|
|
North America South America Caribbean Europe Asia Africa Australia Antarctica Itineraries |
Nepal 2000  A spectacular 'side-trip' to my adventures in Southeast Asia, my month in Nepal was incredibly memorable. I flew from Bangkok to Kathmandu and was greeted at the airport with a jasmine scented flower necklace by a representative of the trekking company we had contacted before arriving. A couple of days later, Diane arrived, fresh from Canada and raring to go. A day or so of preparation in Kathmandu and we were off on an early morning bus ride to Jiri. From Jiri, we walked steadily towards the white peaks growing in the distance before us. We ventured off the beaten tourist path for several days to visit the home of Pemba and Mingmar Sherpa - our guides, porters and companions. After ten days, we came to the intersection of the path from Lukla where most tourists fly into to begin their trek. Here, Coca Cola, Snickers bars and fellow trekkers abounded. Our next benchmark on the road to Everest was Namche Bazaar - a glorious little horseshoe-shaped town boasting a pizza restaurant, a couple of bakeries, a lively Saturday morning market, the lovely clinking noise of hammer on stone in the ongoing construction of the town and the first spectacular views of Everest itself. Not to mention a washing machine and a pool table that some poor soul must have carried all the way from Kathmandu� Onward and upward, we passed the monastery at Tengpoche, the flat valley floor of Dingboche and the line where green trees give way to alpine scree. We pressed on through the thinning air to Gorak Shep and our first goal of summitting Kala Pattar, a 'small' trekking peak of 5895m. From Kala Pattar, the views were unbeatable. Everest sat immodestly in front of us as did many other famous peaks. The next morning, we conquered our second goal of a visit to Everest Base Camp, a humbling and spectacular experience. We visited with the Canadian summit teams and negotiated our way through a foot's labyrinth of ice and rock to see various camps and the edge of the infamous Khumbu icefall. With colourful prayer flags and circling black crows, the atmosphere was subdued and almost ominous, but celebratory and peaceful. A unique place on earth. Back through Pheriche, Tengpoche and Namche Bazaar, we were down in Lukla in no time at all after our 25 day trek. We even managed to fly back to Kathmandu a day early on Yeti Airlines' little twin engine plane. We bid farewell to our guides and the overwhelming city of Kathmandu. Diane headed home and I headed back to Southeast Asia - Singapore or bust! (See Southeast Asia 2000). > See the photos from Nepal. > See the photos from Southeast Asia. Back to top |
|
| advice site / links / last updated / contact / home | ||