Nepal

Tomorrow we head out on a 28-day trek in the Everest ("Khumbu") region. Of course, it just wouldn't be any fun if we didn't have one of those infamous 12-hour bus rides, so we're on an all-day bus to Jiri, where the trek begins. Don't worry, we're taking a porter/guide to help us find the way and, perhaps more importantly, carry our pack. Full-time porters here can easily carry a 70 pound pack. Ours is less than 20 pounds because 1) we didn't bring that much underwear, and 2) our guide is sort of a combination guide and porter, and we don't want to weigh him down too much. Along the way we'll be staying in various lodges and "tea houses," which in some cases won't be much more than dormitory-style lodging. But we've been told the food is pretty decent (mostly carbohydrates, which trekkers need to keep going).

Our getting up at 4 AM to catch a bus for the start of our 4-week Everest trek turned out to be in vain since our guide/porter never showed. Undeterred we got another guide the next day and headed out on a 10-hour public bus ride to our starting point (Jiri). The first few days of the trek were really difficult given our less-than Olympic physical condition. Initially we were crossing the valleys to get to the Everest region and therefore by the time we reached Namche Bazaar (the first stop in the Everest region) we had done the equivalent of climbing up and back down Everest. The days were long, starting about 8 am and ending when our bodies collapsed around 4 or 5. After an early dinner we would usually go to bed around 7:30 or 8. It was kind of strange because sometime we would wake up at 10 or 11 PM, thinking it must be time to get up already! The trek from Jiri to Namche Bazaar was really nice because there are so few foreign trekkers on this route. Most trekkers these days fly directly into the region. The landscape was still quite green - the people at the lower elevations grow rice, and a bit further up they grow corn, barley, potatoes, etc., and many raise cows for milk. The high, snowy mountain peaks were just beginning to show way off in the distance. We also took up our guide on his offer to visit his village. On that side trip we didn't see any foreigners for four days and we were the subject of much curiosity among the children. Have you ever been stared at by twelve quiet children at once? We were probably the first non-Nepalis to visit, and we were about as interesting to the locals as a pair of Martians would have been. One gastronomical highlight was lunch in our guide's mother-in-law's cow shed along the way. Picture us seated cross-legged on the ground in a small wooden structure, huddled around a small, smoky wood fire, eating roasted potatoes which we peeled ourselves with our (quite dirty) hands and dipped in a mixture of salt and hot chili peppers. Next to us, a young calf was enjoying its own lunch of branches and leaves. The floor was decorated with an interesting pattern of cow, um, dung. We figured if this meal didn't make us sick, nothing would.

Once in the Everest region we proceeded to hike up each of three valleys each with its own trekking peak (Chukhung Ri @ 5559 meters, Kala Pattar @ 5600 m., Gokyo Ri @ 5350 m.) The pace was actually much slower in this area since the elevation is so great you can only ascend about 500 meters (~1500 feet) per day otherwise you can fall prey to altitude sickness. Not hard to avoid the serious symptoms but for those who ignore the signs (many do) it can result in death. We heard of at least one confirmed death while we were in the area. Our climbs to Chukhung Ri and Gokyo Ri were simply incredible with sunny days and 360 degree vistas that had impressive snow covered peaks in all directions. It is both an incredible high being among such giants and a very humbling feeling given your minuscule size among the vastness of this untouched landscape. Unfortunately we never made it to the peak of Kala Pattar having gotten caught in the first of three snowstorms that set us back. The nice thing about the snow is that everything was coated in a beautiful layer of virgin white. Although the snow was atypical this early in the year (October), the cold weather was not. Some nights the water in our water bottles would freeze since the rooms you sleep in are not at all insulated (just plywood between you and the outside) and there is no heating at all - save the stove during the time they're cooking meals. It was really nice being away from the sounds (and smells) of cars and most electrical things for all of 4 weeks. The people were incredibly friendly, although not being able to speak more than a few words of Nepalese and Sherpa it was hard to have very meaningful conversations with anyone other than our guide (who learned English from talking to tourists - its impressive how many people have learned this way) and other foreign tourists we met along the way (usually very interesting folks). The main sound outside the door was the pleasant tinkling of the bells on the yaks (which look something like a cross between a cow and a woolly mammoth, and are used as pack animals in the high regions of Nepal and Tibet).

The next step, having accomplished the toughest feat of our lives (getting to these places alive and un-frostbitten), was to get back down the hill. Unfortunately, you can't just ski down! Some of the days were tough, as we were sliding through ice and mud, but once we hit the lower altitude, things got easier, and we were delighted to see trees, grass and waterfalls once again. I was amazed how I'd forgotten how green the world can be. We went a bit crazy in bakery just above Namche Bazaar, having eaten nothing but fried noodles, fried rice, fried potatoes, eggs and dal bhat for many weeks. Oh, a short note about dal bhat - the national food of Nepal - and just about their only food - it's a big plate of rice served with lentils and sometimes some curried vegetables (often potatoes). Yup, that's what they eat twice a day, and they love it and are very thankful for it . Sometimes it's delicious and spicy and sometimes it's pretty darn bland. Usually it's an all-you-can-eat plan, and it's definitely the ideal trekking food because it's chock full of carbohydrates. For anyone who's curious to try it, there's a Nepali restaurant near our house - it's on El Camino in San Carlos. We actually met the owner's brother during our trek, and had heard of it but never been there.

The next big adventure was our air transportation back to Kathmandu. You have the choice of a tiny plane or a big helicopter. We ended up with the helicopter ride! After waiting 4 hours for the damn thing to finally arrive quite late (see, delays don't just plague the big cities), we nervously climbed in with a tour group of 20 Germans and a flight-phobic Slovenian. In-flight meal service consists of a tray of cotton (for your ears) and candy (to suck on) which gets passed down the line. Everyone is sitting on bench seats on either side of the helicopter, with your back facing the windows, starting at each ot her over the big pile of luggage in the middle. Then suddenly the helicopter starts to rise, straight up! It took about 45 minutes until we landed safely in Kathmandu, effectively covering the same distance that had taken us 8 days to achieve on foot.

Once we were back, our main priority was a shower - it had been 3.5 weeks (don't worry, it takes about 3 weeks at those cold temps before you smell too bad). Then we headed out on a 5-day rafting adventure on the Kali Gandaki, one of Nepal's holy rivers. We'd paddle a few hours in the morning after breakfast, take a break for about an hour for lunch, then paddle a couple more hours before settling down on a nice beach to camp for the night. There was an almost-full moon, and we didn't need flashlights to see our way around after sunset. 5 days initially sounded like a long time to camp with 30 strangers, but it was so much fun we would have been happy to keep going along time! The river was mostly Class III with some IV and V areas, for those who are familiar with rafting (most US rivers are III).

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