EBC Trek Day 4...

WHOO HOO! I was so worried that I was a horrible trekker after my difficulties yesterday. But, it turns out that I just need to take more breaks than Srin. The trek from Namche was easier than our "rest day"-that's for sure. We trekked up for 0.5 hour and then laterally for about 1.5 hours and then DOWNHILL for 1.5 hours to our lunch spot. Then, we climbed about 2 hours upwards to Tengboche.

The path was mostly good, though we did encounter patches of ice and snow and some mud. Thank goodness for my trekking pole!!! The only bad thing was the mixed reviews we received from trekkers on their way back from EBC. Some said: "It is so !&@^#&#* cold. It is -40 deg C and I got horrible altitude sickness...". Some said: "Nah...it is cold but the weather is not so bad. You can do it. The temp is closer to -15 eg C." Believe it or not, we breathed a sigh of relief. I felt encouraged. Though, I am, of course, not naive enough to think I can EASILY handle that temperature. But, at least I am not ready to give up so early.

My favorite part of the day was the moment we arrived. Not because it was the end of my climb for the night (though, that does take second place) but because of the view. We immediately took it in with our eyes, desparately willing our memories to capture the sight like a digital camera. Nuptse, Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Kantega, Tamserku, and Kongde surrounded us. The sun's warmth made me bring my book outside, and Srin and I enjoyed the life. And enjoy it we should since I am positive tomorrow and the days forward will bring bitter cold that my Texas body has never experienced.

We finished the day off by visiting a Buddhist Monestary, eating dinner, and playing cards as usual. I leave you with one final thought. Climbers often remark that with a "nice" sleeping bag and a blanket, the cold is not so bad. I am here to tell you that they are, in fact, wrong. Don't forget that, Hiroumi.

Our daily stats:

Start Location: Namche Bazaar

Time Started: 8:42 AM

Altitude: 3440m

Destination: Tengboche

Time Reached: 3:35 PM

Final Altitude: 3900m

Total Distance: 11.5km

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Tengboche, Nepal

EBC Trek Day 3...

Today was our acclimatization day so we took a side trip around the area. Now, call me crazy but why would you climb on a day where you are "acclimating"? Apparently climbers do a "climb high, sleep low" method. Thus, the so-called "rest day" is not really resting by any stretch of the imagination.

Suffice it to say Srin is a better climber than yours truly. Although I feel as though I can do practically anything (the strongest trait I feel would make me a good astronaut candidate...not that I am biased), on this day, I was certain I should turn back. I mean...climbing just is not worth it if it is not towards your destination. Right? Alas, though, neither Srin nor our guide (Govinda) would let me give up. Govinda's advice was so sound: If something happens later, then at least you can say you saw Mt Everest. Whoa...this whole climbing on my "rest day" leads me to a view of Everest? All of a sudden I had the shakti of 10,000 elephants.

And it was, in the end, worth it. The view was phenomenal. Mostly clear skies, beautiful sunny weather, and Himalayan beauty. We saw Everest rising to the top of the world, accompanied by her fellow peaks Nuptse and Lohtse.

Our plan was to continue climbing to the Edmund Hillary school and hospital, but it was really up to me (the dead weight). I decided we should head back as it was already close to lunch and who knew what the path would be like. Turns out that my pansiness was a wise decision. At one point, I thought Srin looked like Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet. I mean, I have never trekked through snow thanks to my Texas upbringing. Worse, though, was the mud and muck formed from melted snow. Not pleasant but adventurous.

We arrived back to the Buddha Lodge, took our first shower (and last if you ask me). It was surprisingly warm but horribly cold once the water was turned off. We shall assume that my hair will go two weeks without a wash.

We ended the day with a quick walk through the Tibetan and Local markets. I managed to purchase a North Fake jacket thanks to the Tibetans. And from the advice of Govinda, I got myself a trekking pole from the local market. I take it he observed my horrible trekking-in-ice-and-mud skills.

Before I leave you, I will be honest-the climb dwindled my confidence and I sleep concerned if I will make it forward. We'll see!

Our daily stats:

Start Location: Namche Bazaar

Time Started: 8:45 AM

Altitude: 3440m

Destination: Everest View Hotel

Time Reached: 12:00

Final Altitude: 3900m

Total Distance: 2km each way

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Namche Bazaar, Nepal

EBC Trek Day 2...

Today was definitely much more difficult. We climbed to 3440m where the village of Namche Bazaar has become home for an acclimatization day. That is, we must get used to the "thinner air" of higher altitude before continuuing upwards. This prevents what they call altitude sickness, which can manifest if the form of headaches, nausea, dizziness, and in extreme cases, death. The only cure is to descend, and the most common cause is climbing too high too fast. So tonight and tomorrow, we stay put! We will hike in the area to see the Edmund Hillary school and hospital. You do know who he is right? Shame on you if not! He is the first person to climb Everest, way back in the 1953. He returned to the West (he was a New Zealander on a British Expedition) and collected donations to go back to Nepal and establish these facilities.

As for the trek today, it started off well. A great breakfast from the See You Lodge in Phakding put us on our way. The first four hours were relatively easy, minus the ice patches through which we slipped n' trekked. Thank goodness for the good human nature of trekkers in making sure I made it through the ice! The second two hours were our uphill climb...or rather up-mountain climb. They were...ummm...not easy. But, not terrible either.

Feeling good now, we just finished playing cards, trying to warm up, and eating dinner. I have started my new novel: The Immigrant by Manju Kapur. And that's it for tonight.

I leave you with one last thought: can altitude affect eloquence? I sure think so...

Our daily stats:

Start Location: Phakding

Time Started: 8:30 AM

Altitude: 2600m

Destination: Namche Bazaar

Time Reached: 3:45 PM

Final Altitude: 3440m

Total Distance: 12km

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Namche Bazaar, Nepal

EBC Trek Day 1...

We trekked from Lukla to Phakding, which was a pretty easy three hours down 230 meters. I know-confusing since our goal is to go UP! But remember it is a mountainous region here in the dreamy Himalayas so you can go up and down depending on your path. For reference, Kathmandu is ~1300m, Lukla is 2840, and Phakding is 2610m. We will climb to EBC at 5364m but to a maximum height at Kala Pathar at 5555m (where the view of Everest is spectacular).

We saw so many "hills" and mountains, the distinguishing feature of which is apparently a cutoff height of 6000m. The first so-called mountain was called Numri and next to it was Kongde Ri. A few kilometers later was Kusum Khangkaru (6367m), which is composed of four distinct peaks.

We arrived in Phakding around noon where we stopped in a quaint, not-very-fancy-looking guest house. We were served daal bhat and thakari (saac), and it totally fit the bill. Warmth and flavor. Combined with my hot lemon tea, day 1 was a great start!

Thereafter, we spent the evening playing cards and learned a Nepalese game called Dhumal. Why? Well, because we decided to trek in the Himalayas in February-March, and it was of course snowing all afternoon. Beautiful though. As our guide told the company manager, "If they don't mind it being a bit more adventurous, of course we can do the trek." So here we are cold but inspired. The best part? We have almost the entire path practically to ourselves. It's so quaint-just as I feel something so majestic should be. I am SO glad I didn't come in peak season.

Our daily stats:

Start Location: Lukla

Time Started: 9:15 AM

Altitude: 2860m

Destination: Phakding

Time Reached: 12:15

Final Altitude: 2600 m

Total Distance: 8km

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Phakding, Nepal

You are my...

Everest.

Literally.

We just took flight to begin our journey in finding the base of Mount Everest, the top of the world per se. That is after we initially departed and turned around when I convinced the pilot we had to return so I could blog! Or maybe it was the clouds in Lukla. Who knows.

This journey began in my imagination in 2003 and has finally become a reality due a long life lesson learned. I can still remember when I initially heard of Everest Base Camp. I was a first year graduate student, sitting at a friend's Uncle's house. This Uncle is amazing-he has often climbed Everest-WITHOUT oxygen! And he often prepared trips for young ones to make this journey to the base of the top of the world. I can picture the conversation as if it were yesterday. My friend and I had arrived to visit, her cousin was having a snack (cucumbers to be exact!), and Auntie was brewing tea. The greatest dog ever (after Shorty and Dax, of course) was at my feet, in huggable form. Uncle arrived and the conceivable part of this once-unimaginable journey began to form in my pea-sized brain. I said to him, "Uncle, you must plan a trip for all of our friends." He said, "Of course. We plan to." I replied, "Please tell me about it. I will be 100% certain to join. No matter at all the cost." A promise all around the table later, I was certain I would make this trek among great friends. Little did I know that God would ensure I would make this trek with someone even more special-my brand new husband. Four years later after that conversation, the trip was being planned, but I would only learn this much after-the-fact. For a while, I was sure I would never make my wildly imagined picture a reality. I am unsure why I was so intimidated to plan it on my own, but I was. It was from this experience that I learned to never trust your dreams to anyone but yourself. And, with the powerhouse of the mind (and the internet), anything is possible.

Before that moment in Uncle's house, seeing Everest was something in textbooks for me. I never thought I would be on my way. And here I am. Once and for all. Thus, you will be subjected to every moment, documented despite inevitable mountainous-induced energy drainage.

Yay!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Kathmandu, Nepal

Discovering Your Roots

I am Mamta's guest blogger. As we leave India, I wanted to talk about the main theme of this trip to the "motherland": Family

Growing up as Indian Americans in the States, we hear from our parents about how close families in India are... like the Corleno family in the Godfather (except we don't make people "sleep with the fishes"). We are certainly close with our immediate family and we are somewhat close with our cousins and aunts/uncles that have also settled in the US, but America is a big country and seeing each other periodically is very different than growing up together.

I've been fortunate to have visted India seven previous times, and each time my bro and I were treated as rock stars. Couldn't ask for better aunts, uncles, and cousins. And although we don't have the type of relationship as if we had grown up together, you can see the respect and love runs deep as they talk about how "Naga uncle or Mali did this for me back in..." So on this trip, with my parents, I wanted to see where my father's lineage started (Channapatna) and see my grandparents' houses, which I somewhat remembered from my childhood.

And this didn't happen to just me in Bangalore. In Gujarat, we visited countless of Mamta's family, extended family, old friends of her parents, etc. And that same sentiment came out over and over. In Mamta's case, it was even stronger since she hadn't been to India in 25 years. So strong that it made her cousins and aunties instantly cry at seeing her. Spending those days visiting gaams where her parents grew up, sharing meals with family, and catching up on the last 20+ years was priceless to Mamta.

And so this was the main point of our India visit: discovering our roots and learning about your significant others roots. Because we weren't just born in the US; there is a long fascinating story of how we got here. And there is something to be said about never forgetting where you came from.

And I'm out.

S

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:India

Hot Wheels Dad...