Serka Zong

**Serka Zong**, also known as **Zerka Dzong** is a fictional village from *Expedition Everest*.

## Description

Serka Zong or Zerka Dzong is a village found on the outskirts of the Asian kingdom of Anandapur within the Bhotanta Himal district. Serka Zong was located at the base of the Himalayas, namely the Forbidden Mountain. There are no major roads or active railways that are documented to connect the village to the other municipalities of the kingdom.

### Features

* **Discovery River Amphitheatre**: This was an amphitheatre located along the Discovery River bordering Serka Zong.
* **Himalayan Escapes Base-Camp**: The base camp for Himalayan Escapes which had open access to the railway passing through the Himalayas. It was previously owned by the  Royal Anandapur Tea Company in the 1920s-1930s but abandoned in operation due to accidents.
* **Serka Zong Bazaar**: The Serka Zong Bazaar was a market which largely sold mountaineering equipment, clothes, crafted goods and Himalayan themed souvenirs.
* **Yeti Museum**: This is a museum run by Prof. Pema Dorje, PhD and is dedicated to the study of the Yeti which is said to inhabit the Forbidden Mountain.
* **Yeti Temple**: This was a ruined temple devoted to the yeti in prayers of safe passage through the mountains. It is found near the entry to the Forbidden Mountain with the Anandapur Royal Railway passing through it.

## History

It is unknown when the village of Serka Zong was established. Some of the most ancient residents known of the region would have been the monks who built and operated the Yeti Temple. C. 1922, the Royal Anandapur Tea Company built a tea train in the Southeast Asian village of Serka Zong to reach distant markets. The Anandapur Rail Services utilized the route throughout the 1920s and 1930s. However, beginning in 1933, the railway experienced difficulties in operating. Some blamed it on Western treks to Mount Everest, taking the train through the Forbidden Mountains and train was forced to close down in 1934.

In 1948, Anandapur regained its independence though would continue its affiliation with the *Wilderness Explorers* for ecological conservatism purposes. In 2005, the company Himalayan Escapes Tours and Expeditions refurbished the old Anandapur Rail Services track as a way to reach Everest base camp. Instead of a twenty-eight-day trek, staying at different tea shops, explorers took one thirty-hour train ride and they would reach the base camp. To do so, of course, they needed to go through the Forbidden Mountains. Despite warnings from the locals, they successfully rebuilt the train, opening it up to tourists though this would only lead to the yeti tearing up the recently active tracks as a means of attacking guests.

## Connections

### Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

A mask seen in the Serka Zong Bazaar and resembling those from the Yeti Museum is hung on the wall of Trader Sam's bar.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.fromscreentotheme.com/FunFindFriday.aspx
2. ↑ http://www.mainstgazette.com/2008/06/official-school-map-of-kingdom-of.html
3. ↑ https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/02/all-in-the-details-storytelling-at-rivers-of-lights-discovery-river-amphitheater/
4. ↑ http://www.mainstgazette.com/2018/09/laying-out-tea-leaves.html