Destination weddings have a unique charm to it. And, when the venue is the Everest Base Camp, it adds to the adrenaline rush. This is the story of Aswathy Raveendran and Ratheesh Nair, a couple from Kerala who tied the knot at the Everest Base Camp on May 15.
Aswathy is pursuing her PhD in English Literature and working at the St Theresa's College in Ernakulam. Ratheesh is working as an after-sales manager for Nissan in the Middle-East.
Onmanorama caught up with Aswathy Raveendran for a brief chat about how it all came about. This is what she had to share.
Why Everest Base Camp?
Ever since I was a child, I have wanted to see the Himalayas up close. And it was something like an unattainable goal, something beyond my dreams. I realized that I loved trekking and never really missed the chance to walk up a hill. And it was during one of those treks that I met Ratheesh. It was, in fact, Ratheesh who said that we would get married at the Base Camp. I was sure that my parents would not agree to it, but Ratheesh convinced them.
How they met
Long before I met Ratheesh, I had heard that he loved trekking and had climbed Mt Kilimanjaro. And when I met him and we interacted, we found that there were a lot of things in common. We went on a trek to Sirumalai, the next day that gave us a lot of time to get to know each other. He should have left the next day, but he stayed on for another trek to Kutladampatti Falls. And he proposed to me during the trek.
Preparations for the wedding
Once we got the permission from our parents for the Base Camp wedding we started preparations in earnest. I was slightly worried about my lung capacity but I did breathing exercises and hit the gym. We got in touch with a company that organizes adventure trips. We reached Kathmandu on May 5 and it took us 10 days to reach the Base Camp. It was a tedious trek, but we loved every moment of it.
The dream come true
It was very cold at the Base Camp. The temperatures were at sub-zero levels. Then came the most exciting part. The wedding itself. We got dressed in the traditional Kerala attire. Our friends, the sherpas, the other Indian travelers cheered us on. And honestly, I did not feel cold during the wedding.
Future plans
We have a long bucket list of places to go to. Places to trek to. Machu Pichu tops this list, but it will have to wait. For now, we will go to some places in Kerala before Ratheesh goes back to the Middle East where he works.