For the whole two-week journey of the average Himalayan mountain trek, porters live out of a small bag, and unlike tourists, they don’t have access to hot water, so you can’t shower for nearly two weeks or more! On top of that, it’s hard to wash your clothes, because they’ll freeze in the open air. But in many cases, you may not even take them off because it’s too cold.
Living and working in the mountains is certainly a unique environment, but everyone adapts to enjoy as much as possible. After work, when there’s a bit of free time, we played pool or cards and chatted. And we always took moments to appreciate the beauty around us. So many people have relatives in the area, so you often stay with friends or family, too. In fact, many workers, after their job, stay with friends or family instead of returning to their village after work. This way, they can easily pick up another job.
In all, portering is an incredibly important job. They supply almost all the equipment needed for hotels, tourists, climbers and trekkers not only at Mt. Everest, but all throughout the Himalaya and the world. Porters make staying in mountain hotels possible. They make long treks with extra luggage possible. And they make many people’s dreams come true. Unfortunately, they still suffer a great discrimination: low wages, poor living conditions, and so many other issues. Hopefully one day, porters will be treated fairly for the pivotal work they perform. To see my full, hour-long film on working as a porter, click here!
