15.01.10 - 5.20pm (11.37am UK), ref Trek Day Three.

Well, we must have found some energy reserves because…

An alarm call (bang on the door by a Sherpa) at 6.00am gave us notice that we needed to be downstairs for our cup of black tea in 20 minutes, fully abluted. 10 minutes after our tea we were on the trail, heading upwards at what felt an even more cruel angle, to see the sun rise from a 360 degree vantage point within the grounds of the Nepalese Army barracks above Namche. The sky was virtually without a cloud & as the sun rose, the summits of the surrounding peaks illuminated one by one. It was a truly awesome sight. We ‘saw’ Everest properly for the first time too, although shrouded by the clouds it generated of its own volition. As we descended, the view of Everest became a little clearer, but we weren’t too disappointed… read on :-)

We returned to the lodge for breakfast - which we were more than ready for - arriving around 8.00am & braced ourselves for the next part of our day of rest…

Leaving at 9.00am we headed for the famous Everest View Hotel at 3880m - 440m higher than Namche. Another killer climb, but surprisingly we all felt much better during the climb & were certainly a more ‘compact’ group. When we arrived at the hotel it was a bit touch & go as to whether we would be let in as a military helicopter had landed, loaded full of officials, & some special negotiations had to take place between our Sherpa, Pasang, & ‘the powers’ to get us through. We had watched the helicopter fly up through the valley beneath us & land too, which was amazing to watch.

Pasang did well & we were allowed through to the hotel’s rear outdoor area where we ordered our drinks & - let me tell you - we saw that the hotel lived up to its name. The view was breathtaking - & yes, there it was, the tallest mountain in the world! There, right in front of us! Little us! & believe me, we felt very little indeed. I’ll probably use the words amazing, breathtaking, awesome etc. a lot, but I have to tell you, until now I don’t think I really knew their true meaning. We certainly all do now!

A welcome hot drink later, we started our descent - a very steep one, very hard on the knees - & arrived back in Namche around 1pm. After eagerly devouring another very welcome meal, the afternoon was ours to use as we saw fit. Some explored the small shops, some walked around the market & some stayed at the lodge to write diaries/postcards/journals (delete as applicable). Some keen ‘haggling’ resulted in various purchases being made - the most obscure being a set Yaks, purchased by Bob, from a Tebetan lady!

Which brings us to now really. Dinner will be in about an hour - the being menu fairly consistent along the trail - where we will sit to digest an amazing variety of dishes whose base ingredients are eggs, potatoes, cheese, with the odd smattering of Yak meat, baked beans, garlic & spices. I can’t even begin to tell you the trouble we’re each having ‘keeping up appearances’… needless to say, none of us are walking too close to the person in front! I personally don’t think I ever want to see, let alone eat, another egg in my life! I can’t even begin to think how I’m going to make it up to poor Rob, my room-mate!

Signing off then for now - the battery is very low on the laptop, so I’m going to charge it up gthen see if I can upload some pics later on.

Tim, less bruised & swollen, for SLS, signing off. GB.

15.01.10 - 4.45pm (11.03am UK), ref Trek Day Two.

What a day. We were briefed that the day would be a hard one, but I don’t think anything could have prepared for what lay ahead. We started with a breakfast call at 7.00am, followed by breakfast at 7.45am (day bags, yak packs & ablutions to be completed before breakfast), ready to leave Phakding at 8.30am. We all wrapped up warm & set off - within a very short space of time we were sweating & had to stop for the first de-layer! We walked for 4 hours before stopping for lunch, through some beautiful wooded pathways & stopping briefly only once for a liquid break (both kinds!).

By lunchtime we had steadily climbed from 2640m to 2840m, at a town called Monjo. The scenery around was probably the most surreal I have ever eaten in - mountains on all sides & some of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. Another surreal aspect was that Elizabeth, one of the trekkers, got a reception on her Vodafone Blackberry! A text was duly sent, but bt the time it was passed to the next trekker the signal had disappeared. Boo hiss!

The trek after lunch hit us all between the eyes like a bull dozer. We climbed full on, at what I can only describe as a killer tangent. Thighs & lungs were burning within what felt like minutes & even though I kept looking at my watch praying for the time to pass quicker, the following 4 hours dragged by agonisingly slowly. The group soon split into the annoyingly irritatingly smart arsily super fit, those who very sensibly paced themselves, & those who found it really tough. The latter were admirably supported by trekkers who held back to spur them on - well done John & Ruth, you are to be greatly admired.

Barely able to speak through lack of air in our lungs from the immense physical exertion of the last 3 hours - plus the fact that we had just climbed at an average of 200m/hr (666ft/hr) for the last 3 hours - we arrived in Namche Bazaar, sitting at a height of 3440m. A very impressive town, sitting on ‘plateaus’ cut out of the mountainside. Here we were to stay for the rest of the day, plus tomorrow, to acclimatise & recover… or so we thought!

We checked in to Khumbu Lodge & went to inspect our rooms. Sadly the rooms were even colder than outside - & outside was cold - but the highlight was the fact it had a proper ‘sit on’ loo! Deep, deep joy I can tell you!

Internet, a phone to call home & - wait for it - a shower too! In the words of Monty Python, ‘Luxury’!

After a little accident in the shower - where I managed to knock myself unconscious by slipping over & landing face first on the floor - we all sat down to eat. After this came news of an ‘optional extra’ which, to be honest, we couldn’t refuse but we all wanted to! More of that in tomorrow’s blog.

Tim, with a bruised & badly swollen right cheeck bone, for SLS, signing off. GB.

13.01.10 (again) - 6.20pm (12.40pm UK), ref Trek Day One.

Landed at Lukla Airport safely at 7.15am after a 5.15am alarm - boy that was loud! The plane journey was amazing - a twin engine Otter that we really couldn’t see how we were all going to fit in to, but we did! It was tight - very tight - but we got in. Rob’s left leg was up Mike’s right nostril, one of the new guys - Mark - was nearly on my knee (& he‘s a well built guy) & I can’t begin to report what position John & Bob were in! We made it though & to watch the mountain tops passing by beneath us, to see the mountains through whose valleys we would be walking pass by the windows & to watch the minute runway approach in front of us was absolutely exhilarating. Jude recorded the landing, so hopefully can get it uploaded.

After landing we headed off to eat our ‘packed breakfast’ - which was amazing, even though it wasn’t. We were sooo hungry! Once fed & watered off we set! We had officially started our trek to the base camp of the largest mountain in the world - it was a very exciting moment. I, for one, just kept giggling to myself inside - I just couldn’t believe what we had embarked upon.

The temperature was ideal. Although below freezing when we landed, by the time we headed off it was ‘in the teens’ & some of us went down to short sleeves & remained that way for most of the day. The scenery, as you would expect, was amazing. The snowy mountain tops in the distance, the clear water glacier stream, the tree filled foothill slopes… fantastic.

We arrived at Phakding around 2.15pm & unloaded our packs. Rooms are basic but comfortable. There’s a shower, broken internet, a very basic food choice & a hole in the ground… that was an experience too!

‘Eating in’ tonight. The night is promised to be a very cold one, so thermals at the ready! Won’t get a chance to upload this until tomorrow, so will report on our first night then. For now though, we’re all huddled in the ‘dining room’ - which has a wood burning stove in the middle - trying to keep warm. Power is getting low on this little laptop, so I’m going to sign off. Various layers keep appearing & everyone seems to be getting bigger by the minute! Off to Namche Bazaar tomorrow where we will stay for 2 nights to acclimatise. Being the largest village on the trek, internet access should be good so I’ll upload this there. Hopefully we’ll get the chance to ring home too - maybe we’ve already spoken to you - which will be great if it’s possible. We’re told it’ll be an early start to N.B. & a tough ascent - from 2640m (here) to 3440m (there) - so I guess we’ll be pretty tired by the time we arrive.

We have a great bunch & everyone’s getting on famously. It’s going to be a great journey, in more ways than one I’m sure.

Tim, for SLS, signing off. GB.

13.01.10 (again) - 5.47pm (12.06pm UK), ref Last day in Kathmandu.

Hello again all. As promised, a more in-depth description of yesterday. We went on a tour of Kathmandu, led by Exodus (the guys we’re over here with). It was actually ‘A Temple Tour’ consisting of 3 temples: Pashupatinath, Bequeath & ‘The Monkey Temple’.

Pashupatinath was really weird! We weren’t allowed in to this temple at all, only view from the other side of the river - at the side of which we watched as dead bodies were openly cremated on large pyres, built on to dedicated concrete plinths. Once burnt (they were allocated a 2 hour slot), the remains were extinguished using buckets of river water & then swept over the edge! A guy, standing in the river waiting, would then sort through the debris & throw any large remains one way to stop the river blocking & large pieces of wood back on to the bank for re-use. It was quite a macabre scene. As we were watching an old lady was being prepared by her family & was then carried round to the pyre for ‘ignition’!

Bequeath was the next. A huge circular temple with the eyes of Buddha looking out over the people from all sides, with ‘prayer wheels’ all round. The prayer wheels had to be rotated clockwise in order for sins to be forgiven & there was a constant stream of people - walking clockwise too - walking around the temple, spinning the wheels. Some even lay themselves prostrate on the floor before standing back up, taking a couple of paces, then doing exactly the same thing - over, & over, & over… We were able to go in to the ‘outer circle’ of this temple & walk around it - clockwise! The tour leader kept losing some of us due to ‘wandering’ & had to keep walking all the way round each time because he wasn’t allowed to go anti-clockwise! He was very patient… This visit was prolonged due to a very lengthy currency exchange that took far longer than it should & was like a scene from Mr Bean!

We had a lovely rooftop lunch in the temple square before heading off to the last temple. A frantic journey across Kathmandu at what appeared to be rush-hour (although I suspect it’s always as busy as we’ve witnessed) took just long enough for everyone on the bus to fall asleep & we arrived wondering (a) where on earth we were & (b) whether this was a temple too far!

The Monkey Temple. Inhabited by, you’ve guessed it, thousands of monkeys. They were everywhere. Every time a camera was pointed at one, however, they’d wait until just before the shutter clicked before looking away! Infuriating. Walking to the top of the temple’s stairs revealed a breathtaking view of Kathmandu beneath. It was vast. Surrounded on every side by the imposing foothills of the Himalaya. Sadly, the smog rising from the polluted town beneath made the view quite blurry, but impressive none the less.

Arriving wearily back at Hotel Singi, there was time to shower & start sorting our gear in preparation for the official trek start the following morning before heading off to ‘Kilroys’ for our last proper meal. The rest, as they say, is history.

Tim, for SLS, signing off. GB.

13.01.10 - 12.55am (7.13m UK)

A very long, but interesting day today. I’m not going to be able to do it full justice right now as - as you can see by the time here - it’s very, very late. I don’t know about the others, but Rob & I have spent a very stressful evening trying to get out pack weights down to the required level. We’ve had to leave loads out & my suitcase - which will be left behind at the hotel - looks like it hasn’t been unpacked it’s so full! Oh well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough if we’ve selected the right things to take with us…

Apparently the internet access is fairly good throughout the trek, so I think the blog will be updated quite frequently. We have our first ‘proper’ day tomorrow as we fly out at 7.15am to Lukla. I’ll hopefully get some time tomorrow to fill out today’s events further & add tomorrow’s too.

Meanwhile, I’ll plonk a couple of pics below for you to see & some more will follow at the next connection point.

Tim, for SLS, signing off. GB.

11.01.10 - 5.15pm (11.35am UK)

Well, we’ve arrived! What a surreal journey that was… I think the only thing missing from the outbound flight was a line of elephants coming down the aisle! There were 2 intercom requests for medical assistance from ‘any doctors on board’ during the flight from Heathrow to Delhi plus a woman who screamed & wailed through most of the night - we were convinced she was in labour, but apparently not. She just doesn’t travel well…!

I won the competition for having the heaviest suitcase at 28kgs, I also won the heaviest (& largest) hand luggage. Looking at the various bags as we collected them off the conveyor belt at Kathmandu, I think it’s fair to say that I have also won the competition for being the most over packed! Nevermind.

Temperature here in Kathmandu is a balmy 20c, so it’s very pleasant. However, the air quality is pretty poor & as you look to the mountains that surround the town on all sides, there’s a yukky smog all around. Trying to take a photo of the sunset was a bit of a wet squib - hopefully it’ll be better once we leave the town.

The journey from Kathmandu Airport to The Royal Singi Hotel was an experience. Sooo many people, sooo many shacks, sooo many little shops… & the streams of spaghetti like power cables & telephone cables stretching from building to building - it’s amazing that anything works! In fact I’m told it doesn’t - they have regular power failures & the insides of all the ‘shops’ are in darkness. I wonder why?!

The plan for the rest of today is eat at 6.30pm (the Exodus guide is going to take us to somewhere ‘safe’ in Thamel, 10 minutes from the hotel). Then I think we’ll just come back to the hotel for a quick ‘snifter’ before crashing out. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’ve got serious eye sting & my initial hopes of us all doing a children’s song from the church repertoire as a sort of ice breaker for new faces among us are fading fast! I guess I’ll just have to save that for Base Camp…

Tomorrow is an early start for breakfast before meeting for our full briefing at 9am. The rest of the day, from what I can gather, is ’free’ - but I’ll get another post up then with more details.

If you could spare a prayer for my back please I’d be grateful. I managed to put my back out before we left - probably the weight of the suitcase that did it! The journey hasn’t helped & I’m dosed up on Nurofen, but hopefully it’ll come round before we head off in earnest.

Tim, for SLS, signing off. GB.