Photos Uploaded!

Have gotten about half of my photos up in my Picasa site.  You can use the link in the upper right corner to go to my page. I promise to work on loading the rest of them in the next day or so.

Jeff has also been busy and has uploaded quite a few photos himself.  I think he is up to day four of the trek, so there should be lots more coming.  There is a link for his photo site right below the one for mine.  Go and check it out!

Finally! An update!

Well now that a month has past since we arrived back home, I finally decided to sit down and finish out the recounting the trip.

The plane ride home turned out to be a bummer, for me at least.  I did fine for the first leg, but during the flight from Hong Kong to SFO I became sick.  First off, we were put in the very last row of the airplane and on top of that, we were in the middle aisle.  Jeff at least had an aisle seat, while I was stuck in the center of the middle of the very last row.  To add to the fun, I became ill on the flight.  At first I thought it was just air sickness because the flight was a bit bouncy, but I never get air sick, plus it was a bit different in terms of symptoms.  Long story short, I had a case of Guardia that had decided to kick in on our journey homeward.  Lucky me!  However I was able to survive the ride home and meet my family at the airport on Saturday morning 10am local time.  Jeff and I were both tired, but really happy to be back in the Bay Area.  It seems that everyone's first reaction when meeting us coming out of customs was a bit shock at the weight we had both lost.  Combined with our facial hair that had been growing for the last three weeks, we looked a bit different from when we had last seen them.  Speaking of Jeff,   I thank my lucky stars that I had him with me, as he is the perfect person to do something like this with. I don't know that we ever had a harsh word between us during the entire trip.  Not bad for three week together in close quarters!  Now if he would just get more of his pictures posted....

On the subject of weight loss, it appears that both Jeff and I each lost around 20 lbs each.  I think the strenuous exercise we got from all our hiking in both the heat and cold, combined with our vegetarian diet really did the trick for us.  I got lots of comments about how skinny I was when I returned to work that week.  Thanks to the Guardia, I probably continued to lose a little weight even after returning home.

A number of people have asked what I thought the highlights of my trip were.  Was it seeing Everest, or something else?  I keep going over all the things we experienced and don't know if I can point to any one thing that I really value over the others, but there were some highlights.  One was coming outside the building in Gokyo at 4am and seeing the stars lit up as there were at 15,500 feet.  There was no moon or clouds or any light pollution to mar the view and the stars were beyond description.  They were so bright and you could see the Milky Way like it was through a telescope.  I was just blown away by it.  Then, just a few short hours later, I am standing atop Gokyo Ri at 18k feet and looking at Mount Everest.  That was also an incredible experience and the difficult and demanding climb up to that point only added to the moment.  I was hungry, tired and sore and beyond thrilled! 

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the first week hiking while on the Jiri trek.  There were almost no tourist and we really got to experience a piece of Nepal that many people simply fly over on their way to Everest Base Camp or Gokyo.  I have been telling everyone that I thought that once you get above Lukla, pretty much everything is geared towards serving the tourist.  That is why everyone is there, because of us.  Below Lukla, it is a different story.  This is were people live and work.  Tourists are part of the overall picture, but it's a much smaller factor in everyday life.  If you want to see Nepal and experience it like the people who live there do, then you need to walk among them like you get to with the Jiri trek.  Most of them seemed very poor, but they were kind and hospitable even though the iPod I was listening to could probably feed them for a month.  I really do value the time we got to spend among the people and have developed a real appreciation for the them.  Even though it was probably the most difficult part of the trek physically, I am really happy we decided to start from Jiri and would recommend it to anyone wishing to trek Nepal.  Just don't forget to prepare yourself physically before you go!

So after having ample time to digest my trip and reflect on what it meant to me, I still think it was one of the best experiences I have ever had and I so grateful that we were able to pull it off.  It was certainly different from what I expected, but I think that was part of what made it such a memorable trip.  I worked much harder than I thought I would and the scenery coming from Jiri to Lukla was completely different from I thought we would be seeing, but like I said above, it only added to the experience.  Nepal is a beautiful country and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have the privilege to visit it, but I think I have satisfied whatever it was that kept pulling me towards it.  On to other destinations for my next adventure!

Safe and secure back at home

Jeff and I have made it home and are resting after a long trip. I will provide a rundown when I feel better. All for now, Scott

Back in Hong Kong

After a brief 4 hour flight,we have arrived back in Hong Kong. We will be here for about 8 and a half hours before starting our final leg homeward.

Good-Bye Nepal, you've been great!

We are packed up and are getting ready to leave for the airport in just a few short hours.  A car is coming to pick us up at Raj's house.

We spent the day shopping and touring temples and such.  The Monkey temple was true to it's name as there must have been hundreds, if not thousands of monkeys.  They ran free all over the place and they would let you walk very close to them.  I got some great pictures as did Jeff.

I've said it many times in the last few posts, but we are very excited to be heading home.  Jeff and I are basically waiting for the time to leave as everything is ready to go.  Raj's wife is going to fix us one last meal as they won't seem to let us go hungry, even if we don't really want to eat.  The hospitality has been over the top and it may take us a bit of time to learn to fend for ourselves once again.

The weather here is still shirt sleeve temperature and we are walking around in our bear feet and dining out on the patio.  Not sure what we will get in Hong Kong, but we are not leaving the airport, so not really relevant for us.  San Francisco is supposed to be calling for rain by the time we arrive, so perhaps a nice wet welcome back to the bay area for us.

Anyhow, I will attempt to report our progress once we reach Hong Kong and then again when we make it home.  It has been a great adventure and I am hoping for a smooth trip back to reality.

Scott

Back in Kathmandu (and another mass update)

Alright, we are back at our guide Raj's house.  Hari is his brother and was our actual guide, but Raj owns the business.  

We are departing tomorrow night and should have access to an Internet connection for most of our travels, so I will make sure to provide updates as often as possible.  Here are the last few days of our hike as well as the trip up the hill to the top of Gokyo-Ri.  

11-07 (Gokyo – Luza)

Gokyo-Ri! Woke up this morning at around 4am and dressed for the hike up the peak. Walked out of the room and went outside and wow, the stars are so bright it was like they were electric. I have never seen them so bright, but I guess that what being at 15,500 does for you. The temps are freezing and it is tough to get out of bed. Everything is frozen, even my drinking water has frozen.

The walk up the hill was just as tough as I was fearing. It was pitch black when we started and we saw that there were other people already on the hill. We could see the headlamps of the hikers zig zagging up the hill. Our porters were supposed to have tea ready for us to take up the hill, but nobody could find them and we went up with Hari. After two tough hours, we finally saw the top of the hill where there were already a few people. The weather was perfect and visibility was pretty much unlimited. We stepped up to the top and in to the sun. There were prayer flags draped everywhere and a sign that told us the elevation (17,989 feet). The fog was working its way up the glacier far below us, but the Himalayan mountain range was unbelievable. Mount Everest ruled over everything else, but the other mountains were just as impressive. We took a ton of photo's, but the morning sun probably hurt the quality of them. The wind started blowing the fog up the hill as we departed back down towards Gokyo. As we descended, we ran in to dozens of people working their way to the top. The fog was coming up so quickly we were not sure what to tell them when they asked if it was clear on top. All we could say was it was nice when we left. It took us just about an hour to reach the bottom of the hill and we had a quick breakfast before departing for Luza.

The trip to Luza was cold and foggy. It even started snowing on us just a little. Once we arrived at the lodge we were tired and freezing (it seems we are always freezing), but the owner started a fire and we slowly started warming up. I had my socks washed and we put them up to dry next to the fire as we all huddled next to it. I finally gave up trying to stay warm and went to bed early so I could get in my sleeping bag. I went to sleep with my iPod on and drained the battery, so now I need to recharge it.

11-08 (Luza – Namche)

We woke up for the first time in quite a while where the sun was out. It was finally clear skies! Of course it was still freezing cold. We had our breakfast and headed towards Namche. The day was mostly sunning, though there were a few clouds blowing around. We marched in to Namche after about seven hours of walking and were tired and sore. We were able to take a warm shower which helped to ease our pains, and then had a nice meal to finish us off. All of us decided to have a beer and it was probably the best tasting beer I have had in some time. We also were able to connect to WiFi and send out some emails and update the blog. Emails from home are a double edge sword, where I am so happy to hear from them and to read what they are doing, but it also makes me miss them terribly.

Now that we are heading down the hill towards Lukla and our flight out, it has really fired up my desire to go home. My thoughts are almost entirely on my family at this point and I am counting every day until I arrive at the airport. Home sickness has kicked in big time!

11-09 (Namche – Lukla)

Big day today as we make the long march to Lukla. It normally takes at least two days to hike from Lukla to Namche, but going downhill (much of the way anyhow) makes it doable. We woke up and had our breakfast and I was able to make a quick phone call to speak with Kate and the kids. Of course this makes me want to go home even more than I already did. As promised, it was a long day backtracking over the same trails we took coming in. While there were some uphill climbs, we made good time and made it to Lukla around 4pm. Our lodge sits right at the end of the runway. As I write this entry, I am looking right down the centerline of the runway here. Four airplanes arrived and departed before it got too dark to continue and we watched them with many other people who lined up to see the action. We were trying to get an early flight out tomorrow, but the chances of that appear to be fading fast. It looks like we get to hang out an extra day here. While we all want to get back to Kathmandu, I think we are all good with a day of relaxing here watching the aircraft come and go. Arriving at Lukla officially ends the walking portion of our trek and we will be using modern forms of transportation from this point on.

Lukla is much larger than I thought it would be, and like other towns of decent size around here, it is also petty dirty. There are bars and shops all along the street and dirt and garbage are everywhere. Regardless of its condition, I am very happy to have made it here at last. It is one step closer to home. I also am really enjoying watching the aircraft here. It sure fires up the juices to go flying again. Then come in and land right on the numbers and quickly reverse their props and hit the brakes hard until they reach the end of the runway where they turn off. There is only enough room for about four airplanes on the ramp. A fifth airplane just landed and is unloading right on the end of the runway. We watched the unloading and reloading as everyone scrambled to work as quickly as possible. The right side engines remain running while all this happens. After about 15 minutes they are all ready to leave. When the airplanes position themselves at the end of the runway to prepare for departure, you are only 20 – 30 yards behind it watching from the fence. The smell of kerosene is thick and the prop wash blows dust right up at you. They throttle up, release the brakes and go careening down the sloping runway until right at the very end of the asphalt runway before pulling up hard and lifting off. There are four planes that have landed and unloaded their cargo and are all taking back off loaded with passengers. The takeoff procession is so rapid that you can still see the first aircraft climbing out when the fourth one is departing.

Still not sure what tomorrow's plan is, so I guess we will have to wait and see.

11-10 (Lukla – Kathmandu)

Well our guide has worked his magic and was able to book us a flight to Kathmandu a day earlier than planned. This was especially impressive when you count the fact that the airlines were still catching up from being grounded by weather for nine days. It turns out that the manager for the airline we were using, also owned the lodge we were staying at. On top of that, his mother (who really runs the place) acts as a agent herself. Just after breakfast we were watching the planes take-off (as does everyone in Lukla) when Hari come running up telling us to pack our bags, just in case. A little while after than, he yells at us to grab everything and run to the airport. The lodge Mom, is running and yelling at us to go, so we grabbed our stuff and jumped in to the crowds in the departure terminal with lodge mom leading the way. She yells at the people working behind the desk and they grab our bags to weigh them and then gives us boarding passes for the flight after the next. We run through security, still not exactly sure what we are doing or if we are really catching an early flight, but soon enough our airplane arrives and we are ushered outside and we all scramble to the aircraft. We wait while they unload cargo before being shoved on to the plane (all the time the right side engine is running) and grab a seat and buckle in. No more than a minute or two later we are moving on to the runway, and 30 seconds after than we are airborne. No safety briefing needed I guess.

So taking off from Lukla was as exciting as I would have hoped, though probably smoother than I would have guessed. We taxied up to the end of the runway where the pilots performed a very brief run-up, and then they punched it and we careened down the hill towards the end of the runway (and the end of the world as far as we were concerned) where we gently lifted off in to the wild blue yonder. The climb out and cruise to Kathmandu was uneventful, but we essentially followed our trekking path back to town. I saw a number of places from the air where we had just trekked through. We landed at the airport back in Kathmandu and found a taxi to take us back to Raj's house. Once here, we had a beer and had a chance to clean up before dinner. The rest of the night was spent relaxing and catching up on emails and the like.

11-11 (Kathmandu)

When we arrived at Raj's house last night, there was chanting being played over a loud speaker from a temple not far away. Raj told us it had been going on for several days and they were supposed to shut it down after 10pm, but I can tell you now that it played all night long. As I type this update it continues on and on. Thankfully it has become mostly background noise at this point, but it would be nice to have some quiet.

Today was spend touring Kathmandu and the surrounding area. We explored some very cool temples and other historic spots. I took lots of pictures, which I will be posting once we get to a place with a more consistent Internet connection. There are a ton of photos and I will also need some time to go through them. We are now back at Raj's house and are relaxing before we have dinner. Raj is treating us like royalty and we are very grateful for his hospitality. He is leading our tour of Kathmandu as part of the price for the trek. It's all included.

I have to mention the traffic here in Kathmandu. If you have ever been driven around a busy city in a developing country, you probably have some idea of what we are seeing, but I don't know if anyplace can compete with the chaos that we are going through. I have seen some crazy driving in my time, but here everyone jumps in to the fray. Big trucks, buses, cars, tractors, motorcycles animals and people all share space on the roads. Not only are they all out on the road, but they seem intent on killing either themselves or others. There is such a crush of people, animals and different forms of automotive transportation, that you would never expect to reach your destination intact. People walk right in front of speeding traffic without even appearing to look. Our driver deftly swerves and weaves through all this like a maniac while somehow managing to avoid hitting anything. Motorcycles weave in and out like little kamikazes looking for a target. And I should probably mention that motorcycles are super popular here. They probably outnumber all other forms of transportation combined. Everyone is honking their horns like madmen, but it seems like they depend on them to alert other drives and pedestrians to their presence. I don't think they use it in anger like we do in the states. It is just a normal part of driving here, if you can call their driving normal that is.

Tomorrow is the famous Monkey temple, then after that we start preparing for our late night departure to Hong Kong. We are schedule to depart Kathmandu at 11:30 tomorrow and arrive in Hong Kong somewhere around 5am Saturday morning. We have a bit of a layover until 2:30 local before boarding our flight to SFO. Due to our crossing the International Date Line once again, we actually arrive at 10am on the same day we departed Hong Kong. In fact we arrive about four hours before we departed. Nice little trick, though I would imagine that we will be too tired to care much at that point.

Now than we have an Internet connection once again, I will try to update the blog once a day to let everyone know where we are and what were up to.   

Mass update #2

So here is another mass update.  I did not have time to include the trip up to Gokyo Ri at 18,000, but we did it.  The views were incredible and Everest was there for all to see.  It was a really difficult two hour hike up to the top on the hill and we started at just after 4am to make it in time for sunrise.  

We are now back in Namche and hope to catch a flight to Kathmandu on Wen or Thurs.  The weather has been terrible and the flights were all canceled for the last 9 days or so, but the weather has cleared and we hope to catch a plane soon.  Everything is still on schedule.  My knee is fine and I have been walking normally, but I have been carful to not aggravate it.  We all feel great and are getting very homesick at this point.  My only thoughts at this point are seeing my family at the airport when I get back to SFO.  

Once I am back in Kathmandu, I will have a better Internet connection and will catch up with the emails and finish my daily updates.  

That's all for now!

Scott

11-02 (Monju – Namche) Ending elevation:

Woke up early this morning and noticed it was clear out, but within the hour the fog rolled up the valley and we saw no more. Another morning of no flights in to Lukla. My appetite continues to improve and I had eggs and a huge pancake for breakfast thing morning. Today is the day we finally made it to the crossroads of the Everst region. We started out heading up the river and crossed over several times before coming to a high suspension bridge that marked the beginning of our climb. Hari had told us that he thought it would take close to four hours to get to Namche, but we started climbing the steep hill, picking out way through the massive crowds of trekkers coming down towards Lukla and we just keep going. I don't know if we stopped for more than a couple of minutes at any one time. Usually the only time we did slow down was to let a Yak train pass by us. Yaks tend to be road hogs and it is prudent to get out of their way before they push you right off the side of the mountain. Finally around 11am, we came to the check-point in Namche. We had our permits checked and went in to town. Namche Bazaar is tough to describe, but it is like an old west trading post. The streets are very narrow and dirty with animals, people and trash everywhere. Shops line the street, and you can find almost anything you need here. We passed through the heart of the town and climbed up to our lodge near the top and checked in. The lodge is pretty large compared to the ones we have been staying in and it had Internet.

After lunch we descended back down in to town and I purchased a down jacket and a daypack to carry my things in. My knee is getting stronger everyday, but I won't carry another heavy load for the rest of this trip, so I needed a bag for my water and other supplies I need during the day. Just as we were thinking of heading back up to the hotel we heard people shouting and yelling and I look up to see a Yak coming down the street in a full run. The streets of Namche are only about 8-10 feet wide, so when being charged by a Yak, it is a good idea to run. Fortunately the Yak turned off in to a side yard and the herder was able to get it back up where it belonged. Turns out this type of Yak encounter is as common as rude drivers are in San Francisco, and we ended up dodging several more Yaks before calling it a day. I was able to connect to the Internet for a short period of time to update my blog and read and respond to a few emails. The computer was very popular as everyone wanted to communicate with their friends and family, so I did what I could with the time I had.

While its great to reach Namche, it is a dirty little town and very crowded, so I will be happy to move on tomorrow.

11-03 (Namche Bazaar – Khumjung) Ending elevation: 3790m

Kept waking up last night, but feel pretty rested. The bed was nice and we each had a thick blanket to protect us from the cold. The dining areas are always headed, but the rooms are cold as ice. We usually spend our evenings in the dining area sitting around the stove trying to stay warm. When we are not eating, we can read, talk or just hang out. People come and go and it is fun to strike up conversations with the other trekkers. I expected to see more Americans over hear, but they have really been few and far between. Mostly you see Europeans and Asians such as the Japanese. Most everyone speaks at least some english so we can at least hold a basic conversation without too much trouble. Almost every conversation starts with the question of wether your going up the hill or back down it. The next one typically asked is when did you fly in (to Lukla)? People are usually surprised to hear we walked in from Jiri, since a overwhelming percentage of people fly in.

Today was a very easy day as we had only about a three hour walk to our next destination. We have to be very careful with gaining too much altitude too quickly, or we risk getting sick, so our schedule is based on altitude gained and not distance traveled. After leaving Namche, we made a brief climb up the hill to a museum. It had some exhibits on the history of the area and a few displays, but was pretty basic. After that, we headed straight up the hill to the Everest View Lodge. This is a very nice place built by a Japanese owner and it was one of the nicer buildings I have seen since I have been here. Unfortunately once again the fog has decided to spoil any views we might have had. The fog and low clouds have been a constant companion the last several days and we are getting tired of their company. Anyhow after spending a few minutes admiring the building, we headed back down for a very short walk to our lodge. This is the first lodge that is like a motel, where the rooms are outside. The owners are very friendly and the husband has even summited Everest. We got settled and had some lunch before heading out to explore the town a bit. Khumjng is similar in size to Namche, but is much more residential. It is much cleaner here and it feels much more comfortable to me. We are also now at the elevation where wood has become scarce and the people burn Yak dung in their stoves. Everywhere you look there are dung patties drying on the stone walls. They look like giant chocolate chip cookies clinging to the walls like an abalone. Lucky for us they don't seem to smell, and they appear to burn really well in the stove. We also visited a Buddhist monastery and a school that Sir Edmond Hillary had founded. My knee feels fine, as does the rest of me, and I am very excited to continue on up to Gokyo.

Now if we can just get the weather to cooperate!

11-05 (Khumjung – Luza) Ending elevation: 14,101ft

Hard day hiking today. First though, we woke up to the same weather we have had for the last six days. Hari called down to his friend in Lukla and there are very few flights if any getting out or in. People are forced to wait in Lukla for the airport to open as well as down in Kathmandu. The only way in or out is by walking (through Jiri) or helicopter, and neither are great options for people constrained by money and time. The upshot for us is that the lodges are almost empty and we pretty much have the places to ourselves.

Today we started out with a nice downhill walk, but then took this short-cut that went almost straight up the mountain. It was actually fun, but a little tiring due to the altitude. Essentially we did a climb, then a decent, and then a full on climb again before leveling out for the last section that took us to Luza. We are now over 14,000ft, which is the same as having us sit on the summit of Mount Shasta. Tomorrow we go higher still as we reach our destination of Gokyo. The last part of the trek today had us on the side of the hill far above the glacial river below. Shrouded in fog and walking apart from each other, it was very relaxing and peaceful. Aside from being tired and cold, it was a great walk. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the fog being blown up the hill freezes once it hits something, so there is ice on the bushes and trees and even a little on us. My beard started freezing over at one point. The lodge was nice and heated when we arrived, but Tomoso told us he left his thermos back at the place we had lunch, so he and Dawa went back for it. They should be back in time for dinner as it was only going to take them about and hour and a half or so to make the round trip.

While they are gone, the rest of us are sitting around the stove (burning Yak dung) and eating Pringles and drinking tea. I also splurged and purchased a snickers bar. This is my first candy bar of the trip and I think I just went in to sugar overdrive. There is nothing as satisfying as junk food after several weeks of eating the same thing. Life is very good at the moment.

11-06 (Luza – Gokyo) Ending elevation: 15,500ft

Another day when I have woken up to fog outside. I believe that this makes seven days straight, but who's counting at this point. We were told last night that there were 1,800 trekkers waiting for a flight out of Lukla and that every room for miles was booked solid. Many more Napelie's were waiting as well. Well about a half an hour after getting up, the sun started poking through some of the overcast, and by the time we had our breakfast and started walking, it was mostly sunny. For the first time in days, we were warmed by the sun. The sun lasted long enough for us to grab some photos of the mountains and see some of area we had been walking in for the last week. Soon enough the fog and low clouds rolled in, but the sun continued to peek out every so often. We arrived in Gokyo for lunch and it was exactly as pictured. It is a small little village sitting on the edge of an alpine lake, and it is very scenic. We followed a Yak train in to town and once here, they unloaded the animals and simply let them roam free. When in my room organizing my things, one of them peeked in to my window to see what I was doing. I really like these Yaks. They are slightly smaller than a cow and have long hair. The face is cow like, but longer and more elegant. The sound they make is similar to a cow, but is much lower. They have large horns and are usually wearing bells and collars to identify them.

After lunch, we decided to hike up to the fourth lake where we would have a great view of the glacier. The hike up was only about a half a mile or so an had a modest altitude gain, but it took us some time to negotiate the rocky path. The sun was able to shine through the rolling clouds as we made our way up the hill to the fourth lake. The wind whipped at us and dropped the already chilly temps well below freezing, but the views made it worthwhile. The glacier drops down from what looks like a huge vertical wall of ice and flows pass Gokyo as a rock strewn river in a dirty trough. While the wind masked much of the sound, you can hear the rocks falling and the ice cracking as it slowly flows down the hill. This was something that I had looked forward to seeing with my own eyes, and it did not disappoint. We came back to the lodge freezing and tired, but soon warmed up with tea and even some coffee. The lodge scene here is much more crowded than we are used to. There are two large heated dining rooms in our lodge and they are both stuffed with trekkers. Everyone sort of sticks to their groups, but most are friendly enough. We all sit in a dimly lit room eating dinner, or doing the other things that occupy our time here. I am reminded of the old west, where dusty travelers gather together for food and drink in the hotels and guest houses. We are all similar here in that we are tired, dirty and probably far from home and everything familiar. Everyone seems to have a cough and sniffle or suffering from some sort of ailment. As the sun goes down, the tiny lights come on in the room, but everyone pulls out their headlamps to have enough light to read or write by. Even with the fire, we must keep our warm clothes on to stay comfortable.

Tomorrow we wake early and depart the lodge by 4am to start a two hour hike to the top of Gokyo-Ri. The climb promises to be difficult in the cold darkness and we are to dress in our warmest clothes. The reward for efforts is to hopefully see the sunrise upon Everest and the other mountains in the range. Everyone rants and raves about how wonderful it is, if the weather cooperates. We shall see what we get in the morning.