1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #377 - Everest Base Camp @ 5364m, Day8

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #377

- Lobuche to Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp @ 5364m, Day8

 

(On Day8 and after a gruelling 10-hrs of almost non-stop trekking via Gorak Shep village, we reached Everest Base Camp, the world's highest base camp! It took everything out of us - at one point with 40minutes left to reach EBC, we were asking ourselves if we should continue. The gloom of the day, with cold wind, rain and then snow beating down on us and the failing daylight, we were seriously on the brink of calling it a day. Just look at the moon-like landscape we had to traverse - see video. But we summoned up enough strength to make it to the EBC 'summit' - surely, the most physically and mentally challenging thing we have ever done. But what a most fulfilling adventure it had been! Everest Base Camp - been there, done it, post-chemo, post-cancer. Just so, so happy - and proud of myself!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #376 - Dingboche to Lobuche @ 4940m, Day7

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #376

- Dingboche to Lobuche @ 4940m, Day7 

  

(Golf at 4940m? The golf ball would fly 300m! The trek to Lobuche was pleasant enough, with cute stone-huts built for Hobbits. But when the rain started and the wind began to blow stronger, it became a real challenge trying to reach Lobuche. We are now so high our breathing was much harder, taking 3 or 4 puffs for every 2 or 3 steps. The body tells you very quickly that you do not have enough oxygen - unlike the yaks here with bigger lungs. Just look at that turquoise blue morning sky painted around the mountains here over Lobuche..)

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #375 - Dingboche climb to Nangkartshang, Day6

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #375

- Dingboche climb to Nangkartshang, Day6 

 

 

(Dingboche was our 2nd and last rest day, giving us another chance to get used to this high altitude. Our climb to Nangkartshang gomba was eventful, with the 7am morning sun casting a strange light all over us, with all 3 mountains, Ama Dablam, Kangtega and Thamserku surrounding us. The timelapse videos of Dingboche the evening before - see below - were stunning. A hillside monastery gave us memories of Tiger's Nest in Bhutan. But the fuss in setting up our hot shower at this lodge takes the cake, in terms of novelty. It can only be here where water is dumped into a drum high above this small hut for gravity to pull it down to the water heater below - and all at 46C, hot enough to burn our skin!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #374 - Tengboche to Dingboche @ 4360m, Day5

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #374

- Tengboche to Dingboche @ 4360m, Day5 

(The beautiful Ama Dablam @ 6856m greeted us on this gorgeous morning, as we head to Dingboche.  The ring of clouds below it made it seemed like a giant "Mother-with-necklace', with broad shoulders peering down at us. It was simply inspiring, and made for a happy start to our trek. Just watch the awesome video below - as if Ama Dablam is feeding the huge rapids just 100m below. All too soon, fatigue set in. And with our bladder filling up rather quickly over this 8hr-trek, we took our first toilet break in the open mountainside, and again before reaching Dingboche, like a wolf marking its territory. We had to remind ourselves that we have reached this active settlement of 100-odd people, already higher than Mt Kinabalu!)