Hello from 11,000 feet!
Hello Everyone - Just wanted to drop a quick update since I haven’t written in a while. It’ll be quick cuz internet up here is not cheap and not fast.
After finishing my retreat in Thailand, I boarded a cheap flight to Kathmandu, nepal the very next day. After four days in the vibrant, yet hectic city I boarded a 12 hour bus to Jiri, where I began the traditional trekking route to Sagarmatha (the Nepali name for what the English decided to call Mt. Everest) Base Camp. Now, for a price, people can fly in much closer than where I started, but the first seven days were priceless - very few other tourists and great landscapes - although the trekking has been arduous to say the least. Up and down. Up and down. Luckily, I paired up with two other guys who were going solo and our threesome has made it easier and more fun. Especially since the sun goes down around 4 or 5 and much of the night is spent inside a lodge. We leave around 7 or 8 in the morning. Nights have been cold and will get colder (-18 degrees Celcius), but we’ve been hiking in T-shirts during the day! Currently, I’m in Namche Bazaar, which is a relatively big (1,000 people?) Nepali city at 11,000 or so. Tomorrow, we will take a rest day with a short side hike to acclimatise to the altitude. I can’t tell you how breathtaking the landscape is. Today, we were surrounded by snowcapped mountains as we followed and crossed over rushing turquoise - turquoise!!!! - rivers. Yak caravans were coming down as we were going up.
Well, it’s time to eat some dinner and rest the legs. At least two more weeks of trekking and climbing to go and I can’t wait. I’m already planning my return trips to this beautiful country.
From 11,000 feet with love,
Adrian
