Maila Rai

My first memory of Maila Rai was late in my first trip to Nepal at the Chiwang Gumpa where we attended the three-day Mani Rindu celebration. Early in the morning Runner Pasang was loading him up.  Not only did he have perhaps 100 pounds of duffels, but on top he carried a backpack. On the right is Maila three years later.

Maila works as a porter, willing to carry heavy loads to support his family. He is not a Sherpa but a Rai, generations ago from India.  He is short and cheerful, always smiling. 

He is a very good friend of Chhongba Sherpa who helped him build a home, seen above, right next to Chhongba’s own home in Nunthala. The wall to the right is part of Chhongba’s house.

When we were in Nunthala on my fourth trip we met his family. Carolyn and Milt sponsored his daughter through school.

The photo on the left was taken just outside the gate you can see in the photo above.

When we reached Jomsom near the end of our Annapurna Circuit trek we had a party when we said good-bye to the porters and some of the shepas. They would take a long bus trip back to Kathmandu while we would hike the next day to visit the beautiful apple growing area around the village of Mapha. We would then fly from Johnson to Pokhara, a truly fantastic flight.

The photo below shows Maila and Chhongba’s son, Mingmar, at that party in Jomsom.  Near the end of my next trip to Nepal, I would visit Mingmar at Everest Base Camp before he made his first ascent of Everest. 

Three of our group planned to remain in Nepal for an extra week to hike in the Khumbu region after we returned to Kathmandu. They would go with Chhongba and one porter, Maila.  They would all fly from Kathmandu to Lukla to start that trek. This would be Milo’s first airplane flight — into the “world’s most dangerous airport” at 9,383 feet above sea level on the edge of a cliff. I’ve flown in twice and out twice during three treks in Nepal. The Lukla Airport is also know as the Tenzing–Hillary Airport.

On my fourth trek from Jiri to Everest Base Camp, we carried small fleece jackets to give to Dr. Kami Sherpa of Thame who had a clinic in Khunde. He would in turn distribute them to young children who came to his clinic and those in the neighboring villages.  Below is Maila with a pile of those jackets. 

Later that trek we made it to the summit of Kala Patthar. My zoom lens wasn’t working so I made a crazy five-photo panorama looking down from the very summit at Maila, Milt, Carolyn, and Nabin KC.

Here are more photos of this very cheerful porter.