I found a photo today of the Base Camp Hotel on the Tibet side of Mount Everest. Check out the image below posted on Webshots by davishongkong. I didn’t realise there was this kind of thing on the Tibet side of Everest.
The last picture I saw of Tibet’s Everest Base Camp, it was all tin shacks and rubble. I have to confess that I have a blind spot for the Northern side of Everest, tending just to think about the South Face side of things. I should remember that Mallory is still up there on the Tibet side, and that Sir Ranulph tried (unsuccessfully) to climb it a few years back.
But I’m wondering if my bias is unjustified. This image of Tibet just doesn’t have the romance I associate with the Everest Base Camp. Politics aside, which looks like the better experience to you: the paved road with a 4×4 and a hotel, or the culmination of Everest Base Camp Trek on the Nepal side with the tents, the rugged carpet of the Khumbu glacier, and the satisfaction of arriving there by foot?
Here’s a photo I think makes my point, an image of Everest Base Camp by ilkerender on Creative Commons.
But perhaps I can find a few better pics of the Tibet approach. I’ll get back to you on that.
Sweating and tired, we heaved our belongings off the roof of the bus and schlepped to the boarder to meet the tour company. We had our passports and visas checked both at the Indian side, and over the road in Nepal. It was surreal walking from one country to the next, momentarily crossing ‘no man’s land’.
We piled on to the next coach and headed off to Kathmandu. We were given pale yellow, silk scarves called dhauni with Tibetan good luck symbols and writing, and were told that it’s the Nepali custom to hand these out whenever there was a special occasion i.e. a wedding/birthday or in our case, a trek to Everest Base Camp.
We soon found out that the journey was over seven hours long. I had never smelt so bad or felt so disgusting before. We hadn’t washed for nearly three days, had been literally sweating solidly the entire time, wearing the same clothes, covered in dust and dirt, sleep deprived and very hungry! But ironically, because everyone was in the same boat it didn’t matter – we saw it as training for the trek!
When we finally reached Kathmandu at 4am we walked down to the hotel and we were met by a magnificent sight too good to be true. The hotel was beautiful, with wooden carvings on the walls and ceiling and gold leaf along the pillars. It was like a dream! Within 10 minutes we had our room keys and could finally get some sleep.
We found out later on that flying from Delhi to Kathmandu takes just 2 hours! – two members of our group who had been unable to get Indian visas had done this and were bragging about their good fortune in comparison to ours. However, I would not have changed our journey from India to Nepal. The experience was tough but so rewarding, and it made everything in Nepal so much sweeter.
Gala Bingo Employees are raising money for the Sue Ryder charity with their trek to Everest Base Camp. They should be setting off today from Lukla, and when they get to the other end they aim to play Bingo on Mount Everest. Shameless publicity stunt? Perhaps, but they’re still putting the effort in for a good cause.
Arriving at Everest Base Camp tomorrow is a charity expedition aiming to raise money for
the support of people with severe learning disablities by cooking.
Yes, that wasn’t a mis-type: a chef is currently moving along the Everest Base Camp Trek
armed with the ingredients of a meal she intends to prepare for her team at an altitude of
5,360 metres, with a glacier below and the mighty Everest towering above.
Sounds like the perfect setting for a breakfast, and were not talking about milk & cereal;
the trekking chef aims to make a posh salmon and caviar breakfast on the mountain.
Suddenly I’m feeling hungry.
We went to Delhi train station to catch a train to Gorakhpur. We were
told to keep watch of our belongings as anything hanging loose from any pocket would be pinched. In the station, chains were being sold along the platform as it is not uncommon for bags to ‘wonder off’ while you’re sleeping.
The station was crazy. The platform was rammed full off people and the stench of human waste was pungent. The train was 2 hours delayed, and when it came we all squeezed on, trying to find our seats. The train was packed, so much so that people were lying on the floor and in the doorways. It said on the side of the train that our coach would be air conditioned, but what that really meant was that there were three fans strapped to the ceiling of the compartments wafting the hot air and stench around the train. The journey was overnight, and was meant to last 11 hours. Therefore, the seats of the train folded down in to 3 tiered bunk beds. It was a very uncomfortable journey, not only because all my bags were on the bed with me, leaving me very little room to sleep, but also because a number of men were staring intensely at the girls in our group.
Here are some more photos of our visits in Delhi to the Childreach-related projects. I’m really glad that we got to see this in the run up to our Everest base camp trek.
Day 2 of my Everest Base Camp Trekadventure began with a much needed lie-in before we went to breakfast at the Smile Foundation’s office – the partner charity in Delhi. We had spicy crackers, biscuits and a MacDonald’s veggie burger … interesting! We were then given a briefing about their partnership with Childreach and the projects they have in India.
Then we went to visit two of the projects. The first was a college where the students could learn beauty therapy, English and basic computer skills. The students attend sessions which last for 6 months, 6 days a week. The students couldn’t speak much English and when they spoke to us they were quite shy, but they all wanted us to write our names out for them on paper.
We went to a shopping mall briefly before going to the next project and I was again surprised to see that in the toilets there was a shower hose connected to the wall to use in place of loo roll!
The next project was in a slum and I was shocked at some of the conditions the people were living in - flies and bugs were all over the food which was being prepared in the streets.
With the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen approaching, campaigners hope to tackle the problem of increased glacial melting in the South Asia region. The general degradation of mountain landscapes threatens to jeopardise the future of experiences like Everest trekking and Bhutan tours in the region.
A specialist with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Pradeep K. Mool, tells how “a majority of the glaciers are reported to be shrinking in mass at low and mid-altitudes in the Himalayan region, but only a few of them are being scientifically monitored.”
Worrying stuff to say the least. Hopefully they’ll get something done in Copenhagen because the Kyoto Agreement runs out in 2012 and we’re missing targets.
A team of climbers from Malta are breaking national records in the Khumbu. They are currently undertaking altitude training on the mighty Cho Oyu, the sixth highest of the world’s peaks, ahead of their planned 2010 summit bid of Everest. Advanced base camp at 5700 metres is their current position, as they head up the mountain and back down again, pushing their limit each time.
On Friday they reached 6400 metres. Their aim is to achieve the highest altitude that a Maltese climber has ever reached, beyond 8000 metres, hence the name of their expedition: Challenge8000. Of course, the peak of Mount Everest awaits at a mighty 8848 metres.
Readers of our blog should note that I’ve made a few changes to my last what-to-drink-on-the-trek post, dated August 23rd.
Regulations concerning the use of iodine are changing from the 1st October this year from which time you will no longer be able to buy iodine tablets for water purification. Chlorine-based products will be available instead. Please read about more about it in the relevant Everest Expertssection.
There was an interesting question recently asked by Jez in the comments to Rosanna’s “kit list for the everest base camp trek” post. I thought I would reply to it thoroughly and post the answer for all to see. Jez asked about how many iodine tablets he would need for the Everest Base Camp Trek, and how much water he can expect to get through.
If you are trekking with a responsible local crew and leader you may well find that you don’t need to treat your drinking water as they should ensure that all water you drink in the tea houses is boiled for a sufficient length of time. However, it is a good idea to take additional precautions to be to be absolutely certain of avoiding waterborne bacteria and viruses. It is also a useful to have a supply of purification tablets handy for the occasions where you want to top up your water bottle from an untreated source.
Generally, your water bottle/s will be filled each night with boiled water and this will cool overnight and become your main source of drinking water for the next day. It is up to you whether you carry one large bottle or two smaller ones or even use a water pouch instead. Metal water bottles do have the added advantage of doubling up as hot water bottles overnight which can be very welcome! How many tablets you need to take with you will therefore primarily depend on the size of your bottle/s, the length of the Everest trekking route and the make of tablets or drops you are using (read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully). Please note that from 1st of October iodine-based tablets and drops will no longer be available and you should look to use chlorine dioxide products instead.
It is very important to remain hydrated whilst on an Everest trek so don’t ration your water intake and take full advantage of the seemingly endless flasks of black tea (or instant coffee) that are available at every tea house stop along the route. You are likely to drink as much tea as you do water.
Other general advice we give regarding food and drink is:
• Do not drink tap water or use it to brush your teeth.
• If there are jugs of water in your hotel room, we advise you to purify this.
• Avoid ice cubes, milk and ice cream.
• If possible, wipe your plate and cutlery with a paper napkin.
• Carry a small bottle of anti bacterial hand gel.
• Do not buy cold food from street vendors - only eat in town if it is cooked in front of you.
• Eat only fruit that can be peeled.
Hope this is helpful, Jez - have a great trek in October.
I spotted a post about the “world’s highest photography” the other day. A photographic workshop is running
a programme for cameramen who want to shoot footage of the amazing Everest trekking environment.
The photographic trek culminates at Everest Base Camp, where the tour is timed so the participants can take
pictures of mountaineers descending from Mount Everest after a summit bid. Sounds dramatic.
Hopefully our own trekking photographer, Rosanna, will get some of her amazing Everest trek pics sorted soon, so we can show them to you. It could take a while: she took hundreds! Watch this space.
Last night, I went out for an ‘authentic’ Indian meal with my family to prepare and get in the mood for the journey ahead. I had just one hour’s sleep before the taxi came to take me to the airport (at 2.30am!)…so, I arrived at the terminal exhausted and met the rest of the Everest trekking group there.
It was pretty weird everyone all getting together for the first time – a lot of us hadn’t ever met each other before. I spent a fair while talking to one of the guys, Andy, who runs the Leeds Student Television Channel. He had decided to make a documentary of the Everest Base Camp trip for the LSTC channel and Childreach! Pretty cool.
The flight was delayed so we sat in the departure lounge getting to know each other, but we were all so knackered we could barely hold any conversations.
The flight was not direct – we went via Paris. The flight on the way to Paris (once we got started) was quick and I slept the whole way with the aid of my velvet, padded, lavender-smelling eye mask – I fully recommend one!
The connection to the plane for Delhi was smooth on the whole even though the first plane was delayed – Pardeep managed to leave his passport on the plane to Paris, but fortunately he got it back in time for the next plane! Read more about >>> Day 1: Flying to the Trek
This is an interesting post I read on healthline.com that is relevant to all outdoor pursuits. What the experienced doctor lays out puts an emphasis on preparation and responsibility.
Paul Auerbach, M.D.
In wilderness medicine, as well as medicine in general, prevention is the name of the game. No healer likes to see anyone suffer. I’ve often thought about creating a standard list of admonitions for outdoor enthusiasts in order for them to best avoid accidents, injuries, and illnesses. I believe that if these rules were followed, we’d all happily practice less wilderness medicine:
The Outdoor Adventurer’s Pledge
1. I will maintain optimal physical and mental health.
2. I will prepare for all outdoor activities by dressing properly,
anticipating likely risks, and carrying proper equipment for first aid. 3. I will break in new boots and shoes before I use them for hiking or climbing. 4. I will carry protective clothing to be used in bad weather.
5. If appropriate, I will be prepared for an unexpected night outdoors.
6. I will seek advice or assistance if I become ill or injured.
7. I will let someone know where I am going and when I expect to return.
8. I will not drink alcohol or use recreational drugs.
9. I will not participate in or tolerate risky horseplay in potentially dangerous situations.
10. I will use proper safety equipment, such as a helmet or life jacket, whenever possible.
11. I will obey all posted warning signs.
12. I will wash and disinfect my hands before eating.
13. I will drink lots of fluids and stay well hydrated. I will disinfect my drinking water and properly prepare all food.
14. I will not closely approach or otherwise provoke wild animals.
Whilst we are waiting for Rosanna’s story to resume, it’s a good time to tap into the resource of the Everest Experts.
I’m gonna post the second installment of the advice Rosanna received from Kirsty at Mountain Kingdoms. Kirsty is an expert on the Everest Base Camp Trek, so it meant alot to Rosanna to speak to her as part of her preparations.
Your general health when trekking is your responsibility so I think it’s important that you help yourself by physically preparing for your Everest Base Camp trek.
Make sure you are taking regular exercise before you leave, which should include both some general fitness and plenty of walking. Not only will the additional muscle strength help reduce your levels of fatigue but you will also enjoy your trek more.
I would also strongly advise using trekking poles to help reduce the impact on your knee joints – you should try them out before your trek to make sure you are comfortable using them.
If you have any pre-existing medical conditions visit your doctor before you leave and make sure you carry any medications you need with you, including antibiotics. It is also a good idea to carry some painkillers – the ones you would normally use at home – as well as some cough sweets and rehydration sachets. You should make sure your trek leader is aware of any conditions you have and medicines you are taking before you set out on your trek.
Rosanna will be back soon, having completed the Everest Base Camp Trek. She sent me her kit list a few days before her departure. It reads like equipment for an adventure -
I hope it did the trick.
Hi.
This is a video I found showing what we can expect Rosanna and David to be seeing and doing between Day 8 and Day 10 of the Everest Base Camp trek.
This video was posted on Youtube by wwwcelticvideocom. I quite like the narrator’s accent.
After a week, Rosanna and David and all the others on the Childreach trek will be well on their way now. Everest Base Camp Trek routes. The latter stages show the Kala Pattar variation of the Everest trek where you climb to the summit of the neighbouring mountain to overlook Everest base camp. I just posted this video really to give a sense of Kathmandu and the first few days of what Rosanna and David will be seeing.
Here is a video I found showing the opening locations on one of the
Thanks tojustindav1sfor putting this up on Youtube.
that Sir Ranulph tried (unsuccessfully) to climb it a few years back.
Other general advice we give regarding food and drink is:
plenty of walking. Not only will the additional muscle strength help reduce your levels of fatigue but you will also enjoy your trek more.
