The Himalayas part 3: the conclusion.

I have been home for several weeks now and it is a sense of denial that such an incredible trip is over which has prevented me from writing the final chapter in my Himalayan tale. 

With the excitement and goal of Kala Patthar and EBC behind me and back on my own, the climax of the tale had, in many ways, already passed. Yet the final days above 5000m where the best of the trip. I felt strong and ready for anything, and my body was able to thrive in the thin air of the final passes.

Dzongla lodge was however, the worst lodge of the trip. I slept on one large bench with the porters and guides. The sherpas slept in a huge cuddle puddle, giggling and talking well into the night. Considering that they would be crossing a glaciated pass at over 5430m the next day, carrying my body weight in gear with Chuckie T's or Sandals on their feet, I was surprised at how much energy they had. Despite the daunting day ahead, they did not focus on getting a short amount of rest. Reciprocally, I also did not get much sleep. 

The lodge had 4 groups, the solo Norwegian girl, the Korean team who referred to me as Changwon Ssangsangnim (Changwon teacher), the Canadian group who where my Dad's age and all talked like Bob and Doug and a French girl by the name of Vivianne, or Vivi for short. The Koreans were out of the gate first. 4am and they were off. The Norwegian was next at 5am, the Canadians were gone by 5:30 and Vivi and I were last at 6am. The pass should be crossed in the morning if possible because of melt conditions in the afternoon which bring ice and rockfall dangers.

Vivi and I began to take the long winding dirt trail higher and higher up into the thinner air. The pace was relaxed but not slow. Vivi owned an outdoor adventure company in the UK with her boyfriend and so was not holding me back by any means. We arrived at the last push to the glacier and I saw a solo route that really tickled my fancy. It was a low angle slab to a chimney to a scramble. I started working it and the slab went by easy, though I was breathless when I entered the chimney. The chimney was easy enough but I was tired from the thin air, and the exposure was getting pretty bad considering I had a pack on and no rope. I slowly lifted myself out of the chimney. I shouldered the pack and headed up the last scramble to meet Vivi, who had witnessed the whole show from her perch on the glacier.

We then crossed the glacier which was spectacular in its beauty. The bright snow complemented the impossibly blue skies and everything shone with a sharp brilliance. Vivi snapped a few pictures and we carefully followed the path through the maze of crevasses and ice, gazing at the many peaks jutting up around us. Finally, we left the glacier and stood on top of the pass. Amid the multitude of colorful prayer flags, we could see the land drop in front of us. The land stretched on into the horizon, with miles to go until we arrived in Gokyo. Behind us was a vast expanse of glacial ice that we had just crossed.

Cho La

We began our descent, picking our way down large rocks and moving with speed. At the bottom of the rockfall, we met the Korean team. After a few bungapsumida's and trying to have a short Korean conversation, we headed on. We began to pass through rolling hills and alpine meadows, gradually descending towards the settlement of Dragnag. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of following a stream downward, we saw the first hut peeking out. Vivi decided that she would stay in Dragnag and I decided to push on the extra 3 hours to Gokyo. Saying goodbye to Vivi, I moved on quickly catching the Canadian group outside of Dragnag. I said hello and continued past, pushing a good pace. I got to the glacier crossing and picked my way across, at one point witnessing a serac fall into a glacial lake.

Gokyo Glacier

I crossed my second glacier of the day with no major difficulty but upon exiting, I had to climb a steep, sandy incline that left me destroyed by the top. Luckily, I was at Gokyo. After 10 hours of trekking, I was demolished and headed to a lakeside lodge where I promptly collapsed in a room and had a nap. I woke up and went out into the village of Gokyo

I retired early, a 4am start and another long day was ahead of me. I only had 1 5000m+ peak and one 5000m+ pass left.

November 27th,


My bladder served as a perfect 4am alarm clock in the morning. After seriously contemplating a rest day, I banished the thought from my mind and began gearing up to climb Gokyo-ri.  The 5357m  peak is located on the west side of the Ngozumpa Glacier, which is the largest glacier in Nepal, and reputed to be the largest in the whole Himalayas. From the summit of Gokyo Ri, it is possible to see five 8,000 metre peaks - Everest, Makalu, Lhotse, Kangchenjunga and Cho Oyu. I wanted to see the sun rise on these peaks.

I left the lodge and noticed a string of headlamps already making their way up the mountain. I caught the headlamps and quickly passed the larger group, which included, to my surprise, my Korean friends. As dawn approached, we saw the prayer flags of the summit flapping within sight. 

Predawn colors

Me on the summit, Everest and Lhotse in the background.

Everest Lhotse and Makalu

Missed Cho Oyu but it was over here Kangchenjunga was over in a dark area but pretty awesome to look at.

After taking in the sunrise, I began a fast descent toward Gokyo. I had to get breakfast and be enroute on Renjo by 8:30 at the latest and it was already close to 7am. I booked it down the mountain and I arrived at the lodge to find my porridge and tea waiting. The Serpani lady, a lovely kind hearted soul had made sure to have my food ready. When I confirmed my intent to move through Renjo, she voiced her approval by patting me on my cheek and saying "strong man". When I paid my bill, she presented me with a tuna chapatti sandwich and a chocolate bar and waved goodbye with a big grin on her face. These are the types of people that make the Khumbu region so special. I left for the last pass with a spring in my step and grin on my face.

Goodbye Gokyo

I weaved around Gokyo lake and then said goodbye to the prettiest settlement on the trail before beginning the steep climb up towards Renjo. I crested the hill and left Gokyo behind me and went into the rocky, barren Alpine found only above 5200m.

The pass is in the middle of this picture, I scrambled the peak to the right.

For the first time, I felt comfortable at over 5000m.  My surroundings and the sheer isolation I felt walking alone in complete silence were pretty incredible. It is a very purifying experience, free of normal concerns and I was happy to be there. I met someone coming from the other side and he snapped this pic.

After a short conversation, we parted ways, He was the first person I had met all day. Shortly after meeting him, I was at the top of the pass.  Flags adorned the top and I could scramble around. Dropping my pack off trail, I scrambled up towards a rock summit a few hundred meters away. When I arrived I was offered the broadest view of the Everest Himalayan range.

Everest in the cloud

Leaving the Everest Himalayas heading towards Nampa-la

After saying my final goodbye to Everest and its sister peaks, I began to make a fast descent towards the lake. Upon arriving at its shores, I sat on the sand and had my lunch... delish!

I finished my tasty eats and then got moving. 700m of descent in 10km went very fast as the gradual decline made the trek easy. With each step, the air got thicker and I felt lighter; the world began to get greener and full of life as well.

going down

Yak.

Before I knew it, I was finished and eating Dal Bhaat in a lodge in Langden talking with a Welsh couple. Tomorrow I would be in Namche, and in 2 days in Kathmandu. It was time to go down.

November 28th

I woke up early, had  my porridge and began my descent by 7 am. I wanted a full day in Namche and I had 15km to cover. Luckily, the 15km was downhill and so I set off cruising. The tone was light and I sang to myself as I raced the river downwards towards Thame. I was on the route to and from Nangpa la, the famous road and pass where Tibetan refugees have fled and traders have crossed for centuries.  Once they had brought sheepskins, traditional clothing and goods, now they came loaded with counterfeit outdoor gear.

It was on this route where Chinese border guards have been documented gunning down fleeing Tibetans. The highest profile case was in 2006 when a climber on Cho Oyu filmed border guards gunning down a 17 year old Buddhist nun while she tried to flee in waist deep snow. Today there was only small caravans of Tibetan traders and Yaks and no refugees, but it wasn't hard to see the importance of this route to many people. As I descended to Thame, there were more signs of civilizations.  Gompas and Prayer wheels became more frequent and more buildings began to pop up.

Gompa

This bridge was really cool.

I kept the pace up and by 11, I was in Namche. I celebrated a successful trip. First, I had a shower, my first in 11 days, then in clean clothes When this was done, I bought ice gear that had been up Everest. It was old but still functional. For 20 bucks you could get an axe.  I got a set of tools and crampons for under a hundred bucks. I hit up the rock and roll pool bar where Led Zep was playing and I shot pool with Sherpas, climbers and Trekkers. 

I was happy to be at the bar and a fellow entertained me as he lit his 10th cigarette and talked about how he would be training for Everest. The music was good and the walls adorned with mountaineering history made this a special place and a great spot to celebrate a safe trip in the Khumbu reigon. The town is just such a cool place and after the silence and emptinees of the past few days, the bar was exciting and full of life despite only having 6 or 7 people in it, including the bartenders. I left and grabbed a late dinner, the finest Yak steak in the world from sherpaland before going to sleep.

November 29/30th

I woke up and began the long descent to Lukla today, passing Gompas and making prayers to the mountain gods. I thanked them for safe travels in their realm and also sent forth wishes that I would be able to return one day, with hopes to climb Ama Dablam. I stopped in Phakding for a Dal Bhaat lunch and by dinner I was in Lukla. I read a book, ate dinner and confirmed my flight.  By 7am on the 30th, I was on a plane to Kathmandu.

The Himalayas Part 2

November 22^nd,

I woke up at 4:50am and observed the gray plume of my breath in the cold blue light of my headlamp. Did I really want to get out of the comfortable warmth of my sleeping bag and depart into the cold plateau all alone? It was a difficult question to answer. I finally managed to muster the courage and shimmied out of my sleeping bag, donned my gear and went out into the crisp -10 degree air.

I opened the doors, out of the lodge and into the majestic Himalayan arena. The scene is difficult to describe. A 360 degree view of stunning peaks was lit up by a moon that shone brighter than any moon I have witnessed in my short but eventful life. I switched off my headlamp, it was unnecessary. I began walking up the river towards the pass, the crunch of my boots on gravel attempting to break the rumble of the river and the sound of the wind tearing the snow off the peaks soaring above me on all sides. As I trudged on, the sky began to brighten. I took a couple pictures. Then I was shown the most amazing sunrise display. The sky lit up in a multitude of colors and the shadow of the eastern peaks shot across the sky like a giant triangular prism. 

Cruising up higher, I arrived at a big hill. It was really big; in under a kilometer I climbed 400 meters. That’s a lot of climbing. I later found out that the main trail starts from the village of Chukung, which starts higher up, down the trail. Still my “shortcut” was a good way to gain elevation fast. However the hill was steep and unforgiving, each breath wheezy and difficult and the high altitude made the UV rays of the sun beat down. At the top of the big hill, after hitting 5000m, I stopped by a rock. I recovered, hiding in the shade as I drank water, ate some peanuts and a mars bar, trying to prepare my body for the next step. 

After a few minutes I summoned the courage to move on, I was feeling the effects of the altitude which was over 5000m. I was sluggish and tired easy, I also had a slight headache, but still no major signs of AMS. I had yet to see a living thing and there was no sound other than the wind. The silence was peaceful and when the thoughts in my mind would cease, there was a tranquility that is hard to describe, but it lifted my spirits.

Suddenly, a rapidly moving dot came closer and closer. It was a Sherpa. I found a stream and was treating a new bottle of water when he caught up. He greeted me with Namaste and we had an interesting conversation. At first he was surprised I was in the high pass alone and seemed concerned with my well being but as I followed him, he seemed to realize that I was capable of helping myself. He was going to meet two Canadians camped in the Pass.

We stopped for water and he asked me what my goal was for the day. I proudly stated my intent to climb Pokalde. I asked him if he was a climber, his face darkened slightly and he pointed over to a number of peaks to the East. “Yesterday Eleven O’Clock another Sherpa die, I don't like it. It is dangerous, too many die.”. The Sherpas are paid to put their lives on the line for small sums of money to support their families. To help rich foreigners achieve their narcissistic pursuits. There are many orphans and widows in the Khumbu, a lot of dead, paid to carry foreigners up the hill.

I continued following the Sherpa until we arrived at a camp.

A Canadian couple was just beginning to move I took a break and had a quick chat with them. One was an ACMG (Canadian Mountain Guide) from Canmore, they were solid mountain folk, but eager to push on, our conversation was brief. I began a sharp ascent after the 5200m campsite and started to feel the altitude. 

At the base of the final rock scramble I stepped feeling the altitude and it was great to enter that state. The scrambling was not hard, but the exposure was pretty heady at times and the rock chossy. I picked my way carefully up my intended route and found myself breathless and with a returned headache at the summit. Here is Pokalde, behind loom the peaks of Nuptse and Lhotse. To the left, Island peak, the spiny Ombigaichang and in the distance, Makalu

I descended Kongma la and with each step, the feelings of altitude eased off. I waved goodbye to Kongma la it was truly beautiful pass.

I stumbled into the lodge 10 hours after I had departed, exhausted and starving. With only nuts and chocolate all day I was eager for food and even more ready to pound water and have a few Advil to calm my angry headache.  After accomplishing this, I sat down feeling fine and content.

November 23^rd

We left Dingboche and we were given a bag of cookies by our nice Serpani lodger. The walk was mellow along the gray fields. Occasionally, a break in the clouds would reveal an imposing peak. It was a mellow and enjoyable walk to Dughla where we ate Sherpa stew and drank lemon tea in the sunlight. 

After lunch we began to make a steep climb up the mountain. As we did, these people were running past us. Apparently there is a downhill marathon starting at Gorak Shep. My knees cringed at the impacts that were sustained as hundreds of folks ran past us. 

We arrived at the top of the climb and found the first Everest graveyard. You could hear the flap of the prayer flags breaking the silence in the somber yet peaceful place. I noticed Scott Fischer’s cairn. 

The sad reality of commercial climbing is made apparent by these cairns. Experienced climbers sit next to those known for famous follys. For every one cairn for a foreigner, there are at least 5 Sherpa’s. Like Fisher, many times the Sherpas have died, not because of their own skill or ambition but for the lack of skill and over-ambition of their clients. It is a sad reminder that when we really want something, sometimes in our blind pursuits we can affect others far more than ourselves. I remembered my conversation yesterday as I stared at a lonely cairn that read Nambu Sherpa, it was humbling.

After a while visiting graves we moved on to Lebouche, it was short and easy day and we retired to the lodge. 

November 24^th

After a few hours of attempted rest, Steve and I rose at 1am and geared up. Our plan was to travel 6km to Gorak Shep in darkness, then climb the 5545m peak Kala Pathar to catch the sun rising over Everest, Nuptse, and a few other surrounding peaks. With the view accomplished we would go to Everest base Camp before descending to Lebouche at 4910m. It would involve over a thousand meters of climbing and descending and almost 20km of trekking above 5000m. We emerged into the cold light to find our headlamps yet again unnecessary.  The light of the stars and the moon shone brighter than any headlamp.

The sky’s brilliance in the Himalayas is truly incredible. If the moon is present, everything is washed with a cold blue light, the major constellations are painted on the sky, shining brightly. If the moon peeks behind a cloud, or even better, a mountain, the sky is a blanket of light. There are virtually no spots of black but instead a palate of constellations and an infinite number of twinkling stars. We walked in relative silence, only the sound of our breath and the crunch of the path breaking the silence. Occasionally we would strike up conversation, or stop for a water break. The mood was quiet, the mission just beginning.

At 3:30am we arrived at the highest village of the trek, Gorak Shep. At 5164m, Gorak Shep (Gorak is a raven type bird, Shep means Dead so the village is called Dead Ravens) sits at the base of a huge lage. However in the dry season of November, the lake has dried up and become a huge bed of sand, complete with a volleyball net. Who has the ability to play volleyball at 5100m I don’t know but the -10 degree weather was not advantageous for bikinis by any means. We crossed the sand and got to the base of Kala Pathar, 

We continued upwards, the horizon brightening with every step. The climb was tough but not overly hard and before we knew it we were eating chocolate on the summit, surrounded by prayer flags. The golden glow of the sunrise enveloped all of the peaks in the east, bathing them all in brilliant dawn colors including Everest which loomed in the background intimidating yet entirely doable.

More people began to arrive on the summit and after chilling for awhile, we began to plan our next moves. Looking at the map it looked like it would be possible to cut down the back side of Kala Pathar and end up on the Everest basecamp trail half way there. 

We battled to the bottom of the slope to discover we had to backtrack. Finally we got on a mapped trail... it was not the main trail but it led to base camp... eventually. The trail was brutal, scrambling over boulders and picking our way through the madness with only a distant cairn to show we were headed in the right direction. The sun beat down mercilessly, we had been out of water for hours and it was beginning to show. Finally we found a lake.

EBC.. not much

We continued on and with the brutal sun, exhaustion, dehydration and altitude, the time seemed endless and the rests frequent. We hit an active base camp for the 7000m peak Pumo Ri, and we were pointed way down. At this point I was fried but Steve was eager to push on, surprised by his energy I felt guilty about wanting to rest. Before long, we had found the main trail and 20 minutes of flat easy hiking later we arrived at Everest base camp. One may ask why we had worked so hard to arrive at an empty boulder field with a flag and a few rocks, it was a journey and there was not much there, 

Found this sign on the way down.

Fatigue hitting full force we turned for Lebouche, over 10km away. We were in Lebouche 14 hours after our departure. Sunburnt and exhausted we ordered celebratory Yak steaks and enjoyed our final parting meal. 

November 25^th,

At 4am, Steve got up and prepared to make his descent toward Lukla, he had to catch his flight. With a goodbye to a good friend who I had shared many good memories with for a short time, 

Packing up I headed for 2 hours to the entrance of Cho la Pass and stopped at a lodge in the village of Dzongla. I was stuck with dorm accommodation in the smoky lodge. On the upside, the moon was hidden by mountains and the stars were the best of the trip.

                                                                                                            

Into the Himalayas Part 1

Nov 17,

Lukla madness

I woke up at 6am today and checked out of the Hotel Shree Tibet. I grabbed a taxi and headed to Kathmandu airport. Turns out no one has made it in or out of Lukla, the village at the start of the Everest Base Camp trail for 5 days. The small planes can’t fly out of Kathmandu’s smog or they can’t fly into the clouds that have prevented landing in Lukla. With diminishing hopes, I waited, hearing countless cancellations. My flight kept getting delayed. Four hours after the intended departure time, success. I got on a bus and we parked outside a rickety plane. An hour later, we were on the rickety plane. 30 minutes after that we were taking off. Twenty minutes later, we had a pretty intense landing in Lukla on a tiny uphill landing strip.

Agni Air 

Way behind schedule, I met a trekking partner who would join me for the next number of days. His name was Steve, a young illustrator from England we would trek together and shoot the shit until Kala Pathar, a 5545m peak with good views of Everest. With limited time schedules, we set off trying to get to Namche Bazaar the Sherpa village. The trail followed the river, often crossing it with Indiana Jonesesque suspension bridges like this one, Yaks optional.

The voyage to Namche proved too difficult for the half day that we had been given. After trekking in the dark for a few hours, we settled into a guest house 2 km short. My stomach began to give me trouble shortly after stopping. Apparently, the Dal Bhat, (A Nepali rice lentil dish) in the village of Phakding had come with some sort of bug. Trying to be discreet I snuck outside and began to projectile vomit.

Steve looked for me at ask what I wanted for breakfast the next day and much to his surprise, found me in the midst of tummy turmoil. I tried to play it cool, between sessions, but I’m sure Steve was questioning his choice of trekking partner.  A short day but rough walk to Namche and rest day to overcome the stomach woes before heading up, into thinner air and bigger mountains.

Checking in to the illustrious Sherpaland hotel, we rested for a short time before hitting the town, with its internet cafes, bakeries, bookstores, bars, shops and vibrant people. Everywhere we went, there were Sherpas that had climbed Everest numerous times. 

Finding a pharmacy with some stomach meds I stocked up then returned to the hotel. By the end of the day, I began to feel much better.

November 19th

I woke up in the illustrious Sherpaland feeling much better. We followed Yaks and their owner up a trail toward the Syangboche airstrip and the twin village of Khumde and Khumjung.

Steve and I went up to the villages. From there I saw Ama Dablam Ama means grandmother and Dablam is a pendant of good luck that sherpas wear. We ate lunch in the high village before beginning our descent into Namche. We arrived just in time to catch the movie showing of Into Thin Air, starring Shooter McGavin… terrible yet awesome? After this we retired to Sherpaland to have supper and play cards, an activity that would fill up many hours waiting for and after our dinners during the trips to come.

November 20th

After a final breakfast in Sherpaland, we headed out of Namche. Our destination was Pangboche a decent haul and 500m up. Invigorated by the departure of the stomach bug I quickly pushed ahead of Steve enjoying a quiet stomach and a return to my usual energetic self. 

Realizing I was pretty far ahead of Steve, who preferred the enjoy the scenery technique, I stopped for a beer in the sun. When Steve arrived I had made a friend.

We pushed on to the Monastery village of Tengboche. We had decided to go the extra 2 hours to Pangboche. When We arrived in Pangboche, we found another group waiting. This group was an American group and they were quite loud. In addition one girl could be heard crying her eyes out because she had a wet glove. Wet glove? I hatched a plan to voyage to Ama Dablam Base camp tomorrow morning before going to our next stop Dingboche. 

November 21^st

It was cold and unsettling at 5am when we woke up. It was our turn to keep the Americans that had disturbed our slumber awake. Payback time. I got ready for Ama Dablam and at first, Steve was not interested in my plan, but I convinced him to join and hit the trail.

The trail was faint and we were shrouded is the blissful silence of the Himalayan dawn.

After an hour, we began to draw close to the mountain. We encountered two people heading down. They were climbers. When we asked how they had fared, they revealed that they had to turn back 30m from the summit. Ouch 

In 15 minutes we arrived at the tent village of Ama Dablam Base camp. 

On our way down we talked with two guys from Colorado, planning on making their push tomorrow. We wished them luck, I felt pangs of jealousy, I wanted to climb this mountain too. But a surprise beach had to suffice.

We hit the main trail, bound for Dingboche. I decided I wanted to climb something tomorrow and set my sights on a solo attempt of Pokalde (5,806 m) 1400m up and a 17km loop from Dingboche. Still quite doable if I left at 5am. Outside, the full moon was spectacular as I ran out to grab a few supplies for my summit day tomorrow.  

Tibet Journey Continued and the arrival in Kathmandu.

Nov 12,

After a deep sleep, I awoke at 5am. With such a short time in Lhasa, I had to make the most of it. I left my hotel room and proceeded to the monastery. This is one of the great Tibetan pilgrimage sites and pilgrims circle the monastery in a clockwise direction praying and giving thanks. I joined the throng, listening to the chants and observing the pilgrims, some of which had spent up to 200 days crossing huge mountains and braving the harsh elements of the plateau on foot. This visit was, for them, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a very powerful experience moving with the pilgrims for 3 hours before sunrise. The children looked at me with amazement and huge smiles, I was probably the first Westerner they had ever seen. Meanwhile smiling adults, ancient and grizzled by a long life in the harsh elements would flash toothless smiles and give me the sign of blessing and good fortune. I was in another world and the sunrise watching these amazing people welcome the day was a memory of a lifetime.

At 9am I came in from the cold and met my other tour companions, we went to breakfast and enjoyed a nice meal. From the second story window, I could see the endless Chinese soldiers in full combat gear and automatic rifles. The soldiers were posted on the roof 24/7, watching the pilgrims. The baffling scene further questions why and what is happening in Tibet, no pictures can be taken of the police or military forces, limitations on religion, and a feeling of intimidation and hostility. Yet for the most part the Tibetans take it in stride, with a smile on their face.

At 10am, we met our guide and we went to the Potala Palace. I usually find myself disappointed by unesco sites they turn into historical tourist traps with hawkers and scammers feeding of gullible tourists. With the Potala Palace, this is not the case. The spiritual energy in the Palace was pretty stunning. I am often a skeptic when it comes to religion, but witnessing the devotion and sacredness of the Potala Palace was a pretty inspiring experience. The temple inside, many parts over 1300 years old, was full of cultural relics, Dali Lama tombs, scriptures and hundreds of Buddha statues. In addition, there was no picture taking tourists, instead there were thousands of Tibetan pilgrims, paying their respects by giving meager sums of money as donations and supplying the candles with their Yak butter. Leaving the temple, I was asked to pose with numerous Tibetans who were thrilled to get to see a real Westerner. Descending from the palace, I felt as if I was leaving a place not entirely of this world and returning to reality.

Before parting ways, we went for a lunch in a Tibetan resturaunt where I ordered Yak tongue and Tsampa (Tsampa is a barley flour food that is the staple of the monks diet). While we waited for our food, 10 curious children stared at us, gradually moving from their table to ours where the gazed in wonder at us. I took the opportunity to teach them rock, scissors, paper. Our meal came and the children were called back to their own table. After an interesting meal we parted ways. I wandered the city, picking up trinkets and handmade crafts from vendors, many of which had come to Lhasa to sell crafts before returning to their homes in the plateau.

Nov 13^th,

I woke up for my final few rounds with the pilgrims before packing and getting ready for an 8am departure from Lhasa. Loading our bags into the van we were off into the country. The scenery was stunning and the road wound up, up, and up before arriving at the first pass which was 4900m. We stopped at the top and I got to ride a Yak and look at one of the 3 spirit lakes of Tibet.  

The next stop was at a lung busting 5600m where dizziness and thin air made the hawkers and the person charging 2  kwai for washroom use a little irritating. It was the highest I have ever been by over 1600 meters.

7100m mountain

Palace at Gyantse

Nov 14

This morning I found myself in Shigatse. After breakfast we headed to an ancient monastery which was, like the Potala Palace, a very spiritually charged place. It was tough to rush through it as it was a huge complex with many relics and wonders to see. 

After we finished, we piled into the van and began the massively long drive to a border town called Nylam. Our first stop was for lunch where I ate Yak noodles (The sixth variation of Yak that I have tried). While we ate, the window filled with curious Tibetans gazing at us westerners. It felt a little like being the feature attraction at a zoo, but it was still entertaining.

The next stop was a 5250m mountain pass where we got out and met a nomadic family selling prayer flags. The curious kids flocked to us and where really incredible little people, interacting with them was really cool and it was sad to have only 10 minutes but we had a lot of driving left.

Our next stop was to take a look at Everest which finally came into view. It was cool to see the mountain that is so steeped in history, tragedy and achievement. 

We wove through the plateau with its incredibly bright sun, Himalayan peaks and the ruins of fortifications from a Nepal/Tibet war that occurred centuries ago. As the sun set, we topped out on the last pass and gazed at the Himalayas in the growing twilight. 

 

Nov 15,

I woke up today at over 4000m again. My lips felt dried out, my nose was stuffed and my head fuzzy. After 6 days of yoyo travel between 3500 and 5500 meters, my body began to be unimpressed.  This day was my last in Tibet and I was a little bummed out. After departing Nylam, we wound down for 40km. This descent, the longest in the world, descends thousands of meters in only a handful of kilometers. I looked with envy at the numerous switchbacks that would have been oh so rewarding at the end of the bike trip I had dreamed of doing. However, the trekking in Nepal should make up for it.

Arriving in Zhangmu, we said goodbye to our amazing guide Dhorma and went through Chinese customs. After clearing the customs we were admitted to the friendship bridge which was a fascinating contrast between China and Nepal. On the Chinese side, twenty guards in full combat gear sporting automatic rifles demanded passports and tried to intimidate. On the Nepali side there was nothing. The visa took 5 minutes. The Chinese visa is almost a month.

The change was instantly apparent. The people and the atmosphere are similar to India far moreso than Chinese. The quiet Tibet with its happy, spiritual people was replaced by flying colors loud noises and the excitement of the Nepali. The change was shocking and we were instantly set upon by many people offering transport to Katmandu. Some offered 2500 rupees for a jeep, others 400 for a bus ticket. Ignoring those who were pushy we found a bus booth and bought a real bus ticket for 300 rupees (about 4 dollars). 

We waited on the bus for an hour until the seats, the aisles and the roof were full before descending down a chaotic dirt road. The bus ride to Katmandu, about 150 kilometers in length, took 6 and half hours. We kept going down and the barren plateau was replaced by palm trees, rivers shacks and naked children running on the street. Tibet was empty and silent, Nepal was another world. As the bus moved on, people where jumping off the roof, climbing on and the road was chaotic, full of colorful buses and trucks with loud and flamboyant horns.

After 4 and a half hours, we arrived at the hazy Katmandu valley, not as polluted as most Chinese cities, but still very polluted compared to everywhere around it. We then sat in bumper to bumper traffic for 2 hours. Chaos reigned supreme and after finally arriving, we grabbed a taxi to Thamel, the backpackers district. Thamel was full of climbing shops, pashmere, yak wool and restaurants and bars, a colorful and noisy shopping paradise. I grabbed a room and the hotel Shree Tibet and have a single room and free luggage storage for the next 15 days at the cost of ten dollars a night.

Having a final dinner with my Tibetan companions, I headed to the hotel, tomorrow is a busy day and I have much to do to prepare for my next foray into the high altitude of the Himalayas.