 |
| Mountaineers Moni Mulepati, right,
and Pem Dorjee Sherpa look on
during a function to congratulate them, on their return after an
expedition to Mt. Everest, in Katmandu, Nepal, Thursday, June 2, 2005. Mulepati
is the first non-Sherpa Nepalese woman to scale the world's
tallest mountain when she reached the summit on May
31. (AP Photo/Binod Joshi)
| |
Nepalese girl Moni Mulepati, 24, and her secret
beau Pem Dorje Sherpa, 23,
created a world record when they tied the knot on Mt Everest.
Though husband-wife couples have been making periodic assaults on the
8,848 m peak, this is the first time a pair ever said "I do" on the
highest peak in the world.
The couple pulled off the feat on Monday, when they submitted
the peak as part of the three-member Rotary Centennial Expedition 2005
marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the social service
organization. Their romance became public only on Thursday when the team
returned home to Kathmandu.
It is a three-in-one triumph for Moni, who is also the first non-Sherpa
Nepalese girl to summit Mt Everest.
At least three other Nepalese women have performed the feat before her
but they are all from the Sherpa community, the hardy mountainous people
of Tibetan origin known for their outstanding ability to withstand high-altitude conditions.
Moni belongs to the Newar community, the original residents of
Kathmandu characterised by their business acumen and excellence in
architecture and fine arts.
Though Moni called up her father from the top of the peak after her
ascent to give him the good news, she did not tell him about her marriage.
The newly weds had been secretly courting for about a year - the time they
were getting ready for the expedition.
Though they planned to get married at the top, they kept the plan a
secret in case they failed to scale the peak.
Besides the usual mountaineering equipment, they had also smuggled in
garlands and vermilion. After
reaching the top at 11 am, they exchanged vows at the spot closest to
heaven in a 10-minute ceremony.
The wedding has made ripples in conservative Nepalese society also due
to the fact that the couple is from different
castes. While the Newars are considered elites, the
Sherpas, despite their mountaineering prowess, belong to the lower rungs.
The couple continued to make news even after their descent to the base
camp. The helicopter flying there to pick them up had a mishap and a
second one had to be sent to bring them back.
On their return, the couple told the media they were not only happy
with the venue of their marriage but also the message it conveyed from the
top of the world: The mountains know no caste and neither does love.
(Agencies) |
24岁的尼泊尔女孩莫妮·穆勒帕蒂和她的神秘男友、23岁的夏尔巴青年番姆·多吉创造了一项世界纪录——在珠穆朗玛峰顶喜结良缘。
尽管不少夫妻登山爱好者曾定期向这座8,848米的高峰发动“进攻”，但这还是头一次有新人在世界最高峰上向对方说“我愿意”。
这对新人是“2005循环百年珠峰探险队”三人组的成员，上周一，他们完成了登顶珠峰的“壮举”。探险队此次登峰的目的之一是纪念“社会服务组织”成立一百周年。直到上周四登山队返回尼泊尔首都加德满都时，他们的浪漫情事才“公诸于世”。
对莫妮来说，这是“三合一”的盛大喜悦，因为她也是第一个登上珠峰的非夏尔巴族的尼泊尔女孩。
在她之前，至少有三名尼泊尔女性成功登顶珠峰，但她们都来自夏尔巴族——一个具有藏族血统的最吃苦耐寒的山地民族，他们对高海拔环境的超强承受力天下闻名。
莫妮是尼瓦人，尼瓦人是加德满都的原住民，他们具有敏锐的商业头脑，在建筑和艺术等方面也很有天赋。
尽管莫妮在珠峰顶上给她爸爸打了一个电话，告诉他成功登顶的好消息，但她并没有透露自己结婚的事儿。此前，在为这次探险之旅做准备的一年时间中，他们一直在秘密交往。
尽管他们计划在峰顶结婚，但他们一直对这个计划保密，以免出现登顶失利等意外情况。
除了常用的登山设备外，他们还偷偷携带了花环和朱红色的粉末。上午11时登顶后，他们在离天空最近的地方交换了誓言，整个仪式历时10分钟。
这场婚礼之所以在保守的尼泊尔社会激起涟漪，一方面也因为这对新人差异悬殊的社会背景。尼瓦人被视为精英阶层，而夏尔巴人尽管登山本领非凡，社会地位却并不高。
即使在下山回到营地后，这对新人仍然继续制造着新闻。派去接他们的直升机出了事故，只好出动第二架飞机去接他们回来。
回到尼泊尔后，这对新人对媒体表示，他们很高兴能够在“世界之巅”举行婚礼，而且这场婚礼所传达的意义让他们非常满意——珠穆朗玛峰不会在乎社会地位和阶层的差异，爱情也不会。
（中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2005-06-07 10:36