Jayant - trek to Everest Base Camp

2009-07-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Photos of EBC Trek

2009-07-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Highlights: http://picasaweb.google.com/kanitkarj/JayantTrekToEverestBaseCamp#

Step by Step: http://picasaweb.google.com/kanitkarj/EBCTrekStepByStep#

People: http://picasaweb.google.com/kanitkarj/PeopleTrekkersGuideSherpasAndPorters#

Life in Kathmandu: http://picasaweb.google.com/kanitkarj/LifeInKathmandu#

How to prepare for this trek

2009-06-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

My kudos to Himalayan Glacier Trekking who arranged this guided tour. Their service was great - prompt, courteous, and beyond expectations. They have a very useful site http://www.himalayanglacier.com/ to help you prepare for a trek of this nature, and answers most of your questions in detail.

1. Daily Itinerary - http://www.himalayanglacier.com/trip_detail.php?pId=1#d2d

Our itinerary was close to what was described here - only because of cancelled flight to Lukla, we lost one day, which we made up somewhere else.

2. Trip costs include - http://www.himalayanglacier.com/trip_detail.php?pId=1#trip_includes

- Their down jacket and four-season sleeping bag are perfect for the job. They kept us very warm, and didn't occupy luggage space from home. Of course, you could bring your own, if you so prefer. At a minimum, own sleeping bag liner is not a bad idea. (P.S. The North Face company has really cornered this trekking/outdoors market. Most outerwear had their name plastered on it.

- A lot of things (sweatshirts, for example) make excellent pillows.

- Snacks - With all meals included, and loss of appetite as you climb, snacks are really not necessary. Soups, eggs and pasta, in addition to the traditional Daal Bhat, are able to sustain you just fine.

- 20% Deposit needs to be paid when you sign up (wire or credit card.) The rest is paid on the first day of trek using check in any currency, wire or credit card. Cash is acceptable, but not recommended.

3. Health and experience - http://www.himalayanglacier.com/trip_detail.php?pId=1#experience_required

HGT requires you to have emergency evacuation insurance coverage. In case of an accident, or more likely due to altitude sickness, you may need urgent medical treatment which is not locally available. This evacuation is expensive. Insurance coverage is available for $200. First, check with your own insurance provider. Normally, insurance companies provide emergency care anywhere in the world. Make sure that your coverage does not have exclusions for activities such as trekking, climbimg, scuba diving, etc.

P.S. This helicopter provides emergency services only. Since that is the ONLY motorized machine out there, you notice it every time it went by. Besides, the sounds of chopper blades echoes in the valley through which we were travelling most of the time. On average, we saw the chopper go by 3 times daily. Sorry, there are NO sightseeing helicopter tours here. (Although for $150 you can get a sightseeing flight around Everest. Why didn't we do that instead?)

4. Acclimatization - http://www.himalayanglacier.com/trip_detail.php?pId=1#acclimatization
Something you can't prepare for at the sea level, is the effect of altitude. Without scaring anyone, it suffices to say that 80% trekkers suffer some symptoms, sometime during the trek. Unless you are at such elevations regularly (like the Sherpas), you need to allow your body time to adjust to the altitude. Even Sherpas need to do the same if they haven't been up there for a while. Also, all climbers (to the Summit) must also go through the same routine up to EBC just like we did.

5. Other things to know

5a. Visa Rules - Rules seem to change without notice, so be prepared for any surprises. At the airport, tourist visas up to one month are available for $40 USD. No visa needed for Indian passport holders (OCI is not considered Indian passport.) This information is different from what Himalayan Glacier had posted. You need ONE passport size photo in addition. There is a photo booth just before immigration, if you forgot to take a photo with you.

5b. Weather - for the most part, the weather was pleasant - Highs in 60-70 degree F, and Lows in mid-30's. Just about like Spring weather in San Francisco. The wind - especially when cloudy - cooled down temparatures rapidly, so we needed to carry jackets at all times. In fact, sherpas always have them on.

The skies were usually clear late nights and early mornings - hence the early morning hike schedule. Anytime after noon, sun would heat up air, hot air would rise, winds would start and bring clouds/fog with it. The trekking became tough, and you could hardly see any mountains. It also got dark pretty early (6:30 PM) so all outdoor activities would cease after that. At night though, the winds died down and the sky would be clear, dark with only stars shining (it was few days after the new moon, so we didn't get a chance to see mountains in moonlight.)

5c. Things I forgot to take -

1. Plenty of cash (local currency preferred) - although the trip is all expense paid, other personal expenses (phonecalls, internet, souvenirs, drinks) are on you. In Kathmandu, we were advised to estimate $12-15 per day for incidentals. Most of us did not carry that much cash. Luckily, ATMs were ready to dispense needed cash. Major incidentals were - bottled water which became very expensive as you get closer to EBC (from Rs. 100 for one liter to Rs. 400 at the high end), and hot bowl/showers (Rs. 300-400). We were able to cut down on both those expenses by using hand filter for drinking water, and taking towel washes. After Namche Bazar, until we came back to it again, for 8-9 days, there was no running water/showers. After the first day or two, we got used to it. But it felt so clean when we finally took showers 9 days later.

2. A lanyard to dry clothes on occasion,

3. laundry soap,

4. a good powerful flashlight (one with headband -like a miner's lamp - is very useful for nighttime toilet use) and batteries,

5. plenty of headache tablets (for prolonged headaches), and

6. cough drops (to soothen throat after dusty hikes),

7. water filter and/or chlorine tablets,

8. adaptor for local electrical outlets (great if USB chargers can be used - by plugging into computers, for example.)

9. plastic bags for soiled clothes

10. plastic cover for backpack

5d. Things I didn't need/use -

1. Waterproof pants - since it did not rain, nor did we cross any deep waters

2. Thermal underwear - only the day we went to EBC/Kala Patthar, it was cold enough to wear down jacket and gloves. The rest of the time, we were in T-shirts. Good to have one set of thermals - more wasn't needed.

3. Toilet paper - while we all had TP with us, it was quickly obvious that a "squat" toilet (Indian style) was more hygenic than the available western version. Using water instead of TP was the next logical conclusion. Of course, having TP is good for peace of mind.

4. Extra batteries - with all your gadgets, you need to have enough charge in them, or have extra batteries (where usable.) New cameras typically have their specialized batteries. Since electricity is not available after 4000 m (last 6-7 days), you should carry extra battery - fully charged. Even so, there is a danger that batteries would freeze up at that altitude. Luckily, that didn't happen to any of us.

5. Cell Phone - I had taken an unlocked phone with me, and purchased a SIM card in Nepal. Since incoming calls were free, we used it as a way for our spouses (one phone number shared among all of us) to contact us in case of an emergency. Luckily, none occurred. Also, for the most part, cell phone signal wasn't available. Out guide carried a satelite phone for emergencies.

Finally, some time to complete the Blog

2009-06-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

Friday June 19 - I returned to the US on Monday, June 15, after spending over a month in India after the trek (more about that later.) Only now did I find some time to update the blog for whoever might be interested in reading it. Thankfully, I had been writing my thoughts and experiences on paper at the end of each day.

After April 24 Blog from Namche Bazar, there really wasn't much electricity or access to the internet/phone, and where there was, the charges were outrageous. Someone from our group spent Nepali Rs. 1000 for a 5 minute phonecall, just to tell his wife that everything was fine. The internet connection, I believe, was 20 Rs. per minute.

My plan is to complete the daily diary that I had started, and then in a separate post, discuss the preparation, things I forgot to take, things I took but didn't need, weather, life in Nepal and such.

Trek started ..

2009-04-24T03:34:00.000-07:00

Wed April 22 (day 4) - we finally got out of Kathmandu to Lulka airport.

Watch landings at Lukla airport on YouTube to appreciate what those pilots need to do to get us there. Landing on a runway that has 15 degrees up slope, dead ends in a stone wall takes both pilots to work together seamlessly. Quite a feat! By the way, for take off, you fly in the opposite direction - where the runway ends at the end of a cliff - so one way or the other, you ARE airborne by the time you reach the end of the runway!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqgZvb37NX0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq_S_vAsiuo&NR=1

Brian from our group is a retired Delta pilot (and a Navy pilot prior to that), and even he was impressed.

We are all adjusting to the Himalayan weather - the hot and cold (much like San Francisco weather, actually.), but cooling down much faster as the sun goes down - which doesn't take too long. The trails are very crowded, and dusty, the water is hard, and food is of limited variety. Bouts of coughs, colds, some stomach problems - all part of the training!

On the bright side, when we got the first glimpse of the Everest - I was so happy that I told our guide Giri that I would be fine going back from right there - the goal is accomplished. Of course, we will continue forward.

Kathmandu is approx. 4400 feet in elevation. Lukla, the starting point of our trek, is 9186 ft. From here we drop down to 8700 feet at Phakding and then climb to EBC at 17575 ft. The highest point in our trek is Kala Patthar at 18192 ft. Of course, Nepalese consider "real" Himalaya (the home of ice/snow) to begin at 6000 meters 0r approx. 20000 ft. Anything lower is just the foothills of Himalaya. So, after climbing so much, our trek still wouldn't get us to the Himalayas! We will only be looking at it - from a distance.

Also, as we would discover later, EBC (5364m) is in the valley at the bottom of three giants Everest (8850m), Lhotse (8414m) and Nuptse (7861m) - we had another 8 to 11 thousand feet climb surrounding us. Nature certainly has a way to remind us of its greatness whereever you go.

By my rough calculations, we will be climbing net 10000 ft. In reality, we were going up and down every day. Typically, we would climb up, and then come way down to cross the (Dudhkoshi) river, and then climb back up again. Also, daily trek would end up in valley or lower point than the high point of the day (this helped acclimatization.) We therefore must have had a total elevation gain of twice as much (20000 ft.) Of course, coming back also had the same climb ups and downs. So I would venture to guess that we must have climbed a total of 29000 ft - the elevation of Mount Everest.

Mount Everest, as you know, is named after George Everest, British Surveyor General of India at the recommendation of his successor, Andrew Waugh. The original Tibetan/Chinese name is Chomolungma, and the Nepali name is Sagarmatha. The entire region falls within Sagarmatha National Park, in Nepal. For the entire story, please read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest

Some details of that day - we got on the 9:20 AM flight out of Kathmandu. The 15 passanger plane has limited luggage space (15 Kg. max per person) We boarded the bus to take us to the plane. Our bags were towed behind our bus in a trailer. By the time we boarded the plane, the bags were loaded, and we were off to the runway. The air hostess had just enough time to check our seat belts, hand out newspapers and mints. Since there was no cockpit door, we could see what the pilots were doing and also the view from the front.

The twin engine plane had 35 minutes to take us about 100 miles north east of Kathmandu. The weather was clear the entire way, except for the smog at Kathmandu. We were able to see some snow peaks along the way. The landing was flawless. One adventure was over. Besides, now it was our foot power that was going to take us the rest of the way - so, now, we were in control of our destiny.

The airport was chaotic. Since planes turnaround and fly back in 15 -20 minutes, the moment we got out of the plane, the returning flight was being loaded. The rest of our support group - 3 sherpas and 3 porters (one each for two trekkers, is the math.) was waiting for us at Lukla. Plus the 7th person, Giri, our guide, was with us on the flight. Sherpas were assistant guides, knew and understood some english and they spread around so that there was always one sherpa ahead of us, and one behind. If anyone of us slowed down or stopped, one sherpa would wait for them. They had the entire trek planned out, including with path to take, where to stop along the way and the whole bit. With no cell phone connectivity, it would be quite a challenge to find someone if they took different path. We later found out, that there was little chance of anyone getting lost.

We got out of the airport with our backpacks. The porters were carrying our bigger bags. Went to the top of the "dead end stone wall" to see planes landing and taking off. That was barely 40-50 foot climb, and we were all out of breath already. We only discussed this after a few days, but we were wondering how we could climb 10000 ft, we can't handle this 50 ft climb. Remember the altitude, Guide Giri reminded us. Our bodies had to get used to being at 9000 ft first.

We waited at a nearby hotel (where we stayed on our last day of the trek.) until everything was arranged by our guide, and we started our trek around 11 AM. Since we had missed one day, the itinerary and hotel reservations needed to be adjusted accordingly.

The start of the trek was generally down - with some gentle climbs (we called these Nepali Flats - the American Flats would be like Texas Flat - absolutely no ups and downs!) After walking about two hours, we stopped for lunch. All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) were included along with tea and coffee. Alcoholic beverages were on our own, and our guide really encouraged us to abstain, for our own good. Lunch would be half way during the trek - around 11 AM, usually. The dinner and breakfast were in the tea houses where we stayed overnight.

After lunch, we walked another hour or two and reached our first night stop around 3:30 PM. Phakding was our lowest point on the trek. From here on out, it is basically up, up, up. We heard the Dudhkoshi river behind the hotel and all were tempted to go cool ourselves down in the river. We did go to the river, but the water was too cold for taking a dip. Even David, who was the first one to run to the river, didn't.

Tea houses - EBC treks are now mostly tea house treks (you do occasionally see some tents around, but very few.) In most places, those are small restaurants (or tea houses) serving three meals a day. The owner family stays in the same place, and everyone in the family works there. There are a few sleeping rooms in one/two story building - sometimes as few as 10. The rooms are basic - one dormitory size room with two single beds - mattress, pillow and a blanket, plus one ceiling lamp. That's it. In one or two places, there was toilet in the room. Only in one place there was hot shower inside the room - that was LUXURY! The mountain was changing our perspective on our basic needs.

We would order dinner at 4:30 PM and eat around 6:30 PM. We would order breakfast the previous night, right after dinner. The breakfast would be around 7 AM and we would leave the hotel around 7:30 AM. Lunch would be ordered when we got to the lunch place. It would take them about an hour to prepare our lunch. Giri would be in the kitchen helping out, and also making sure that the food is prepared with our safety in mind.

Even after a light trek downhill, we were tired, somewhat feverish, and experiencing cough/sore throat from the dusty trails/change of weather. In short, the body was complaining and was ready for some rest. Until dinner time, we were just slouched in our chairs in the courtyard. Right after dinner, having nothing else to do, we went off to sleep.

In general, there was no cell phone signal - except at Namche Bazar. But landline phone, STD, Fax and even internet (via satellite) was available in most hotels.

Thu April 23 (day 5) - Phakding to Namche Bazar

Got up early in the morning - well rested and ready for the trek. It was a bit cold in the morning, but we were in our t-shirts minutes after we started walking.

Today would be the first day we would see Everest, if the weather is clear. When we landed at Lukla, we saw some snow peaks around the airport and asked our guide the names of those peaks. His response - these peaks are so low, they don't even have names! I suppose we could name one of those after each of us!

We left around 7:30 AM and walked Nepali Flats crossing the Dudhkoshi River many times. Of course, to cross the river, we would climb down to the bridge and then climb back up again. Most bridges are now cable bridges (thanks to donations by Edmund Hillary) and are strong enough to carry people and Yaks/Dzopkyos, which are hybrid Yak/Cows, across. The bridges were generally wide enough for two way traffic for people with just backpacks, but for porters and yaks carrying loads, only one direction could pass at a time. We didn't experience it, but were told that at times, you have to wait up to 30 minutes for the traffic in the other direction to pass. Traffic jams in the Himalayas!

About half way down (or up!) to Namche Bazar, we crossed the Sagarmatha National Park Entrance. While Giri got our park permits, we studied the topo relief model of the park inside. That really put our whole trek in perspective. The entire trek will be in the valleys of larger mountains - through these the Dudh Koshi, Imja Khola and other rivers flow downhill. Naturally, the towns and villages were at the banks of these rivers. Even when we reach the base camp, it will be at the low point of Western CWM - with Everest and other giants staring at us from all sides.

We stopped for lunch at 10:30 AM, and our guide told us that after lunch it is straight up, up and up the hill in front of us, almost to the top of it. That was Namche Bazar - elevation 11286 ft. We had no idea what was ahead of us, but we were dreading it - especially after lunch.

We started along side of Dudhkoshi river for some distance and then crossed it one last time over the Hillary bridge. And then it was just straight climb. This was a tough one. By the time we stopped at the vista point, we were ready to call it a day. This was the first time we saw Mount Everest. It had a ring of cloud around it, but the peak was visible. Being late in the day, the sky was hazy, and as usual, Nuptse was in front of the Everest. But we were so thrilled with the view, we couldn't stop admiring (and taking pictures.)

After that, our group got split. Felton and I were ahead. The others fell behind because (as we learned later) one of them was not feeling well and had to stop a few times. Not wanting to rest until we reached Namche Bazar, I kept on walking and stopped only when we reached the town. We must have waited for 45 minutes for the rest of the group to join us. By then, Felton and I were rested enough - in fact, too much - that our legs didn't want to move anymore. Of course, there was another half a mile or so to our hotel including a climb of 100 or so feet. We were so happy to reach our rooms and take long hot showers.

Our rooms had an awesome view of Thamserku.

Fri April 24 (day 6)- Today is the rest day at Namche Bazaar (11300 ft) - we hiked up 2600 feet yesterday after crossing the Hillary Bridge. Boy that was a steep hike!

I didn't sleep well. I had been coughing (probably due to dusty hike), had a dull headache, acidity and threw up a couple of times. Classic symptoms of Altitude Sickness. I was terribly worried until first thing in the morning, I caught our guide Giri, described what was happening and asked him describe symptoms of Altitude Sickness from mild to severe. Only then I was relieved that it wasn't, and I am going to be fine for the next day. I slept until noon, and then I was normal. Others had various levels of the same symptoms, but they also recovered quickly.

Today's activity was to take a morning hike up towards Khumjung, but only up to Shyangboche Airstrip for a nice Everest view. Half of us managed to do this 2000 ft climb. In the evening, Felton and I managed to go up to the Park Headquarters for an evening view. Suddenly, that 200 ft climb gave us confidence to go on the next day.

We went shopping - window shopping mostly, and for using the internet. This ended up the last day I could update the blog or check emails, for that matter. Next 10 or so days, it was a complete news/information blackout!

Tonight, the Hillary and Tenzing Cricket teams were returning from Gorek Shep. The hotel and restaurant was completely full - like Olive Garden. Those guys were busy with their own group. We didn't get a chance to interact with them. All we knew was that the Hillary team won.

Sat April 25 (day 7) - Namche to Tengboche

I felt about 80% ready the next morning. I was still coughing a bit. None of us were sleeping well - getting up many times at night. We knew because there was no insulation in the walls of our rooms. We also had nightmares. Later, we learned that it was once again part of adjusting to the mountains.

Good thing, the first part of the hike was pretty smooth, level. In fact, by the time we stopped for lunch, we had descended 700 ft to Phunki Tenga. Of course, that meant, we will be climbing about 2000 ft after lunch to Tengboche (12694 ft.) All the memories of climb to Namche came to mind. But this climb was steeper and shorter - with switchbacks. The trail was dusty, and we were careful not to slip.

When we reached the top around 2:30 PM, all our exhaustion disappeared. Even in the afternoon, the sky was clear, and the view was so beautiful. Right in front of us was Tawache (Taboche), Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam - in a row. This by far is most spectacular view of the trek.

At 3PM, the conch shells sounded out from the Monastery. We all went to observe the recitation by Buddhist monks in front of a giant Buddha statue. I had learned in school that Buddha was born a hindu (prince) in Nepal, and spent his entire adult life denouncing the meaningless Hindu rituals and rites of the time, including idol worship. And here -and everywhere else- his followers have created these wonderful statues of the man! After a quick look inside, I came out waiting for others to finish. Here was my "god" - Mount Everest - with all its glory in front of me. I never felt so peaceful before.

The evenings are getting colder now. With nothing else to do, we typically would huddle around the big stove/fireplace in the middle of the dining area. Occasionally, someone would play guitar or sing; otherwise, we would just chat and share experiences. Most trekkers follow the same route and same itinerary, so over time, you meet the same people again and again. At lunch, we met an israeli couple - he looked jewish, she didn't. She had a travel guide in her hand. We wondered if someone actully dared coming here with the help of a book. It was a very well laid out book, and based on our experience so far (and even the rest of the trip), it is in fact possible for you to do the trek by yourself. As it turned out, the couple did have a guide and a porter to help along.

The dinners (all food in general) were getting to be boring - limited menu, limited spices, and in fact limited colors (as we climbed up, the green veggies had disappeared. Now only carrots, cauliflower and potatoes.) More importanly, our appetites were diminishing. There was a bakery next door (same owner), so we decided to have pastries next morning instead of the usual bread, eggs and cereals. As it turned out, that wasn't such a great idea.

This is the first time, we saw some tents right outside our tea house. Hardcore trekkers were roughing it out there - we only took pictures in front of those tents. Of course, they were eating in the restaurant, as best as I could tell.

Sun April 26 (day 8) - Tengboche to Dingboche

Twelve hour sleep is too long. I woke up around 2AM. Even though it was cold, I couldn't resist tempation to see the night sky. There was no moon, so no sights of mountains in moonlight. But the sky was so clear and full of stars. Not a usual sight in our big cities and towns.

Finally, got up around 5:30AM. The sky was getting lighter, and we got wonderful shots of sunrise. For a long time, it looked like the sun was going to come out from behind the Everest, but the geography was deceiving. It came out in entirely different direction - near Ama Dablam. Another interesting thing was that BEFORE the sunlight reached these bigger peaks, a 6000m snow peak behind the Monestary was already shining in the sunlight. Go figure!

By the time, we started hiking, clouds rolled in and we couldn't see Everest or others. Later, we got great views of Ama Dablam, Island Peak, Peak 38 (Shartse II) and Taboche. We passed by (across the river) the base camp for Ama Dablam.

As we reached Dingboche around 2 PM, winds started blowing and it got very cold. We were now at 14469 ft. - higher than before, but our acclimatization was not yet complete. Some of us didn't digest the pastries well. They weren't as tasty as we had expected either - they were dry, and of course, our mouths were becoming tasteless. Tonight, I will try Daal Bhat for the first time during the trek.

At lunch break, Giri introduced us to one of his friend Dendi Sherpa - he had summited Everest once before, and now he was taking his Nepali Team (we learned later from HGT website that Dendi Sherpa was successful in taking the team to the top again!) He invited us to visit him at the Base Camp. In case that didn't happen, we got him to sign our picture postcards and backpacks. (As it turned out, we were not able to visit any tents at EBC.)

Daal Bhat was great. Since that's what most locals eat, it is cooked in large quantities, and they would even ask us if we wanted seconds. No appetite for seconds, but it was a welcome change from soups. Daal is usually Masoor Dal. Daal Bhat with mixed veggies on the side was a good menu for me. I stuck with it the rest of the trek. Once, at my request for "yellow" Dal, Giri had the kitchen cook Moong Dal. For breakfast, I switched from Omlette to boiled egg(s) with a toast. For lunch, it was soup.

Mon April 27 (day 9) - Rest day at Dingboche

This was our last acclimitization day. We were tired enough so we didn't protest about not going for significant hikes. Usually, Giri would offer three choices on rest days - do nothing, a short hike or a longer hike. Before the trek, we would study the map and say, for example, Chhukhung is only 4 Kms away and a 1000 ft. When the time came, we were happy with shorter hikes. Of course, Charlie and Jimmy were morning people like me. Even before I got up, they had already been up to some Stupa at the top of some hill. We then walked around the entire town, and later went up to some other Stupa.

H&R Block wanted my picture with Block poster on this trek. Just in case, I took a picture with Taboche (20700 ft) in the background. I was later able to take the picture at EBC as well.

The price of the bottled water was now getting expensive. Finally, all of us were ready to trust the hand water filter that Charlie had brought with him. Just a little climb up from our tea house was a pipe with flowing water. Later, we observed that in all towns they have laid these pipes that bring water from streames above to the town. The tea houses use the same water for our tea and food - and we didn't have any problems with it. So we hiked up to the pipe, sat around taking turns to filter water for all of us for the next day. That ended up being a time consuming activity because we were filtering almost 20-24 liters of water. But that was a great afternoon activity before it got dark. Passerby sherpas were curious about what we were doing, and used to stand and watch us. That was a role reversal!

Tue April 28 (day 10) - Dinboche to Dughla/Thokla

Now, we were really getting anxious to get to EBC. We have been walking for a week. The daily hikes were getting shorter, and so was the elevation gain. For the first time, we were above 15000 ft (15088 to be precise.) Today, we had great views of Cholatse and Taboche to Southwest and Ama Dablam to Southeast. To the north, we were staring at 700 ft climb to Thokla Pass behind which was Everest. In the afternoon, we climbed to another little peak where they had weather monitoring system on top. Not too many of them around.

Interesting fact - for Summit climbers, the most reliable weather forecast is provided by someone in Switzerland, who using satellites, accurately predicts winds and temparatures around the Summit path. The summit winds can be as high as 175 mph. In fact, from mid-Oct through March, winds at Everest are constantly at the hurricane force (>74 kph.)

Wed April 29 (day 11) - Dughla to Lobuche

After the steep climb right at the start, up to Thokla Pass, the trek was fairly level and short. Lobuche is 16172 ft. Our guide Giri advised us, and then reminded and reminded, to drink 4 to 5 liters of water daily. (He promised that he wouldn't ask us drink water after tomorrow!) This helps protect from altitude sickness. Such a simple solution, but that also meant that we were carrying that much weight (10 lbs) in our backpacks. Most of us complied. Since we had perfected the water filtering technique, getting water wasn't an issue. (I tried the Chlorine Tablets - they work as well.)

Mornings continue to be nice - sunny and warm and no winds (50-65 deg F) After the hike, we learnt to wear jackets when we stopped for lunch or at the end of the day. Winds on wet tshirts is NOT a good idea. Also, while it was nice and warm sitting in the sun, the temperature were still chilly in the shade. In the afternoon, winds picked up, fog/clouds would roll in, and temperatures dropped enough to freeze us up even with our jackets on. Filtering water became a challenge due to cold. Nights were cold but not quite at the freezing mark. Generally, there would be no winds at night.

At dinner, we saw a large group of Russians (all looked over 70 yrs.), and they had come back from EBC that day. If they can make it, so could we. Tomorrow was going to be a long day (because of the lost day at the start.) We will stop at Gorek Shep for lunch and then go round trip to EBC. Want to be there when the sky is still clear, and get back before winds in our face become too fierce. We are excited, we are ready.

Thu April 30 (day 12) - Today is the day! We left Lobuche (16172 ft) and reached Gorek Shep (16929 ft) for lunch. The flat lakebed just behind is where the Hillary vs. Tenzing Cricket match was played just a couple of days ago. We met the returning teams at Namche Bazar. On the other side of this lake bed is Kala Patthar. We will climb that tomorrow to get the best views of Everest during this trek. To do any better, we will need to climb past EBC.

Gorek Shep has wonderful views of Nuptse (just like the one in the panoramic view on the internet.) After light lunch (we really had no appetite!), we started towards EBC. We climbed up much higher than EBC (17575 ft) and walked for quite some distance along the ridges, when finally the yellow tents beyond EBC came into view. We descended the rocky trail and finally touched ice. The icy, rocky part at the edge of Khumbu Glacier is where the official touristy EBC is located. The summit climbers go a mile past that point and pitch their tents. We had no time to go up to the tents. We were all exhausted, but so glad that EVERYONE in the group made it to the Base Camp. We took pictures at the rock where EBC and elevation is marked, with Khumbu Glacier in the background.

From the Base Camp, Everest is not visible. It is shielded by Everest Shoulder to the left. On the right is Nuptse. Inbetween is the Khumbu Glacier. Summit climbers go through the ice falls and the death zone following Western CWM - the lowest point in the valley between Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse. This is the NEW EBC. The original base camp is a mile or so behind, but in a trecherous area (Hillary and Tenzing didn't know at the time.) - it is now abandoned.

Returning from EBC to Gorek Shep was really a drag. The goal had been accomplished. Now, the return trip is just a necessary evil. There was no other way but to walk back! At night, we were so tired that none of us would commit to going up Kala Patthar for the best views of Everest next morning. (But of course all of us did get up early next morning, and were ready for yet another climb.)

Fri May 1 (day 13) - Kala Patthar - Gorek Shep - Lobuche - Dughla (lunch) - Pheriche

This was going to be a long day. But this was also one of the highlights of the trek. The panoramic picture that I have been looking at from the start is from the top of Kala Patthar. This 1200 ft climb would give us the best views of Everest without climbing (with ropes and crampons, that is.) Last night, for the first time in our trek, there was a dusting of snow on this hill. We needed to be on the top (or as high as we could be) by sunrise. Since we were facing Everest all along, the same view was visible from the start. Of course, the higher we could go the better.

We dragged ourselves out of bed at 4AM, and left at 4:45AM. The idea was to go watch the sunrise and then come back to Gorek Shep for breakfast. We crossed the lakebed (the cricket ground) and started climbing Kala Patthar. It was a little dark when we started, but dawn lightened pretty quickly. This hill is brown for the most part, only the plateau on top is the Black Rock (Kala Patthar.) This is where our age differences came into play. The youngest one made it to the top of the rock. The next youngest to the base of the rock. The older two stopped half way through, and the remaining two went three quarters of the way. We all got great pictures - clear, with clouds, with sun shining on them and all. One is now hanging on my wall in the office.

After breakfast, we doubled back - literally. We climbed down to Lobuche (previous stop) and Dughla (the night before) - and that was the lunch stop. We then went another 4-5 km to Periche - but this was pretty much flat, by the Lobuche Khola river. Rocky, but level trek. By now, we are used to taking one step at a time until the guide asked us to stop. We were now looking at the opposite side (Southwest, away from Everest) where we were looking at rocky landscape carved by the glaciers that have long been gone. Rock slides remain.

Pheriche is actually a nice little town. We were the only ones in our tea house. Giri of course knows all owners in all tea houses, since he has been doing this for 20 years. We had a restful night.

Everyone is now out of energy. The excitement is gone. The appetite hasn't yet returned. Two more days before we get hot showers at Namche.

The high point of the trek is now over. Now, only memories and photos - and may be the same sights of Everest that we saw going up. As it turned out, it was foggy/cloudy at each of those locations - Tengboche, Everest View near Khumjung, and our first view after the Hillary Bridge going to Namche. We were so lucky to have clear days going up. We would have been terribly disappointed.

Reflecting back, I had no doubts what so ever about being able to successfully do this trek. The determination was always there - and the positive attitude. I had trained well (except the terrain, high altitude, reduced level of oxygen, weather and lifestyle - well that's a lot!) Eventhough I get out of breath quickly, I had sufficient muscle power to make it through - and I did. Like the energizer bunny, I (and everyone else, for that matter.) just kept on going and going, until we got there. I am glad all six of us made it there and back, intact - other than minor setbacks here and there. We didn't miss any days due to health or had to leave anyone behind. One more item checked off the "Bucket List." I saw one large poster in one of the tea houses - below the picture of Mount Everest, it read ".. because it was there!"

Sat May 2 (day 14) - Pheriche - Pangboche - Tengboche - Khumjung

Today is the day, I lost it - my patience, that is. The day started out nice as usual. After crossing the river, we climbed straight up on the side of the hill. This is the only time, the trail was narrow (1-2 ft) with a steep drop on one side down to the river. Of course, I watched our porters navigate it with ease while carrying our bags uphill. All of us managed as well. We were all slowing down a bit, but covering two days distance in one day. Our toes/heals/blisters, knees and other joints were making their displeasure known. Both climb ups and downs were beginning to be painful. And there was nothing else new to see.

After the climb, the trail leveled off until Pangboche. Going in the opposite direction, I saw a young man with amputated leg and going faster than us on crutches. Should we have a reason to complain? The day before, we also saw a young boy (9-10 years old) walking with ease, with his father. Anyone who wants can do this trek. There really are no excuses.

After crossing Imja Khola river, we were climbing uphill to Tengboche. All the descends we enjoyed on the way up to EBC, were now daunting in the opposite direction. The sherpas were good, they were with you and helped in any way they could. You still had to walk yourself!

I was so looking forward to Tengboche and the awesome view from there. I was disappointed. The fog had rolled in, and there was no view. The next hour was downhill with dusty switchbacks to our lunch stop, Phunki Tenga. Before we started downhill, our sherpa pointed Khumjung - straight in front of us, may be 4-5 kms away. I was so happy that we would get there soon. But then I realized that we are to descend 2000 ft to eat lunch and then climb almost all of it back before reaching Khumjung. I was unbelievably cranky. I didn't want to stop and eat lunch, just keep walking and go to Namche Bazar (which was further away.) Well, I ate.

Another two hours - all climb, brought us to Khumjung. Hillary put in a lot of money in this region to build hydroelectric power, schools and bridges. Hillary High School is in Khumjung. Our tea house was one of the highest buildings - very nice view, but with a climb. After a long time, our rooms had 24 hour electricity.

Another claim to fame for Khumjung is that their monastery has a Yeti head. Knowing fully well that it couldn't be, we were curious enough to go see it. The monasteries are well built and colorful and well populated with young and old monks. The Yeti head is encased in glass and kept inside a safe. Only when you paid (Rs. 100 per person, or so.) the monk opens the safe and shows you the display. The head looked very small - like monkey or a small ape - no bigger than a regular coconut. The plaque above tells the story how some kids found it and were kicking it around before it was retrieved and is now preserved here.

Sun May 3 (day 15) - Khumjung - Namche Bazar

Left at 7:30 AM this morning - the reason to rush is so we can get to our hot showers early! Yeah!!! Khumjung - Khunde (hospital) are twin towns next to each other. Very scenic, flat with blue roof homes and rock walled potato fields. Khumjung has a high school - the only one in the area. So kids have to walk up from Namche 2000 ft every day to go to school. School starts at 10 AM so everyone could get here on time.

Reached up to Everest View point, and were completely disappointed. So early in the morning, clouds were already covering Everest. After the air strip, it was a 2000 ft staircase. All dusty and rocky and slippery. Of course, no sweat for the Nepali children in sandals. But for us, we had to watch every step down.

From 10 AM to 1 PM, a weather front came through and dumped a lot of rain. All flights to Lukla were cancelled. Our 2000 ft descent on the staircase would have been trecherous. Thank goodness, we left early in the morning.

Back in our rooms, finally, we had indoor plumbing and hot showers. After 9 days, we were shaving and bathing ourselves. It felt so good. We also had a chance to wash our laundry. Things were coming back to normal. Due to the front, the internet connection was down in the whole town. It only came back up late in the evening. Finally had a chance to check mail, upload pictures, and charge batteries.

Mon May 4 (day 16) - Namche to Phakding

This was a climb down - easier than climbing up, but still difficult. Need to watch your steps in the dusty trail so you don't slip. Yesterday's rain didn't do much to keep the dust down either. Also, here in the Himalayas all treks go up and down regardless of your direction. So we had to climb down, cross the bridges and climb back up several times. Though we have been through the same trails before, many of the details were forgotten or not noticed. For example, we noticed how the barron land turned to shrubs to smaller plants. Now, when foggy, the tall trees felt like rainforest. To complete the experience, it drizzled a little along the way. It felt good.

We also noticed that on our way back, it was getting cloudier earlier and earlier. All vista points had no vistas. Had I taken the trek two weeks later, I would have been disappointed. Hope the weather is clear two days from now when we are scheduled to fly out of Lukla.

Tue May 5 (day 17) - Phakding to Lukla

A very short day today. Although a hike up to Lukla, reversing our descend on the first day of the trek. I left a few minutes earlier than the rest of the group. In general, I went slower than the rest of the group because I didn't want to risk slipping down the uneven rocks/rocky path. Going uphill, I get out of breath real easily - even at the sea level. At this altitude, our guide advised us to take our own time and not rush. And not having a reason to compete with anyone for the first place (it was afterall a marathon, not a race!) took my time to get to our next stop. Today, I think everyone was beat and really had no reason to rush. So, we all made back to Lukla at the same time. We took pictures of all of us at the gateway arch and reached the hotel.

We thanked the sherpas and porters, gave tips and sent them off. We reached our rooms, FINALLY took off the hiking boots after so many days. Washed off the boots and hiking poles to pack in our backs. After taking nice long hot showers, we went for a nice lunch. Some of us went out to walk around town - one street, may be half a mile long. One end is the airport, and the other end is the gateway arch. There is nothing unique or special to buy in Nepal, in general. Everything I could purchase in India for sure, or even in the US. I just bought some prayer flags as a souvenir. (Oh, and the Sagarmatha Trekking permit also.)

Came back to the hotel, watched a documentary on Tenzing's son comparing summit treks today vs in 1953 when Tenzing went. Besides, climbing is completely different than trekking. We walked on the solid ground - dirt and gravel and rocks - all the way to EBC. Aside from little earthquakes that would cause rock slides, there was little danger to our lives. There were no animals (other than yaks) to deal with. The rest of the afternoon, we sat in the balcony chatting and watching the scenary change as the clouds rolled in and out. Hoping that tomorrow weather is clear.

During the trek, we met many people who had done the Annapurna circuit - something I was contemplating - just before EBC trek. Not sure if doing two treks in one trip is a great idea. I suppose if this was going to be your only trip to the region, you might as well.

BTW, the trekkers had so many varying backgrounds, and reasons to be on this trek, it is very amusing.

There was one couple - the wife wanted to do both Annapurna and EBC before she was to be 50 years. Her birthday was coming up this year - so they did both treks back to back.
Another pair from Germany were into hiking as well. They were pretty much with us the entire itinerary. They both drank beer everyday (our group refrained entirely until we got back.) - and the wife was a chain smoker. How she retained stamina for hiking, she only knows.
Another couple was going to Philippines right after this trek to relax on the beaches.
Two women friends were going to the Safari in Nepal after EBC trek.
Another two women travelled together - one gets a job in some country, and the other tags along and they do treks together.
One couple wanted to start the trek by taking a bus from Kathmandu and then hike to Lukla to continue where we began the trek. They said the bus ride was so bumpy up and down hill, that they got sick on the bus. After that 12 hour ride, the hike to Lukla is 5-6 days. By the time they got to Lukla, they were already exhausted and had to really slow down the rest of the trek. (When we missed our flight the first day, we were so anxious to leave that we asked our guide if we couldn't take the bus. I am glad we didn't.)
So many trekkers wanted to add on Gokyo to the trek. For one reason or the other (mainly fatigue), they ultimately dropped the idea. I remember we were so cranky on the way back, we wouldn't want to climb anymore!
There were a lot of Russians and Eastern Europeans, in large groups, trekking to EBC. Many were older (60s and 70s) and in varying levels of fitness, but they all seem to have made it.

Wed May 6 (day 18) - Lukla to Kathmandu

This was the most luxurious hotel room during the trek. In room, toilet and hot showers, one queen and one single bed, nice blankets. Got up early for breakfast at 6 AM. We walked to the airport - 10 minutes away - at 6:45 AM for 8 AM flight. Our porters were there until our bags were checked, and then they disappeared quickly to go to their homes - they'd have to walk 3 days at their speeds to get home. But they had no luggage to carry (except their backpacks) and money in their pockets.

As the airport has four parking spots for airplanes, only four flights (from different airlines) would come in at one time. Since they want to make as many trips as quickly, they would start early and turnaround quickly. Typically, 35 minute flight and 10 minutes to empty and reload. The first group of flights leave Kathmandu at 6 AM, the second at 7:30 AM and so on. We were in the third batch, so our flight was delayed. But we had nowhere particular to go. Of course, waiting at the tiny airport lounge isn't ever pleasant. The weather was clear, and we got our final few photos of Lukla. While waiting some of us walked out to the tarmac to stand in the sun to warm up. I wondered about the security at the airport (actually, security in general.) They let us stand there only when there were no planes. Before the next batch of planes arrived, they huddled us back inside the terminal, and then called each flight.

On the plane, I had a window seat on the right side of the plane where I could see the snow peaks. Of course, they look completely different from different angles, and therefore, were unrecognizable. During the 35 minute flight, the scenary changed quite a bit. From white and green mountains to dry red soil - almost desert looking, and no human presence except in some valleys near rivers.

Kathmandu was smoggy and hot. It was almost a shock to our bodies after being in the colder climate. For once, to our surprise, our shuttle bus wasn't waiting for us. The driver got stuck in traffic and was about 15 minutes late. We arrived at Hotel Shanker, and back to the five star luxury.

A few days earlier, we had heard that the Prime Minister of Nepal had resigned over disagreement with the President. As we witnessed, the trekking/climbing in Sagarmatha National Park is NOT affected by the political realities in Nepal (or China.) That region survives on tourist dollars, and works around the Himalaya's whims, nothing else's.

The security in the region was almost non existent. Namche Bazar was the last police station with one police officer. The airport security at Lukla were young men - unarmed. We didn't see any scuffles or arguments or fights during the trek.

Back in Kathmandu, one road on the way back to our hotel was blocked off because the supporters of the Prime Minister were protesting against his resignation. The protestors were marching peacefully. The security was heavy, but most police were unarmed.

However, the scene was enough to spook the rest of our group. We had planned to go back to one specific restaurant for lunch, and then go shopping. The group scraped the plan, and decided to remain in the hotel. I felt safe enough to venture out. I wanted to have CDs made from the digital cameras from all of us. So I went out, found a place and ordered the CDs. They were going to be ready in a couple of hours.

On the way back, I went to HGT office and found Giri still there (he had said his goodbyes to us already, and we expected him to be on the bus to his home soon thereafter.) Given the uncertainty of flights from Lukla, I had not made reservation from KTM to DEL, opting to take a chance of finding one seat on some flight, somewhere. After landing at KTM, I called Naba and within minutes, Naba had booked a flight for me. I picked up my ticket and return to the Hotel. The protest was over, and things were back to normal.

I met rest of the group at the hotel restaurant. They were finally back to being non-vegetarians and drinking beer again. I updated them that everything was fine outside. So four of us went out last minute shopping. One wanted to buy some Nepali Tea and prayer flag. Another, brave soul, wanted to buy jewelry - not just that, he wanted to get a pendant to match the earrings he had bought elsewhere. That is a near impossibility - and it turned out that way. We did spend a couple of hours hopping from one jewelry shop to next. There was no power, so matching color was a great challenge. Any case, we picked up the CDs and came back to the hotel.

For dinner, HGT took us to yet another nice restaurant - Rum doodle, at 40,000 1/2 feet - a cute name. At the end of you dinner, they give you a cardboard cutout of a human footprint on which you write some message. It appeared that this is the last stop for all trekkers.

Thu May 7 (day 19) - Kathmandu to Delhi. Had nice breakfast at Hotel Shanker (the season is almost over, so the breakfast was in a smaller breakfast area. The power was out part of the time, so we had candlelight breakfast! All five US based trekkers were leaving today - about the same time, so we left for the airport around noon. Naba and Giri accompanied us to the airport and wished us goodbye with silk cloth (Dupatta.)

I was wondering why they wanted us to go to the airport so early (3-4 hours.) Then I knew. We pretty much were standing in some line or the other - no less than 7 - almost the entire time. First, it was check in with the airline. That was relatively painless. I was only the third person in the line. Then, upstairs for Immigration. There were several lines - each with no less than 50 people in line. After immigration, things got worse. There was ONE long line for Security Check. Later on, we realized that there were two lines - one for men and a separate one for women. Women's line was much shorter. From time to time, someone would come by and ask people WITHOUT any handbaggage to go ahead. Of course, with those, others even with handbaggage would go forward. The line discipline was broken. As it turned out, the X-ray machines weren't working, so they were checking people with wands. Right after that, the hand baggage would then be hand checked. Finally, went to the gate area and waited for Jetlite (no frills) to announce boarding. It was just a short wait. Once again, a line to check our boarding passes. Then wait for the bus in pre-boarding. Then, a line for the bus. When we got out of the bus, once again, bag checks by hand, then physical check, then they would take the boarding pass, and FINALLY, we were on the plane. Thank goodness, after all that, we left Kathmandu on time and reached Delhi on time

Another surprise (not the temperature, it was ONLY 100 degrees that day.) at Delhi airport awaited us. Medical check because of Swine Flu! I happily walked from the bus to a no-wait Immigration officer (not knowing about the medical check.) He sent me back to fill out the form - without really explaining it - and bring it back. I had to see the doctor before that. There was a row of doctors who were barely asking anyone anything, just stamping the form and returning to us. My doctor asked me if I was in the US for the past 6 days (I wasn't) and if I had a cough or anything. That's all.

Immigration, baggage pickup, customs (green channel) was pretty fast. I was out in less than one hour. Because I knew where I was going and it was broad daylight, I was going to take the pre-paid taxi. Since I was carrying Rupees and knew how much the charge would be, the process was painless. The taxi took about 45 minutes to take me to Gurgaon Sector 55. May 7 being election day in Delhi, both my niece Shalaka and her husband Shoan were home.

The trek was over. Since Shalaka and Shoan had seen me just before and just after the trek, they had a frame of reference. I had turned darker and had lost some (5 lbs.) weight. I was feeling great. It was a great experience, and a lot of things to talk about. And then, there was this project I had to embark on as soon as I reached Mumbai....

Before the trek actually begins..

2009-04-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

Wed Feb 18 (T-60!) - After a long search for a partner for this trek, I signed up for a trek two weeks earlier than initially planned. The minimum group size is 2 (max 10) - with that size you can pretty much pick your dates and itinerary. For the trek I signed up for, there were four others (in reality, there were total six of us - five from the US, one from Australia.) I will be leaving San Francisco on April 16, 2009 for Delhi, and then on to Kathmandu to begin the trek. The 19 day trek is from April 19 to May 7. I filed the online registration and paid 20% deposit with a credit card.

Now off to gathering all the stuff! Along side, my usual exercise routine (6-7 miles walk/hike daily including 50-75 story climb, plus 1 1/2 miles of swimming) continued. I was told that it would suffice for the trek. Otherwise, you are advised to practice walking 4-6 hours starting 3 months prior to the trek.

My own prior trekking experience - to the top of Mount Diablo, 3800 ft.

Sun April 19 (day 1) - flew in from Delhi to Kathmandu. The flight was delayed initially by the airline -for about 45 minutes, and then by Customes - another 45 minutes. It was over 100 degrees in Delhi, and until the doors were closed, the inside of the plane was hot too. I am sure we finished all the supply of water on that plane.

During take off, the plane vibrated as it struggled to lift off. Almost felt like it was going to split in to two parts, and the back part -where I was- will remain on the ground. It did NOT - thankfully. That was a nervous experience.

Saw some snow capped mountains closer to Kathmandu, but once on the ground, the entire area was hazy/smoggy and gave no hints of any mountains surrounding Kathmandu. With 7 million population and smoke spewing vehicles jamming the streets, Kathmandu has a huge polution problem. We didn't see any surrounding mountains during our 3 days in Kathmandu. It was relatively cooler - 84 degrees - in Kathmandu, and the breeze was nice.

There was a van waiting to bring us to the hotel. Reached Hotel Shanker around 6 PM. This is an old palace, now a five star hotel with all expected amenities. Chet from Himalayan Glacier (HGT) came to meet me, and the other two - Charlie and Jimmy (from Virginia) who happened to be on my flight from Delhi and in the van to the hotel. I then met two others from our group - David from Melbourne, Australia and Brian from Atlanta. The last trekker, Felton, also from Atlanta, was to join the next day. We were total 6 on this trek - ages ranging from 32 t0 68. All -except the youngest- are married - and their wives chose not to join! Since Felton wasn't with us, the Welcome Dinner was postponed from the first night to the second.

Chet took me to the heart of the city to show around. Due to load shedding, there was no power in the city. Hotel Shanker had its own back up power, so we didn't need to worry there. However, a flashlight would have been handy coming back from the city. Met up with the rest of the group in the bar - getting to know each other. So far, we had a pretty positive experience. Hope that continues.

Mon April 20 (day 2) - Due time difference/jet lag, woke up very early, went swimming at 6 A.M. - the pool water was cold, but the shower was really warm. Had a wonderful buffet breakfast at the Hotel, and got ready for the day. Went sightseeing Kathmandu for 5-6 hours - visiting many many Shiva temples, and Buddha Stupas, and other sites. Very interesting mix of religious following - both hindus and buddhist attend some of these sites.

Kathmandu name is derived from Kashtha Mandap (Wooden Hall - a covered meeting room made from wood of a single tree.) We heard a lot of historical facts about the city and buildings/temples in the city. The usual touristy stuff. Whereever we went, hawkers were right there selling their souvenirs and things at exorbitant prices. For the most part, because I looked Indian/Nepali, they left me alone.

In the evening, went to HGT office, met our guide Devraj Giri, got prepped for the trek, finished paperwork and payments to HGT, and then went for the Welcome Dinner at a Nepali place. The food was great, but having to sit on the floor didn't go well with most of us. Met the previous group that had just returned - two women (who made it all the way to EBC) and an older man (who had to stop half way through for health reasons) and anxiously listened to their stories. We wanted to know, and at the same time, we didn't. May be in the backs of our minds, we were a bit apprehensive about what is ahead of us. One thing I found out was that the entire trek is dirt, gravel, rocks - small and large. There is really no snow until you reach EBC.

Tue April 21 (day 3) - we were all packed up, ready to start the trek. Excited actually - a lot of anticipation. Left the hotel at 6:30 AM for 7:45 AM flight. Met other groups going the same place Lukla. After speding 6 hours at the airport, it was announced that there were to be no flights to Lukla today, due to bad weather. We will try the same tomorrow.

The wait was made interesting by Wolfgang from Austria - man around age 50 - who goes climbing mountains all over the world. He was back this time to take a group to a tough climb to Cholo - taking the left fork at Namche Bazar (we were taking the right fork.) He was on a sponsored trek. He had lots of experiences to share and I found his stories very captivating, and in some ways, comforting. We ran into him a few times in the following days, and everytime he had new stories to share with us.

HGT arranged to bring us back to the city, put us up in a different hotel (less posh, but closer to the city action), and taking us to a nice lunch place. The rest of the afternoon was up to us. We went back to the hotel, relaxed for a while, and then some of us went out for a walk/shopping. Just as we came back, clouds rolled in and it rained pretty heavily for a short time. They said, when it rains like that, the next day weather is clear at Lukla - let's see!

On hindsight, I feel HGT should try to get us on the flight the very first day of the 19-day trek, and if flights are cancelled due to bad weather, then do Kathmandu sightseeing. The group that had just returned on the 20th had to spend 3 days waiting for Lukla weather to improve. They then finished the rest of the trek in 13 days.

P.S. Nepal time is 12 hours 45 minutes ahead of Pacific time, and 15 minutes ahead of India time.