A Yak for Christmas

Louise Hillary is the first wife of Sir Ed Hillary - pioneering mountaineer, and famously the first man to climb Everest, and come back down again.Over a decade after the conquest of Everest, Sir Ed had returned to Nepal to build a hospital and a number of schools for the local Sherpa people. Sir Ed's book [b:Schoolhouse In the Clouds 6656903 Schoolhouse In the Clouds Edmund Hillary https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381478438s/6656903.jpg 2914711], tells the story of his time carrying out this work with his team of volunteers.This book, is the story of his wife and children's 1966 Christmas Holiday trip to Nepal to join their father, along with the family of Ed's deputy leader, Max Pearl whose children are a similar age. Peter Hillary is 11 years old at the time, Sarah 10 and Belinda is 7.It is interesting to compare the content of the two books. Sir Ed's book is focussed on the physical work, the local people and the complications of completing the schools and hospital. Having his family visit is a welcome diversion, and an opportunity to spend some time with them in the place he loves.For Louise, 90% of her holiday is spent worrying about beds to sleep in, meals, illnesses and finding suitably secluded locations for her daughters and herself to use for toileting.Literally hardly two pages go by without a sick child or a requirement for a toilet location. This didn't really hold my attention the way Sir Ed's book did. I mean there are only so many times I can be interested in the inevitable upset stomachs and altitude effects of one of the three Hillary children. The name of the book comes from a passage in the book describing Christmas day, where Mike Pearl is convinced to act as Father Christmas, and he rides into the camp on a yak, borrowed from a local farmer. The chapter is actually called ‘A Yak for Father Christmas' but is not quite as catchy or appealing as a title I guess.Sadly Louise and her youngest daughter Belinda were killed in a plane crash in 1975 on a subsequent trip to Nepal.Overall this is readable, an has some nice anecdotes about Sir Ed, his family and the many Sherpas and volunteers they come into contact with in their time in Nepal.A solid three stars.