EVEREST BASE CAMP - Part I
“Everest was a mother; she was kind and she could be stern, but she was not an
enemy. I always felt as though I were returning to the lap of a parent, not as
though I were climbing to conquer an adversary.”
Introduction:
Everest. The world’s tallest mountain. Earth’s highest point. The pinnacle of climbing and the summit that everyone wants a selfie on. Well, we thought we’d skip all of that glory and do the attainable thing – ascend to Base Camp and turn back from there. Easy. How wrong we were!
Following last year’s trek in the Annapurna region where we ascended to (5416m) which is higher than the altitude at Base Camp, we figured this would be a straight forward adventure. While Firuza busied herself preparing a new and improved packing list (see below photo), Shri mentioned to anyone that would listen that we were heading to Everest – conveniently missing out the part about only trekking to Base Camp and failing to clarify that the summit was not accessible in October, or that we’re not advanced enough for that sort of ascent (yet).
Link to last year’s packing list: https://limitlesstravellers.com/annapurna-circuit-nepal/
Meanwhile, we added one new character trekker to this trip and subsequently to this blog to keep things fresh and entertaining. Meet Kimaya (photo below) – Shri’s younger sister who made it her mission to venture beyond the point their father made it on the same trek in the late 90s. Or was it the early 2000s? We don’t remember the exact date, but this will be a good opportunity to see if he really does read these blogs…
Anyway, he doesn’t remember how far he made it, so Kimaya and Shri decided that they’d have to make it all the way to Base Camp in order to ensure with certainty that they’d surpassed him.
On the 26th September 2024 we touched down in Kathmandu, and headed to the Maya Boutique Hotel as we had the previous year. Going with the same tour company provided a degree of comfort, knowing exactly what to expect from a service perspective and with the memory of how things had gone smoothly the previous year.
As was the case the previous year, our bags were thoroughly checked to make sure we had the right gear for the trek (tip – try to avoid placing any private/sensitive items with your trekking gear when you first pack to avoid any awkwardness when they check your things). After that, we exchanged some local currency directly at the hotel and went out to purchase some toilet paper (you will need this in the mountains).
We left our travel bags in a separate room in the hotel and packed all of our trekking gear into the duffel bags that had been provided for the trip. Between the 3 of us, we were supposed to have a maximum of 25kg for our porter to carry.
Our adventure was about to begin. Little did we know that mother nature had other ideas…
27 Sep 2024: The First Attempt
Last year we had a guide called Deepak who had been great with our Annapurna trek, so naturally we asked if he’d be guiding us on this one. It turned out, he was unavailable, but the company managed to find a creative solution to this – a different guide, but at least he was also called Dipak!
He met us at the hotel and together, we set off to Kathmandu domestic airport before 6am in order to catch our 8am flight to Lukla airport, which is where you need to go to start the trek. But when we got to Kathmandu airport, there were a number of cancellations and delays due to bad weather and poor visibility. Our flight time had moved from 8am to 9am. It then moved to 10am.
Now, we will go into a lot more anecdotal detail later in the blog about Lukla airport (commonly known as Tenzing-Hillary airport) and the challenges with getting there and getting out of there, but for now, here’s some basic information about it:
1. Reputation: Lukla is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world.
2. Geographic Location: Lukla is surrounded by steep mountains and deep valleys.
3. Short Runway: The runway is very short which limits the types of aircraft that can land.
4. Inclined Runway: The runway slopes uphill for landings and downhill for take-offs, requiring precision from pilots.
5. Altitude Challenges: The high altitude reduces engine performance and limits aircraft cargo capacity.
6. Unpredictable Weather: Rapid changes in weather, including fog, strong wind, and rain, frequently disrupt flights.
7. Lack of Modern Navigation: The airport relies on visual flight rules, meaning pilots must rely on clear visibility to operate.
8. Proximity to Terrain: The airport is flanked by a steep cliff at one end and a rock wall at the other, leaving no room for error.
9. Limited Flight Times: Flights are typically scheduled only in the morning when weather conditions are more stable.
10. Frequent Cancellations: Weather-related delays and cancellations are common, stranding travellers for days.
11. Crowded Airspace: During peak trekking seasons, high traffic at the airport can lead to long delays and congestion.
12. Access Alternatives: Reaching Lukla by land requires a multi-day trek, making the airport the fastest, but most perilous option.
So, as you can see, it’s not the easiest place to rock up to, and we ended up having to retreat back to the hotel before midday following the eventual flight cancellation. The company had advised us to plan some buffer days in for this trek which Firuza had accounted for in her meticulous planning. However, we had expected these buffer days to come at the back end rather than Day 1.
Nevertheless, we’d try again the next day.
28-29 Sep 2024: Trapped
We didn’t even make it to the airport the next day. The bad weather continued and our rescheduled flight was cancelled.
For the next 2 days we were confined to Kathmandu where we explored the city that was still experiencing late monsoon rain. Having gotten our shoes, socks and trousers soaked on the first outing, we quickly learnt to copy the locals and wear shorts with flip flops seeing as our flesh is more waterproof than any clothing (no matter what it’s label says).
Most of our time was spent walking and trying out local restaurants. Below is a list of the ones we went to in the Thamel area (Note all of the below restaurants had good Vegan and Gluten-free options available):
· Places restaurant – A relaxed vegan/vegetarian restaurant, where you can take your shoes off and sit at the low tables with ambient background music
· Masala Beads – A new modern rooftop café, with plenty of drinks to choose from during happy hour
· 4Stories – Another new modern café with comfy low seating and amazing pancakes (known as the Fluffy Cloud Cake- see below photo)
· French Creperie – Another place for great sweet and savoury pancakes (as you can tell Firuza loves her breakfast), though note that this place is more an indoor-outdoor place, with a roof, but no walls, so just keep this in mind if you go when it’s raining (see below photo of Shri)
· French Bakery – A cute little café with plenty of great food options, with even an Aussie twist (they have vegemite on the menu!)
By the evening of 29th September, we were running out of time to do the trek. Speaking with our tour company, we were told that there would be an option to go via helicopter if the planes still weren’t flying the next day. However, for the three of us, this would cost an additional $1,000 (about $330 per person) in total. The alternative was to do a different trek in the Manaslu region, far away from Lukla and Everest which would mean no domestic flight was required. In the end we decided that we would try to fly the next day via plane. If that didn’t work, we’d take a helicopter. If we didn’t fly on the day, then we’d go to Manaslu instead and forget about Everest for this trip at the risk of not being able to get back in time for our return international flight.
30 Sep 2024: Escape from Kathmandu
We arrived at Kathmandu airport to find it jam-packed. Tourists and locals had crammed themselves in, many sitting on the floor as they waited for flights that had been delayed and were increasingly likely to be cancelled the longer we waited. It didn’t take us long to make the decision to go for option 2 – the helicopter.
We migrated from the main waiting area, through security and into another section of the airport where it was significantly less busy. Dipak spoke to our tour company to arrange helicopter for the same day. Apparently, this could take a while, but he seemed confident we’d get a flight out at some point that same day. We ended up playing cards and invited Dipak to join us but he told us he might get in trouble with the airport staff – it was apparently frowned upon in the airport where they may perceive us to be gambling. Even if we weren’t. Nevertheless, we continued enjoying committing our crime to pass the time as we waited for an update. Eventually, Dipak rushed over to us and informed us that we’d have to take 2 separate helicopters between us and that one person would need to go. Right now!
After a momentary glance at each other, Kimaya’s eyes widened and Firuza shouted out that “I don’t want to go by myself.’ Shri eventually volunteered. Dipak assured us that the rest of the group would likely fly within the hour but it was difficult to get space for all 4 of us on the same helicopter.
So, with that assurance, Shri grabbed one of the duffel bags and his day pack and boarded a helicopter leaving the other 2 with Dipak. After a partly-cloudy journey that obscured what could have otherwise been some sublime views, he finally touched down in Lukla.
Now Dipak had said that our porter would meet Shri when he landed. But, when he disembarked and said goodbye to his fellow riders, Shri realized, he didn’t know the name of the porter or what he looked like. As he exited the helipad area, a number of porters who were sitting on a wall outside ventured forward to ask if he needed their assistance. He tried to explain that he was waiting for someone and when he asked if they worked for our tour company they all said ‘Yes.’ In fact, that was their response to everything he asked.
Shri sat on the wall waiting for either the right porter to show up, or for the helicopter bringing the others to arrive. After about half an hour, the porter did eventually turn up and take Shri to the hotel; North Face Resort where he could more comfortably wait for the group to arrive. Here he took in the atmosphere of the tea house and the excited anticipation of all the trekkers gathered around, ready to begin their epic journeys. He managed to connect to the Wi-Fi which didn’t really work, and perused some of the books available in the dining hall which included ‘Optional Mathematics Manual.’
By 2pm, clouds had begun to swarm across the area and Shri heard murmurs of no more flights arriving that day. It dawned on him that the others may not make it. It was at this point that it became apparent that he had taken Kimaya’s duffel bag with all her clothes instead of the one he and Firuza were sharing. Added to that, his phone charger was in Firuza’s day pack. Great! But at least he did still have the bag with all the snacks.
Luckily for him, an Australian couple adopted him for the night and showed him a local café with semi-functioning Wi-Fi which allowed him to get in touch with the others and the tour company and make a plan B. The others confirmed they’d make another attempt the next day, but for now he’d be on his own.
Meanwhile, back in Kathmandu, Firuza and Kimaya had waited all day for a helicopter that never came, even though they had been practically ready to board. Such is the sensitivity with weather regarding Lukla that this is not an uncommon occurrence. They left the airport, Dipak struggling to carry the duffel bag through the throng of waiting passengers as they walked back through the main waiting area which had somehow become even busier despite the lack of flights.
A decision was made that evening. If they couldn’t get to Lukla by the next day, then Shri would have to return to Kathmandu and they would attempt Manaslu instead.
Lessons learnt:
· Question your guide when something doesn’t seem or feel right
· Don’t make split second decisions when put under pressure. Think them through
· Never split up with your group when heading to Lukla – you don’t know how long that separation will last!
· Keep your own bag with you!
· Split snacks equally amongst all of you or at least keep snacks that were for you
· Always keep your own phone charger!
01 Oct 2024: Day 1: Lukla to Manjo – Escape from Kathmandu Part 2
Start point: Lukla (2840m)
End point: Manjo (2835m)
Time Hiking: 5.5hrs hiking (3hrs in the morning and 2.5hrs in the afternoon)
Shri stirred as the morning air traffic buzzed outside his window around 6:30am. After an almost sleepless night, without knowing what would happen today, he really didn’t know what he’d do if they couldn’t make it on time. While the Aussies had been good company, it was a lonely night after they’d retired for the evening. If they didn’t show up, he might actually have to consider reading the Optional Mathematics Manual…
In any case, he snoozed, aiming to go up for breakfast at the time they were scheduled to land.
*
Meanwhile Firuza and Kimaya finally boarded the helicopter, much to their surprise. They were joined by two passengers from India while Dipak also accompanied them. One of the passengers explained that he had trained as a pilot and began providing a multitude of helicopter facts. Bizarrely, he then asked if he could sit in the front as this was his dream…
As the flight progressed, the actual pilot pointed out the view of Mt Everest in the distance, telling them this was one of the best views you can get. A few snaps were taken before they eventually landed to be greeted by the porter who was introduced as Ram.
The gang reunited in the restaurant of the house in rather dramatic fashion that to anyone observing, would it would probably have seemed as if we hadn’t seen each other in years. Words cannot describe the relief that was felt by each of us we laughed and hugged and high-fived. But if there was a winner for who’s face exuded the most relief, it was certainly Dipak (although to be fair to him, it was the airline that had rushed him into making the decision the previous day)!
Anyway, our trek finally began, and after Dipak secured the permits, we started our journey from Lukla, accompanied occasionally by a stray dog we nicknamed ‘Churro.’ The aim was to get to Manjo via Phakding where we stopped for lunch. The lunch place (Sherpa Guide Lodge) had the comfiest outdoor chairs that we could have lounged on forever and completely spoilt us by the time we needed to restart the trek.
As we continued we passed monkeys, mules carrying supplies and saw a variety of waterfalls. The tea house (Mount Kailash Lodge) at Manjo was small but the rooms were nice (especially when you compare them to some of those in the higher camps) and they even offered free showers.
So, we had finally begun our trip and were able to sleep easy that night, knowing that we’d made a start on our mission. If any of us had any concerns about the return trip from Lukla to Kathmandu, we put them aside for time being, ready to embrace nature and enjoy the much anticipated trek.
02 Oct 2024: Day 2: Manjo to Namche Bazar – Separation Anxiety
Start point: Manjo (2835m)
End point: Namche Bazar (3440m)
Time Hiking: 6hrs hiking (4.5hrs in the morning and 1.5hrs in the afternoon around Namche)
To wake up away from Kathmandu and Lukla was a treat in itself. This day felt like the real first day of the trek and we were rewarded with views of majestic waterfalls and even a first glimpse of Everest, albeit with on obscured view through the trees. Some of the challenges included crossing bridges high above fast moving water while accommodating oncoming mules and jopa (a cross between a yak and a cow – in this region referred to as Jopa, but also known as Dzo) and dealing with the altitude. The journey to Namche does involve some steep uphill climbs and with this being the first day over 3000m, one needs to pace themselves and not try to go too fast lest they run out of breath.
Approaching Namche, there was a checkpoint which Dipak had to stop at to sort the permits out. He suggested we go ahead and that he’d catch us up, with the intention of meeting at the next fork. We continued hiking up, some of Namche’s buildings on the outskirts visible as we ascended. Then came the big debate: had we in fact gone past the so-called fork in the path? While one of us thought that wasn’t a real fork, the others were adamant that must have been the fork, supported by the fact that Dipak was still nowhere in sight.
We trudged back down to the arguable fork in the road, noticing that not many people were passing us anymore (tourists or porters). Eventually we decided it was best to continue on the other path and that Dipak must have gone that way as he surely couldn’t still be at the checkpoint.
Hopefully, we’d eventually run into him or he’d come back this way. Following the group separation on the helicopters, this second separation in matter of a few days did nothing to help our angst, especially considering we weren’t sure which tea house we were supposed to be staying in and that we didn’t have phone data for Nepal.
But at the last moment, Dipak was spotted, his red cap giving him away as he emerged all the way back from the direction of the checkpoint. That right – the checkpoint had taken nearly an hour to sort the permits, much to Dipak’s bewilderment (apparently this is becoming a growing problem and permit wait times are taking longer and longer these days).
We finally arrived in Namche mid-afternoon. Namche is like an oasis – a town high in the mountains with bustling markets, museums, and a host of amenities which you wouldn’t normally expect to find at such an altitude. It has a long history as a trading post where Tibetan and Nepalese merchants used to exchange goods.
We checked into hotel Khangri to leave our backpacks and have lunch (note that from this point onwards you need to pay to use the shower), before heading out to the Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Center. While the centre offered a lot of interesting information about the Everest region and the impact of climate change, it was the words of Tenzing Norgay (first know person to ascend to Everest’s summit) after conquering the summit of Everest that stayed with us:
“It has been a long road… From the time I was a boy, the mountains had been in my blood. To me, Everest was a mother; she was kind and she could be stern, but she was not an enemy. I always felt as though I were returning to the lap of a parent, not as though I were climbing to conquer an adversary.”
03 Oct 2024: Day 3: Namche Bazar to Tengboche – The Sleeping Monk
Start point: Namche Bazar (3440m)
End point: Tengboche (3820m)
Time Hiking: 5.5hrs hiking (3hrs in the morning and 2.5hrs in the afternoon)
We set off early the next day after paying for our bottled water. As with last year, meals and tea were included in the price of the trek but bottled water has to be bought separately. As mentioned in a previous blog you can bring water purification tablets (as Firuza and Kimaya did) or if you want to be extra safe you can buy bottled water (as Shri did since he didn’t trust his stomach with anything else). Though the price of bottled water increases the higher up you ascend, starting at 100 NPR in Lukla and increasing to 500 NPR per 1L bottle in Gorak Shep.
We saw some pheasants that morning and passed a number of tourists as we wandered into heavy mists which obscured most of our views. At lunch, a local delicacy was included on the menu: ‘Vag Curry’ which only one of us ended up ordering, while the others opted for the staple of Dhal Bhatt. To clarify, we think the curry was just a typo. We hope…
We arrived in the afternoon at Tengboche after a downpour which forced us all into our waterproofs and ponchos during the afternoon ascent. We got checked into our rooms at a tea house called Tashi Delek Lodge and Restaurant. While we had our own rooms, from this point, toilets were shared with other guests. Funnily enough, this place also had sliding bolt locks outside the bedroom doors, so we had to help a poor Austrian woman escape from her room after someone inadvertently locked her in from the outside. Or had it perhaps been intentional…?
After a brief rest and getting changed, we went out to visit the Monastery next door to the tea house where the monks were blowing a conch horn to indicate the upcoming prayer. Here we were blessed by a monk (well, we received a blessing from one) and sat in to watch a prayer conducted entirely in the Tibetan language. Halfway through, one of the younger monks started to fall asleep and was reprimanded by some of the older looking ones while the rest of the youngsters laughed. Of course, for all the tourists observing, the Sleeping Monk quickly became the main point of focus.
The tea house had a bakery within it so once we got back we ordered a few treats (including a lovely banana bread- unfortunately for Firuza this wasn’t gluten-free, but she had bought her own biscuits and snacks with her) and managed to connect to the Wi-Fi (still free at this point).
The rooms at this tea house didn’t have charging sockets, but the dining area did (often the way it is at the higher camps). As such, everyone was charging up their devices during dinner, courtesy of the provided extension lead. Shri periodically checked the charge on his phone and was horrified to find out that some cheeky bugger kept taking the charge cable out of his phone and plugging it in to theirs. He replaced it and watched with beady eyes for the culprit to return but it seemed they had decided to keep a lower profile from that point.
After dinner, Dipak taught us how to play a Nepalese card game called ‘Dumble’ which, much to his frustration, we all beat him at on the first night. This game would carry us through the remainder of the trip, our go-to activity in evenings and a source of great entertainment.
04 Oct 2024: Day 4: Tengboche to Dingboche – The Warrior’s Apprentice
Start point: Tengboche (3820m)
End point: Dingboche (4410m)
Time Hiking: 5hrs hiking (3hrs in the morning and 2hrs in the afternoon)
The next morning, we awoke to breath-taking views of snow-capped peaks, which included Everest. With the sun shining, Mount Everest in the backdrop, and the prospect of a pleasant hike to come, Kimaya decided to challenge Shri to a duel. A hiking pole duel! Now what she didn’t realize was that in last Year’s Annapurna trek, Shri had been schooled on the art of pole fighting by Deepak. Check out the videos below to see how they fared in the ‘Sibling Skirmish’ and to see the original footage of Deepak’s warrior abilities from last year.
We spent a good portion of this day trekking and trying to keep clear of a large group of Brits who from this point would follow us all the way to our final destination. Luckily, because they were such a large group, their pit stops along the way lasted longer than ours so we managed to put some daylight between us.
While we had a pleasant journey this day, we were now ascending above the treeline and the terrain became rockier from this day onwards. One point of note is that we stumbled across a wild yak after lunch who was so taken by surprise at our intrusion on his privacy that he decided to defecate right in our path. Talk about scaring the crap out of him! In any case, we were grateful to have already had lunch.
We finally got to Dingboche (our tea house was the Mountain Paradise Lodge and Restaurant) where Wi-Fi was no longer free and where one had to flush toilets with water in a bucket. We settled in for the night for another game of cards and a bit of Rummikub (you’ll have to Google what this is but it was our next most popular past time on the trip after Dumble). The next day would be a rest day, that would involve a short acclimatization hike before returning back to the tea house for lunch.
