My name is Verena Doolabh and I am a 30 year old doctor in Australia. In September of 2006 I was traveling with a tour group through Jordan in the Middle East when it was a case of "wrong place wrong time" and out of nowhere a man started shooting at us as we were sightseeing in downtown Amman. I was shot in the spine and instantly paralyzed from the waist down. After immediate surgery in Amman to remove the bullet lodged in my spinal canal and two months in hospital doing intensive rehabilitation, I was able to walk again. When faced with the possib ility of life in a wheelchair, I devoted every waking hour to getting well, with the goal of trekking to Everest Base Camp. And 18 months after this horrific experience, Kesang Sherpa, CEO, Sherpa Travel Service helped me to realize my dream.
The C&C Manaslu Pioneer Singla Trek was different from all the treks I made in Nepal in the past. I hiked through pretty rural villages, barley fields and forests encountering the local people and spending the nights in local homes. There were no crowds of westerners on the trails or in the lodges. But I shared the paths with villagers, men and women, their dokos (bamboo carry-all baskets that Nepalis use for carrying essentials) loaded with wood, food or materials for trade, school children, and mule caravans.