TOPtoTOP expedition reports

Start at the Sea for Everest

Matteo and Dario at the start "sea to Everest": beach on Gobindapur Abad, N21.42.037 E088.22.971 on the 27th of February 2010

Volunteers Fabrizio and Vittorino joining Matteo and Dario cycling towards Everest; thanks to SGS, Victorinox and TVSICS / ITIL in India and our outfitter Mammut:

MEDIA: Article in Indian Times

Solutions from Students

Our progress towards Everest:
26.2.2010: N21.42.037 E088.22.971, Gobindapur Abad
27.2.2010: Ram Ganga, close to Gobindapur Abad
28.2.2010: N22.30.984 E088.19.475,Kolkata
01.3.2010: N23.14.824 E087.57.284, Barddhaman
02.3.2010: N23.41.85 E086.59.220 Asonsol

Our last articles: Hinduathan Times.pdf and Times of India

Students from the Sunderbans region, where the Ganges flows into the sea, participating in the TOPtoTOP Climate Solution Drawing Contest.

Presentation at Cambridge School Kolkata

In India we gave already 7 presentations. Students come up with great ideas to protect our climate. Here some solutions from Sunderbans students:

Impacts and Solutions

We are on the way to clean up Everest cycling. We are on position N23.54.882 E086.10.709 in Topchanchi.

The biggest Impact of Climate Change near Kolkata was Cyclone Aila at the 21st of May 2009. It hit the Sunderbans causing floods and coastal erosion. The social worker Palash Sinha showed us where the coast line was located before. People try to build dams to be prepared for the next impact.

The salty sea water destroyed the farm land and it is very hard to grow something and to have enough grass for the cattle.

building dams

protecting the shore line

Ground water gets more and more salty after every flood and the higher the sea level is raising. Drinking water is a problem. With a donation of US 1000. - a filter system can be installed to produce drinking water for a whole village. Get in touch with TOPtoTOP, if you like to do a donation.

This people are very environmental and climate friendly. They hardly produce CO2 and recycle everything. A lady showed me her kitchen where she cooks with biogas that get processed by the cattle dung and the waste water flows in a pipe directly back in the vegetable garden.

Kitchen

Biogas converter and pipe into the kitchen

The biking is going well. We do an average of 100 km a day. Matteo has some knee problems...

Results - Feedbacks - Samples

FIRST: HAPPY BIRTHDAY

On the way from the Sea to clean the Top of the World we arrived today in Bihar Sherif at position N25.11.744 E085.31.181 after 125 km in the saddle. Yesterday we have been in Bahri at position N24.18.138 E085.25.425

After 11 a.m. it is very hot, so that we always start at 4 a.m., getting up at 3 a.m.

Fabricio doing some exercise during a rest after sitting for hours in the saddle

Road is blocked for hours after an accident - but not for us and we have finally a traffic free and enjoyable run to Bihar Sherif

RESULTS:

Near the starting point at the sea: tries get planted to protect the shore line and minimize the erosion

Here a FEEDBACK of a presentation:

"Dear Mr Dario,
• It was our pleasure meeting and hearing you on 27 th Feb 2010 at VSSU - Ullon (West Bengal).We gained a lot insight from you the use of Solar Energy and its positive impact on Climate Change.
• "Petroleum Conservation Research Association" or "PCRA" in short, a body under Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Govt of India, is engaged in Energy Conservation in all fronts of fuel/energy usage.
• We would like to join "Energy Conservation" efforts by way of conducting Tech Seminars any where in the Globe since it affects us all and addresses "Climate Change" directly.
Since you are Globally connected, we request you to kindly introduce us to such groups with similar mission so that we can take our activity further not only in India but in other countries also.
With warm regards
prabir chattoraj
Addl Dir PCRA-ER; chattorajp@pcra.org"

SAMPLES:

Taking the first sample at the sea N21.42.037 E088.22.971: I like to compare it with the water on top of Everest

Impressions of India

We are in Motihari: N26.38.844 E084.55.717. Yesterday we have been in Muzaffarpur N26.06.996 E085.23.079. Tomorrow we go to cross the border from India into Nepal.
Thanks to Simona Blosi - here a map.

Where ever we stop there are people. We always start at 3.30 a.m. to avoid the traffic and do the first stop not before sun rise. That's the time when the traffic explode and it's getting really hard to make your way even trough small towns.

In the country the bicycles are still the most important means of transportation.

India is full of contrasts:

Yesterday we did 130 km and crossed a 7 km long bridge over the Ganges. At night Matteo became a doctor to examine Vitterano's bloody bottom.

This morning everybody was fit again (here at the photo shooting at 3.30 a.m.). Many thanks again to TVSICS and ITIL: we are looking forward to meet many Indian schools again after the monsoon when the exams are over. Thanks also to CANYON. It is just the best bike for this kind of roads! .... and finally many thanks to Neethi and Santhosh, our loyal Indian companions, here on a electrical bike manufactured in India: US 1000.-, max. speed 30 km/h, range 6 to 8 h.... another good solution for our climate!

Arrived in Kathmandu

Here our 20100311_presss-relase_kathmandu.doc

Our new contact number in Nepal: +977 98 08 50 57 10

Our latest positions:
7.3.10: Motihari N26.38.844E084.55.717
8.3.10: Hetaura
9.3.10: Simbhanjyang N27.35.471E085.05.097 (2488 m)
10.3.10: Kathamandu N27.42.736E085.18.754 (1304 m)

The last state we crossed in India is also the poorest and is called "Bihar". There is a lot to clean up. We crossed the boarder at Raksoul and entered into Nepal. Soon after we had the first climb and finished the day in Hetaura.

The next day was a long climb of 55 km up to 2488 m to Simbhanjyang: N27.35.471E085.05.097

In the late afternoon Fabricio and Dario climbed a peak above Simbhanjyang and returned after a beautiful sunset back to the village.

There we stayed in the lovely Simbhanjyang Him Shikhar Hotel (+977 98 037 65 715).

Already early in the morning you hear the children's greetings "Namaste".

Another pass before Kathmandu and a long downhill to Naubise.

....and finally Kathmandu where we met Dorjee Sherpa with whom we plan to clean up Everest.

CYCLING FROM KTM AS CLOSE TO EVEREST

Meeting with Swiss Ambassador Thomas Gass

Jiri Technical School founded by Switzerland 1984

Dario taking to students in the foothills of Everest

Matteo's, Francesco's and Vittorano's goal was to get to Kathmandu. Matteo has a problem with his knee. So I continued myself 190 km up and down to Jiri. Kathmandu to Jiri means two very long days with some high passes in between:

Deep down to cross the rivers where you find always a market...

... and high up again to pass the next mountain ridge.

Since Kolkata I started always about two hours before sunrise to avoid the heat.

Finally arrived in Jiri the end of the "official" road and the closest you get cycling to Everest.

On the 3rd day I continued towards Bhandar, but had to stop after some hours because the road was too bad and made it back to Jiri to do a TOPtoTOP event in the Primary School and Technical School, both supported by Switzerland.

Outdoor presentation in the "Shree Saraswoti Community School" with 320 students, 13 teachers. They have not enough class rooms...

Presentation at the Jiri Technical School

The Jiri Technical School was established in 1984 by the Swiss Government. It provides training in the field of agriculture, construction and health. In agriculture trade they produce "Junior Technical Assistant" (both agriculture and animal health); in construction trade they produce "Junior Engineer" and in health trade the school produces "Auxiliary Nurse Midwife". The students are from poor families and so the monthly fee per student is only about CHF 4.-. The program goes 29 month; 24 month in the school and 5 months in the field.
Old educational equipment
They urgently need new educational equipment, especially for the nursery students. It would be perfect to build up relationships with Swiss agriculture and nursery schools. If you have a contact or solution please email to the principal Mr. Ramthari Khanal (ramkhanal2000@yahoomail.com, phone: ++977 98 41 31 26 08).

On the 16th of March the Swiss Ambassador Thomas Gass and his wife Nathalie invited me on the Embassy. They organized a press conference and offered to leave my bike and cycling equipment at their house. So I started in Jiri at 3 a.m. and made the 190 km back to KTM in 15 hours. I only stopped to get some energy in the many small "bistros" on the way.

Finally I made it to Kathmandu exhausted and just in time before getting dark. The traffic and pollution was incredible, but I was excited to meet the Ambassador and his wife the next day. I already heard so many good things about him...
Traffic in KTM

AGAIN:
Many thanks to Santosh Kumar (www.getoffurass.com), Neethi Mahesh, Thomas Schmocker, Anurag Verma, Cherish Tota to make the trip from Kolkata to Nepal a success ... and finally many thanks to my friend Matteo with his companions Francesco and Vittoriano to join this endeavor to KTM.

2nd operation for Noe

Since Noe is born on the 15th of August 2009 in Darwin Australia, Noe is treated with antibiotics because of a subtraction between the kidney and the bladder. While sailing to Kolkata end of 2009 Noe had a kidney infection and was repatriated to Switzerland where he has a successful operation in the Kinderspital in Zurich in February. On the 30th of March is now the 2nd and hopefully last operation. - Please pray that all goes well and he recovers fast. - If all goes well Sabine, Salina, Andri and Noe are back on the expedition soon and the family is united again in Nepal on the 6th of April.
The TOPtoTOP Expedition will be busy doing the project in Nepal including a clean up on Everest till begin of June, before travelling further to attend for some events in the Swiss Pavilion at the World Exhibition 2010 in Shanghai from begin to mid July.
Last consultations for Noe are planed end of July in Switzerland, before the 10th anniversary Camp and the TOPtoTOP Climate Solution Winners Expedition take place in Switzerland in August. After this final check and the two events we are back on the expedition again on Pachamama with India and Africa ahead of us.

These reports are possible to the generosity of Dawa Tshiring Sherpa and his wife Nanga Lhamu from the Himalaya Lodge in Lukla. On the picture you see Lhamu, her brother Ang Temba Sherpa, a world model and climber, and Dawa in front the beautiful Lodge: