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peter2002

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 1, 2002
253
1
Dallas, TX
Sherpa Plans World's Highest Cyber Cafe at Everest
Sat February 22, 2003 08:44 AM ET

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - The grandson of a Nepali sherpa in the first expedition to scale Mount Everest 50 years ago plans to set up the world's highest Internet cafe at the mountain's base camp.

Tsering Gyaltsen, whose grandfather, Gyaltsen Sherpa, was in the 1953 team that helped Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the 29,040 foot summit, hopes to open the cafe next month to cash in on a flood of visitors for the anniversary.

Thousands of trekkers and mountaineers pass through the base camp at 17,400 feet every year and many expeditions carry satellite phones into the Himalayas to run web sites about their efforts and contact friends and family at home.

Otherwise, the nearest phones are a four-day trek away.

Gyaltsen, waiting for government permission to go ahead, will use radio and satellite links and solar and generator power.

Money from the cafe will go to a project to clear Everest of the hundreds of tons of garbage left behind every year.

Nepal has eight of the world's 14 highest mountains The tens of thousands of foreign tourists they attract annually are a major source of income for what is one of the world's poorest nations.


http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....RBAEZSFEY?type=technologyNews&storyID=2270358

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Sounds like a great idea. I am surprised nobody has done this sooner.

Pete :)
 

rainman::|:|

macrumors 603
Feb 2, 2002
5,438
2
iowa
i like the fact that it benefits a good cause.

really cool how wireless and satellite networks are showing up in remote places...

pnw
 

Mr. Anderson

Moderator emeritus
Nov 1, 2001
22,568
6
VA
Very cool, considering the issue of the garbage piles all over Everest. I wonder if he'll get a Everest Cam?

And I wonder what the cost for the internet connection is going to be? With the amount of people showing up there, I imagine it will do well.

D
 

wdlove

macrumors P6
Oct 20, 2002
16,568
0
I hope they use an Xserve to run the Internet Cafe. It would be great to get live web casting from Mt. Everest!
 
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