The Caravan of Light: Trans-Himalayan Camel Expedition

The plan is to purchase and ride camels from Bikaner, India, through Kathmandu, Nepal, and over the Himalayas to Lhasa Tibet. During the course of this 1400 mile expedition we are preparing for camel blessings, monsoons, malarial mosquitoes, cobras, tigers, yetis, Maoist rebels, and sub-zero mountain passes.

Dan Wright and Jim Wiltens, co/leaders for Caravan of Light, invite teachers and students to follow the expedition via the internet. This web site is set up to meet curriculum requirements for various grade levels. Go to the Learning Center to find research done prior to the trip. Here you will find answers to such questions as, "How long can a camel go without water?" "Do tigers pose hazards along the route?" "Are there really abominable snowmen?" The learning center will be upgraded with information from our actual experiences during the course of the trip. There will also be news reports from the trail posted in our journal so students can follow our progress in the Map section. Teachers can use the Learning Center and Journal Entries to discuss such topics as:

Geography • Culture • Environment • Biology • Botany • Entomology • Animal behavior • Science

Just as caravans of old distributed goods and ideas, so will ours. If you are accustomed to light at the flick of a switch, there is often a failure to appreciate the relationship between light and literacy. In remote villages, children often work alongside their parents in the fields during day light hours. This leaves only the evening for study. Families, who desire a better education, can be found studying by the flames of kerosene lamps. A child and mother reading by the light of a kerosene lamp breathe in fumes equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. Our goal is to promote literacy and health by installing high tech solar-powered lighting systems, provided by the Light Up the World Foundation, in a number of the villages along our route.