Dear Family and Friends:
When I first came to Zermatt in 1975 it was a rather small city with about 2,000 permanent residents. It was, even then, a prime destination for skiers and hikers but it remained the quintessential alpine village, high in the Alps at the base of the Matterhorn. The streets were then full of horse drawn carriages and only a few small electric cars were in use (no regular vehicles are allowed in the city). All the hotels, houses and chalets had flower boxes out and the whole place had a relaxed feel.
I've been back to Zermatt a number of times since 1975, but this time I am very much aware of how much it has changed. The flower boxes are still here (with nothing in them now, of course), but the horse drawn carriages are mostly gone and the remaining horses wear diapers, horse shit in the streets apparently offending the sensitivities of modern mountaineers. The narrow streets are filled with hordes of the even narrower electric cars. There are even new electric buses that whiz the tourists, who used to walk, to the ski lifts and back.
Still, the clip clop of the remaining horses with their harness bells jingling, the crunch of the snow when you walk, the twinkle of the Christmas lights in the City and across the valley as viewed from Bonny and Hermann's deck, and the sound of Hermann practising his Hacktbrett (Swiss mountain dulcimer) in the basement, all make Zermatt a captivating place and I've had a wonderful stay.
We have had several invigorating outings. We rode the lift up to Sunnegga and walked down, a nice hour and a half walk; Hermann and I walked up to Furri for coffee then back down, an easy two and one-half hour jaunt.
On January the 3rd we went up to Bonny and Hermann's hut in Riedji. It was a beautiful day, clear and just a few degrees below zero. We took the cable car up to Gspon and walked down to Riedji. Bonny lit the two stoves and soon the hut was cosy and warm. Bonny made lunch after which Hermann and I smoked a cigar on their deck looking out at the most incredible view of the Swiss Alps and the valley below. We then walked down to Stalden-Ried, caught the cable car and train home to end a perfect day.
One afternoon we were invited to come for tea by Phil and Lil Sturgeon, a very interesting couple, and friends of Bonny and Hermann. They are ex-pat Americans, both in their eighties, who have lived in Zermatt for over 20 years. They have travelled the world over, including many treks in Nepal. In 1992, already over 70 years old, Phil received permission from the Nepalese government to make the first trek ever permitted into Mustang and Dolpo, regions totally restricted to outsiders until then. He wrote a book, Himalayan Echoes, to chronicle the adventure.
As you can see, I've had a wonderful start to my global tour, but I am now eager to start the next leg. Tomorrow I leave Zermatt for Zurich where I will overnight before catching my flight to Bombay/Mumbai. I hope you are all well and that 2002 is a wonderful year for you.
Merv.
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