A LESSON TO “TAKE IT EASY”
Ms Yeow would later find a small measure of comfort when power was restored at the hotel. She has since been able to contact family members back home, but mobile connection up in the mountain range has been unstable and she still fears for her husband and children’s safety.
As of Thursday, they remain stuck in the mountains, grounded by bad weather, with helicopters unable to fly in to bring them back to Pokhara.
Speaking to CNA from Annapurna Base Camp, Ms Yeow’s husband, Mr Sam Roberts, said he was supposed to board a helicopter on Wednesday with his two sons and four other Singaporeans.
The seven of them had climbed 4,130m to raise awareness for mental health suicide prevention.
“The internet was completely down this morning and the weather’s been very bad,” he said. “We don’t know what is happening and we don’t know when we will get a helicopter out.”
“It’s very cold, too cloudy, we can’t see anything. (It’s) completely misty,” the psychologist added.
The group decided to hike to Machhapuchhre Base Camp on Thursday afternoon, about 3km and two hours away, in hopes of better phone reception and support.
Both Ms Yeow and Mr Roberts have been in touch with MFA and the Singapore High Commission in New Delhi to find a way to be reunited – and to leave Nepal. But doing so remains a challenge.
Nonetheless, Mr Roberts said he remains optimistic that things will take a turn for the better.
“I’m encouraging everyone to take it easy and see this as a life learning experience for my boys. I’m teaching them that things can be unpredictable, life gets difficult, but we have to take it easy and just rest and wait,” he said.
“Internally, as a father you are concerned, but you need to keep yourself positive to make them feel positive.”
