Pray for Nepal

*Click HERE. This is what happened when the earthquake and resulting avalanche hit the base camp at Mount Everest, Nepal. 


A chill went up my spine this tranquil Saturday morning in Honolulu as news media outlets around the world announced the catastrophic news of earthquakes in Nepal. 

With a magnitude of 7.8 the ground shook before noon local time in Nepal. The epicenter was located near the capital city, Katmandu. As of two hours ago more than 1,800 people were killed. 

Sections of Katmandu's UNESCO-recognized history city center were in ruins. The New York Times reported that dozens of sightseers in a 200-foot watchtower that collapsed into a pile of bricks were trapped. 

Tragedy cast its cold shadows all the way to Mount Everest. At least 17 climbers died in avalanches set off by the earthquake. Buildings swayed in Tibet and as far as Bangladesh. 

The images provided chilling testimonies of the devastation that hit this quiet, mysterious Himalayan land wedged between China and India. 

There is more to this. Something else has been on my mind.

I am pained to the core right now. 

Shortly over a year ago I started this travel blog. I inaugurated a new chapter I chose to write in this, the only life I will have. I joined a growing number of global travel bloggers, sharing with you my experiences on this voyage. It's been a wonderful time in which I have been blessed with meeting, befriending and being befriended by some of the most interesting and extraordinary people you could imagine. 

We brand ourselves as fearless adventurers. We see the world and its numerous destinations as a canvas to be painted, the stuff of material that is both tantalizing and mysterious just waiting for us to appear and put it all into words.

The sheer enormity of the tragedy across Nepal cannot be summed up in mere words. You see, I was reminded that life is fleeting, that there are circumstances that we cannot control, and there are forces of Nature at work that no law or policy statement could curtail. It is hard for us to bear with the sense of loss and helplessness. And yet we must. 

Painful events like the earthquake in Nepal happen. I was thinking about the climbers at the base of Mount Everest who were killed in the avalanches. I am no mountain climber, but I admire them. Perhaps of all the travelers who seek, who explore and savor every flavor of their journey they embrace the risks involved in exploration and discovery -both within and without- courageously. 

The history of travel, exploration and discovery is replete with triumphs and tragedy. That will never change. Setting forth beyond the horizons of our individual familiarity does not belong to the fainthearted. Accidents happen. Tragedy strikes. 

On this occasion it is our turn to rise up to the challenge and honor those who are suffering in Nepal. For in the process of our personal transformation it is the people we encounter as much or more than the places we pass through who are the true heroes of our adventures.

Yes. Pray for Nepal. 

Remember those who perished today. Do what you can to send help to those left behind. The are our neighbors, our friends, the stuff of our person travel legends. 

*From the New York Times:

In the aftermath of the earthquake, aid workers were already on the ground on Saturday providing much-needed relief to the survivors. 

Here is a list of some of the groups soliciting donations to support their efforts in Nepal:

Oxfam
Oxfam is an international coalition of charities dedicated to fighting poverty. Aid workers from the group are on the ground, preparing to hand out food and water.  @Oxfam on Twitter.

World Vision
“We are initiating a response to meet basic, urgent needs with temporary shelter, food, water, emergency health interventions, and other vital aid.”
@WorldVision on Twitter.

Red Cross
Volunteers from the Nepal arm of the Red Cross are helping in the search for survivors. @ICRC on Twitter.

United Nations World Food Programme
The United Nations agency is providing food and other aid to survivors.
@WFP on Twitter.

Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian organization providing food, water, shelter, medicine, and other assistance to earthquake survivors. @SamaritansPurse on Twitter.

CARE
CARE is asking for donations for critical relief. The group said its humanitarian workers were currently on the ground assessing the situation in Nepal and determining the most immediate needs. @CARE on Twitter.

Save the Children
Donations to Save the Children, an organization with extensive reach in Nepal, will go toward efforts to provide protection for children and relief to their families.
@SC_Nepal on Twitter.