Off to India...

Hello again and sorry for not updating my blog in the recent past. As usual laziness has taken over after the trek.

I'm currently in lovely Pokhara killing time with some new found friends. Two days ago we climbed up Sarangkot mountain (1592m) to view the beautiful Annapurna mountain range. It was quite nice to get up early in the morning and enjoy the fantastic views of Annapurnas and Machhapuchre. On top of the mountain the viewing station is guarded by the military who like to joke around and proudly display their marijuana crops, lol! On the way down our moods changed somewhat as we were informed by local women that the Maoist (yet again) have just attacked three Korean trekkers threading to cut their throats if they did not hand over their money. We had to go down via a long route around the mountain in order to avoid these bastards yet again. There's a big army presence in Pohkara and some days the 'danger alert' gets escalated. Some nights you get a feeling as if something is going to happen and surely enough a bomb goes off here and there. They seem to be targetting mostly locals, but if you happen to be at a wrong place at a wrong time, well who knows.

The town is quite nice, sprawled across beautiful lake up in the mountains. It is a kind of place where people stay for months and time seems to stay still. Food and accommodation are cheap and the locals are friendly. I sort of wish I had done the Annapurna trek, but on the other hand I have a great reason to come back to Nepal in the future and I quite certain I will come back.

Cycling from Katmandu to Pohkara was quite easy and relatively flat. The first day started with a glorious descent from Katmandu (hehe, I'm glad I flew in!) and rolling hills afterwards. The road followed a river and traffic was minimal. The problem is the temperature again. Right now is 40C and it will only get hotter! The second day the road was pretty much the same but at some stages the Annapurna range came into view. It was a very nice ride, about 200Km and I still have about 150km to get to the border with India. I finally had my first mishap on the road and a very silly one as well. I stopped in a small town along the way, rested my foot on a concrete step along a ditch. After looking around for a while my foot slipped and I was falling into the ditch. I managed to jump of the bike and with one leg stopped the bike from completely falling in. It was so embarrassing as many people gathered around to lend a hand. I managed to get the bike out safely but I think my face turned very red and it was not from the sun. I got on the bike very quickly and left the scene as soon as possible.

I anticipate doing some cycling in India, however if the weather will get around 50C this could be a problem. I'll try to do some short days around 50-80km and not push myself to far. Off to Varanasi, then Agra, Janipur and Delhi. After which I'm considering heading back to Bangkok to gather my things, maybe go to Singpore for a couple of weeks and I'm contemplating taking a short vacation in Canada to visit family and friends, yes I'm getting a little home sick and after talking to my family last week I feel that it might be time to comeback for a little while. But everything is still up in the air and could change any time.

Cheers for now!
Robert

Everest Base Camp / Part II - Namche - Base Camp

Everest Base Camp Photos are up.
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lloronapr/my_photos
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After Namche we decided to take it easy for the rest of the trek. Above 4000 meters you have to be careful no to succumb to altitude sickness (AS). You should not ascend more than 400 meters a day and carefully watch for any symptoms of AS.
For the next four days we would not push ourselves for more than 4-5 hours a day max.

The first day we decided to stay at around 4000 meters at Mong La (La means pass). The scenery in the evening was amazing, finally I got to see my favourite mountain Ama Dablam (mother’s necklace) at 6856m. Many people consider it to be the most beautiful mountain in the world. I have yet to see more mountains but on this trek Ama Dablam had to be the most spectacular. From our vantage point it appeared only a whisker away, in reality it was more like 20 km. The morning provided additional vistas of Taboche Peak at 6367m and Thamserku at 6808m. This was the first jolt of excitement when entering high mountains.

Along the way we met up with an expedition attempting to climb Cholotse at 6335m. It was actually a mission to raise money for cataract cure within the Khumbu region; the second part of the effort was to scale Cholotse and raise publicity and funds. North Face sponsored the entire expedition. Unfortunately, when we arrived at base camp (after 3 hours of searching for it) the set up of the base just started. We were treated with tea and biscuits and chatter with two members of the team. So much for a rest day!

We finally got to Gokyo, famous for its amazing views of the Everest moutian range via the Gokyo ridge at 5360m. It had to be the best day of the trek so far. We started of at 5:30 in the morning and went the wrong way! Then I noticed something quite unusual; there were track heading up the mountain at an impossible grade. I thought, "Strange, how is this possible. No human being can possibly scale at this angle without ropes”. I called Simon over, he pulled out his video camera to do his usual documentary stuff. What we saw next was really strange and rude in many ways. Check out the clip at: http://www.yetizone.com/yeticam5.htm.

We decided to move on and ignore the silly beast, go figure!
We thought that the approach from the lake was a bit sharp for your average trekker and maybe there was another way on the other side of the hill. After wasting 1.5h we backtracked and started climbing the hill. It seemed innocent enough from the ground, but after a third climb to what looked like a summit I knew we were in for a hard one. Well it took 1.5h to reach the top of the ridge. As we got there the mountain gods revealed their gems. Visibility was good. Makalu, Lothse (8414m), Cho Oyu (8188m) and of course the big one Mt. Everest (8850m) came into view. It was such a relief after struggling for 2 weeks for the highest mountain in the world. We were extremely lucky, after about 40 minutes an amazing event took place. Clouds started rolling in from the valley and fill the ground beneath us. For about 10 minutes we were standing on top of the clouds and watching some of the highest peaks in the world. A crew from the BBC filming a nature documentary waited for about 3 days to get these shots. Other trekkers waited the same amount of time to get a view of Everest. Us 1.5 hours and we got the best views anybody could ever hope for. Heading down the clouds overtook the trail, it did not matter we say what we came for and breakfast was on our minds.


Around 12 pm we decided to head to Dragnag in order to get closer to the treacherous Cho La pass. We were treated with another delight, as we had to traverse a glacier in order to reach our destination. This was the first time I have seen a glacier in my life. It is such a surreal place, filled with rocks of various sizes laid out into small hills formations. Ever so often an edge of a small lake reveals walls of ice, this is when you realise that you are walking upon a thousand (million?) year old ice. The colours range from magnificent green to greyish almost black ice. At times the clouds drift by and the terrain seems somewhat alien as if you are on a different planet. A place where an atomic bomb or human interference would not make that much of a difference, a kind of place where you would imagine an end of the world happening. It does posses amazing beauty in its bizarre kind of way, ugly on the outside but underneath the rubble it is quite spectacular. During this time of the year the Himalayas can be quite shy, but sometimes in an instant its beauty can catch you off guard. I knew we still had to see the Khumbu glacier and was already anxious to see it.

The most difficult day of the trek had arrived. Cho La pass, the highest pass at 5330m. Many trekkers have died while attempting this pass and we knew that we had to be very careful going over it. We started late as usual, but within one hour we caught up with the early risers (we had a reputation among other trekkers for moving very fast on the trail). We ascended gradually at first, then went down for about 300m, passed through a rough trail of boulders and looked up. The way seemed sealed by the mountains, I assumed that we have lost the trail and looked for my compass. The two Belgium trekkers yelled out “it’s over there”. I looked up and said “Shit, they have to be kidding us”, the face of the mountain looked very steep and yes there way something which resembled a trail, but the entire face was covered with snow. We decided to go up slowly, after about 20 minutes I developed a sharp pain in my abdomen. I did not know what it was at first and after I took small 2 minute breaks it came and went systematically. The climb was hard, packed snow covered loose rocks on the way. One had to be very careful not to slip and fall, stabbing my walking stick and checking every rock twice I slowly made it to the top of the pass. You had to avoid a small crevasse on the top, and then enjoy the spectacular views of walls of ice. We rested for about 10 minutes, took some photos and decided to get the hell out before the sun would get stronger and further destabilize the slope. Going down was a bit tricky but manageable. Many people said that the way we came in was more difficult then heading east to west, as usual I had to take the hard way, but it is the Buddhist was, clockwise. We descanted to a beautiful valley below and met a large group of Australian backpackers. After an hour or so we found a place to eat, I had to lay down for a couple of hours as the ‘cramp’ took a lot out of me. For the rest of the trek it would come on in regular intervals. The way to the next lodge was marvellous as Ama Dablam revealed herself from the west and Cholotse was only a stone throw away, or so it seemed. We crashed in the lodge for free as usual and called an early night.

The pain in my abdomen was an ongoing nuisance. I consulted two expedition leaders and was assured that the altitude related pain was a digestive problem and no life threatening. I was given some anti-acid tablets and told to drink two litres of warm water a day, it did not help.


Avalanche at Camp I
The trek to base camp turned out to be more than we bargained for. On the way we ran into a Polish climber Pawel. I’ve met him before hand in Namche but did not recognize him due to his injuries. His face and hands looked life a balloon covered with cuts and bruises. He was hit by an avalanche at Camp I. A serac (big block of ice) broke near the top of Everest, Pawel having observed this spectacle pulled out his camera and decided to take some shots. He took one, two and then “oh fuck, it’s supposed to stop by now”. The rubble of ice and powder hit him strait on, the managed to fight it off. Later some people at base camp said he flew for about 50 meters, hit a ten and stopped. It was a shock to everybody as Camp I is supposed to be one of the safest places on the mountain. The avalanche wiped out 60 tents at camp I leaving 6 people injured but no deaths. Already two people died and nobody has even gotten to camp IV, I hope it will not be another 1996 carnage on Everest. Many climbers worried about the amount of snow this year, I wish them good luck! We met the injured climbers and sherpas as we made our way at base camp. The atmosphere was sombre but everybody was in a positive mood.

The route to base camp (b.c.) followed the khumbu ice glacier. The size and constant movement of the glacier is something extraordinary. It is worth noting that around 4200m there is hardly any vegetation and an occasional scrubs and brown rocks cover the landscape. Occasionally the glacier reveals ice and small waterfalls. It feels as it you’re approaching the end of the world (actually its China, just kidding). Instead of plummeting off the face of the earth you begin to see the outline of the Khumbu Icefall and bright tents of Everest Base Camp. The camp is based on the glacier itself, subject to constant movement and the roars of avalanches from Everest, Lothse and nearby Pumori. The reception at b.c. was fantastic, we were invited for tea by three different expeditions Australian, Korean and a mix of different nationalities. You feel ‘really cool’ hanging around these guys and their fantastic equipment. We chatter and asked usual tourist questions, they were happy to see so new faces and kept giving us food and tea.

We decided to have a closer look at the Icefall, I wanted to scale the beast for just a bit. We approached the entrance to Everest at the ‘Gates of Khumbu Icefall’. The difficulty of the passage can be quite astonishing and overwhelming as the monster before Camp I is about 6km long rising steadily. Each morning the ‘Icefall doctors’ head out to examine the passage made of aluminium ladders and fixed ropes. Each year the icefall route is constructed by a team of sherpas and each expedition pays $4000 for the right of passage.

The day was filled with excitement already, but on the way back a Nepalese guide had sent the wrong way forcing a walk over huge boulders on the glacier and a treacherous climb up to get back to Gorak Shep. When I got back I started looking for that bastard but to no avail, he’s lucky to have his kneecaps intact.

The next morning we woke up to scale Kalla Pathar, the highest peak on the trek at 5550m. I woke up at 5 only to discover heavy fog and went back to sleep. At 7 we decided to go for it, many people were heading down already by the time we were half way up. We were lucky again! The clouds sort of moved away and again we had great views of Everest and surrounding peaks. This was the pinnacle of the trek, sitting at 5550m and seeing Mt. Everest was a personal high for me. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for 3 years and it finally arrived. I don’t want to get sentimental here, but it really did mean a lot for me to see Mt. Everest. After 15 days on the trail, sleeping in cramped out places and eating the same things you appreciate the mountains that much more.

The trek was an absolute success. Hooking up with Simon turned out to be a good decision as we didn’t get in each others way and kept up the same speed. The cost excluding flight was about $300 cnd for 22 days. Optional flight was about $100, but well worth for the views. Not too many tourist and very friendly locals before Lukla. Total elevation gained: equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest from sea level. Would I do it again, absolutely! There are so many passes still to do and I want to climb Island peak (6100m) or Mera peak. I would highly recommend this trek to anybody relatively fit. And I also wish my friends were with me on this trek, I know they love the mountains as well and for sure would love to do this trek. Hey the future is wide open and it’s never to late to head out and see: Mt. Everest or Chomolunga or Sagarmatha.

Cheers for now.
I just got my visa for India, off to Varanassi soon and the more mountains in amazing Ladakh.

Everest Base Camp / Part I - Jiri to Namche Bazaar

The first day started quite dreadfully as after just 30 minutes I have lost the trail! I descended down to the river only for the locals to inform me that the trail is up on the ridge, great start. The trail split into numerous paths within the forest and there was nobody around to ask for directions. After about 1 hour I found myself back on the trail, heading the right way for a change.

I ran into three trekkers from Israel and we decided to hook up for a few days. The have a guide and a porter carrying really excessive baggage. Myself, a small backpack weighting about 9 kg, including sleeping bag and winter clothes. The day took about 11 hours to reach Deorali, it should have taken about 6-7 h, however due to one person who is about 49 years old, this is to be expected, after all I’m getting a free ride so I have no grounds for complains. This has put us in a difficult situation for tomorrow as we face a grueling 2000 meter climb up to Lamjura La, the highest point on the trail before Namche Bazaar. We did not get to Sete, which would have been a mid point of the pass making the next day more manageable. In all honestly the guide should have ordered an earlier start in order to break down the pass, this lack of decision would haunt us for the next few days.

The scenery was quite breathtaking right from the get go. As we cross mountain passes and cling along narrow ridges overlooking field terraces of wheat, cabbages, potatoes and lentils flourishing on the mountainsides. Giant gorges seem to fill the landscape as rivers carve their way across the land.

Porters, which are ‘the backbone’ of Nepalese economy, due to the fact that most goods up to Lukla (airstrip) are carried in wicker baskets by the Nepalese men, women and children. Some carry loads in excess of 90 kilo, most around 40 kilo. A porter gets paid per kilogram, therefore the more they carry the more money they make. The strength of theses individuals is quite amazing, knowing firsthand how hard it is to get over the mountain passes with 9 kilo, you can only imagine what they have to go through. Armed with a walking stick and flip-flops they sleep in caves or very modest teahouses and cook their own meals. Check out http://www.portersprogress.org/ to learn more or to help out. Children in worn out and dirty clothes run around villages shouting hellos and asking for a writing pen, typical tourist infraction.

Many times it is difficult to make journal entries, as at the end of the day you are dead tired. You can barely find enough energy to eat, washing is a luxury and a shower is a memory of the past. Lamjura La turned out to be quite a beast as I’m still trying to get into shape. It took 9.5 hours to reach the top, well I took many tea breaks with a guide which I met along the way. The climb was quite punishing and the top seemed elusive at times. Near the apex, walking among thick clouds the scenery was something of a horror movie. Moss covered trees scattered among lifeless ground with visibility limited to about 10 meters. This is where I met a fellow trekker who has met the Maoist. I managed to dodge the bullet – sort of speak by lying that I paid 500 rupees before and did not get a receipt, adding ‘No gun, no money’. Well it worked for now until…

At the top of the pass I stopped at a teahouse and said good-bye to the guide and stopped for a break in order to await the arrival of other trekkers. The porters were the last to arrive at dusk and we had to lodge on the top of the mountain for the night. The weather was quite terrible that night as gusts of wind, hail and thunderstorms ravaged the mountain pass (3500 meters). With two additional blankets I got through the morning only to be awoken by my good friends “The Maoist”.

Breakfast with the Maoist.

The owner to the lodge came into out sleeping area to inform us that the Maoist are waiting inside to lodge to ‘join us for breakfast’. I knew what was coming and said that I’m sick and unfortunately I have to decline the offer. After about an hour or so, I short man entered the room and stated that I should hurry up as they are in a rush to get off the mountain. Well, that pissed me off. I hate to give bribes in the first place and especially without my morning coffee. I stepped outside and was seated beside some block that spoke English. I went after him right away stating that their whole revolution is a sham extracting money from innocent people including trekkers, porters and lodge owners. I said their activities within the area discourage tourism, therefore cutting directly into local people’s income, un top of that they’re intrusions and kidnapping of locals further destabilize the local economy. I asked what are you really fighting for, he replied “For the Nepalese people”. I looked at him with a grin. Finally I said, “We’re on top of a mountain pass, you have guns and I have no way out, I guess I will make a donation”. I tossed 1000 rupees (around $18) on the table and took the receipt. They also wanted our guide’s jacket and money from our porter. Recently the change in the Maoist leadership led to radicalism and further corruption, porters are switching to the Maoist camp in order to make easier money. I have read quite a bit about different communist revolutions, this one is an extortion practice sponsored apparently by China and India in order to destabilize Nepal. No sympathy from me as well as most of the locals in the area.

Last two days were a little easier and the scenery has been great. The morning vistas offer views of Numbur (6959m), snow capped peaks and lush green mountainsides are breathtaking. Crossing suspension bridges over emerald green rivers shaving their way into mountain walls, just as they have for eons before my arrival. The trail is rugged and filled with loose rocks. I parted with my Israeli trekking partners and hooked up with Simon from Quebec, we move at the same speed ( twice as fast as I did before). We met a Tibetan refugee heading back home illegally after studying for 11 years in Nepal, I wish him luck heading back to Lhasa.

The last major pass before Namche Bazaar proved to be a bit challenging. The steep climb up to about 2800m took some effort, after seeing the fattest pig at this elevation in the world we descended into pouring rain; it was time to find shelter fast. We scoured to the nearest teahouse waited out the cloud and pressed on for another 2 hours. It was worth the effort as when the clouds cleared out, we were greeted with a small valley filled with snow-capped peaks. The weather was not all that great so far, but for the moments when the mountains reveal their beauty it is worth the wait. Up to Namche tomorrow, finally a bakery, hmm, donuts…..

End of part I.