Broken Myth: Mount Everest

When my plane approached English Channel, I could clearly see the perfect snowflakes trough my seat window. I could not wait to have myself surrounded by snowy environment. But a friend who fetched me at the Heathrow airport said that the snow would only come in a month to come, so I had to wait for another 30 days and stay in London. I prayed spontaneously that God would send me snow, for at least one day, because I traveled half-globe to see it. It was answered within only less than 5 minutes, it became a snowy London. I asked my friend to pull over the car, just to let myself hit by the snowflakes all over my body. I jumped, I shouted, I took pictures.

That was exactly the same situation when a group of Indonesian Special Force (Kopassus) saw the snow for the first time, not in London, it was in Himalaya. They're there to conquer it's peak, the Everest. They jumped, ran around like kids, sat on ice, and exchanged snowballs to each other..it was when some other climbers whispered to their friends, ''These people from the tropic will never reach the top, not even close.''

The team spent less than 6 months for training, much lesser than the normal time which is 2 years. The most feared was Jet Stream Wind (wind sounds like jet) which can create avalanche, and drastic temperature drop. Others are High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), and Frostbite (you can easily lose your fingers and toes).

Afraid? Not those Indonesians.

At 15.30, April 26th 1997, First Corporal Asmujiono shouted, "Allahu Akbar", and planted the Merah Putih (Indonesian flag) on top of the world, followed by his colleague, First Corporal  Misrin. They are the Southeast Asia's first Everest Summiters, and World's #662 and #663.

So, the myth that said people from tropical country would never reach the top of everest was eventually torn down by Indonesians.

Pic take from here.