Who Run The World?

Everest Base Camp is one of two resting points where hikers attempting the full Everest summit will camp to acclimatise and rest before going on. Mount Everest, as the tallest mountain peak in the world, stands at a staggering 8,849 meters above sea level where the Everest Base Camp is stated as being roughly 5,400 meters high. Training for such a huge trek meant the group had to start months before their departure date, sometimes climbing Bukit Shahbandar’s nine-hill route twice in one day and carrying backpacks filled with weights to mimic the journey in Nepal. On what inspired her and the others to take on this ambitious challenge, Yati explains that they had an initial group who also went to climb Poon Hill in Nepal a few years back and the idea for the Everest trek sprang from there. “It was something we’ve been wanting to do after that so when Michelle (our coordinator) initiated it, we jumped at the opportunity.” Interested to find out more about mountaineering? Head to Michelle’s instagram for inspiring treks and upcoming journeys.

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IG: @life.on.the.verge

Ruang Tamu Ekosistem recently held its first ever women-focused event titled ‘Sumandak Show’ with hundreds of attendees visiting the newly established arts community centre in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, to celebrate women across various fields particularly art and literature. “We want to showcase and celebrate women's talents,” said Eppy from Ruang Tamu, adding that the programs designed for the event were meant to shed light on social issues such as stateless or undocumented children and women in leadership. Sumandak is a Kadazandusunbased word that translates to ‘women’ in English. Attendees were treated to a theater performance by students from the volunteer-run Sekolah Alternative Teluk Layang which provides education to at-risk and undocumented children from the Layang Besar community, took part in exciting workshops by Ruang Tamu members and a sharing session with Anne Balthazar, a prominent figure in the ANAK non-government organisation that focuses on children’s issues. There were also plenty of musical performances by local artists to keep the atmosphere lively, and an adjoining art show featuring 22 women artists mostly from Borneo. According to Eppy, this is the first event of its kind for Ruang Tamu Ekosistem and she said that there was a “great chance” the Sumandak Show would happen annually in line with Women’s Month thanks to the positive reception and experiences had by everyone involved. “Since this event was also actively supported by the male members of the community, inclusivity and collective understanding is the way forward for all.”

IG: @ruang_ tamu.ekosistem