EBC Journal: Day 15, Kathmandu, 2221 hours, 1300 meters

Over the last 36 hours I have had a medical check for the knee done, I know I could be starting Annapurna a week later, that I am in Nepal (Kathmandu) for an additional week and that I have no real plan but there is a lot to do. 

I’ve been to the doctor / physiotherapist today – seems like recovery will be good and i can potentially plan for an 8th May exit from Kathmandu for Annapurna. The knee seems good for recovery if I can practice the exercises and keep on a good routine that keeps it away from any danger of further damage. The tour operator is happy to arrange the delay in departure and hopefully we will have a great view of the mountains. Everyone tells me the Annapurna circuit is prettier, the food better, the weather pleasantly warmer and people nicer. I cannot wait to explore.

It has been an indulgent phase of the holiday. Late nights, drinks, music and sightseeing. While in some sense the body needs to recover from the sheer exhaustion of the trek I am not sure if these party elements have aided the recovery for the cold, fever and the knee. I always have a problem letting my hair down though (!) so I think the parties are good for me!

I should also make a list of things to do in Kathmandu, sort logistics and put up pictures from the trek.

It is also interesting how medical insurance works. I’d never have thought of it if Interpid had not insisted upon it but its now something that is potentially a saviour for my continued trek to Annapurna. 

Tomorrow is going to be a day of saying goodbyes to everyone except Josh and a lot of sorting of logistics. Meanwhile there is some more art on the journal to share!

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EBC Journal: Day 13, Cheplung, 1117 hours, 2685 meters

On our way down to Lukla. Short 3.5 hour trek. Crossing kids going to school, trekkers going up to BC and taking in the village life with a little more peace. Should build a cottage here.

1453 hours, Lukla, 2610 meters

End of trekking for EBC. Nice lunch. Sunny rooms right next to the short Lukla airstrip. Big ledge to dry clothes on. Lost my beloved water bottle. Arrgh. Cannot process. Feel like just sitting and thinking... Sitting at the Starbucks (world's highest Starbucks?*). Just like the world over they have horrible watery coffee. Waste of money. Need to call the DA and arrange a doc’s visit. Torn about Annapurna. Seems like we’re hitting the bar again tonight – ambivalent but want to hang out with the group as much as possible. I'll miss them. 

Note: Day 14, 29th April 2011 was our descent via the teeny airplane from Lukla to Kathmandu. I ended up doing a lot of errands but some pictures will tell a good tale. The night was special with our chulo meal together – I think I even racked up a review on Lonely Planet for the place – a definite first (I had always wondered to date who was free enough to write food reviews – now we know!) 

* I learnt only later that it might not be an original Starbucks franchise but just a store with Starbucks coffee

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Pune - time for an encore!

I return to Pune, where I started my career to make what could be my biggest career switch yet. To make it even more special as Tarini, my sister, pointed out "Come to think of it such a stroke of luck to have begun our 'away from home stints' in the same city and round the same time :)" As she completes one semester at business school it rings true.

There is a memory around every corner where I kicked off and lived solo for the first time. I sit typing in a mall where I remember escaping to meet Tarini for lunch / coffee when I had a killer days at work, the coffee place I brought my girlfriend to is around the bend, so is the place where she stayed... I remember getting happy at T Oaks and trying to find a auto back home late at night. Midnight trips to the railway station to find bun maska, drinking milk from the packet because it was so tasty, great paan...

Things do change though. We came in to Pune via a long route that I did not recognize. There is a LOT of construction happening, the malls are busier, the offices bigger and the cars more in number. Dorabjee's is now a three story supermarket that sells apples as good as the ones anywhere in the world, its probably amongst the best supermarkets I've seen in India. Delhi certainly does not come close - or maybe I don't shop in Delhi for groceries!
I realized in the weeks I am here I will need to snack so I picked up some healthy stuff that Ma or a fitness coach might admire. I might also be a flavored yogurt convert a la Vineet Jawa.

I have been packed away in my room for today rushing to finish my pre training work but the beauty of this place is hard to escape as the photos from the phone should attest. Of course, after Verma Type Instt in Assam earlier this year I found Varma studio in Pune. We're taking over the country I tell you...

I came into the city pensive and wary. Pune has always seemed a little hostile and disturbed my peace slightly. I think it is also because its a place where I have professionally encountered a lot of uncertainties. Even today, I'm hesitant of my switch and I'm sure that's affecting my thoughts. However, I still sense that arrogance in the local paanwala, police chap and auto guy. I don't know when they'll learn to be cheerier or politer or just more relaxed. My charming smile and positive demeanour never rubs off. I don't get it. I am determined though to see the better side of this fast growing, increasingly cheerful and very cosmopolitan town.

But yes, I am still the only one out here in shorts. No one else. No guys at least. And they still give me like a once over, as if I'm nuts. Somethings do not change...

Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

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EBC Journal: Day 12, 1.5 hours away from Namche, 1129 hours

High suspension bridge spot.

Walking reverse downhill facing upwards. Relieves the pressure on the knee. And helps keeps the sights in sight for a longer second!

Beautiful day. Raced ahead of the gang with the downhill strategy and got some time to myself. Started the morning with a yoga class with Stina. Breakfast not until 8 so got a quiet cappuccino at the Everest bakery and did a quick 10 min of essential email. Had to inform Intrepid and home about the knee and possible next steps. Picked up a pair of yak bells. One for Nani – she wanted a souvenir from this area and one for the room for use as a windchime. Will go well with the flags up there.

There was an astonishingly clear view of Everest on the way down from Namche Bazaar. Better than BC / KP too. Makes me smile and wonder... I can see more of the gang starting to appear at the rest stop. More soon.

2133 hours, Phakding, 2810 meters

3 beers and a glass of wine down. Happy Birthday Kate! Very tired. It is also the effect of low altitude I think. Wishing I could sleep since 1900 hours. Gorgeous trail through the day from Namche – Monjo – Phakding. Remember the stops from the way up, the places we took pictures and some of the suspension bridges. Used the earphones most of the way down to cut out thoughts about the knee. Effective. 

Last day of walking tomorrow for this leg of the trip. And a fresh round of people taking turns to draw in the journal... :)

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EBC Journal: Day 11, Namche Bazar, 2328 hours, 3400 meters

Rum & coke night. Out with the gang post dinner and a well deserved shower. Knee pretty shot. Excruciating day. Grimaced through most of it – cannot think I would have been good company for anyone. It rained for a fair bit too. Added to the gloomy feeling and my worry about the upcoming Annapurna leg. Over compensating with the right leg has meant that I have a slight shin splint and prone to cramping on the thigh and legs. 

Am reminded this trip is meant to be contemplative – just cannot seem to get around to it. Getting through a new experience with a gang of 11 interesting people is demanding in a good way. Its tough to stay aloof. I need to set the knee straight to enjoy the experience I believe. Doing yoga in the morning with Stina to try and set it back on track. 

Turning in and glad to have emailed home earlier this evening. Could not get through to her but Happy Birthday Sheila Aunty – wish you happy travels all through the year and beyond!

The Tengboche monastery was nice and the walk around it great. After that the descent took us through a rhododendron forest – quite pretty. 

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EBC Journal: Day 10, Orsho, 1825 hours, 4100 meters

9 hours of walking. 400 metres sheer ascent and another 1400 lost steadily over 7 hours. Hard to believe its all in a single day’s work. 

We climbed to Kalapathar today. As someone said, you tell the world you went to Everest Base Camp but you climb Kalapathar for yourself. Steep 2 hour climb in the morning snow. Hard on the poor knee and rough on the exposed lips. Great views of distant Ama Dablam, Mera Peak & Thamserku. Pumori and Lingtran looked like you could touch them if you reached out. Brilliant massif right behind KP too. Everest remained shy – I don’t think I have great pictures of the mountain anyway. 

Without meaning any offence, Everest is the rich fat boy in the room who gets the babes but view wise I think I need to do better to see the mountain properly and feel like it is truly higher than the surrounding peaks! 

Killer day coming back down from Kalapathar. The knee threw a fit after the Kalapathar climb. And fever and a bad throat kicked in for added comfort (the bug has been travelling in the group). So much so that pretty much after we spent an hour out of Gorakshep on the way down it seemed like a torture. I had to stop off on the way to adjust the knee to the pain – admire the group for stopping off with me. However, coming down having done EBC and KP makes it worthwhile and the quiet air of resilience within the team makes it so special. 

Since the knee and fever keep me preoccupied I am going to switch to bullets to capture specific thoughts

• Seeing the Khumbu icefall was brilliant. Every-time you look at the blue ice you wonder what the glaciers hide and the stories in time they can tell
• The most beautiful mountains are not necessarily the tallest ones only. Thamserku dominates the Everest trek for a long time. Lingtran has an impressive if unusual feature like a giant snow slide (this seems replicated in part on the peak of Dhaulagiri), Ama Dablam (double humped) is oft cited as one of the prettiest mountains in the world. 
• While mountain land beyond the treeline is starkly beautiful crossing from one stage to the other is special – both leaving and re-entering the treeline
• EBC and KP were good to do but the journey, the bonding with the group, the mountain sights, getting a tan in the sun, squinting at the clear skies, learning about the ITB count for much more. 

Finally, I got a chance to really talk to a portion of the seven member Indian team that was trekking to Everest BC as well. Neha and Amrish live in HK and surprise surprise – they know about the ITB inflammation with Neha’s ITB bothering her a little too. Not the best conversation starter but well, the last 45 minutes walk to Orsho ranged from ITB, Teach for India and work back home. It was pleasant to have a conversation where someone understood your references and you could slip into Hindi if you needed to / felt like it. 

Thats all I can process as of now... Excited we visit the 150 year old Tengboche monastery tomorrow. 

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EBC Journal: Day 9, Lobuche, 0527 hours, 4820 meters

I don’t think I have ever been as warm as I was last night. Slept decently well. Even with a blanket of snow on the ground outside - it’s all white. Big day. All packed and set to go. Just need to chlorinate my water. PS – I am missing 10k Nepalese, bigger things to worry about though. 

 

1024 hours, Gorakshep, 5035 meters

 

I miss Dad. This place is a dream come true, right out of the movies and TV. Blue glaciers, the Khumbu glacier, Nuptse calling out to you as if you could reach out and touch it, Pumori and Lingtran in the near distance. You need to be here to see it. The camera will never capture the moment when it hits you that this is it – you can see Base Camp in the distance if you squint very hard. (very clear atmosphere here, could be over 3 km as the crow flies maybe).

 

The trail is tough, esp so on a bad knee. The head a little numb with the altitude, shoes a little wet but it does not seem to matter at all – the place blows you away. There was a huge rainbow over Nuptse for a while and then Lingtran is like a giant snow slide from the Nepal side. Pumori had a surreal mist over it the entire while we saw it. And you cannot take your ice off the blue ice in the glacier. Quick bite and then I am off to BC. Swap notes soon.

 

1820 hours, Gorakshep, dinner time

 

Adrenalin keeps you going. Dog tired. Maybe too tired to write and process information. Long day. We made EBC but it snowed all the way back and a little on the way in. I was always warm but I am completely drained from walking almost 11 hours today. The snow made the 210 minute walk back from base camp quite dreary. The sights in the ice were fantastic but I think I was just shuffling along in the snow to get home. I wish it were sunnier like in the morning. I wanted more moments to savour and think of Dad back and my Nana. At the same time we were lucky we made EBC. We were one of the last groups to do so and I know a group who failed to make it. 

 

The morning start was fantastic when we realized it was indeed Easter Sunday some 45 minutes into the walk. Big hugs all around. Missed Helen as she dropped out – its never good when the prettiest woman in the group cannot make it for a photo finish.

 

I know I am skipping topics yet I hear Indian accents around the room. I met the Indian gang from Kathmandu airport on the way back from EBC today. There is an Indian flag up in the lodge too. There is also one of the University of Chicago. Reminded of Dan, Sam and Kaberi. I know I will be more coherent tomorrow. Dinner right now. Dead on my feet is a good phrase to purloin. 2 ibuprofens in the system means that the headache is gone. Feels good.

 

2008 hours, in the sleeping bag and in bed

 

Seem to have gotten back some of my wit. Its a longer day tomorrow with a 0345 am start for Kalapathar. Dinner might have helped put EBC in perspective. All of us struggled in our own way up the hill but made it we did. As we kick off earlier to attempt Kalapathar I realize how much of a team effort it is going to be. Today was a great learning experience walking on a windy snowy trail with treacherous balance at times. It was like doing the moraine from the basic course but in a snow blizzard. I have swapped out my sunglasses for the new ones since I think the others were giving me a headache. Changed into a fresh beanie and have stowed away the camelbak tube into the insulated cover so that the water in the tube end does not freeze. Layered up aptly in bed and added a chocolate bar to the bag for the Kalapathar top. 

 

Hoping the knees hold up for the long day tomorrow. We have an intense 3 hour climb pre 7 am and then a 5.5 hour hike down to lunch and then a little after that. Have applied balm to the knees and stretched. Time to hit the sack.

 

PS – only warm water in the bed to prevent over heating like last night

PPS – need to call Tarini soon

PPPS – never been so mentally and physically tired. Needed a pep talk from Nimah – the knee has been bothering me a fair bit. Best was putting a head on Andrea’s shoulder as she went at her puzzle book. Hoping tomorrow is a clear day to make it worth our while trudging up to KP. Its snowed since 1300 and it should be clear for a while at least

PPPPS – first time I am sleeping with my camera batteries. Cant they make them more sleep-with-the-body friendly?!

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Day 8, Lobuche, 1355 hours, 4820 meters

Brilliant walking day, steep vertical ascents, crossed Lobuche peak in proximity, first snowfield, solemn moments while crossing the Everest memorial area, spotted an eagle... its snowing outside and I am almost too tired to write.

We began the day very early with a quick steep 50 meter ascent to the hill right behind out lodge. Afterward it was a gradual two hour walk on a wide plain with brilliant views of Thamserku and other mountains flanking us to the left and in the distance behind us. Enough chopper flights abound for some great pictures and calls to Denise to take some too! 

The flat section ended with mushroom soup at Thukla. After that we had a draining steep few hundred meters at least till the Everest memorial zone which was a solemn place to be. Post this we walked through a long-ish stretch of the moraine and ridge just before the glacier that surround Lobuche peak to make our way into Lobuche village. The lodge is brilliantly cosy around the dining hall. But the temperature is dropping as its snowing heavily outside. Thankfully this also means that the afternoon stroll has been canned and we can stay ensconced in our cosy dining area.

1610 hours

There is atleast a few inches of standing snow outside. I am sitting here with Josh, Nigel and Andrea (she’s tied to her puzzle book) as we all stare into the distance / contemplate the journey today. We’re up to trek to Everest Base Camp tomorrow and anticipation is in the air. Since we crossed the treeline its been a little desolate for scenic beauty and the mountains truly seem harsher. And...  my reverie is interrupted by people taking turns to draw in my book. The initiative is led by Andrea who’s drawn Mr Potato Head...

I just happened to speak to another Andrea from Austria who is trekking her 14 year old son and husband, who incidentally biked to Khardungla pass some 15 years ago. Sweet. I’d like to be able to do this trek as a family someday though I wonder if I’ll be this fit at 45. Me and my peg leg ;)

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