We left Namche Bazaar at 7.45 am following a brief goodbye ceremony during which the owner of the lodge tied silk scarves around our necks for good luck.
Some of the older members of the group were not looking forward to the steep walk from Namche - 700m of unrelenting,knee jerking descent, but in fact all went well. Panadol and ibuprofen work wonders on aging knees, it would seem. Most of the younger members had no problem at all.
Once we had descended to the Dudh Koshi river everybody felt much more energetic, with so much more oxygen in the atmosphere to breathe, we felt that we could almost run up the small hills. Almost.
The trail is getting busy now. There is a constant stream of trekkers heading up towards Namche and there are many porters and yaks carrying expedition kit up to Gorak Shep in preparation for the mountaineering season.
It has only been two weeks since we left Lukla, but this has made a difference to the landscape. Bellow the treeline the flowers are coming out - rhododendron, magnolia and primula denticulata; it is a pretty time of year.
It just took us 7 hours to walk from Namche to Lukla and the kids arrived in good spirits and with energy to spare. They are now expending this around town. Lukla is a one street town and there are no motorvehicles at all. We have a special dinner planned tonight.
We fly to Kathmandu tomorrow morning.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Pheriche to Namche Bazaar
This morning everybody was feeling happy and although most of the group had gone down with sore throats, the level of morale was very high.
We began the nine hour walk back to Namche at a very good pace. As we lose altitude the amount of oxygen in the air makes it much easier to breathe and the students are starting to feel much better.
Although we were descending to Namche Bazaar, it is what Danbar calls Nepalese flat - in other words lots of up and down! There was a steep climb up to Tengboche and the monastery, followed by a steep 600m descent to Phunki Tenga. This left many sore knees within the team. After lunch we were faced with another climb from Phunki Tenga (3250m) to Namche at (3440m). It might not sound a lot, but after seven hours of walking and at this altitude it is no mean achievement.
At Sanasa we split into two groups. The faster and stronger group climbed higher to 3880m and the Japanese Everest View Hotel, where we had tea and hot chocolate. There was no view unfortunately as the mists had closed in, but it was a worthwhile experience nevertheless, if only for the snowball fight.
For once, the faster group arrived at the lodge well after Team Turtle, as they have named themselves.
Now we are back in Namche Bazaar, taking a rest day.
One more day's walk to go - the long hike to Lukla where we will spend tomorrow night before flying to Kathmandu.
So far the expedition has been a tremendous success. The students are happy and in high spirits. It has been a privilege to work with such a great group of young people.
Sorry that this blog has been so short. Now I am going to find somewhere warm to thaw out.
More from Kathmandu.
We began the nine hour walk back to Namche at a very good pace. As we lose altitude the amount of oxygen in the air makes it much easier to breathe and the students are starting to feel much better.
Although we were descending to Namche Bazaar, it is what Danbar calls Nepalese flat - in other words lots of up and down! There was a steep climb up to Tengboche and the monastery, followed by a steep 600m descent to Phunki Tenga. This left many sore knees within the team. After lunch we were faced with another climb from Phunki Tenga (3250m) to Namche at (3440m). It might not sound a lot, but after seven hours of walking and at this altitude it is no mean achievement.
At Sanasa we split into two groups. The faster and stronger group climbed higher to 3880m and the Japanese Everest View Hotel, where we had tea and hot chocolate. There was no view unfortunately as the mists had closed in, but it was a worthwhile experience nevertheless, if only for the snowball fight.
For once, the faster group arrived at the lodge well after Team Turtle, as they have named themselves.
Now we are back in Namche Bazaar, taking a rest day.
One more day's walk to go - the long hike to Lukla where we will spend tomorrow night before flying to Kathmandu.
So far the expedition has been a tremendous success. The students are happy and in high spirits. It has been a privilege to work with such a great group of young people.
Sorry that this blog has been so short. Now I am going to find somewhere warm to thaw out.
More from Kathmandu.
Gorak Shep - Kala Patthar (5550m) - Pheriche
We got up fairly early, but didn't start climbing Kala Patthar until well after 9am. This was great as the sun had time to warm the air, but would have its consequences later.
After breakfast, Muir performed the usual health checks and then we put together a team to climb Kala Patthar. Due to lack of acclimatization, we decided that a small group of students should remain in the lodge whilst the rest of the team climbed. We didn't want to risk anybody getting ill on the mountain. These students were very dissapointed but they already had so much to be proud off. Climbing to Gorak Shep is a huge acheivement - it is after all 5140m above sea level, higher than any mountain in Europe.
The ascent team made slow progress up Kala Patthar, pounded by the bitter wind and suffering from the thin air, but to look at their expressions when they reached the summit, it had all obviously been worth it.
The descent to Gorak Shep was fast and dusty, I think that the kids were longing to meet up again with their friends and have something warm to eat and drink.
Leaving Gorak Shep about lunch time, we began the very long walk down the mountain to Lobuche and then Pheriche, where we arrived in the gloaming. Scott Browner, Ash and Josh had walked up the trail to meet us.
The lodge was full but the atmosphere was great, everybody in very high spirits.
After breakfast, Muir performed the usual health checks and then we put together a team to climb Kala Patthar. Due to lack of acclimatization, we decided that a small group of students should remain in the lodge whilst the rest of the team climbed. We didn't want to risk anybody getting ill on the mountain. These students were very dissapointed but they already had so much to be proud off. Climbing to Gorak Shep is a huge acheivement - it is after all 5140m above sea level, higher than any mountain in Europe.
The ascent team made slow progress up Kala Patthar, pounded by the bitter wind and suffering from the thin air, but to look at their expressions when they reached the summit, it had all obviously been worth it.
The descent to Gorak Shep was fast and dusty, I think that the kids were longing to meet up again with their friends and have something warm to eat and drink.
Leaving Gorak Shep about lunch time, we began the very long walk down the mountain to Lobuche and then Pheriche, where we arrived in the gloaming. Scott Browner, Ash and Josh had walked up the trail to meet us.
The lodge was full but the atmosphere was great, everybody in very high spirits.
Lobuche - Gorak Shep (5140m) - Base Camp
The rest of the party followed the path alongside the Khumbu Glacier and over the steep, undulating moraines of the Chagri Shar Glacier to Gorak Shep. It is an exhillerating if exhausting climb at this altitude. The moraines, mountainous piles of broken granite, seem never ending. The students were somewhat relieved to see the small lodges of Gorak Shep come into view at the base of Kala Patthar.
After a fairly light lunch and large amounts of chocolate (it is good to have an excuse), we set off for Everest Base Camp. It is a tough trek over the moraines and can take 5 hours unless you are well acclimatized. I have never seen students as happy to achieve a goal. There were no tents in sight - but a number of yaks passed us on their way to set up a camp for a British climbing team that is due to arrive in Lukla on April 4th.
Back at the lodge in the late afternoon, the students sat drinking hot chocolate and talking of their success. Dambar and I went off to climb Kala Patthar for the sunset.
One goal achieved!
After a fairly light lunch and large amounts of chocolate (it is good to have an excuse), we set off for Everest Base Camp. It is a tough trek over the moraines and can take 5 hours unless you are well acclimatized. I have never seen students as happy to achieve a goal. There were no tents in sight - but a number of yaks passed us on their way to set up a camp for a British climbing team that is due to arrive in Lukla on April 4th.
Back at the lodge in the late afternoon, the students sat drinking hot chocolate and talking of their success. Dambar and I went off to climb Kala Patthar for the sunset.
One goal achieved!
Dingboche to Thokla Pass (4830m) to Lobuche (4910m)
It is a steep but beautiful climb through the mountains to the small lodge at Thokla, where there are hundreds of memorials to those that have died in their attempts to climb the big mountains in this part of Nepal.
As we had lunch in the lodge at Thokla, it was clear that Mueen was becoming too sick to carry on up the mountain. We suspected that he had a virus or tonsilitis and that this, combined with the effects of altitude, would make carrying on up the mountain difficult. I decided that he should descend to the medical post at Pheriche and spend the night there. Shortly before getting to the lodge, Ashley slipped and twisted his ankle. He didn't feel able to continue and so John Power and a porter escorted both students down to the lodges in the small village of Pheriche whilst the rest of the party continued to climb up to the Khumbu Glacier and Lobuche.
The Eco Lodge at Lobuche was by far the best place we had stayed in. It had a great atmosphere but the rooms were so cold that my water bottle froze.
The following morning Josh was suffering from very painful ribs, an effect of breathing heavily at altitude. We decided that it would be difficult for him to climb higher without a further rest day, so Scott escorted him down to Pheriche to join the others. Actually, they passed on route. Mueen and Ash were both feeling much better and John was bringing them back up the mountain.
As we had lunch in the lodge at Thokla, it was clear that Mueen was becoming too sick to carry on up the mountain. We suspected that he had a virus or tonsilitis and that this, combined with the effects of altitude, would make carrying on up the mountain difficult. I decided that he should descend to the medical post at Pheriche and spend the night there. Shortly before getting to the lodge, Ashley slipped and twisted his ankle. He didn't feel able to continue and so John Power and a porter escorted both students down to the lodges in the small village of Pheriche whilst the rest of the party continued to climb up to the Khumbu Glacier and Lobuche.
The Eco Lodge at Lobuche was by far the best place we had stayed in. It had a great atmosphere but the rooms were so cold that my water bottle froze.
The following morning Josh was suffering from very painful ribs, an effect of breathing heavily at altitude. We decided that it would be difficult for him to climb higher without a further rest day, so Scott escorted him down to Pheriche to join the others. Actually, they passed on route. Mueen and Ash were both feeling much better and John was bringing them back up the mountain.
Tengboche (3860m) to Dingboche (4410m)
I was sad to leave the peace of Tengboche, but the walk to Dingboche is interesting and passes through some exciting scenery. We began by descending to the Imja Khola river through a frozen forrest hanging with old man's beard.
Climbing back out of the river valley to Pangboche we had excellent views back towards the mountains above Namche Bazar and the monastery of Tengboche, like an imaginary fort set against the distant white snows.
We visited the small school established by Sir Edmund Hillary at upper Pangboche. The kids spent a happy, if rather breathless, hour playing with the Nepalese children before we continued our walk to Dingboche.
At Dingboche the effects of altidude were really starting to kick in, with some students and staff suffering from headaches and slight nausea. It was good to have Dr Muir De Wet along with us to attend to the parties woes.
We spent two nights at Dingboche to acclimatize - to allow our bodies time to get used to the lack of oxygen in the air at this altitude. The kids were great,they had fun playing with the snow, walking around the village and exploring. We have a great team with us.
Climbing back out of the river valley to Pangboche we had excellent views back towards the mountains above Namche Bazar and the monastery of Tengboche, like an imaginary fort set against the distant white snows.
We visited the small school established by Sir Edmund Hillary at upper Pangboche. The kids spent a happy, if rather breathless, hour playing with the Nepalese children before we continued our walk to Dingboche.
At Dingboche the effects of altidude were really starting to kick in, with some students and staff suffering from headaches and slight nausea. It was good to have Dr Muir De Wet along with us to attend to the parties woes.
We spent two nights at Dingboche to acclimatize - to allow our bodies time to get used to the lack of oxygen in the air at this altitude. The kids were great,they had fun playing with the snow, walking around the village and exploring. We have a great team with us.
Namche Bazaar to Tengboche Monastery
I really felt as though our adventure was under way again as we climbed out of Namche Bazaar early in the morning. The mists were hanging above the depths of the Dudh Koshi thousands of feet below. Occasionally the air would clear and we could see back to Monjo,now a tiny speck far away in the valley. We rounded a corner and Ama Dablam, Lhotse Shar, Taboche and Kang Taiga came into view for the first time. It is a strange feeling having already climbed so high (3500m) only to look on mountains that still seem huge.
There is a steep descent to Phunki Tenga where we had lunch. We were sharing the path with small caravans of yaks and zopkyo (a cross between a yak and a cow), and were forced to dodge to one side to avoid being knocked down the hill.
The weather was fantastic and we took our lunch in a sunny courtyard in front of a lodge at Phunki Tenga.
The climb from Phunki Tenga to Tengboche was both steep and long, 600m of hard work in an atmosphere with too little oxygen and too much dust.
Tengboche is a beautiful place, with a large monastery and beautiful views of the mountains.
We weren't alone in the lodge, but the other guests seemed to enjoy having the kids around, particularly when they started reciting poetry and singing songs they had been composing on the trek.
It was a cold, cold night.
Scott,whose health had given us cause for concern in Namche Bazaar was on top form today.
There is a steep descent to Phunki Tenga where we had lunch. We were sharing the path with small caravans of yaks and zopkyo (a cross between a yak and a cow), and were forced to dodge to one side to avoid being knocked down the hill.
The weather was fantastic and we took our lunch in a sunny courtyard in front of a lodge at Phunki Tenga.
The climb from Phunki Tenga to Tengboche was both steep and long, 600m of hard work in an atmosphere with too little oxygen and too much dust.
Tengboche is a beautiful place, with a large monastery and beautiful views of the mountains.
We weren't alone in the lodge, but the other guests seemed to enjoy having the kids around, particularly when they started reciting poetry and singing songs they had been composing on the trek.
It was a cold, cold night.
Scott,whose health had given us cause for concern in Namche Bazaar was on top form today.
Back in Namche Bazaar
We are all back in Namche Bazaar and with the first real internet connection since my last entry on this blog. I don't want to spend all day sitting in this freezing cafe typing so I will try and give you the edited highlights. The kids will fill in the details when they get back.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Namche Bazaar Day 2
Scott was ill in the evening , shivering but with a slightly high temperature. Much to everybody's relief, he recovered through the night and was back to normal this morning, determined to go for a walk with the rest of us.
Today we seemed to be behind schedule all the time, late for breakfast, late for our briefing by the Park Warden, late for lunch and so late for the tree planting that we had scheduled in that we had to cancel it. Ho hum. Sometimes things just have to go more slowly.
The mists had cleared overnight and we had a great view of Tham Serku, the huge mountain that towers over the cwm of Namche Bazaar. Awsome. The only word that I can think of to adequately describe it.
After a breakfast which was either delicious or disgusting depending on to whom you were speaking (Tibetan bread, eggs and cornflakes with hot milk), we set off in to the chill mountain air for an acclimatization walk. By this time the clouds had come in and wisps of white cloud swirled around the mountain chaotically, wrapping us in a surprisingly cold embrace.
The National Park Warden might not be the most popular person in town. He is responsible for stopping people logging and hunting in the National Park. His office is closely surrounded by trenches and razor wire. I think it is better protected than the US Consulate in Al Khobar. The warden gave us a welcome talk and told us something about the National Park's work in the region. His English was good, but fortunately not good enough to understand one student's question about the rare snow leopard - 'Is it eatable?'
From the Park headquarters we climbed up to the airport - actually just a dirt runway now used solely for helicopters. We had tea in a lodge there to escape the bitter wind and Dambar, our guide, told us stories about how the people of Namche rid themselves of yeti. The yeti used to copy everything the people of Namche did, so eventually the people of Namche played all day with wooden kukri - the Ghurka knives. In the evening they put out sharp knives. Sure enough the Yeti copied the humans but of course killed each other.
We returned to the Lodge for lunch, but too late to go to plant trees as we had planned. Instead we gave the kids some free time and I went for a run. It is amazing how much difference the altitude makes when you haven't yet fully adjusted. Then I had a shower and changed my clothes - the first time since leaving Saudi! I will let you use your own imagination to determine how often your kids have been changing their clothes and taking a shower. Really it is just too cold you know.
Tomorrow we head of again for the wonderful monastery of Tengboche. I can't post photographs from here in Namche, but if you check out my website www.hobnail.com you should be able to find photographs from the trip I made in December.
We will be out of email and blog contact for a while now, but I will update the blog as soon as I get chance.
Nick
Today we seemed to be behind schedule all the time, late for breakfast, late for our briefing by the Park Warden, late for lunch and so late for the tree planting that we had scheduled in that we had to cancel it. Ho hum. Sometimes things just have to go more slowly.
The mists had cleared overnight and we had a great view of Tham Serku, the huge mountain that towers over the cwm of Namche Bazaar. Awsome. The only word that I can think of to adequately describe it.
After a breakfast which was either delicious or disgusting depending on to whom you were speaking (Tibetan bread, eggs and cornflakes with hot milk), we set off in to the chill mountain air for an acclimatization walk. By this time the clouds had come in and wisps of white cloud swirled around the mountain chaotically, wrapping us in a surprisingly cold embrace.
The National Park Warden might not be the most popular person in town. He is responsible for stopping people logging and hunting in the National Park. His office is closely surrounded by trenches and razor wire. I think it is better protected than the US Consulate in Al Khobar. The warden gave us a welcome talk and told us something about the National Park's work in the region. His English was good, but fortunately not good enough to understand one student's question about the rare snow leopard - 'Is it eatable?'
From the Park headquarters we climbed up to the airport - actually just a dirt runway now used solely for helicopters. We had tea in a lodge there to escape the bitter wind and Dambar, our guide, told us stories about how the people of Namche rid themselves of yeti. The yeti used to copy everything the people of Namche did, so eventually the people of Namche played all day with wooden kukri - the Ghurka knives. In the evening they put out sharp knives. Sure enough the Yeti copied the humans but of course killed each other.
We returned to the Lodge for lunch, but too late to go to plant trees as we had planned. Instead we gave the kids some free time and I went for a run. It is amazing how much difference the altitude makes when you haven't yet fully adjusted. Then I had a shower and changed my clothes - the first time since leaving Saudi! I will let you use your own imagination to determine how often your kids have been changing their clothes and taking a shower. Really it is just too cold you know.
Tomorrow we head of again for the wonderful monastery of Tengboche. I can't post photographs from here in Namche, but if you check out my website www.hobnail.com you should be able to find photographs from the trip I made in December.
We will be out of email and blog contact for a while now, but I will update the blog as soon as I get chance.
Nick
Monday, March 17, 2008
Monjo to Namche Bazaar
We decided not to get up too early to give the day time to warm up a little. Outside the lodge we could hear a steady, slow hammering. Two men were trying to split a boulder the size of a small house using a hammer and chisel. The sledgehammer in use had the longest handle I have ever seen, almost two metres. I admired the courage of the man who was holding the chisel.
From Monjo it is a fairly steady uphill climb of 550 m to Namche Bazaar. The kids did it well, although some of them are still walking far too fast. They haven't quite got the idea of the benefit of walking slowly at altitude. The views along the trail are getting better and better, even though it is quite cloudy and we can't see the big mountains. I can't wait until the kids get their first views of the high peaks.
Namche Bazaar is an important market and the biggest town in the region. There are a lot of shops selling trekking gear and souvenirs. As I write this in an Internet cafe, the student are wondering around looking for things to spend their money on.
Everybody is well and enjoying themselves. We have a great group of students this year and they are working well together.
More again tomorrow, hopefully.
From Monjo it is a fairly steady uphill climb of 550 m to Namche Bazaar. The kids did it well, although some of them are still walking far too fast. They haven't quite got the idea of the benefit of walking slowly at altitude. The views along the trail are getting better and better, even though it is quite cloudy and we can't see the big mountains. I can't wait until the kids get their first views of the high peaks.
Namche Bazaar is an important market and the biggest town in the region. There are a lot of shops selling trekking gear and souvenirs. As I write this in an Internet cafe, the student are wondering around looking for things to spend their money on.
Everybody is well and enjoying themselves. We have a great group of students this year and they are working well together.
More again tomorrow, hopefully.
Day 4
Phakding - Monjo
We had decided to take the first part of the trek slowly in order to give the students as much time to acclimatize as possible, so today we walked the two easy hours to Monjo and then took lunch.
After a long rest we set off in light rain for a walk up the hill. There is a saying amongst mountaineers "climb high, sleep low". It is possible that this helps with the process of acclimatization. 505 hard vertical meteres later we climbed out of the tree line and into the clouds. Briefly these parted and revealed a distant view of Namche Bazaar which actually looked lower down the mountain. As the kids had made this climb fairly easily, it gave them quite a boost to their coinfidence. The descent was quite tough though, with the older members of the team suffering from painful knees by the end.
It is remarkable how much energy the students have. Whilst they chatted and played cards, I went to sleep in a corner.
Namche Bazaar tomorrow. When we have got there, I will really feel as though the expedition is under way.
We had decided to take the first part of the trek slowly in order to give the students as much time to acclimatize as possible, so today we walked the two easy hours to Monjo and then took lunch.
After a long rest we set off in light rain for a walk up the hill. There is a saying amongst mountaineers "climb high, sleep low". It is possible that this helps with the process of acclimatization. 505 hard vertical meteres later we climbed out of the tree line and into the clouds. Briefly these parted and revealed a distant view of Namche Bazaar which actually looked lower down the mountain. As the kids had made this climb fairly easily, it gave them quite a boost to their coinfidence. The descent was quite tough though, with the older members of the team suffering from painful knees by the end.
It is remarkable how much energy the students have. Whilst they chatted and played cards, I went to sleep in a corner.
Namche Bazaar tomorrow. When we have got there, I will really feel as though the expedition is under way.
Day 3 - Kathmandu - Lukla
We got up at 4.45, far too early for my liking, although I have to say that all the kids were quickly out of bed and ready for departure and spirits were high at breakfast.
The flight to Lukla is amazing. Were were on two small planes - both 16 seater twin Otters. If you sit on the left hand side of the plane you are rewarded with spectacular views of the himalayan range. This morning it was clear and the sheer size of the mountains is remarkable. From the valley bottoms to the summits you are looking at 8 vertical kilometers of rock. The planes contour along the sides of the mountains and at times it feels as though you are almost bound to crash into them.
At one point the turbulence was quite dramatic, the plane plummeting thirty feet towards the slopes not far below. There were screams and the pretty stewardess sitting next to me smiled and asked "Is this their first time in Nepal?"
Lukla airport has a very short, sloping runway. Coming into land gives you the impression that you are going to crash into the mountain. I guess it takes a very experienced and bold pilot to land there for the first time. The view through the cockpit window (the doors to the flight deck were left open) was rather gut wrenching. Nevertheless as soon as the students had disengorged onto the little runway, they were grinning from ear to ear.
We walked about half a kilometer from the airport to a lodge in the small village of Lukla. There we met our porters who will cary our heavy bags for the next 14 days.
The walk from Lukla to Phakding is a steady three hours downhill. Well, mostly. The valley is heavily forested and there are farms growing barley and cabages along the side of the path. By the end of the walk the kids were looking quite tired, more from lack of sleep than physical exertion though.
On this trek we are staying in the simple lodges that have been custom built to cater for trekkers all along the trail to Everest Base Camp. They had double and single rooms, a restaurant and simple facilities. Cheap and cheerful with few washing facilities would describe them well.
Five students and I walked up the hill for about three hundred meters to visit a buddhist gompa or monastery high above Phakding. The rest lazed around the village chatting, playing cards or sought out the pool hall, a pool table in a simple wooden hut.
The flight to Lukla is amazing. Were were on two small planes - both 16 seater twin Otters. If you sit on the left hand side of the plane you are rewarded with spectacular views of the himalayan range. This morning it was clear and the sheer size of the mountains is remarkable. From the valley bottoms to the summits you are looking at 8 vertical kilometers of rock. The planes contour along the sides of the mountains and at times it feels as though you are almost bound to crash into them.
At one point the turbulence was quite dramatic, the plane plummeting thirty feet towards the slopes not far below. There were screams and the pretty stewardess sitting next to me smiled and asked "Is this their first time in Nepal?"
Lukla airport has a very short, sloping runway. Coming into land gives you the impression that you are going to crash into the mountain. I guess it takes a very experienced and bold pilot to land there for the first time. The view through the cockpit window (the doors to the flight deck were left open) was rather gut wrenching. Nevertheless as soon as the students had disengorged onto the little runway, they were grinning from ear to ear.
We walked about half a kilometer from the airport to a lodge in the small village of Lukla. There we met our porters who will cary our heavy bags for the next 14 days.
The walk from Lukla to Phakding is a steady three hours downhill. Well, mostly. The valley is heavily forested and there are farms growing barley and cabages along the side of the path. By the end of the walk the kids were looking quite tired, more from lack of sleep than physical exertion though.
On this trek we are staying in the simple lodges that have been custom built to cater for trekkers all along the trail to Everest Base Camp. They had double and single rooms, a restaurant and simple facilities. Cheap and cheerful with few washing facilities would describe them well.
Five students and I walked up the hill for about three hundred meters to visit a buddhist gompa or monastery high above Phakding. The rest lazed around the village chatting, playing cards or sought out the pool hall, a pool table in a simple wooden hut.
Kathmandu - Day 2
We had a tremendously busy day in Kathmandu - visiting the Monkey Temple, Patan and Themel.
The monkey temple is one of the most famous sites in Kathmandu. The image of the large white stupa with the eyes and prayer flags has become almost iconic. We spent about an hour wondering around the stupa, taking photographs and spinning the hundreds of prayer wheels.
In the medieval city of Patan we had lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city. It is a beautiful and peaceful place.
The kids were really looking forward to getting back to Thamel though - they wanted to shop and explore the downtown area. It is a fascinating and busy place with souvenir shops and mountaineering gear shops everywhere. They threw themselves in to retail therapy as though they had been long deprived of such stimulation. Muir (team doctor) took the medal for most purchases following what could only be described as a shopping frenzy.
The boys were somewhat scandalized as they passed a large group of transvestites and were whistled at. It certainly hurried them down the street.
We had dinner in the elegant and traditional Thamel Restaurant - sitting on the floor at a long low table. The kids seem to like the local food very much.
There was much excitment in the evening in anticipation of the next day's flight to Lukla.
One of the students picked up a stomach bug and threw up dramatically as we were watching a film about Everest. (He is fine now)
The monkey temple is one of the most famous sites in Kathmandu. The image of the large white stupa with the eyes and prayer flags has become almost iconic. We spent about an hour wondering around the stupa, taking photographs and spinning the hundreds of prayer wheels.
In the medieval city of Patan we had lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city. It is a beautiful and peaceful place.
The kids were really looking forward to getting back to Thamel though - they wanted to shop and explore the downtown area. It is a fascinating and busy place with souvenir shops and mountaineering gear shops everywhere. They threw themselves in to retail therapy as though they had been long deprived of such stimulation. Muir (team doctor) took the medal for most purchases following what could only be described as a shopping frenzy.
The boys were somewhat scandalized as they passed a large group of transvestites and were whistled at. It certainly hurried them down the street.
We had dinner in the elegant and traditional Thamel Restaurant - sitting on the floor at a long low table. The kids seem to like the local food very much.
There was much excitment in the evening in anticipation of the next day's flight to Lukla.
One of the students picked up a stomach bug and threw up dramatically as we were watching a film about Everest. (He is fine now)
Kathmandu
The flight to Kathmandu went without a hitch. It was great to have the visas before we arrived as we managed to miss a very long queue. Kaz and I ran as fast as we could, trying not to squash other passengers under foot, in an attempt to get to the immigration desk before everybody else. We just had the one visa to get on arrival. We were first there, but lost a little of our advantage as I had carefully locked the passport photographs in my bag - and we couldn't collect that until we had the visa. Primative though Nepal's airport is, they did have a man taking digital photographs right by the desk, so no problem really. His computer was the only one I saw being used for something worthwhile in the airport. At the immigration desks they do have computers but they were mainly being used for card games.
Scott, from China Climb, Dambar and the crew were there at the airport to meet us and take us to the Hotel Thamel.
We checked in quickly and went out for a welcome dinner. The roads of Thamel come as a bit of a surprise to first time visitors. They are narrow and crowded,with cows sharing the limited space with motorbikes and trucks.
The restaurant had prepared a birthday cake for Josh and we all sang Happy Birthday.
Scott, from China Climb, Dambar and the crew were there at the airport to meet us and take us to the Hotel Thamel.
We checked in quickly and went out for a welcome dinner. The roads of Thamel come as a bit of a surprise to first time visitors. They are narrow and crowded,with cows sharing the limited space with motorbikes and trucks.
The restaurant had prepared a birthday cake for Josh and we all sang Happy Birthday.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Everest Expedition
Welcome to the Everest Expedition blog.
After almost a year of preparations we are ready for departure to Nepal – we leave on Thursday morning for Kathmandu and the start of a great adventure.
On the 14th of March we will spend the day sightseeing in Thamel, Swayambhu and Patan City. There will also be time to check that everybody has the right gear with them and make last minute purchases in the gear shops of Thamel.
On the 15th of March we take two very small planes to Lukla and the beginning of the trek to Everest Base camp. In Lukla we will meet our porters.
Keeping in touch is going to be challenging on this trek, as telecommunications are difficult in the Khumbu Valley. We will try though and should be able to update this blog in Namche Bazar on the 16th and 17th. After that it will be a good ten days before we are able to find an Internet connection – but don't worry! This will be the time when no news is good news. If we have to get in touch – because there is an emergency of some sort – we will.
In the meantime, you might be interested in checking out a few photographs. I made more or less the same trip without the students in December and January this year. If you are of a sensitive disposition you might want to avoid the Pasupathinath gallery though!
http://www.hobnail.com/Nepal.htm
After almost a year of preparations we are ready for departure to Nepal – we leave on Thursday morning for Kathmandu and the start of a great adventure.
On the 14th of March we will spend the day sightseeing in Thamel, Swayambhu and Patan City. There will also be time to check that everybody has the right gear with them and make last minute purchases in the gear shops of Thamel.
On the 15th of March we take two very small planes to Lukla and the beginning of the trek to Everest Base camp. In Lukla we will meet our porters.
Keeping in touch is going to be challenging on this trek, as telecommunications are difficult in the Khumbu Valley. We will try though and should be able to update this blog in Namche Bazar on the 16th and 17th. After that it will be a good ten days before we are able to find an Internet connection – but don't worry! This will be the time when no news is good news. If we have to get in touch – because there is an emergency of some sort – we will.
In the meantime, you might be interested in checking out a few photographs. I made more or less the same trip without the students in December and January this year. If you are of a sensitive disposition you might want to avoid the Pasupathinath gallery though!
http://www.hobnail.com/Nepal.htm
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