Before concluding this week's look at Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, there are a few more details I wanted to share with you. The area around Expedition Everest is an incredibly rich storytelling environment, offering something new to see every time you look.
The Yeti Mandir (which we discussed in Wednesday's article) is a Newari-style structure, similar to those seen in Nepal. It was produced with the help of artisans from Kathmandu and contains one thousand carvings, statues and other depictions of the Yeti.
Facing the Forbidden Mountain near the exit of the attraction is a Tibetan mani wall. In Tibetan Buddhism, mani are stone tablets inscribed with prayers. They are often placed together as a form of offering to the spirits.
These tin signs advertise the Serka Zong Bazaar, which we visited on Monday. The architectural style of the buildings was inspired by structures seen in the Kali Gandaki region of the Himalayas. It's a combination of stone buildings, like the tea warehouse, and "rammed earth" construction, where moist dirt is placed in a box frame and pounded with mallets until it's hard as concrete.
Using earth-based pigments, the color of the buildings is packed with symbolism. Red on corners or around windows is thought to provide protection, while stripes on the roof represent the three spirit worlds. In the image below, the red building at the right is a gompa, a Buddhist prayer hall used for meditation. The building with the long stripes all the way down (created in the traditional way, by pouring paint down the wall from the rooftop) represents a wealthy family with ties to the monastery.
Many of the detailed environments which make up Serka Zong can only be seen along the standby queue for Expedition Everest. Here, though, even guests who choose Disney's Fastpass service get a bit of storytelling. Instead of passing through Tashi's Trek and Tongba Shop, they instead pay a visit to this smaller vendor, offering many of the things one might need for a journey into the mountains. Nearby, Fastpass guests also find a satellite display set up by the Yeti Museum, teasing the collection and inviting travelers to come and visit the real place.
For those who do wait in the standby queue, Tashi's Trek and Tongba Shop has more detail within its walls than anyone could take in on a single visit. If you're not completely distracted by the Serka Zong souvenir T-shirts or the plush Yetis (one of which is wearing Mickey Mouse ears!), take a look to your left. Here, you'll find not only the register and additional items offered for sale, but also signs that Tashi actually lives in his shop. There's a cot and stove, some folded magazines he's been reading, and a trunk of personal items under the bed.
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