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MIGHTY expat mum Madhu Sarda has spoken of her incrediblecharity fundraising climb to the Mount Everest Base Camp for a fine diningexperience with a celebrity chef.
She was the only woman in a party of 11 taking part in thechallenge spearheaded by Michelin-starred Chef Vineet Bhatia, the inspirationbehind an award-winning restaurant at the Gulf Hotel Bahrain Convention &Spa.
It was a return to her home country for Madhu, as well asNepalese head chef of Rasoi by Vineet – Bahrain, Tej Bahadur Thapa Magar, 38,who also joined the trek, although they were both venturing up the magnificentmountain for the first time.
Mother-of-two Madhu, 40, a well-known community artist,battled against the elements including a blizzard and survived painful falls onthe steep paths, says the adventure was a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience.“This was the mother of all adventures. It was a very steep, rocky andstrenuous climb at times,” she said. “At one stage I was almost on the verge ofgiving up, but that was never an option.”
Madhu heard about Chef Vineet’s plan for ‘fine dining at itspeak’ on social media to create the most memorable eating out experience everat 17,600 feet with a ‘pop up’ restaurant. The aim was to raise funds for theNepalese earthquake victims and Heart for India Foundation, a charity whichhelps fund the education of girls from underprivileged backgrounds.
“It was a charity trek and the concept was to reach the basecamp and set up probably the highest restaurant at the highest altitude in theworld,” explained Madhu, “and the final day featured a fine dining five-coursemeal.
“I follow Chef Vineet on social media and when I first sawhis Tweet for this adventure I was immediately intrigued. I replied to hismessage, telling him I was interested.
“Being born and brought up in Nepal, the mountains are veryclose to my heart, almost like a part of me and trekking to Mount Everest BaseCamp had always been a dream - top of my ‘bucket list’!
“So when it came together with these causes and anopportunity to join Chef Vineet, there was no looking back!”
Madhu had met the celebrity chef two years earlier on one ofhis regular visits to Bahrain and enjoyed the culinary experience immensely.“This was a perfect recipe for a combination of ‘fan moment, dream and cause’,”she admitted.
She signed up for the adventure and asked whether any otherwomen would be in the group. “You’re the only one brave enough!” he replied.
Then, came the tough part, convincing her family it was agood idea.
“No one in my family have ever done this kind of trekking ortravelling,” she said. “Breaking the norms isn’t easy but as someone said –every great dream begins with a dreamer, and I had that strength, passion,patience and determination.”
She soon found support from her Indian husband Sandip Sarda,43, finance director, of DHL Supply Chain Saudi Arabia, and their children,Sejal,14, who attends St Christopher’s School and Sumedha, 10, a pupil at theBritish School of Bahrain.
Her fitness helped in the preparation too and regularone-hour intense gym sessions were followed by long treadmill walks with a 15per cent incline. “I have always enjoyed yoga, meditation and swimming andthese practices came really handy because breathing techniques make a whole lotof difference on higher altitudes where the air is thinner and there’s lessoxygen,” she added.
The group started at Lukla, spending two days acclimatisingto the high altitude before trekking for 10 days and climbing almost 65km, onsome days for a gruelling 14 hours at a time.
“The end of the dayswould be so tiring that I felt I have used every last ounce of energy possible,that I couldn’t take another step,” Madhu said.
“Our oxygen levelsand heartbeats were checked daily. We also took anti-motion sickness medicines,painkillers, multi-vitamins and cold remedies depending on our condition.
“For the first time I knew the meaning of ‘sleeping like thedead’ through the night, yet, miraculously, each morning I would feel sorevived and fresh that I would be the first one to wake up, enjoy those fewmoments of solitude, do my stretches and pranayama and write my daily diary.
“I have done treks before, smaller ones, but nothing likethis. The final journey from Gorekshep to Base Camp was a small trek of threehours and then one more hour to our tent but, what made it extremely difficult,was a snow blizzard.
“The scariest part for me was facing the blizzard – I almostgave up because there was no proper coordination between my legs and mind.Also, my boots were not good for snow and ice and I slipped and fell a fewtimes, thankfully only suffering bruising.
“But after reaching the destination, making it against allthe odds and difficulties, I felt a great sense of accomplishment, happiness andthankfulness. It was like reaching some higher level of attainment in my heartand soul.
“I definitely couldn’t have done it without the excellentand supportive team – one great team, like God had handpicked each one of themto help one another.
“Being the only lady, I felt special - at least there wasone woman as part of this event – I was representing women power – but, otherthan that, I was just one of them. Everyone cared for every other team member,supported and offered encouragement and patience all the way through.
“And, as for Chef Vineet himself, I don’t know where tobegin. He’s so enthusiastic, nice, caring and fun loving. And his passion forfood is so authentic, there’s a sparkle in his eyes when he talks food andcooks it.
“We were quite lucky, Chef and his team cooked for us quitea few times during the trek. And, me being the only vegetarian, things weremore challenging. So while everyone would gorge on eggs, chicken and meat,wherever possible, I would look for bread, rice, dal, noodles and veggies. Themore you trek upwards, the lesser the choice of food.”
The grand finale feast proved to be worth the wait for allwho had participated in the adventure and others at base camp.
“This was something beyond my wildest dreams, with the viewsas well as the food,” said Madhu. “Even from the trek from the base camp to theplace where our tents were pitched, the vista changed dramatically.
“The Khumbu and Chengri glaciers were like movie sets,although unbelievably real. And, then this whole concept of fine dining. Wow!
“Planning and preparations had started even before the trek.Like what ingredients will be required, how tables will be laid and what localfood items could be included in this grand meal.
“We also picked up a few things on our way. All dryingredients and supplies were carried by the porters and a few special itemswere carried by Chef as well. But cooking at that altitude and at thosetemperatures wasn’t easy.
“The tables were set at the lap of the Himalayas, with a viewof Mount Everest, Lothse, Makalu and Ama Dablam. The cutlery was laid with lotsof attention to detail, with each fork, spoon and glass perfectly placed.”
The five-course menu included vegetable momo, an Asiandumpling, dal, an Indian term for dried, split pulses, served with juniperberry shorba, a kind of hot stew.
There was also chili garlic cauliflower chicken, yak butterrice, stir fried beans, potatoes and mushroom with Schezwan sauce, fish masalaand chicken masala, saffron suji halwa with beetroot dust, with a welcomingchoice of chai or coffee with chocolates.
“My favourite was the mini momos and the shorba,” saidMadhu. “It’s very easy to make momos but very difficult to perfect them.”
Speaking from the UK, Chef Vineet, 51, who was joined by his19-year-old student son, Varaul, on the trek, praised Madhu for her grittydetermination and told GulfWeekly: “She did really well. We were all very proudof her.”
He added that his good friend and colleague Chef Tej wasalso a ‘great asset in so many ways’.
The banquet was prepared with a wok, small pot and a fryingpan and essential cooking tips were gathered from the Sherpa guides andfriendly Nepalese people they met on the way.
Close to the level of the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal,the atmosphere holds 53 per cent as much oxygen as the air at sea level, makingit harder to breathe, exercise … and cook.
“The challenges became apparent when I tried to scramble anegg on the way and it took me 10 minutes!” he said. The advice he was given wasto cut and slice ingredients as thinly as possible.
“Doing the trek was so important, it gave us the chance tosee the land and understand the people and how they live in this environment,”he added.
“It was such a humbling experience for all of us, seeing thebluest of skies, the best views ever of Mount Everest and the silence, it’s soemotional.”
A camera crew shadowed the chef from the moment he startedtrekking and a feature-length documentary is set to follow on what could be aGuinness World Record breaking event. More importantly, around $40,000 wasraised for the good causes.
As for Madhu, she is currently enjoying the comforts of homein Bahrain. “My toes were inflamed and nose and lungs were affected,” she said,“but all is well and things are now back to normal.
“I’m looking forward to another extreme side of nature. Wewill be travelling to the US for the summer vacation and I have a trip plannedto the Grand Canyon in Utah. I’m hoping for another great vacation and keepingmy fingers crossed!”
l Madhu, who worked for the Northern Governorate on two artprojects at Jid Al Haj beach and Abu Saiba Primary School, recently conducted aworkshop with the Indian Ladies Association, teaching ethnic Indian Madhubanipainting. Catch up with her adventures via Instagram @madhu_sarda and onTwitter @SardaMadhu.
