Interlude

Yikes. Ok, so I said I would post some stories about Nepal 'shortly'. So a week has passed. Anyone who has visited Egypt will know that a week is 'shortly' ;-) This delay actually wasn't deliberate - a few busy days before boarding a cruise ship with zero internet reception & limited mobile reception meant that this post (which I actually started while I was still in Nepal but never got around to finishing) has taken a bit of time. And I will only make it short for now; it's 11pm & I need to get to bed. We have a big day tomorrow. We are leaving at 6.30am to visit the Valley of the Kings. I know, I know - it's a tough life ;-) Enough Egypt for now - getting back to Nepal...

Did I mention it was extraordinary? ;-) For the first two & a bit weeks we trekked through the remote Hinku and Hunku valleys, climbing slowly higher as part of our acclimatisation. Both are 'off the beaten track' and rather remote areas so we rarely saw other trekkers which is a nice change after crazy Kathmandu. Unfortunately we also rarely saw the views thanks to the monsoon which decided it wanted to continue for a month longer than it ought to have this year. Still, walking through misty rain in moss forests (the first time i have seen such forests in Nepal) I think only added to the atmosphere. Could have done without the leech infested campsite though ;-)

Once we arrived at Mera Peak base camp - and if you remember, ask me about the yak shit shower one day - we practiced using our crampons, ice axes and our rope work. One of our porters (who incidentially carried my bag) was also a lama - a Buddhist monk - so we held a puja ceremony. This is basically a ceremony to make offerings and prayers to the mountain gods to ask for safe passage on the mountain. Then it was time to move up our camps, first to Mera La (5100m) then to high camp (5700m) which was 'an experience'. It's difficult to sleep so high; your body doesn't get enough oxygen so rolling over in your sleeping bag and rearranging everything you have stuffed in there - water bottles, down jacket, head torch, camera, toothpaste (which freezes in the cold), clothes etc - leaves you out of breathe. In fact, it can be rather unnerving listening to your tent mate stop breathing for 30sec or so before taking a really deep breathe again. Throw in the fact that you are camped above the clouds, going to the toilet involves finding a spot on a rock shelf with one heck of a long fall & permanent sleep if you slipped, waking at 2am to leave camp by 3am and walking, by headlight, through the cold night air is rather 'unique'. Thankfully it wasn't too cold on the night we went for the summit of Mera - only about -15 !

Watching the sunrise from 6000m over the Himalayas while struggling to walk to the summit of Mera was one of the strangest, and most amazing, experiences of my life. Unfortunately, somewhere around the 6000m, I started to feel incredibly nauseous. At one stage I can distinctly remember wanting to stick my fingers down my throat to force myself to throw up in the vain hope it would make me feel better. I didn't but geez it was a nice idea at the time. Walking at that altitude is difficult to explain. I was literally counting my steps. I would take 30 steps, then drive my ice axe into the snow and stand there for 30 or 60 sec to get my breathe back before taking another 30. But somehow I made it. I honestly believe that I would not have made it without the incredible support of Tendi, one of our Sherpa guides, who gently encouraged & coaxed me up the mountain. The view from the summit was worth it - the flat, brown Nepalese plains could be seen to the west (yes there are some flat places in Nepal). The rest of the view was filled by the magnificant Himalayas including a wonderful view of Everest still towering over another 2kms overhead. It was almost 4pm by the time we made it to our campsite that night. We had been walking for about 12 hours. Needless to say, I slept rather well that night.

Our next stop was Amphu Laptse, a high pass around 5,800m. That story will have to wait for another day. Some beauty sleep & the Valley of the Kings awaits...