Tomorrow we go

Off tomorrow on the supposed "express" bus to Jiri, which is only supposed to take 7 hours or so (compared to 12 on the normal one). We shall see. (Update: 8.5 hours actual time)

All the particulars have been pretty much finalised. We got our porter cum guide through a group called Himalayan Humanity. His English is very basic, but he seems like a nice guy, and that is really what we want. I don't need a full on guide experience, just someone to help with the bags and the general route. Himalayan Humanity seems like a pretty good outfit. They apparently pay their guides/porters better than others and support improving their conditions. It was a lot easier to deal with them than some of the other companies I talked to.

On the equipment side, we planned to buy jackets and sleeping bags here, but ended up doing it a bit differently. We found Shona's (up from Utse, on the other side of the street in Thamel) which has their own stuff made, and it seems to be of better quality. We ended up buying down jackets for 3500 Rs each and renting bags for 45Rs/day (about 75 Rs to the USD). The other nice thing about Shona's is that you don't have to bargain (fixed price). Very helpful and friendly service too! (Update: Jackets were great on the trek, as were the bags. Very satisfied)

Next post will be from????? Namche???

Update...not quite. My daughter woke up at 11 pm on the night before departure vomiting and with a fever (food poisoning?) so the departure is delayed two days. As of today she is better but now I have the runs. I think we have to get out of Kathmandu to get better so Friday am it is.....until it isn't.

In Kathmandu

Pic at left is washing drying on the grass, while kids play on an improvised swing in the background - taken near Thamel.

We have now arrived in Kathmandu, but unfortunately upon arrival we were met with some very sad news. The very same day 18 people had died in a plane crash at Lukla, the airport on the Everest Base Cap trek. As anyone who has seen it knows, it is a very "unique" airport, with some interesting conditions to land and take-off in. I remember watching planes come and go on my last trek, and saying...not this little black duck...I'm all for walking..in and out! Of course I am left with the small problem of the bus ride too and from Jiri, which in itself can be hair raising.

There have obviously been many changes since my last time here, but in some ways the changes have been less than I expected. The poverty is still grinding and in many ways there does not seem to have been much "development" outside of the city core. The development money, which has not been minor, has seemed to have disappeared into a dark hole before ever reaching those that need it. Roads still stretch the definition of what a road is. Of course the Thamel tourist area has grown immensely with many many more restaurants and guest houses, but other parts of Kathmandu that I have seen so far (admittedly not too much as we are recovering from some stomach problems from the flight) seem to have changed far less. There are definitely more cars, which the narrow streets can barely handle and also quite a few kids sniffing something from plastic bags wandering around too.

Next stop is to find a guide/porter and rent some equipment. It looks like we will be spoiled for choice...which sometimes is NOT a good thing.

Almost there...

Only another day and a bit until we are off...the test packing has begun. We will of course arrive right in the middle of the Hindu festival of Dashain. I would guess that our first day or two in Kathmandu will actually be quite subdued with most stores and even many restaurants closed.

Since I went to Nepal also in October in 1983 it should not be surprising that I experienced Dashain on that trip as well. I still have quite vivid memories of the aftermaths of the animal sacrifices (with blood sprayed everywhere for good luck). I remember seeing headless water buffalo riding in the back of rickshaws.

Here is one picture of a headless water buffalo being wheeled away on a cart in Durbar Square.

There was also another piece of good news today. I have been watching the weather forecasts quite closely waiting to see the end of the monsoon. While you can trek during the monsoon, it is I think infinitely nicer to trek "in the dry". Luckily the latest forecast has the monsoon ending around the 14th, so just about exactly when we expect to hit the trail. Now that would be timing.

In 1983 we had excellent weather. I t only rained one night. There were clouds some days, but by the time we hit Nuntala there was not a cloud in the sky and we could see Everest in the distance very clearly. And so it would stay. For the entire time that we could see Everest, there was never a cloud in the sky anywhere near it. Of course that was wonderful, as there are folks that make it all the way to Kala Pattar to not even see Everest, or just to glimpse short views during momentary breaks in the clouds.

The only downside of that splendid weather was that photography was a bit "simple". You took a picture and well, that was about it. Other than some lighting changes, the view remained the same. At that time a few clouds would have actually been nice, helping to mix up the view a bit and providing a bit of "variety". It's not that I am complaining though. The panoramas were and no doubt still are breathtaking, clouds or no clouds.

This picture is of the Thodung Cheese factory, a long day from Jiri (or two shorter ones) at the start/end of the trail. It is where I spent my 25 birthday, so I am looking forward to a return visit early on the trek...and maybe on the way back too. This place was a real treat with their yak cheese. In my diary I wrote "Supper was an absolute feast! Vegetables with butter and yak cheese, french fries, tea, milk (superb tasting milk). Could barely move after dinner. Such a welcome change to get really well prepared food." "Breakfast was another feast. Muesli, lots of milk, bread (whole wheat and heavy) with delicious butter and jam." Of course the question is ..."What will it be like 25 years on?"

Preview - Review

Way back in 1983, during an around the world trip that would last for almost 2 1/2 years I ended up for a time in the then Kingdom of Nepal.

With time on my hands, and a long held desire to see Mt. Everest, I headed off with another traveler that I had met in Kathmandu on the longer version of the trek to Everest base camp (or at least its environs).

As fortune would have it I celebrated my 25th birthday near the end of the trek, and I joked at the time that, as I loved the trek so much, I would return to celebrate my 50th birthday!

This blog will tell the story of this second journey, with of course interspersed comments from my journal from the original trip. I already know that the changes will be incredible, and that a lot of the "roughness" of the first trek will have been lost. But as they say, "That's Progress?".

Luckily to make this trip a bit more unique in its own right, my daughter will be accompanying me. I am hoping that her presence, and seeing the trek through her eyes, will help compensate for some of the negative changes that I am sure we will see.


This was the post office in Namche Bazaar, the base for the upper part of the trek. I actually mailed a letter in the little box to the left of the door... and it did make it back home.

At the time Namche was the only place on the trek that had electricity - and that was for only 2 hours a night. Unfortunately on the way back through Namche, we didn't have any electricity as the only person who knew how to run the generator was out of town.

I hear now that Namche has pool halls and even an ATM. We shall see.