Found photos

Photos of Shivalaya, one of larger villages just a day from jiri. Road just been made to there. Yadab in kitchen cooking spuds and black ceiling from smoke. Trevor got a good lesson in hand washng his clothes, gosh they do a great job!

City sights but not as we know it

A few photos of Kathmandu and the river that everything gets dumped into. As I was taking the photo trying not 2 gag a guy came along and dumped a bucket of offal over the side of the bridge. Just no infrastructure here like sewerage systems, plumbing, electricity, rubbish dumps, I think it is worse than 25 years ago. People r nice, very accepting of their lot and I guess just don't know any different.

Wilderness week

We set off walking from Llukla to Jiri with our porter, Yadab, good thing Ham & Dave flew out that day as there were no more flights out 4 the next 5 days due 2 low cloud. Amazing going from freezing cold 2 tropical weather in a few days. Came across bananas and small nectarines and wild strawberries, bonus after 3 weeks without fruit. Not many other foreigners about, had the tea houses to ourselves. We walked up and down about 1000 metres everyday!! It was pretty relaxing, we r fit and took our time. Our porter was fantastic, a young 21 year old who has been with us for the whole time. Speaks English pretty well. When he asked us questions about nz or anything at all that  he was surprised about he would say " Ooh la la" we got that lots everyday. He liked 2 cook and often took over in the teahouse and made us the food how we liked it. One night a chook was being killed and he sooo wanted us to eat it but we went 2 bed b4 it was ready... Next day at lunchtime he tells us not to worry that we missed out, he had brought the fresh chicken leg with him 2 cook for us!! And he did. On our last day we walked with a couple of locals as well, they were off taking 30 kg of spuds 2 their sister. Along the way they all decided we should have some of the spuds 4 lunch so they stopped at this "bhatti" someone's basic abode. Yadab stoked up the fire cooked up a pot of spuds and some boiled eggs and made a salsa of mint, garlic, onion and of course chilli, to go with it. It was great, new potatoes! Quite an eye opener at this place. The roof, totally black from the fire, no chimneys in these places. Really dark inside, no windows. One place we stayed, (which was actually ok)  first we  spent half an hour getting rid of all the bugs cause the light had been left on and the window open, then got into bed and an enormous leech dropped down from the ceiling and landed on Trevor. Consequently I slept with a sheet over my head all night!! Monsoon type rain arrives every evening, pretty hot and humid. We got a minivan to Kathmandu yesterday, took 8 hrs 2 go 180 km, up and down and around mountain roads all day on narrow roads. But driver was pretty good. Relaxed today, off 2 Pokhara tomorrow. Seem 2 have lost my last few days photos which is annoying. probably to do with the unreliable power supply when charging ph. Trevor has heaps on his camera but need computer 2 download, will do sometime. Photo of porters carrying 14 plus bits of timber! they turn and walk sideways when track narrow. Some load them straight on their back and walk 4 days bent over.

20 days of porridge!!

We watched climbers summiting Everest through binoculars at Gorak Shep about 7.30 am on Friday. Was a beaut morning. Then started walking down, within a couple of hours low cloud, cold wind and freezing. Snowed heavy that night and first full day of clouds. Still did a 6 hour walk up the valley. Heard a few climbers died, it really is a harsh environment and changes quickly. Amazing after we descended 1000 mtrs we all got our sense of humour back. At 5200 mtrs walking, eating and sleeping was all we could do!! Have had a couple of long days down 2 llukla, Ham and Dave just flew off 2 Kathmandu, we r walking down 2 Jiri will take about 6 days I think. Then maybe head 2 Pokara for some r & r. Is nice 2 b warm and clean again.

Looks like we made it!!

Trevor and i climbed kala Patthar early this morning, just amazing views of everest & surrounding mtns. Then walked down a ridge 2 Rob Hall and Andy Harris memorial, and joined others 2 walk to everest base camp. We all feel pretty chuffed making it, a dream come true for Ham. Tent city, on top of a glacier. 6000 climbers plus support. Mum, u will b pleased 2 know I tracked down your Dr from wanaka!! She is working 4 adventure consultants, a company owned by Guy Cotter from wanaka. Originally owned by Rob Hall and Gary ball. They r a top end company, catriona and caroline who is on her 4 th stint at base camp,  made us a cuppa and we chatted. They were excited as 2 night their team is summitting everest. Currently at south col waiting. The first group for this year. So fingers crossed 4 them. We walked back, men all asleep, they do a lot of that every afternoon.
It has been a challenging trip, especially over those passes not just physically but a test of mental strength, u can't just opt out, its a good few days walk anywhere... Now 5 days without a shower, I am about 2 buy a bucket of hot water. This is the highest internet cafe in the world at 5200 mts, I will c if it works... Currently not as it is snowing quite heavy. Just had dinner of soup and boiled potatoes, don't start us on the food, we r starting 2 groan at mealtimes!

Gokyo 2 Gorak Shep

Gokyo was fantastic, we actually had a shower. A guy climbed up onto the roof 3 times with buckets of hot water tipping them into a tank, bliss. We all walked out 2 an everest view point then Trevor and i carried on 2 the 6th lake and back, a big walk at altitude. We got up early & Climbed gokyo Ri took about 1.45 hrs to get there, it is straight up. Fantastic views. Then had breakfast and left to walk across the glacier to tagnag. Up at 3am 2 go over Cho la pass. 5450 mtr the air is thin up there. Walking in all our warm gear up hill and still cold at times. Our drinks froze on route. About -10 I think. The pass was shorter, but harder,  as scrambling over rocks and scree slopes. Then across snow and ice and down into a valley. Stopped 4 day at lunch time. Asleep by 7.30! Stayed at a lodge run by a young guy who has been sponsored 2 come to nz & run Auckland marathon, so hope 2 catch up with him in October. Made it 2 Gorak Shep yesterday Avo, another few lodges surrounded by sand and rocks.Our porters r doing so well, carrying 2 packs each, we all just have a day pack. 

Mountain high!!

Have had an amazing two weeks, tea house treking. Around Llukla and Namche the culture is interesting, lots of chanting and blessing the house morning and night, warning off the evil spirits. The first loo stop and I thought I was in the chook shed but I wasn't! Spent a day around Namche climbing up a hill and came across Sir Eds memorial and that of his first wife and daughter who were killed in an air crash years ago. That was pretty special. Then on down 2 the kunde hospital and school that he started. Next day on 2 Thame where we stayed 2 nights and again climbed high acclimatising, about 4000 meters by then. On 2 lungden the next day and Trevor started showing signs of altitude sickness. No appetite, sick,  tired, headache, coughing. Just so happened we were staying in the most primitive place with a sod floor and a Yak dung fire and the bleakest place I have ever been in. The women loaded the fire by hand with dung then went straight 2 the kitchen, not VIA the only running water which was outside... A storm came through in the afternoon, we all retired 2 bed in our sleeping bags with beanies gloves and puffer jackets on. We had a rest day and got ready 2 go over the pass. But at 3 am when we got up 2 go we decided Trevor should not go so we all stayed another night. As you all know he is very determined... I had 2 read him the riot act, but he did agree he was not well. Snowed in the evening, we got up at 2.30 am tried 2 eat the runny slop that was poured from a flask, but i decided the baby Yak deserved the porridge more. Left at 3.30 a beaut morning, moon and stars out, sun came up over the mountains after a couple of hours. It took us 6 hrs 2 get to the top of the Renga la pass, a 1000 mtr climb that took us 2 5345 mts. Amazing view from top straight through 2 everest and down 2 gokyo. Another 3 hrs down, we were stonkered but it was a great day and also Daves birthday which we celebrated with a cake and a coke!

Namche! Mountain views

Made it 2 Namche 2 day, 3445 meters. All feeling good, walking slow like an elephant, except for Trevor of course. Our guides want 2 buy a cow bell for him. Air getting thinner. Dave and Ham splurged on lunch, mushroom pizza, chocolate croissant and coffee, spent $1800, about nz $25.  they couldn't handle omlette and fried potatoes again. 2 weeks of that in front of us. Namche has everything you need, amazing how they cart it all up here. Had glimpses of everest on the way up. Been good weather 4 walking, but freezing when the sun goes down. Over and out 4 a couple of weeks.

Lukla!

Flew into lukla this morning, amazing runway, no room for error. off treking 4 three weeks, will check later!

Wandering the hills

We walked from Nagarkot to Dhulikhel catching the local bus the last few km. The rd we were on was all Rocky and uneven, not even bike ride able then a bus comes  bouncing along swaying from side 2 side. The villages seem almost back in medieval times with chooks and goats in and out of the houses with a few 21st century things thrown in. You have 2 look past the dirt and rubbish and squalor... We met a really nice 19 yr old young man on our way 2 namo-budda a monastry on top of a hill. He took us all around inside where hundreds of monks were chanting along with the horns and cymbals and drums. Very impressive place. He explained lots about Buddhism took us through a cremation sight on the way. there was lots of human hair around, the hair is shaved off first! He hung out with us 4 the whole day. He spoke English well and is soon 2 sit a scholarship exam, if he gets it he will b the first person in his village 2 go 2 university.  He got us on the right bus back to Kathmandu. Took 2 hrs 2 go 32 km an experience on its own. The hotels have electricity sometimes and hot water a bit random. Photos show buying a drink on the way, monastery, chooks farm, local bus and another budda.