Blowing Bubbles in her Sleep

Chris and I finally got to visit friend and colleague Nazia today, and to say hello to six week old Ammara, who is just the cutest!  Dad Zaheer is besotted!  We had a lovely couple of hours catching up and we hope it won't be too long before we revisit.

In the afternoon Tony and I went to see 'Everest' in 3D at IMAX in the Media Museum.  I read Krakauer's book 'Into Thin Air' soon after the 1996 tragic events when eight climbers lost their lives on the mountain.  The film is not based on his book and Krakauer has been scathing of its version of events.  The film is beautifully shot and I think it probably makes use of the IMAX footage shot at the time cleverly cut with CGI and studio production.  It had me gripped from beginning to end and reminded me of the events in Krakauer's account, in particular the desperately poignant phone call from Jan Hall to her husband trapped on the mountain when it is clear he will not survive.  On intothehills advice I have now ordered another account of the event written by Boukreev, one of the expedition guides.   Climbing has never really appealed to me but I am intrigued by the drive which pushes some people to risk their lives in such environments.  At one point, when it is clear it will be impossible to reach the stranded climbers, Jan Hall's character says, 'They might as well be on the moon.'  The books and film also raise the question about Everest tourism.  There is pressure on guides to get people (sometimes with questionable mountaineering qualifications) to the top who have paid significant sums of money for the experience and pressure on the mountain environment too.