce that ACLIMA AS are sponsoring all of us with everything we need concerning base layers and wool!!! During our expedition we will do thoroughly testing of all the great gear we received!
Thank you ACLIMA!!
In between the planning we got the time to enjoy the Slovenian Alps :)
For breakfast Irena invited me to run up the little bump behind her place...only 1000meter up up.
​An excellent way to celebrate my birthday-breakfast :)
And of course we did a 2000m peak near by. In lovely weather we enjoyed it!
...little did I know who was invited: Irena was actually asked to guide the US ambassador to Slovenia.
We had a really fun and nice climb!!!

And the following pictures are to inspire all of you to come to Slovenia and enjoy this beautiful country! Fantastic mountains, picturesque small villages, charming restaurants, welcoming and hospital people, and everything within short driving (or bicycle) distance. You have it all: interesting history and geography, mountains, cost line, lakes, very tasty food and the charming capital Ljubljana.
Here is to tempt you: Enjoy the pictures!

I am so happy to announce my upcoming expedition;
DIRAN 7266m(23,839 ft), Karakoram range in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.
Sponsored by ACLIMA AS
And here is the team: Irena Mrak, Tomaž Goslar, Mojca Švajger and me.
We dedicate this climb to raise money to rebuild Nepal.
​Irena, Mojca and Tomaz are my good friends from Slovenia. We met first time in Base Camp Makalu and became good friends right away. And because of the circumstances at Makalu (see notes under the folder "expeditions": Makalu)  we also teamed up there and helped each other up the mountain.
​It all ended dramatically;  Irena had to be evacuated and was literally dead when she arrived Kathmandu. But now she is up climbing again. 
Irena and Mojca have climbed Nanga Parbat's icy Diamir face in alpine style among many many other extreme achievements. And I am so happy to team up with them now for Diran!

Mojca, Irena and Tomaz

I don't know where to begin.... What an awesome climb!!!!
I met up with my Austrian climbing friends Ozzy, Michael and Manfred at the airport in Istanbul before flying to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. Here our journey began; bus to Issyk Kul (Easy Cool as we called it) where we had one day preparing the last equipment and enjoying the warm summer before heading in to the cold mountains. I recommend a swim in the lake!!!! Awesome!!!
The next day we drove over a mountain pass, through a huge ghost town and further into the boarder area between Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and China before we reached our low camp. From here we traveled by Mi8 military helicopter to the Kyrgyz  Base Camp at approximately 4000m.
And here it began :)
The following day we went for an acclimatization climb and at the same time just started the work with building up camps: we already started first rotation with carrying up a load to Camp 1. The next day we moved up to Camp 1 and spent one night there before coming back to Base Camp. The climb from BC to C1 is a steep snow slope where the snow slides down in small avalanches all day starting at noon time when the snow is getting warmer. So we had to start early early morning to be safe.
Next day we started out early heading up to Camp 1 and continued to Camp 2 the following day. 
The climb from C1 to C2 was an amazing climb, it is on sharp edges, steep slopes and sharp loose rocks. And remember.....we do have super heavy backpacks! And I enjoyed every single step!
We put up our tents and went for a climb up towards Csepajer 6120m. After one night in C2, we return to BC again. In BC we had one rest day enjoying the sun, a stroll on the glacier, talks with friends, and a walk over to Kazakhstan... yes, we crossed the invisible boarder at the glacier and visited friends in the Kazak Base Camp. Then we prepared for our move up to Camp 2 the following morning.
Our climb up to Camp 2 was amazing!!! This time a bit better acclimatized, still heavy backpacks, fantastic view and making hot soup when we arrived. Living the dream!!!!!
Every evening we follow the weather forecast closely as it is predicted many days of strong wind and a heavy snowstorm coming in. On our climb up that day, we met several climbers who returned to Base Camp and gave up their attempt to summit Khan Tengri because of the predicted storm coming in. The evening when we arrived Camp 2, we got bad news: a 4 days snow storm approaching us. We counted food rations and gas bottles.....we had enough to cover our climb and 6 additional days.
But Manfred is not feeling well and in that case it is no point in waiting out a storm at this altitude, so Michael and Manfred returns to Base Camp the following day before the storm sets in. Ozzy and I are waiting in Camp 2. The weather is changing from high winds and snow to beautiful silent sunsets. But it is definitely not good enough to continue climbing until the third day. So we prepare for our climb the following day after 4 days stuck in Camp 2. We team up with our friends Jenya and Dimitri from Kazakhstan, Will and Tim from UK and Pavel from Czech Republic. We all climb together from Camp 2 (5300m), we summit Csepajer 6120m and climb down again to Camp 3 at 5800m. We split up with Tim, Will and Pavel who continue down to the real Camp 3, while Jenya, Dimitri, Ozzy and myself are making our own Camp 3 a bit higher up. We are digging our tents down after a very exhausting 7 hours climb. Now we only do the necessary things such as melting snow, drink soup, eat our dinner and last preparations for our summit day the next morning.
We have no contact with the rest of the world now, so we don't know about our friends who returned to Base Camp and we don't know anything about the weather forecast. We just know that we are feeling well and the weather isn't too bad.
The morning after we wake up to a beautiful sunrise and we can already spot Will, Tim and Pavel some hundred meters ahead of us. This will be an amazing climb!!! The view is beyond words and the colors in the snow and on the mountains indescribable. We climbed nearly 4 hours before we took a break at approximately 6100m enjoying the fabulous view and the very steep mountainside which plunges into the glacier and in the very distance we can see some dots that might be Base Camp...
We continue and after a long traverse (I have to add very exposed and a bit unsafe), right before the chute at approximately 6500m we just had to enjoy a chocolate bar and take a glimpse at the view before the weather is closing in. We have been climbing for 7 hours now and it feels like we are climbing in to a cloud. The wind is not to bad and we consider it safe to continue climbing as we meet Tim, Will and Pavel who are on their way down from the summit and explains us how the climb is ahead of us. We team up with Jenya and Dimitri who have been ahead of us all the time until now.
The four of us reach the summit in totally whiteout after 10 hours climbing. Jeeeeeehhhhaaaaaaaa!!!! Touchdown at 7010m!!!! Singing, high-fives, pictures, smiles, hugs,...and of course Dimitri sits down and lights up a cigarette....yes, really!!!
The wind is picking up and we have to start our climb down to our Camp 3.
We are climbing in to the dark hours. Luckily we have our headlamps. Later we are told that our friends in both the Kazak and the Kyrgyz Base Camp had been following our small headlamps all the way safe down to Camp 3. After 5 hours climb down from the summit, we reach safe down to our tents in Camp 3. Now the wind has picked up and it has started snowing. We are happy to be back. But we have to think about our climb tomorrow, so now it is important to "refill"; melt snow, eat and drink some soup before "crashing" in our sleeping bags.
We are sleeping like rocks!!!! And waking up to a snowstorm. We are taking it slow this morning; no need to rush when the weather is this bad. But luckily the weather settles and we can start our climb down. We plan to climb down to Camp 2, have one night there before heading down to Base Camp.
Today we can feel yesterdays climb in our legs; we are slower, and we do have our heavy backpacks when we are climbing up from Camp 3 to Csepajer again.
And, guess what!!!!!!: Exactly at the top of Csepajer after nearly 3 hours climbing, we met Manfred and Michael: how ultimately cool is that!!!! They were feeling great and were planning to go for the summit the day after.
We continue our climb down towards Camp 2. The weather changed, the clouds were rolling in and it was getting warmer. The snow was really wet now. We arrived Camp 2 after 5 hours climb and decided to continue down to Base Camp. We use 1 hour packing our gear in Camp 2 and made a proper meal before we started our climb down to Base Camp.... Well, I have to admit it was not the wisest decision made as the snow was very unstable, we were very tired and the darkness lurked around the corner...
But we managed to get down, only with one little accident; we lost a garbage bag...so we repelled down into a crevasse and got it before we continued all the way down to the bottom of the mountain. Now we only had to find our way crossing the glacier with all its icy rivers which of course had changed directions and size since we crossed it last time. It took us 2,5 hours compared to 1 hour normally.
We arrived Base Camp at 10pm after a 12 hours climb, and our friends in Base Camp welcomed us with an awesome party!!!
Nothing is like drinking vodka with the professionals....
Now we started waiting for Michael and Manfred. Little did we know how they were feeling and how they planned their climb. We learned later that they had to wait out the weather one day in Camp 3 before they summited two days after us. And the following day we all could celebrate our successful Khan Tengri Expedition in Base Camp!
Ozzy, Manfred, Michael, Jenya, Dimitri, Will, Tim and Pavel;
​Thank you so much for an awesome expedition!!!!

24. Desember/ 24th of December
English version; scroll down.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I dag ønsker jeg å sende dere alle en stor takk for all støtte og alle bidrag.
​Hilsenen er i dag fra så mange av dem som har gjort et sterkt inntrykk på meg i tiden jeg jobbet i Nepal. Alle ansiktene i denne videoen betyr noe for meg, enten jeg bare har delt en kopp te med dem, eller jeg har bodd hos dem over lengre tid. Noen har jeg arbeidet sammen med i lengre eller kortere perioder. Vi har ledd og grått sammen, vi har delt sorger og gleder.
Jeg setter så utrolig pris på dem alle, og på alt hva de har lært meg!
Vær åpen og lær av alt livet har å by på!

Jeg vil få ønske dere alle en riktig god jul og alt godt for det nye året.
Hjertelig takk for godt vennskap og god støtte!


MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Today I want to wish you all a happy holiday and send a huge thank you for all your support and contributions.
My video today is a greeting from so many who have made a deep impression on me during the time I worked in Nepal. All the faces in this video mean something to me, whether I've just shared a cup of tea with them, or I have stayed with them for a longer or shorter period. Some I have worked with. We have laughed and we have cried together, we have shared happiness and sorrow.
I appreciate them so much, and all they have taught me!
Be open and learn from everything life offers you!

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Heartfelt thanks for good friendship and great support!


Thank you and Merry Christmas to all my good friends and  colleagues I worked together with in Nepal:
Amelia Hillary, Isabella Messenger, Jamie Messenger, Tracey Dearlove, Jonathon Clearwater, Cody Tuttle, Cherise Tuttle, Scott Rogers, Tiffany Junge, David Porter, Sanina Sherpa, Pemba Sherpa, Annaliese Schmiel, Tansy Wilkinson, Andrea Thiele, Andrea Cardona, Karl Nesseler, Randy Perkins, Jessica Love, Andy Cianchi, Geoff Castell, Raju Das, Lizzy Hawker, Richard Ball, Nirwan Moktan, Riwaj Chettri, Vincent Marquis, Gavin Melgaard, Carol Milner, Brian L. Smith, Brianna Bussinger, Laki Jayba Sherpa, Merethe Hansen, Kjell Rune Fosse, Siv Katralen, Marit Herstad, Missy Darling, Prem Bahadur Kunwar,  Sudip Shrestha, Krishna Shrestha, WrackAce Marz, Phil Llewellyn, Ed Hullah, Don Bowie, Howard Christiansen, Carol Milner, Alba Cb, Mal Haskins, Sophie Ward, Tsewang, Devaka Thapå and Laxmi Chhitij


Thank you and Merry Christmas to all my friends and donors: 
Ola Brandt, Knut Einar Haug, Irene Eek Salice, Gunnar Vestby, Marit Pedersen, Roy Fransplass, Camilla Køtterheinrich, Anne Grete Vindstad, Glenn Andersen, Ellen Nilsen, Laila Mikalsen, Amandeep Kaur Nohre, Berit Enevold, Inger-Johanne Andve Borlaug, Bente Løvik Ulven, Ådne Hausberg, Harald Ringnes, Marius Møller, Mark Molinaro, Line M Omland, Morten Haaheim Blom, Elin Paton, Anne Lise M Brandt, Lars Brandt, Hege Hege, Inge Nielsen, Tony Kjølberg, Øyvind Johnsen, Linda Malmedal, Linn Therese, Lars Johan Sølvberg, Arild Andre Karlsen, Sofia Dall, Marianne Enger, Maria Wirén, Yngve Petersen, Tom Gunnar Aasen, Rolf David Nymoen, Nina Skrede,  Xander Hardersen, Grete H. Hustad, Rune Fjeldstad, Stine Rudiløkken, Cecilie Buck Rustad, Margrethe Waage, Ulf Ellingsen, Marit Mossefinn Rustad, Bjørn Skorstad, Vibeke Sørum, Atle Heum, Tone Gravir, Nadia Kristine Warvik Voukelatos, Kristine Sydhagen, Inge Valle Tangen, Varina Nissen, Arvid Ingvaldsen, Ivar Sakserud, Oddveig Kvam Sakserud, Ivar Naustvik, Gina Irene Kahrs Omdal, Berit Eikeland, Evy Skar, Kåre Lødding, Fredrikke Kilander, Frode Lillerovde, Erling Bekkestad Rein, Arve Espe, Fredrik Østereng, Anne-Kathrine Sefland, Snorre Aalberg og Nygård Skole

23. Desember/ 23rd of December
English version; scroll down.


THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Nå har dere fulgt meg gjennom hele advent og fått med dere mange historier. Her vil jeg gi dere en video sammensatt fra tiden like etter jordskjelvet og arbeidet vi har drevet i de jordskjelvrammede områdene. Bare noen dager etter det første store jordskjelvet drog jeg ut til Helambu for Hillary Relief Collective. Deretter drog jeg ut til episenteret ved Mandre i Gorkha hvor jeg jobbet for Karmaflights. På disse turene ble jeg kjent med, og jobbet sammen med fantastiske mennesker. Noen av disse har vært med og hjulpet meg på nye prosjekter med gjennoppbygging av helsestasjoner, skoler og landsbyer i Novakot-Helambu området (Kutumsang). Hjertelig takk til dere alle!
Jeg har også fått anledning til å jobbe som Field Manager i Remote Access Operation for WFP (World Food Program) hvor vi åpnet et fjellpass på 5100m for å få 65 tonn med ris inn til ca 20 000 husholdninger i en fjell-dal på grensen til Tibet som var avskåret av stein-, og jordras etter jordskjelvet. Sist men ikke minst har jeg fått anledning til å hjelpe de svakeste; både dyrene på Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre, lavkaste folket ved elven i Kathmandu og vår kjære lavkaste-familie i Samaguan.
Alt dette har jeg fått anledning til på grunn av deres bidrag; hjertelig takk!


Tusen takk og riktig god jul til alle mine gode venner og kollegaer som har jobbet sammen med meg i Nepal:
Tusen takk og riktig god jul til alle venner og givere:


lizzy, ak og skolen, ingeniørene, jc og tracy, mal og sofi


THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Now you have followed me through this Advent and got some of my stories. Today I want to give you a video put together from the time right after the earthquake, through my different jobs in earthquake effected areas. Only few days after the first earthquake, I went out with Hillary Relief Collective to Helambu. After that I went with Karmaflights to the epicenter close to Mandre in Gorkha. During this time I got to know so many new good friends and colleagues. Some of them I have continued to work with on my own projects rebuilding Health Posts, schools and villages in Novakot - Helambu district (Kutumsang). Many many thanks to all of you!
I also got the chance to work as Field Manager with Remote Access Operations for WFP (World Food Program) to open a 5100m mountain pass to get 65 tonns of supply into a remote mountain valley which were cut off by landslides due to the earthquake.
Last but not least I have been able to support the weakest; not only the animals at Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre, but also the River-people and our beloved low caste family in Samaguan.
I could never have done this without your help; Thank you from the bottom of my heart!


Thank you and Merry Christmas to all my good friends and  colleagues I worked together with in Nepal:


Thank you and Merry Christmas to all my friends and donors: 
​

22. Desember/ 22nd of December
English version; scroll down.
THE WORLD IS HOW YOU CHOOSE TO SEE IT
En dag da jeg var på vei tilbake til Kathmandu fra Kutumsang, møtte jeg mange barn, voksne og gamle som forsøkte å planere ut skråningen og lage nye plasser for hus.
Jeg hadde vært noen dager i Kutumsang og området rundt for å levere materialer til skolebygging og besøke helsestasjonen og skolene vi allerede hadde startet å bygge opp. Da vi vandret nedover så jeg alle dem som var igang med å bygge, vi stoppet og spurte dem hva deres historie var. De inviterte oss til å ta en pause og sitte ned med dem. De serverte chang (hjemmelagd øl) og pekte og forklarte hvor deres landsby var. Den var fullstendig ødelagt etter jordskjelvet. Og denne landsbyen ligger midt mellom to fylker, så de hadde ikke mottatt noe hjelp fra noen. De var blitt glemt, og tok fatt på oppgaven med gjennoppbygging selv. 
Da bestemte jeg meg for å hjelpe dem og med hjelp fra dere, mine venner her på Facebook, fikk vi samlet inn penger til å handle inn det bølgeblikket som trengtes.
Mange takk!
Dagens oppgave:
Følg det nepalske ordspråket, og gjerne del det med andre:
In the eyes of a flower, everything is flowers 
and in the eyes of a thorn,everything is thorns
(fritt oversatt: «verden blir hvordan du velger å se den»)
THE WORLD IS HOW YOU CHOOSE TO SEE IT
One day when I was walking back from Kutumsang to Kathmandu, I met a lot of children, adults and elderly who tried to prepare the ground for new houses. 
I had been in the Kutumsang area for some days to deliver more materials to schools and to visit the Health Post and some schools we already had built.
When we were walking back, we came across this hard working people and asked them about their story. They invited us to sit down with them, they offered us som chang (home-brewed beer) and they pointed out their village and explained about the destructions. Their village is located right in-between to counties and had received no help from either. They were forgotten. So they just started on their own, with the rubbel from their old buildings.
I decided there and then to help them. And because of you my friends here at Facebook, I managed to raise enough money to buy the corrugated iron they needed.
Thank you!
Todays task:
Live by the nepali quote, and tell it to others:
In the eyes of a flower, everything is flowers 
and in the eyes of a thorn,everything is thorns
(«The world is how you choose to see it»)

21. Desember/ 21st of December
English version; scroll down.
WONDERFUL FRIENDS
Jeg har vært så utrolig heldig som har slike flotte venner og kollegaer. Gjennom tiden i Nepal, etter jordskjelvet har jeg vært så heldig å bli kjent med fantastiske mennesker som har hjulpet til av hele sitt hjerte. 
For noen dager fikk jeg en hilsen som tre av dem hadde satt sammen til meg: Hjertelig takk for hilsen, og for all hjelp og støtte! Dere er fantastiske Merethe Hansen, Laki Jayba Sherpa og Kjell Rune Fosse!
Dagens oppgave:
Fortell noen hvor mye de betyr for deg
WONDERFUL FRIENDS
I have been so lucky to have such wonderful friends and colleagues. Through the time spent in Nepal after the earthquake, I have been so blessed to get to know so many wonderful people who helped and engaged from the bottom of their hearts.
Some days ago I received this wonderful greeting from three of them: Thank you so much all you have done Merethe, Laki and Kjell Rune!
Todays task:
Tell someone how much they mean to you

20. Desember/ 20th of December
English version; scroll down.
THOSE WITHOUT VOICES 
Vi drar tilbake til Kathmandu Animal Treatment (KAT) Centre i dag. Jeg besøkte dem første gang da jeg bodde i Kathmandu i sommer, og har støttet dem siden første gang jeg besøkte dette lille paradiset for hunder og katter.
I dag tar vi en rundtur på senteret. Vi treffer også lille Rabbit og Cookie og ser hvilken forvandling de har gjennomgått etter at de var heldige og kom til KAT Center.
Jeg har fortalt tidligere, kjemper KAT hver dag for de firbente uten stemme. De tar dem inn til senteret, behandler, vaksinerer og steriliserer dem.
Nå samler de inn penger til å bygge et nytt senter i fredeligere omgivelser. Hvis dere vil støtte deres arbeide, følg denne linken:
https://www.indiegogo.com/…/save-kat-kathmandu-animal-treat…
Tusen takk for deres støtte! Og del gjerne denne posten med dine venner.
Dagens oppgave:
Husk å mate fuglene, og gå en god lang tur med din firbente venn.
THOSE WITHOUT VOICES 
We return to Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre today. I visited them for the first time when I lived in Kathmandu this summer, and have supported them ever since. This is a little paradise for cats and dogs.
Today we take a trip around the centre and we meet little Rabbit and Cookie, - and look what a change!! 
Earlier I have told you about how the KAT Centre collect stray dogs, treat them, vaccinate them and sterilize them.
Every day is a challenging day for KAT with new cases that need immediate help even as they are sourcing for funds to rebuild their treatment centre in a new land.
Please continue to support their work by donating to the following link for the rebuilding efforts.
https://www.indiegogo.com/…/save-kat-kathmandu-animal-treat…
And thank you for your support thus far. Please share what you know about KAT Centre with your loved ones and friends.
Todays task:
Remember to feed the birds, and go for a nice long walk with your 4legged friends!

19. Desember/ 19th of December
English version; scroll down.
A STORY OF HOPE AND FREEDOM 
Hjelp oss å fortelle historien om Dahlitfolket, de laveste på rangstigen - gi dem en stemme, gi dem håp! 
For hva om disse menneskene fikk oppleve et paradigmeskifte innenfor dette systemet? Ville de da ha styrke til å endre sin skjebne? Vi tror det!
Dette er også historien om Pemba, Pema, Mingmar, Dawa og de andre barna i familien langt oppe i fjellene på grensen mellom Nepal og Tibet.
Jeg er så stolt over å ha så gode venner som Cody, Cherise, Scott, Tiffany og David. De er nå i full gang med å lage en dokumentar om våre kjære venner i lavkaste-samfunnet i Samaguan. Vi samarbeider om alle prosjektene for å hjelpe samt sette fokus på lavkaste-samfunnet for å skape en bedre fremtid for dem.
Følg linken under og se videoen om Dawa og hennes familie i Samaguan. Jeg håper du liker prosjektet og vil støtte oss i dette arbeidet. Om det betyr å dele denne linken, eller å bidra finansielt, så vi setter pris på all støtte.
Dagens oppgave:
Se deg rundt i alt stresset, stopp opp og del en kopp kaffe med noen som er alene.
A STORY OF HOPE AND FREEDOM
Help us tell the story of the Untouchable Caste - to give them a voice - to help give them hope. Because what if these people experienced a paradigm shift within that cast system? Would they then have the power to change their destiny? We think so!
I'm so proud to call Cody Tuttle, Cherise Tuttle, Scott Rogers, Tiffany Jungeog David Porter my friends and so happy to cooperate with them on our projects trying to focus on the low castes, to make this world a better place for them.
Follow the link below and watch the video.Please help support this project in any way you can, whether that means sharing this post on your social media feeds to help spread the word of «Untouchable", or by making a financial commitment to help with the post production cost of the film.We greatly appreciate your continued love and support!
Todays task:
Pause in all the everyday-stress and share a cup of coffee with someone who are alone.

18. Desember/ 18th of December
English version; scroll down.
THE RIVER PEOPLE
…her trenger vi hjelp. Vi må fortelle om dette problemet, vi må sette søkelyset på det. Her må det større og sterkere organisasjoner inn for å hjelpe. Vi kan bare fortelle hva vi har opplevd og sett. Det lille vi kan bidra med er ikke i nærheten av hva som må til. Her må det renskes opp. Vi kan bare håpe at ikke vi blir iakttatt av mafiaen når vi leverer ut mat. Vi forsøker å levere ut tepper og klær, men dette vet vi ikke om kommer de svakeste til nytte. Vi vet ikke om de får beholde det. Kanskje de blir fratatt det fra bakmennene. 
De er de aller fattigste i Nepal. Vi kaller dem Elve-folket. De er internt fordrevne. De hører til bland de laveste på rangstigen blant lavkaste. De har muligens noe land, men det er på grensen til India i vest og der er det for urolig til å leve nå, så de er tvunget inn mot hovedstaden og lever nå langs elvebredden i Kathmandu. 
De lever av å tigge på gaten i Kathmandu. Barna «bruker» de til de er rundt 5 år, da blir de enten solgt som prostituerte, de dør av underernæring eller de blir sendt avgårde for å klare seg selv. Jeg har sett flere av dem havne opp som gatebarn som tigger og sniffer lim. En av dem er Raista, han har jeg sett siden 2012, da var han svært påvirket av sniffingen. Han klarte å ta tak i seg selv og lærte seg engelsk av turister. Han klarer seg nå som tigger uten å sniffe. Mitt ønske ville være å få ham på skolebenken. Han er så stolt over det han har lært seg, og han vil så gjerne vise at han kan telle og skrive på engelsk, og få anerkjennelse for det.
Elve-folket trenger all den hjelp de kan få! Her må det graves og granskes for å få bukt med problemet. Vi kan ikke bare gå forbi og tenke at det ikke er mitt problem eller ansvar…
Ved å sette søkelyset på Elve-folket og fortelle deres historie, håper jeg at større organisasjoner kan komme inn og hjelpe. Vi trenger å få UNICEF på banen for her må det ryddes opp helt inn i de politiske rekker.
THE RIVER PEOPLE
We need a lot of help here…..We need to tell their story, we need to bring them up in the spotlight. We need the international community to set focus on this problem.
I can only tell about it, tell their story and tell what we have seen and experienced. The only small thing we can contribute with is some food, maybe some blankets and clothes. But we will never know if this blankets and clothes will stay with the River People. Maybe it is taken away from them, as they are controlled. We need to be very careful when we are helping them because of the powerful people behind, we call them the «mafia».
The River People, as we have chosen to call the poor people, are the lowest in the cast system. They are internal displaced and have fled from the troubled areas in the west, at the boarder to India. Now they are living at the riverbanks in Kathmandu and begging in the streets of Kathmandu.
Their children are being «used» for begging until they are approximately 5 years. Then they are sold as prostitutes, they die of malnutrition or they have to fend for themselves. Most of the children end up as beggars sniffing glue.
One of this children is Raista, I met him already in 2012. Then he was addicted to the glue-sniffing. He managed to get out of that, he learned english from tourists, and when I met him in the streets of Kathmandu this autumn, he was so proud to show me what he had learned. He is such a bright young boy. My wish is to manage to get him to attend a school. He is so proud and wanted to show me his spelling and counting in the english language. He just wanted some recognition.
The River People needs all the help they can get. I wish some larger international organizations can help them. We need, among others, e.g. UNICEF to help «clean up» all the way up in to the political system in Nepal.
We have to raise this problem, we need to tell their story. We can’t just pass them and forget about them.
Todays task:
Give a cup of coffee to someone who needs it