Some people are born for the mountains. Others are not. If
Veronika falls into the former category, I definitely fall into the latter.
However, team player that I am, I was all for it (kind of…) when we decided to
make Nepal our next destination, and specifically a trek into the Himalayas to
see the one and only Mount Everest, as I knew this had always been one of
Veronika’s lifelong dreams. Of course,
trekking in the Himalayas can be serious business and physically
demanding. Therefore, some preparation
and training is very much recommended….or you could just live it up in Kuala
Lumpur for the weekend before like we did.
Thankfully we had a few days to explore Kathmandu and to
ease our way into the Nepalese way of life before the trek began. Most of the
hotels, hostels and backpacker action are found in the Thamel area of the city
which is where we were based. It was only in the 1960’s that tourism really
kicked off here and it seems like most of the hotel rooms haven’t seen a lick
of paint since! Here in Thamel, the streets are lined with trekking agencies,
shops selling fake Northface hats, gloves, jackets etc, bars, restaurants and,
of course, little supermarkets full of enthusiastic trekkers buying their
energy bars, chocolate and toilet paper!
The fantastic Durbar Square is the central point of city
sightseeing and we had a great walk from Thamel to reach there, through lots of
narrow winding streets which are just so full of life although there is no
hiding from the fact that Nepal is such a poor country. Almost every corner you turn there seems to be
another shrine, temple or stupa with people praying and worshipping. Durbar
Square itself is beautiful and a great place to walk around and just admire the
architecture and detail of the temples that surround you.
However, as enjoyable as the crazy city of Kathmandu was,
that was not the main reason for our visit and soon it was time to begin our
trekking adventure. I could put it off no longer! Before I go further, I should
stress the only reason for my hesitation in the trek was down to my absolute and
total fear of heights….and not that I am lazy and did not fancy walking 6 hours
a day up a mountain.
The domestic terminal at Kathmandu airport can only be
described as organised chaos…at best. With no seat allocated there is no
guarantee you will get on your designated flight. Thankfully, our guide managed
to push all of us through the hordes and onto a plane without too much delay.
For a trip such as this a guide can have quite an impact on the overall
experience and, fortunately for us, we took an instant liking to our guide
Ganesh. Always calm, always
composed….just what I was looking for.
What really sealed the deal, however, was when he casually threw into
one of our early exchanges that he didn’t really like “unnecessary
conversations”. I couldn’t have said it
better myself! The short 30 minute flight to Lukla airport was in a small 20
seat plane and within 10 minutes of taking off we already had amazing views of
the Himalayas away in the distance. However, the mountains quickly started to
appear closer and closer and before I knew it we found ourselves flying in
between them….very close at times which was quite troubling for me I must
admit. The only thing matching my trepidation, and in truth surpassing it, was
Veronika’s excitement. I was not the
only one feeling worried though, as the Spanish guy who had been talking
incessantly since take-off suddenly fell silent while his girlfriend sat
silently in prayer! Then, out of nowhere, a runway (or rather a tiny little
airstrip) appeared in the distance which thankfully the pilot managed to find.
Lukla, at 2,860m (9,380 ft), was my first ever brush with
high altitude and from where we would start trekking. From the very start the
scenery all around was beautiful and the path took us (mainly downhill at the
beginning) through some quaint little villages before meandering along the side
of the Dudh Kosi Valley. The Dudh Kosi River would, in fact, become a river I
will never forget as it had to be crossed many times…each time by way of a
rickety old swaying suspension bridge…the type that induces nightmares and
sleepless nights for someone like me. The first one we encountered on our way
to Phakding, where we would spend our first night, came upon us so suddenly
that I didn’t have much time to contemplate it. With our guide urging me to
hurry up and move due to the danger of falling rocks from above I had little
option but to slowly put one foot in front of the other and hope the rest of me
would follow…while everything else in my head was telling me to turn around and
go the other way! Once over the bridge I felt a huge relief and satisfaction
that the one suspension bridge we had read about in the itinerary had been
overcome. Little did I know at this point, that this was merely a suspension
bridge for beginners…and that there would be MUCH higher ones to come.
Having stayed overnight in one of the very basic “Tea
Houses” they have along the trail, we were ready again for a bigger climb the
next day. The ever changing terrain took us through some dense pine forest,
lush green meadows and tiny Sherpa villages with always the backdrop of the
amazing mountains and snowy peaks high above us. Namche Bazaar (3,440m or
11,286 ft) was the next stop and it was a fairly tough climb up through the sparse
forest. Of course, before we started the
real ascent to Namche (as we Everest mountaineers like to call it) we had to
cross the highest suspension bridge of the trail…about 100m above the icy cold
river below. I have no shame in admitting I needed to be coaxed across this one
by Ganesh ....clinging on to his arm as tightly as my sweaty palms would allow.
It was here in Namche Bazaar we had an acclimatisation day
which gave us ample time to look around what is unquestionably the commercial
hub of the Sherpa community here. Much of what is found here in the shops,
restaurants and guesthouses is brought up the mountain literally on the backs
of the Sherpas or yaks. In fact, during our trek I was continually amazed by
what I saw being carried up and down the mountain by the Sherpas, both young
and old. Their strength, endurance and stamina are just incredible.
Our reward for a good couple of hours of steady climbing the
next day was our first glimpse of Mount Everest. It was a beautiful morning
with crystal clear blue skies and just shortly after we had climbed above the
Shyangboche airstrip (more of a dirt road which falls steeply off a mountain)…then
there it was…all 8,848m (29,029 ft) of it….standing tall next to Lhotse, at
8,516m (27,940 ft) the fourth tallest peak in the world. It was easy to see how
much this meant to Veronika at this point and even I, for a few brief moments,
was able to put the thoughts of suspension bridges and mountain ledges to one
side and enjoy the scene.
The incredible mountain scenery continued as we climbed
further to the remote village of Tengboche (3870m, 12687 ft). At this altitude
any physical exertion is, of course, slightly more difficult but this did not
seem to impede the group of monks from the famous gompa (monastery) nearby
indulging in a game of football. The sight of the monks playing football with
the backdrop of Ama Dablam, Mount Everest and other peaks is one I will keep
for a long time I am sure.
By this point we had reached our target (Veronika had kindly
not been too ambitious with my first venture in to the Himalayas) and all that
was left for us was to descend back down the mountain for 3 days safely and then try to catch one of
the flights back from Lukla to Kathmandu….hopefully on a clear weather day.
When we finally did board the small plane for the journey back through the
mountains I happened to get the seat in the front row which meant I was facing
directly into the cockpit, just behind the pilot. With all the other passengers
ooh’ing and aaah’ing out the window at how close we were to the mountains it
was probably only I who could not help but notice the *** TERRAIN ADVISORY ***
…..***TERRAIN AHEAD*** flashing on the dashboard right in front of me. Already
feeling slightly nervous, I had to stop myself from tapping the co-pilot on the
arm to tell him to stop reading his newspaper and instead look out to see where
we heading! Thankfully, I saved myself from that embarrassment as I reassured
myself they knew what they were doing….probably more than I did at that time.
Soon we were back in Kathmandu, and with the detox programme
now complete, I was now able to enjoy a few Everest beers and reflect on what
had been an amazing time up in the mountains, surrounded by some of the most
breathtakingly beautiful scenery you could find anywhere and very grateful that
I had been able to face, if not overcome, some of my greatest fears and,
perhaps more importantly, be able to share of one of Veronika’s lifelong
dreams.
