Mount Everest Base Camp Trek

After 5 days of fun in Kathmandu, we packed up our trek bags, said goodbye to luxuries and set the alarm for 5.30am. On went our trek boots for the first time this trip and we headed off to the airport with Kym. The domestic side of Kathmandu airport is even more chaotic than the international side and we were glad to have Kym to navigate the way and get out bags sorted.

We were introduced to Phora our lead guide for the trek, who would be flying with us. An Everest veteran Sherpa with seven Everest Summits to his name, we were quite privileged to have him. We later found this award for him in the Sherpa Museum at Namche.

After a relatively short flight but with wonderful views of the Himalayas we started the descent into Lukla. I struggled not to have to close my eyes as we came in, with the aircraft tilting downward towards the runway that was going upward! We landed safely to a round of applause and were parked outside the airport building literally within seconds (the runway is that short!).







I don’t have time to write up the itinerary of the whole trek and as its now been a while since we came back, I can’t remember a lot of it! But we’re off to Canada soon, and if I don’t write something here now I’ll never get around to it. The full itinerary is here. Highlights were: the first view of Everest, the beautiful Ama Dablam, the lovely Culture Home Lodge at Namche Bazaar, the odd occasion where we got a hot shower, seeing Everest climbers walking alongside us with their most precious personal equipment on their backs (boots, crampons, ice axes etc), the monasteries perched up high upon seemingly inaccessible mountain ledges, the closer views of Everest, Lhotse, Nhupse etc..... and the wonderful hospitality of the people of the Khumbu Valley.

Tea stop!!

Namche Bazaar

Everest!! (from a little distance!)

Ana Dablam
















We didn’t quite get to Everest Base Camp. We got to Lobuche the night before the final leg, had supper and everything was fine. However, it was bitterly cold. The water bottles froze in the bedroom and I got crackly breathing, which is not a good sign (can indicate AMS). After some advice from a fellow trekker who happened to be a Doctor (thanks Mike) we went to bed but decided to go down in the morning. We’d got to 5000 metres, good enough for us. Samir, Vivek and Jason went up to Gorek Shep and then on to Base Camp but the top of Kala Pattar was a bridge too far, even for the young men, as it was so cold.We headed down to Pheriche with Rowena and I got my breathing checked at the Altitude Clinic there and we enjoyed the rest for a day. We walked back to Lukla via a slightly different route and braved the wobbly plane again. We had front row seats and the plane just drove off the side of the mountain, literally!!

I took this video of the take off from Lukla from my seat. When you take to the sky from a VERY short runway off the side of a mountain there is little room for error .....and NO chance to abort the takeoff!!

and here's the view just before take off, with a sheer drop at the end!

Kathmandu

We arrived in Kathmandu via Delhi. The weather was warm and sunny and we had great views of the Himalayas on the way in – and all the brick factories with their tall chimneys. Kathmandu airport was an experience but not unpleasant, just a little chaotic, with the visa applications area a bit of a job creation exercise. As we emerged from the airport I saw a red board with a Lion on it being held within a sea of young men greeting arrivals in the hope of getting a tip. We headed for him and tried to avoid our luggage being picked up by more men hoping for more tips. He found Kym our guide and, after a 'Namaste' and a couple of prayer scarves wrapped around us, we were whisked away in a car. Driving the very bumpy and noisy streets to the hotel was useful acclimatisation to the Kathmandu traffic chaos that is the norm in the city. The Shangri Las was a nice hotel in a good location, just a 15 minute walk from the bustle of Thamel, but affording a bit of welcome peace at night.

All the other tourists got taxis everywhere but we chose to walk, even in the areas outside of main tourist drag. We looked a little conspicuous but it was good to see how Kathmandu really is for the people who live there. We did all the usual that Thamel has to offer, Durbar Square, all the shops and stalls and the bars and restaurants. We walked to the outlying temples, including the Monkey Temple, high up with its great views of the sprawling city.

We also walked to the temple complex at Pashupatinath where, after touring the temples and grounds, we sat on the hill and watched the funeral pyres burning all along the river.

We found Kathmandu dirty, noisy and smelly. We also saw immense deprivation on our travels walking the city. Yet, the city is full of character, has an enduring charm and the inhabitants are the most wonderfully friendly people, welcoming but discreet and very respectful. We had some great food amongst the restaurants, with our favourite being Dechenling.

We ate in Rum Doodles, the haunt of expedition climbers, with all the 100’s of footprints bearing the signatures of climbers and trekkers including, poignantly, some climbers like Rob Hall who have perished in the Himalayas.  On the night before we left we were introduced to our fellow trekkers, who we wouldn’t see for a couple of days, as we were heading into the mountains early. Rowena and Samir from Bombay, Vivec from Singapore and Jason from Sydney – we would truly be an international party!!