Climbing the 29,000 ft Mount Everest in Nepal will be the first for Palestinian mountain climber Ali Bushnaq, and he is excited.
"I keep thinking about the view from the top and my friends have asked me to bring back souvenirs. I think it will be great," he gushes.
He admits he worries a bit, adding that even his wife is uncomfortable bringing up for discussion his dance with death, but "my family knows 100 per cent that I enjoy climbing.
His wife and three kids (the eldest is only 15) have not asked anything from him, except one: "That I come back in one piece."
"And I'm going to come back with all my fingers and toes intact," he adds, grinning, "because you don't just come back. You need to come back in one piece."
And yes, he does think about dying on the slopes. "But you push the thought away because you can not dwell on negative thoughts. It's not healthy."
His biggest fear? "Nature because it is unpredictable. Nature can get upset and things can happen. You can plan things, but you can't plan nature."
The 6'5" civil engineer is no stranger to mountain climbing. He first seriously took up the hobby while in college in the United States. He has scaled some of the world's highest peaks, including those in the US, Nepal and Jordan's Wadi Rum.
"Although my first attempt at climbing any mountain was when I was a nine-year-old boy scout trailing behind the troop leader while we went up Jabel Hafeet south of Al Ain," he recalls, grinning. "I didn't make it to the top, of course."
Ali and eight other professional climbers from all over the world will attempt this month to climb all the way to the top of the world's highest peak and back to promote world peace and fund the building of a school and libraries in Nepal.
If he can sum Everest in one word? "Impressive!" "I don't want to climb it just for the sake of climbing it. No. I would like to do it with other people and with a cause," he says.
Buffing up
Ali has prepared himself for the expedition to Everest. Jabel Hafeet, which he now climbs in just two hours, is one of his training grounds.
He spends most of his daily workout in Abu Dhabi, "running, walking. I also go to the gym to do weightlifting. Stair Masters to strengthen my thighs. I swim laps equal to 1 ½ kilometers. I have to make sure I have the stamina for the climb."
Mental boost
"Friends and relatives from abroad call me about the climb. Their thoughts are with me. That gives me a boost," he said.
He hopes for team spirit. "I hope my team mates will tolerate each other. Months in the same tent, plus the hardships that you encounter in the climb - it is possible that you start to get on each other's nerves. I hope everyone will care about each other's safety."
After this expedition, will he finally put his hiking boots away? "I don't think so. I always love to climb. It relaxes me even though I am moving."
But he will spend time educating children about mountain climbing. "I think they can learn a lot from this sport. It teaches you self control, time management and lets you get you in touch with your inner self."
