Flipflop, Goldfinger, the two diddies and I

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  Kathmandu, Nepal
Thursday, July 5, 2007

Before trek we 'rested' in Kathmandu (first decent opportunity to neck some beers after a month and half of Islam). Great tourist city, really enjoyed it and still am.

Trek stats: Lukla (2800m 70% relative oxygen) to Kalapattar (5550m 50%!!!! relative oxygen) and back again in 14 days with acclimatizing days for the altitude. It was off season so we only saw 30-40 other trekkers (half of which didn't make it because of altitude sickness which did not help peace of mind on the way up) and it was monsoon, raining everyday at 4pm (which was fine as we were finished trekking by 1pm each day and it meant clear skies the next morning).

The plane journey was great. A little 15 seater which you could see out the front windscreen. When we got to the plane some of its seats were sat on the runway but they were just making space for rice cargo. The runway at Lukla was on a slope so taking off was full throttle down it, lift off just 50m from the end and then immediately above thick forest.

The path was well trodden mostly, through glacial rivers, over log bridges, through shady forest, past recent rockfalls, waterfalls - it was stunning

1) Little workers, hotel in Kathmandu

. At Namche we were lucky enough to stumble on a local festival of chang (home brew) swigging, stetson wearing, flour coated sherpas and shared a chanting sesh with the most famous lama in Nepal!! Finale was (of course) Everest, for which we rose at 3.30am to climb Kalapattar for a decent view. Cloudy at first but then luck was on our side and there it was, the highest point on earth just 4km away. Amazing. I stared at it for two hours pretty much. My VGA size photos just wont do it justice (and needless to say my description).

Our porter (Arjen) carried our big packs all the way to Everst Base Camp and back in flip flops! Super human like all the sherpa porters - the freight carriers of these motorless villages. He was a great wee guy (5ft4!!) and a good laugh. Him and our guide Govinda (goldfinger) referred to Av and Rach as 'diddy' the whole trip which means older sis and it provided plenty of laughs.

Lack of people, not hearing a single motor for 2 weeks and escaping the truck meant a retreat like holiday for me Av and Rach. Finally some time to think about the trip and the countries visited. Daunting and exciting that its not even half way yet. I am and a little bit not looking forward to getting back on the truck. Its what allows me to see all these far out places so I love it. Also cant wait to just sit up the back with my MP3 player, camera, window open watching the countries and their people change. Will be good seeing the people who've become really good friends with over the past 3 months

10) Awww!

. The truck does mean set meal times, set itinarary, early mornings and a few people who just aren't on the same wavelength (insignificant criticism when compared to the whole). Perfectly happy camping (which is few and far between now) and with the hotels stayed at (which are sometimes questionable but thats what makes them good and authentic). Not feeling homesick like I think I was last time, the break from the truck probably helped. I might think of having another break from it before the 2 week break prior to entering Australia (when the truck is being shipped), who knows. Apparently (as Karen, the owner of EOE, mentioned) its healthy to spend time away from the truck - 8 months inside a moving metal box with 30 other people aint exactly normal living.

6 days time we leave for Tibet! Hopefully in that time I would have white water rafted and bungee jumped...we'll see. Tibet will be strange. Then after a week Tibeting it we are in to China for 2-3weeks. We will be skirting the base of the himalayas (and because we will be North no monsoon!) through a hell of a lot of rural China. Shame we are not going through any of the cities but it will just put a different edge to the experience. Then we spend the next 3 months in South East Asia where I will be eager ti get rid of my truckers tan.

Until next time...FREE TIBET!!

PS Itinarary

Week 14: Nepal
Week 15 16 17 18: Tibet & China
Week 19: Laos
Week 20 21: Vietnam
Week 22: Cambodia
Week 23 24: Thailand
Week 25 26: Malaysia & Singapore
Week 27 28: Havent decided what I want to do yet...
Week 29 30 31 32: Oz!!


PPS For a different take on the trip you can have a swatch at the EOE diary

http://eoediary.org.uk/category/2007-london-to-sydney/

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11) It wasn't me!	12) The kids were funny	13) Essential supplies	15) Yas!
16) Grid lock	17) Stupa	18) Locals loved my hat	19) Namche
2) Monkey Temple, Kathmandu	2) Monkeys!! Monkey Temple, Kathmandu	20) Mt Everest and I	21) We did it!
22) Mt Everest Range	23) Gorak Shep	24) Drink it!	25) Cornflour blessing
25) Mountain view	26) Buddhism	27) Coolness comes from within	28) Goldfinger!
29) Stunning waterfalls	3) Attack of the Butterflies, Phakding	30) Hard at work in the quarry	31) Corn flour blesser
32) Stunning blue glacier	33) Sublime	34) We did it! Us at Basecamp	4) Charles Dickens esque street, Lukla
5) Butterfly, trekking	Namche Bazaar Ceremony	Two sweeps of another world

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