By Zack Anchors 
Staff writer 
    When Scarborough resident Doug Friedman traveled to Nepal last spring during the peak of the Nepalese Civil War, Maoist rebels were intensifying their insurgency against the Nepalese monarchy and tens of thousands of people were protesting against the government in the streets of Kathmandu. But although the U.S. State Department was warning Americans to stay away from the country, Friedman did not let the turmoil ruin his travels. He was not able to go whitewater rafting, as he had hoped, but his alternative plan – spending six weeks hiking through the Himalayas – made for an adventurous trip too.  
    "When I went to Nepal I didn't have anything booked at all, but I had been there before and knew it would be pretty easy to set something up once I was over there," said Friedman. "My plan was to go whitewater rafting. There's great whitewater rafting in Nepal, with all the water flowing out of those mountains. But when I got there I found out the western part of the country was under Maoist control and there wasn't any rafting going on." 
    Friedman, who presented slides of his travels at the Scarborough Library last week, began his trip in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. But in order to get away from the tourist-saturated city and do some hiking, he wanted to visit the more rural and mountainous parts of the country along the border of Tibet. At a local touring company he found a guide who would take him on two trips – a three-week trek to the base of the mountain Anapurna and a two-week trek to the famous Mount Everest base camp. The guide, Bhim Tamang, would help carry gear and use his limited English to serve as a translator, all for about five dollars a day.  
    "He was 20 years old," said Friedman of Bhim. "He had been a school teacher, but his father unfortunately died and he couldn't afford to feed his family, so he had to start working as a porter and eventually became a porter guide, which is what he was with me." 
    Over the following weeks, Friedman and Bhim traveled along the well-worn paths of the steep mountains from teahouse to teahouse, where they would find lodging and meals and often meet other hikers from countries throughout the world. Although the idea of hiking around the largest mountains in the world in the middle of a civil war might seem a risky endeavor, Friedman said the trip was not especially difficult or dangerous. As for the physical challenge, he said as long as you are hiking around the Himalayas and not up them, the challenge is comparable to a day hike in Maine. 
    "What I did, it's not serious climbing," he said. "I mean, climbing up Katahdin is harder than a lot of what I did." 
    And as for the political crisis during his time in Nepal, Friedman said he never felt like, as a tourist, he was in danger of being caught up in the conflict. 
    "There's been a lot of fighting and tens of thousands of people have died – but no tourists, fortunately. And that's probably because both sides know that tourism is really the bread and butter of the country."  
    Since Friedman's visit, tourists have even less reason to be concerned. The king of Nepal, whose very unpopular rule had given energy to the rebels, made concessions to those who opposed him, allowing for an end to the civil war. 
    "This year they did finally come to an agreement and the parliament was restored and the king actually had most of his power removed," said Friedman.  
    One of the reasons Friedman wants to share his trip with others, he said, is that he wants to encourage people to travel to Nepal. The country, he said, is suffering from a decline in tourism in recent years, even though it makes for an ideal travel destination.  
    "Nepal is the second poorest country in Asia,” Friedman said. “But even though in Nepal they don't have a lot of material goods, they have a vibrant culture." 
    One of the most appealing aspects of a trip to Nepal is that it is very affordable. Friedman kept careful records of his expenses and ended up spending less than $3,000 on the trip, including airfare, food, lodging and the cost of his guide.
    "Nepal is a very modest country for travel in terms of expense,” said Friedman. “And people there very much like Americans and American style. In many cases they want to emulate Americans.”
    There are more than 30 ethnic groups in Nepal, a country of about 40 million that is about one-and-a-half times the size of Maine. One of the most well known ethnic groups of Nepal is the Sherpa people, who live in one valley at the base of Mount Everest.
    "The Kumbu valley is where the Sherpas live, but we all hear about them because the climbers use them on expeditions,” said Friedman. “What has happened is that they have become the elite and they're the ones that guide the expeditions. The porters are from another tribe called the Tomong tribe, which is the tribe my guide belonged to. Those two groups are the ones you would work with if you went on a trek like this.”
    The Sherpas and Porters he encountered on his trek impressed Friedman. While it takes most westerners at least a month to climb Everest, he said, Sherpas have been known to climb from base camp to the top in one day.
    “These guys are incredible – they'll carry 100 pounds. And they'll carry 100 pounds at 18,000 feet. These must be some of the sturdiest people in the world. It's not just one pack they carry – it's two packs or even three packs lashed together." 
    When Friedman arrived at Everest base camp, it was right in the middle of climbing season, just before the short period each year when calm conditions tend to settle over the mountain and expeditions make their ascent.
    "There were lots of expeditions there. There were probably a couple of hundred people there,” said Friedman. "One of the things I didn't realize when I went up was that Everest base camp actually sits right on a glacier and the base camp is basically a temporary village. The porters bring in big tents and they use the stones to make buildings, but once the climbing season is over, all that's left is a glacial field." 
    Friedman was not interested in climbing Everest, but he said spending time at Everest base camp was a humbling experience, with monuments to climbers and Sherpas who died on the mountain all around and the mountain towering above.
    One of Friedman’s main goals when he visits any place, he said, is to make friends with lots of the local people. One way he did that in Nepal was to eat his Dhal Bat (lentil and beans) in the kitchen instead of with the tourists in the dining rooms. Because he does not speak Nepali or Hindu, though, he had to get creative.
    "One of the things that I did to really meet local people is I brought balloons with me,” said Friedman. “And I brought the kinds of balloons you could blow up into animals. I would blow up a balloon and I would make it into a dog or something and give it to a child. And that's a great way to connect with the local people when they don't speak English." 
    Friedman, who works at TD Banknorth in Portland, has traveled to 49 countries around the world. He said Nepal is among the most beautiful places he’s visited and is a perfect destination for people who have less experience with foreign travel.
    “Nepal combines natural beauty with fascinating culture,” he said. “You’ve got the Hindus in the south and Buddhist in the north, two different cultures that live in peace and harmony.”