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Muntasir Mamun's Blog
Muntasir Mamun's Blog
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Muhammad Yunus and Alain Robert : Thinker’s of The Poor and The Master of Rock
Related to country: Mexico

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I was traveling for a cause with my bicycle in the heart of Mexico City. It was Friday and I found couple of Bangladeshi peoples living in here. I was in search for them since I was here, but getting no clue, I was hunting Mosque in the “Districto Federala”. My hunch was right, I got them.

Average Bangladeshi, was curious about my arrival in here and having a strong desire to know whether I am trying to find out any ways to penetrate Mexico-US border. I liked their attitude while I was surviving in world’s 3rd largest metropolis. After the prayer I was accompanying one of them, how was one of the most solvent and used to sale Indian cloths on the street. More precisely he is a “FeriWala”. I followed him like in many streets and turns of Mexico to know how he works for his living. It was not that easy to cope but after end of the day he turns back to his premises with a joy filled heart as his business is turning good day by day.

It was around 5, late afternoon in Mexico, area named Mazulatan, I found a mountaineering equipment store in the middle of no where. I waved my Bangladeshi friend to make a sight touring in that shop. Armando Dattoli, mostly is a rock climber and a running this business. After a small chat we found a common friend who is tagging us apart from a distance. Armando is hosting a famous mountain film festival in Mexico and I was trying like anything to make Bangladesh as one of their venue since 2005. Till to day no “green” signal from local authority.

He insisted me to join him in a German movie fest and to discover berth taking climbing scenes of “AM Limit”. It was really horrifying to go through all the movie as I have never seen that kind of pitch entire my whole life except very few expeditions in Himalaya and adjacent!

Reaching back to the home I was looking for a list of Master Rock Climber in the net. He was famous for climbing the sky scrapers; even my friends from Bangladesh can be knowing him as, “Spiderman”. Who climbs all most all the tallest building on earth and many prestigious rock faces, with his own style, all without safety rope and help. Basically I was trying to understand about who is best in this business and how.

No doubt there are many but none of them are like Alian. He is just as good as him and fund a very interesting picture in his website (http://www.alainrobert.com/photospress/ar_nobel.jpg). He is showing a picture of him with Professor Muhammad Yunus. I exclaimed with joy at the middle of the night and started posting that picture to my climber’s network. “You know what, he is from Bangladesh. May be we are enfant to the mountains and especially on the rocks but we have some one who is even desirable to the master rock rodeos” I way saying this to my friends with a happy feelings.


--
Shanti
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Muntasir Mamun
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Continuing : World Tour
Round the globe HIV and AIDS campaign on Bicycle
www.TogetherWeAre.net
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Contributing : Adventure Magazine, NZ
http://pacificmedia.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
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আপনার শান্তি কামনায়
মুনতাসির মামুন ইমরান
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Personal Site:
www.muntasirmamun.com

August 24, 2008 | 2:01 PM Comments  0 comments

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Pica Del Agulia, Eagles Peak
Related to country: Mexico

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I have heard a funny story regarding mountain in my childhood, divulged by one of my friend back in Bangladesh which is almost 100% of alluvial plain land and he never been or ever seen any mountains! “You know what, if you go to mountains, you will get close to the Allah (god). As you are reaching higher from the mud (land) and going closer to the sky, it means your are getting closer to Al mighty!”, he stopped and continued “ mountains are the places where heaven meets the earth”.

I laughed and poked him how the hell do you know all these with out being there. But after started going to highlands, I realized, those are true (may be!) unless why does peoples climb. May be there is something eloquent in there, which can cherished or discovered by going there only.

I found those words in my another friends words, after so many years and so far away from home. Debrup, living in Mexico and teaching there. He proposed me to try something different in Mexico which is not so far and like a dreamboat! I have heard about mountains of mexico specially for Carlos Carsolio. These stratovolcanic mountains can re enforce some one to be a natural climber. So it was accidental to catch any mountain trip while I was here for round the globe HIV/AIDS campaign on bicycle.

Nevado de Toluca, is 80 km apart of Mexico City and well connected by road. It’s a large stratovolcano in the city of Toluca. The peak we are going to climb is called “Pica Del Agulia or Eagle’s peak” 4690 meter. We have started early in the morning from Mexico City with a 3 hours drive. Herardo was our leader as he is passionate and had climbed many peaks can be seen in Mexico.

We started climbing when I was don. Weather was perfect but the wind. Easy route to follow but altitude is rising. After crossing a small hump we started following a ridge and get into moraine zone. It was reminding me the flavor of climbing in Leh, Kashmir- easy but have to be careful, smooth but have to scroll some times. Complete mixer of fun and adventure. There were two crater lake beside the ridge though it was in distance. It makes the whole climb more enjoyable and picturesque for ever snaps.

A sign of cross was visible from the ridge, metal made symbol alarming us that we are closer to the top. There were few other peaks following the same ridge. The toped one is Pico del Fraile or Priest’s Peak and we are trying 2nd highest- Eagle. So I have found the resemblance of my childhood friend’s fairy tale, God lives here!

Herardo was slow, having a snails speed but steady. He accorded this after his many climb in this terrain, I mush say after the crossing first ridge we were almost lost in the jungle of scree-bolder-rock. We never eyed on him as we were fast. We found him almost hanging on a rock band and quite far from us vertically. Another small climb was left to reach the summit after a small push and encountering some watchful rocks. It was 1030 local time and a good feeling to reach to the top like any othe peaks of mighty Himalaya or Karakoram or else where. May be Eagle is soft to climb in dry session but surely not in winter.

It was good to be here rather roaming around in Mexico City and it will be always good decision to be around Mexican mountains, because its worth it.

August 15, 2008 | 12:46 PM Comments  0 comments

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Access to life : access now
About this event: Mexico Youth Force Pre-Conference
Related to country: Mexico

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Its was a great experience to retaining a photography exhibition titled “Access to Life” by Magnum Photos at global village of XVII International AIDS conference of Mexico City. Its impossible to make anyone understood what Magnum is or what they are doing! May be my words are harsh for my friends but I am skeptical if I have to write an introductory for Magnum Photos for others, I am sure that will be too much and I will miss the weight the simple few alphabets that Magnum can hold! Yes, they are the most prestigious photo agency in the world and in other way I must say group of extraordinary “Image Makers” of all time.

This Exhibition was directly hoarded by “The Global Fund”. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is supporting lifesaving treatment with antiretroviral drugs for more than 1.4 million people worldwide. The Global Fund is a unique global public-private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector, and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing.(from official website)

Eight photographers has been working with peoples living with HIV and AIDS in different nine countries of the world for few months and came out with magnificent stories of their life. Some time it was hard to believe and some time it was hard to cope. From India to Peru every where is the same, life is meeting the decay or staying alive positively.

From the images there was a clear visual in front us, we have to think again about what we are going to do next. What we really want for the whole condition of HIV and AIDS which is an epidemic for many courtiers. Should we keep growing up the numbers of infections? Or we should keep the promise? If this is not the right time, then when?

Images are eloquent, having a strong message to protect us, ourselves and those who are living positively and reminds us to access in our life. Again. It’s a sanity.

For more information about the exhibition and photographer please visit
http://accesstolife.theglobalfund.org/exhibition