Better To Travel Well Than To Arrive

Buddha Air ⇒ is a Nepali airline. The airline offers fly-bys of the Himalaya Mountains, domestic flights throughout Nepal, international service to India, and charters to Bhutan. The primary hub airport is Tribhuvan International Airport ⇒ (KTM, VNKT) located in Kathmandu. The fleet consists of around 10 twin-prop engined planes.

The plane on the front of the shirt is a twin prop engine Beechcraft 1900D ⇒ with the registration number 9N-AEK. This turns out to be the same plane that was involved in the Buddha Air Flight 103 crash on September 25, 2011 ⇒. The accident occurred after an Everest fly-by while attempting to land. All 19 people on-board the plane died. This is the only crash endured by the company that I have been able to find through research.

A Mountain To Climb

{Mount Everest (English), Sagarmāthā (Nepali), Chomolungma (Tibetan), Zhumulangma (Chinese)} is the tallest mountain in the world above sea level. The size of the mountain is probably smaller than the size of the fame of the mountain. The Sherpa that have lived in the area for hundreds of years were no doubt the first people to make the climb, and are justifiably considered the best guides. The peak is the location point listed on the Shirt Facts seems to be in Nepal, but it should be noted that a side of the mountain also extends into Tibet/China.

… !

Most often on shirts directed towards Western audiences, the message is delivered in a short phrase without punctuation. This shirt is different by utilizing sentences and punctuation; what a sad commentary that is. The front of the shirt states that “I did not climb Mt. Everest… …but I touched it with my heart !”. “The Best Mountain Flights in the World ! Buddha Air, Nepal” is printed on the back.

I enjoy the hedged confidence that the words on this shirt express. Candidly admitting to not climbing the world’s most famous mountain is not something that needed to be brought up, but is something that many people understand. Being comfortable enough to admit that one’s heart has been touched requires maturity. The claim of the best flights in the world may or may not be hyperbolic; I will have to reserve judgement until I get an opportunity to ride. There is no sarcasm or attitude that is so popular these days.

Ellipsiis (…) most often indicate an omission from a quote, but in this case of the front design is used to indicate a short pause to unexpected effect. Most backers would rather people not think about the message too much. The invitation to pause in the context of typical information overload is implied by the first set being at the end of a phrase. Another set of ellipsis at the beginning of the next phrase is bad form. The breaking of the rule here adds to the effect of the confession that follows.

The space between the last word and the exclamation point on both sides of the shirt is noted. I enjoy this little quirk ! The repeated use of the exclamation mark also does not happen as often on other shirts because the exclamation point is supposed to be used sparingly. Such exuberance use crosses the line, but this shirt goes right to the line with infections enthusiasm.

Acquisition

Donor, Receiver, & Proofreader Brian*‘s mother was a Buddha Air passenger on a Mount Everest flight as part of an extended Southeast Asia vacation. I presume that the scene of a airplane flying in front of the mountain depicted on the front of this shirt is similar to what she experienced. Upon returning to America she gave the shirt to her son who in turn gave the shirt to me.

Brian was concerned that the smaller size of the shirt. Extra large in America has expanded beyond extra large in other places in response to how fat Americans are becoming. He even delayed his donation out of fear that I would show too much belly. Luckily for everyone, I am able to wear this shirt while retaining my dignity.