Wednesday, 3 May 2017

Everest Base Camp from 6 April – 19 April 2017


My  greatest moment at EBC on 14 April 2017, 11.50am
It is every mountaineer’s dream to reach the 7 summits of the world. If you are unable to reach any summit, reaching the Everest Base Camp (EBC) is a dream come true. Many people get lost or die every year, even just visiting the EBC!  

Until today, the authorities are unable to find his body

10 years ago (2007), I took a mountain flight (Buddha Air) to have an aerial view of the Himalaya Mountains from Kathmandu, and the highlight was to view Mount Everest. Of course, I had the idea back then of hiking up to EBC, but brushed the idea aside.

In 2016, after looking at an advertisement for Annapurna Base Camp (ABC), Steve and I decided to read further and researched on ABC and EBC. Of course, EBC is longer, tougher and more expensive compared to ABC but we knew that we could only choose one and so decided to go for EBC. We invited Graham Martin (our friend whom we met on our Kathmandu trip back in 2007) and he said “yes” to EBC as he already had it on his bucket list.

We researched many similar tour agencies and chose Amigo Treks and Expeditions as it stood out above the rest. We enquired about their package, ‘14 days Everest Base Camp Trekking’ and the boss, Tika always answered within 24 hours and seemed trustworthy.  We signed up as soon as our work vacations were approved (back in December 2016) and booked the cheapest flights to Kathmandu via Malindo Air.

After booking, we started doing more research and started hunting for hiking gear at North Face, Columbia, Sports Direct and other similar shops. How did we get fit and prepare ourselves? Running, going to the gym and continuing with my usual pole and aerial exercise.

And so, the moment arrived……….

Day 1 (6 April 2017): Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu (1,300 metres)    

We were in the air and due to arrive roughly on time, but 30 minutes before landing, we were informed by the pilot that Kathmandu airport was closed. How can it be closed? Air Traffic Control asked the pilot to circle around Kathmandu for approximately 40 minutes before we were finally allowed to land!  We did get to see beautiful views of the hills and valleys around Kathmandu though.

Aerial view of Kathmandu


Upon arrival, we were greeted by our guide, Rajan Poudyal and a driver to bring us to our hotel, the Blue Horizon in Thamel. Our hotel, Blue Horizon, was a budget hotel but it had all the basics we needed. We were dropped off and ushered to our room. We didn’t know what the plan was and we decided to go out and wander around Thamel for a while.

This is Rajan Poudyal (our guide)


All the shops around Thamel are for hikers where you can get all your gear.  North Face, Marmot and all the major brands have their own shops selling original gear, but there are a lot of shops selling good quality imitation and second hand gear too.



We went to a mini sundry shop here to buy mineral water, water tablets for purification and snacks. I also got myself a woolly hat for 500 rupees.

Upon our return to the hotel, our guide brought us to the Amigo Treks office and that’s where we met the boss, Tika, who gave us a briefing on our trek and gave us our duffel bags, T-shirts and maps. We also made the payment for the balance of our trip in cash.

At night, we were brought to a Nepalese restaurant nearby our hotel for a welcome dinner. We were served with the Nepalese traditional dish, Dhal Bhat, and there were cultural dance performances to entertain us.


Before we slept, we repacked our things, forcing as much as we could into our new duffel bags.  We were told that we had a weight limit of 15kg for our hand luggage plus checked luggage (i.e. duffel bags) but had no way of weighing things and were prepared to pay extra if needed.

We left a few things we probably didn’t need in our cases as the cases were to be left in the hotel (the porters are tough but won’t carry your suitcase!).  We later found out we were well over the limit, but as they combined the weight of the group (and the guide brought almost nothing) we were only a bit over and we were not charged.

*Prices for:-

Mineral water – 20 rupees
Soft drinks – 60 rupees


Day 2 (7 April 2017): Kathmandu to Lukla to Phakding (2,652 metres) (27 minute flight and 5 hour walk)     

Early morning at 6.30am, from our hotel we were brought to Kathmandu domestic airport for our flight (Goma Air) to Tenzing-Hillary Airport (Lukla). Our flight was on time, SURPRISINGLY.

The journey in the mountain plane was mostly smooth (considering how close we were flying to the mountains) with slight turbulence as we were descending.  We sat on the left, as advised by our guide for the best views (there was one seat on the left of the aisle, and 2 on the right, with less than 20 seats in total). 

Inside the mountain plane (Goma Air). Graham is behind Steve

We landed safely on one of the scariest and shortest runways in the world and it was a nerve-wracking experience.

This is Lukla airport



We met our porters (Kamal (who had worked in Malaysia before and understood basic Bahasa Malaysia) and a young 19-year-old Tibetan guy). We had breakfast at the Hotel ‘The Nest’ next to the airport at Lukla and after breakfast, we started trekking at 9.45am from Lukla to Phakding.

The 1st day was supposed to be an easy trek as we were descending but the route to Phakding was covered in horse and yak dung! It smelled horrible and just imagine when the wind blows……



Luckily, we had good weather and it was not so cold.

Our friends arrived at the Hotel Beer Garden (with en-suite rooms) at Phakding at 12.30pm and I arrived at 1.40pm.      







*Prices for:-

Mineral water (at the Nest Lukla) – 100 rupees
Soft drinks (at the Nest Lukla) – 300 rupees
Wi-Fi - unlimited (at the Nest Lukla) – 200 rupees

Mineral water (at the Beer Garden Phakding) – 120 rupees
Soft drinks (at Beer Garden Phakding) – 300 rupees
Wi-Fi - unlimited (at the Beer Garden Phakding) – 500 rupees
Hot shower (at the Beer Garden Phakding) – 300 rupees

Day 3 (8 April 2017): Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440 metres) (7 hours walk) 
After breakfast, we started our journey at 7.45am. The 1st half of our journey was just up and down and flat. It was nothing challenging. We had lunch at 11.30am and after lunch, it was the checkpoint to the Sagarmatha National Park.

Checkpoint to Sagarmatha National Park


The 2nd half of the day was challenging though. We crossed over 4 bridges and walked alongside the river bank. After the last bridge, the Tenzing Hillary Bridge, we climbed higher and higher with big rocks and huge staircases. We were doing zig-zags in the small forest. Seriously, the route is difficult and dangerous!! I mean it……….

The Tenzing Hillary Bridge


Super windy at the Tenzing Hillary Bridge
We arrived Namche Bazaar at 4pm and I was already super tired and it took me another 40 minutes just to reach our en-suite room at the hotel (another one called ‘The Nest’). 

Namche Bazaar is a picturesque and well developed town, built on the side of the hills.  You can buy anything here and it is like a mini-Thamel with shops, barbers, cafes, an ATM (that only seemed to work in Nepalese and we had no luck with) and even a couple of pubs!  Due to competition, prices are surprisingly low too.  Given that everything here (including building materials) has been lugged up from Lukla, it is truly incredible.

Namche Bazaar

The streets of Namche Bazaar

Colourful rooftops
At this point I was worn out and started to lose my appetite so I didn’t care.  The food was not nice at all, and I knew it was only going to get worse as we went further up.  

Here is a selection of our meals over the course of the trek:









*Prices for:-

Mineral water (at the Nest) – 100 rupees
Soft drinks (at the Nest) – 300 rupees
Wi-Fi - unlimited (at the Nest) – 500 rupees


Day 4 (9 April 2017): Namche Bazaar (a day for acclimatisation)

Early morning after breakfast, we climbed up to the Sherpa Culture Museum.

Climbing up to the museum, I was already out of breath, but the view of the colourful rooftops with the mountains behind was breathtaking. The museum was free of charge and we took pictures outside with the statue of Tengzing Norgay (the Sherpa who along with Sir Edmund Hillary became, on 29th May 1953, the first to ascend to the summit of Mount Everest).

Our photo with Tenzing Norgay

Our group photo with the guide







Inside the museum there were photos telling the history of previous climbers’ attempts to map and ascend to the summit of Everest, as well as information on the kind of animals and insects you will find in the Himalaya.

After the museum, we proceeded to climb Kumbila Hill (a very steep hill) to reach the Everest View hotel to view and take photos of Mount Everest. I got as far as the Syangboche heliport (helicopters land there to bring emergency supplies in and transport humans out) and the rest went up to the Everest View Hotel.

 Syangboche heliport
After visiting the heliport, I would have still needed to climb for another 45 minutes (at my speed), so I said let’s go down then and my guide brought me down using another route, which was less challenging and quieter than the main route.

We had lunch back in Namche and toured around Namche Bazaar as it was our last chance to buy anything we might need (at a reasonable price at least) before heading higher.

Day 5 (10 April 2017): Namche Bazaar to Deboche (3,820 metres) (7 hours walk) 

We first had to climb the same route as we did heading to the museum, but after that it was a flat walk for about 2 hours around the side of the mountain. It was an easy route for 2 hours and we passed many small stupas along the way. The flat route has been improved making it wider for trekkers but the sheer drops were still quite unnerving and there was often nothing at all at the edges of the path.  At one point, we were asked to donate as the improvement work to make the route less dangerous was being done by volunteers.




My favourite yak, that looked like a sheep

Steve trying to be a porter

Check out the route

I can't carry those things
After the flat section, and lunch down by the river, it was a tough uphill trek until we reached the Tengboche monastery. I reached the monastery at 3.40pm. We walked around the monastery for about 30 minutes, but it was closed at the time. Thereafter, we trekked down a steep hill for 30 minutes to our hotel in Deboche. Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of the hotel as it still looked new and there was no signboard at all. We paid an additional US$25 for an en-suite room with a hot shower.

View from the monastery

The monastery on the left side
I remember upon reaching the hotel, I collapsed onto the bed as I was extremely exhausted. At that point of time, I fell ill and was so weak. I ordered my food, which was vegetable soup and it was brought by my guide Rajan to my room along with some fruit. I was unable to drink or eat immediately and could only eat much later at night, reaching pathetically from my bed for my fruit.

*Prices for:-

Mineral water – 200 rupees
Wi-Fi – you need to buy data, i.e. 600 rupees for 200MB (it’s getting expensive!)

Day 6 (11 April 2017): Deboche to Pheriche (4,358 metres)(8 hours walk) 

We were supposed to hike to Dingboche but on the way we were informed that there were no rooms available at Dingboche so we had to hike to Pheriche instead. We were told that we will be hiking to a valley and it would be slightly easier than the trek to Dingboche, as Pheriche is not as high. The hike from Deboche was uphill at first, then flat, downhill and then slightly uphill. Although the route should have been easy, breathing was now a problem!

Ice





I met a few Malaysians on the way up and these Malaysians were coming down already and they told me that they had reached the EBC. They wished me all the best and I think their trip was sponsored by FELDA as I saw one of them wearing a scuff from FELDA.

At the lunch stop, I had to take a short nap to regain my energy. I ordered my lunch but was unable to eat it.

This is me sleeping
At this time, I was informed by my guide/porter, Kamal, that I may have to turn back if I’m not eating well and furthermore, I’m very slow and would not be able to manage the much longer days on the way back. My appetite was very poor but thank God, I had no headache. The altitude here was already higher than I had ever been before (the summit of Mount Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia).

I reached our hotel Pumori at Pheriche, about 4pm. My determination was still very strong to reach the base camp and I didn’t want to think about how I was going to get back.


Our room in Pheriche
*Prices for:-

Mineral water (at the Pumori hotel) – 250 rupees
Soft drinks (at the Pumori hotel) – 400 rupees
Wi-Fi (at the Pumori hotel) – you need to buy data, i.e. 600 rupees for 200MB
Hot shower – 500 rupees (some people decided to shower but at this place, it’s too cold to shower).

Day 7 (12 April 2017): Pheriche (a day for acclimatisation) 

In the morning, the guys started their acclimatisation trek by climbing up a steep hill that overlooked Dingboche, and went around 400 metres higher than Pheriche. 




As for me, I trekked to only 200 metres higher with my porter, Kamal, and thereafter descended to my hotel and waited for the guys.

We had lunch at the hotel and it was free and easy for the rest of the day.

Day 8 (13 April 2017): Pheriche to Lobuche (4,928 metres)(8 hours walk) 

This was one of the most difficult days as there was less oxygen and it made my climbing difficult. We set off at 7.30am and I only arrived at 4pm. The guys arrived at lunch time.

From our hotel, we were informed that it was just a flat walk across the valley and thereafter a climb. It looked easy from our hotel but the moment you start walking across the valley for 2 hours, which was flat but covered in uneven rocks all the way to the hill, you will be out of breath and I needed to stop from time to time. Upon reaching the hill, it was a slow climb for me and Steve took the opportunity to take pictures while I stopped.







We had to cross a bridge to go across to our lunch place where we stopped prior to the big push up one of the toughest parts of the trek. It was very cold here and again I slept at the lunch table. I was so exhausted that again I couldn’t eat but forced myself to take an energy gel in preparation for the Thokla Pass.

After having the energy gel, I got faster and managed to climb, but the energy gel did not last for long and I was out of energy again! I managed to reach the top eventually, and to my surprise it was the Climbers' Memorial, remembering those who died while attempting the summit. It was very sad to be there as each memorial tells a brief story. Many died while attempting to descend from the summit without supplementary oxygen. Others, such as Scott Fischer’s, are quite prominent and the stories well known.

Scott Fischer memorial
After the memorial, it was another 1 – 1 ½ hours flat and uneven walk to our hotel. Steve was asking me to walk faster as the clouds were closing in.  It was really windy and we experienced a snow flurry as the clouds engulfed us.

Upon arrival at our hotel, I collapsed and slept for 2 hours. I was asked to go down for dinner, when I was still extremely exhausted and the dining area was super crowded, stuffy and dirty. We had to find a place, jam-packed with other climbers, guides and porters. I ordered rice and potato curry. Steve tried to encourage me to eat to regain some energy and the next thing I know I vomited on the table.

There was a group of 2 guys from US and they had a tiny machine to check my blood oxygen level. This tiny machine was put at my finger and my oxygen level was very low, i.e.  approximately 50 something and my heart was beating fast (130 something). The normal oxygen level at that altitude was supposed to be 80+ and everyone was very concerned.

My guide Rajan told me that I cannot continue with my journey anymore to the base camp and I was extremely sad. I said it was because I’m exhausted from trekking and I’m not suffering from any altitude sickness. He was proposing other alternatives for me, i.e. get myself evacuated by helicopter, start walking down to Pheriche with our porter Kamal, but I said no and insisted that I was not having any breathing difficulty and would like to continue the journey.

I asked him whether there is a horse to take me to EBC and he said yes but it’s very expensive. He said the cost is US$400 for the return trip from Lobuche to Base Camp but his instruction was to descend and he said he could not be responsible for me, should I continue up.

Steve said we will decide tomorrow and see how I feel in the morning.

*Prices for:-

Mineral water – 250 rupees
Wi-Fi – you need to buy data, i.e. 600 rupees for 200MB
Hot shower – nobody showers anymore at this point as it’s freezing cold
Horse – US$400.00

Day 9 (14 April 2017): Lobuche to Gorak Shep to EBC and back to Lobuche (5,160 metres Gorak Shep, 5,365 metres EBC, 4,928 metres Lobuche)(9 hours walk/ride) 

I felt good the next day. I was asked by Rajan to descend to Pheriche. However, with my persistence, I insisted that I will take the horse to EBC. There is no way that after all the pain and suffering and coming so close that I will descend when I was now feeling fine.  I asked Rajan whether there was a horse and he said yes, there is a horse nearby the hotel.  The rest of the guys proceeded with their journey to Gorak Shep and I was brought to see the horse.

The keeper of the horse fed it and shortly after it was all strapped up with a saddle for me to climb up and start my journey. It only took 2 hours for me to reach Gorak Shep on the horse.

Luckily, I hired the horse as I would have been unable to trek the uneven rocks and hills up to Gorak Shek. One small hill was enough to make the trekkers tired. It was so steep and I thought the horse will not be able to climb up but surprisingly, the horse was super strong and brought me to the top. The view was spectacular and I did not have any breathing difficulties. All the trekkers saw me on top of the horse and all felt so jealous! I made the right choice.  






The excited face.  I am reaching EBC soon
I rested for 40 minutes at the accommodation where the guys were supposed to stay. The guys came in the end and we proceeded with our journey to EBC.

Again, it was a rocky climb, all the way up to the EBC. It took about 1 1 /2 hours to reach the EBC with my horse.

At Gorak Shep, preparing for the EBC climb


This is not easy for the horse

Check out the conditions



I was so happy the moment we reached the EBC at 11.50am and later the rest came along. We were quite early and managed to get good photos and most other climbers had yet to reach EBC. That was the ultimate dream for me. Around the EBC, we saw all the tents that had been set up for long term stay. These are the climbers who were attempting to reach the summit of Mount Everest within the next 2 months. As of that day, we were told that no climbers had attempted the summit and the furthest anyone had been was to Camp 2. We spent about 30 minutes at EBC taking photos and admiring the mountains, glacier and icefall. We knew that this will be the closest we will get to Mount Everest, but it was mostly hidden behind Nuptse.

Private moment for me and the horse at EBC

Check out the EBC




We went back down to Gorak Shep for lunch, feeling very happy and thereafter, Steve and myself went back to Lobuche. Steve decided that he will skip Kala Pattar as the weather had closed in and there wasn’t much point climbing it and not getting a clear view of Everest.  Graham and Issac said that they will consider climbing to Kala Pattar in the morning if the weather was good, but it snowed overnight and they did not go.

Way back to our hotel

The keeper of the horse, me and horse
Day 10 (15 April 2017): Lobuche to Pheriche (4,358 metres) (6 hours walk) 

Heavy snow overnight gave us about 15 cm deep snow on the ground and the snow changed the landscape completely and everything looked so white. It was windy as well.







As Graham and Issac were not climbing Kala Pattar, they descended from Gorak Shep to Pheriche via Lobuche that morning.  As I used my horse to get back to Lobuche the day before, I was already half way to Pheriche and only had to walk half the normal distance this day.

We went down early morning after breakfast despite the slight snowfall and although it was going down, it was difficult for me and I needed to stop to catch my breath all the time. When we were at Thokla Pass, it was very wet and slippery, I slipped down 3 times but luckily I did not fall on the horse or yak dung.   

We had a short rest at the place we had lunch on the way up, and after that it was a flat route (slightly downhill) the rest of the way. Graham and Isaac managed to catch up with us around here. This showed how slow we were going. It was extremely windy and cold and we had to continue our journey on the flat terrain to Pheriche in deteriorating weather.







Upon arrival at Pheriche, I was again extremely tired and out of breath. Steve was talking to Rajan as to how to bring me back to Lukla safely, as all of them believed I would not be able to trek down the difficult path back to Lukla and that perhaps helicopter evacuation was the only option.

Since I was always out of breath, I went to see the mountain doctor nearby. He asked me several questions and gave me some tests (e.g. walking in a straight line, pointing to my nose and reaching out to the doctor’s finger), which I passed. I was diagnosed with a moderate Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Luckily, there was no swelling in my brain or water in my lungs. We had to pay consultation fee of US$65.00 + 5 % charge for credit card transaction.    

Steve tried to contact the insurance company based in Denmark. He had to buy the wi-fi card as there was no mobile reception and decided to send an email to inform the insurance company of what happened and see whether we would be able to claim for it. The insurance company replied to the email and informed us that the medical report given by the mountain doctor in Pheriche must be pre-approved by their own doctors and that we must use their designated helicopter company.

In the meantime, while waiting for the insurance company’s further reply, Steve and Rajan went and made preparations by booking me a seat on a helicopter to Lukla for US$500.  It wasn’t an official booking as they basically give you a seat on someone else’s helicopter so you must wait for someone else to be evacuated, or for a passing helicopter to agree to pick you up.

Steve was checking his email the whole evening, hoping to get a reply from the insurance company about the claim but didn’t receive anything.

Day 11 (16 April 2017): Pheriche to Namche Bazaar (3,440 metres)(7-8 hours)

We woke up this morning and it was extremely windy and snowy. There was still no reply from the insurance company. Graham, Isaac and Kamal proceeded to Namche Bazar and Steve and Rajan brought me to another lodge near the helipad. We were informed that they were not sure when a helicopter with an available seat was going to arrive, and I was asked to wait. I was told it could be in the afternoon as it also depends on the weather.




Steve and Rajan left the lodge and after waiting for a while, I paid US$500 cash and was brought to the open field to wait for the helicopter. It was so windy that it almost blew me away and it must have been difficult for other trekkers to climb the mountains in these conditions. I knew that there was no way for me to trek to Namche that day.  

I waited for 10 minutes for the helicopter to arrive. The pilot was an Italian and he had to pick up a girl from Gorak Shep and then 3 of us from Pheriche.

When we saw the helicopter, it was so windy that the helicopter was unable to land. The pilot had to circle around a few times and then land. Our journey to Lukla only took us 10 minutes but it was a scary ride. Once we were out of the Pheriche valley, things stabilised. The scenery from the helicopter was breathtaking.

Me inside the helicopter
The helicopter that rescued me

This was the Italian pilot

Upon arrival at Lukla, I gave my passport and medical report to a guy at the airport for him to take a photo and send it to the insurance company.

I was told that my hotel, The Nest at Lukla was very nearby and I asked someone from the hotel to pick up my luggage from the helipad. I had to wait for a room to be cleaned as it was fully booked the night before. Not long later, I was given an en-suite room. Hot shower in the room was only available from 4pm onwards and not earlier.

Steve said all of them arrived Namche Bazaar at 2pm that day and it was an extremely tough trek down that I would have been unable to handle.

I had my dinner all by myself and started talking to the guides who were staying at the hotel. At this time, I realised that my face was burnt and I was trying to get rid of the dead skin.

Day 12 (17 April 2017): Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2,652 metres)(5 hours)

I woke up and had breakfast by myself. To my surprise, the rest of them arrived quite early at Lukla at 12.30pm. Rajan said it was the earliest he’d ever arrived at Lukla with the speed that the guys were travelling.

Before dinner, we walked around Lukla to find jacket potatoes and chicken wings (which I saw another group had bought the night before). We had our final dinner at the hotel with the guide and porters and bought them dinner. It was also time for us to say goodbye to Isaac as his mountain flight was the 1st flight at 6.30am out from Lukla the next day. We also handed everyone their respective tips for the entire trip.

Day 13 (18 April 2017): Lukla to Kathmandu (1,300 metres)

We had breakfast in the hotel, and as it was right next to the runway, we didn’t need to leave until the guide knew our plane was about to arrive (so we thought). Our flight was due at 8:30am and we left the hotel at about 9am.  We said our goodbye to Kamal and Kamal draped a Nepalese scarf “Khata” (which was supposed to be given for someone leaving on a trip) around each of our necks.  

We then waited at the airport for 3 hours as our flight did not arrive. The weather was getting worse and the clouds were low making taking off and landing dangerous. Other passengers for a later flight managed to get their flight earlier than us and we were worried we would not fly that day.  In the end we got our flight at around 12.20pm. The delay was very normal for the guides but for us passengers, we just wanted to leave Lukla as soon as possible.  Flights do not normally run in the afternoons because of the weather and so if your flight is delayed you can end up on standby the next day, and can be stuck for days. We would have also missed our flights to KL for which we had already checked in online.

On arrival in Kathmandu, we were brought to our hotel and we had hot showers and started packing and trying to squeeze our things back into our cases.

At night, we were informed that Tika was unable to join the farewell dinner and so Rajan brought us to a nice, posh restaurant in the heart of Kathmandu. The food here was super delicious. Perhaps it was because we were served with low quality food up in the mountains and we began to appreciate our food more.  Whatever we had, was super-duper good.

Farewell dinner

After dinner, it was time for us to say goodbye to Rajan.   

Day 14 (19 April 2017): Kathmandu to Kuala Lumpur

We had our breakfast at the hotel and it was good. Tika came and said good bye to us and then, at 10am, our driver brought us to the airport for our flight home.

Kathmandu airport is always busy. If they are sending one person to the airport, it seems liked the whole village would join. Nothing has changed in this airport and it is just as I remember from 10 years ago.

Our Malindo flight was supposed to depart the same time as MAS but was delayed for 1 ½ hours.

Summary

Overall, the journey to EBC was tough and dangerous. We wore the same clothes for 7 days (day and night) as it was freezing cold for much of the time.

Throughout the trek, we were closely monitored and taken care of by our guide Rajan and our porter Kamal (who was assisting Rajan). Both spoke good English and got along very well with us all. Rajan briefed us every day on our itinerary, what to expect for the day’s trek, how high we were going, the condition of our accommodation etc.  We just needed to ask Rajan or Kamal anything and they would be able to tell us about the mountains, the conditions, or anything else on the trek. Both were very knowledgeable indeed. 

They served us our food and drinks three times a day and made us feel very secure while being very enthusiastic and energetic. I was very slow and there was not even once that they showed impatience with me. Either Rajan or Kamal would separate from the leading group and accompany me, carry my backpack and follow at my speed instead! I truly appreciated that.

Do not expect:
  • 5-star accommodation. The higher you get the more basic the accommodation will get (beds, blankets, very dim room lights and a table if you are lucky) and expect common toilets! It’s going to be zero-star accommodation 
  • Toilets to be clean. There will be a smell 
  • To brush your teeth as the higher you get, the water will be frozen the next morning (though at some point someone will pour hot water on it) 
  • Good quality and tasty food 
  • Hot showers. Even if you do get one, you probably don’t want to bother as they are not at all pleasant in cold/freezing temperatures 
  • Clean pathways and routes throughout your journey as there will be horse and yak dung everywhere. Be prepared to step on it
Things to bring or prepare for EBC
  1. Lots of wet wipes (it is difficult to shower and too cold to shower). In certain places you also need to pay for a hot shower. Wet wipes make life much easier and you need them to wipe away the dust!
  2. At least 1 toilet roll per person, as the lodges do not provide toilet rolls. We got through just over 1 roll each over the whole trek.
  3. Tissue paper and serviettes. Tissue paper cost 50 rupees for 1 packet. 
  4. Microfibre travel towel (you need a towel to dry fast overnight so that you can put it into your bag)
  5. Small quantity of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel as all these are not provided at the lodges
  6. Buff (to cover your nose and mouth while trekking especially when it’s windy and the sand will be blown in your face. Inhaling too much of dust will make you ill)
  7. Sun cream (preferably SPF 50+)
  8. Sunglasses (it is very bright)
  9. Good walking boots. Almost everyone we saw was wearing boots, though a few wore shoes. The routes are really too uneven for shoes and the boots also kept our feet dry in the unexpected snow. 
  10. Spare shoes (we brought trail runners as backups to our boots but ended up only using them around the lodges)
  11. A pair of walking sticks
  12. Hat/cap and woolly hat
  13. Slippers/sandals (for light walking and going into shower or toilet). It’s going to be too cold to step onto the tiles. 
  14. Headlight. Lights are very dim in certain lodges. 
  15. Thermals 
  16. Winter clothing, windbreaker, raincoat. You may be able to wear shorts from Lukla to Namche Bazaar. After Namche Bazaar, it will be very cold and you will need warm clothes. 
  17. Snacks (e.g. Snickers, Mars, chocolates) and protein shake powder for when you can't stomach the food.
  18. Energy Gels.  Only used a couple but good for emergencies.  Energy bars are too difficult to eat when you are dehydrated.
  19. Diamox (to prevent/ease AMS), Imodium and rehydration salts (in case of food poisoning), ibuprofen (for headache and other aches), plasters (for blisters) and other medications in accordance to your needs. 
  20. Cash – assuming nothing goes wrong during the trek, you only need around US$100 per person (converted to Nepalese rupees). However, it is best to bring approximately another US$1,000 per person (for emergencies, i.e. for horse rides and helicopter). Please take note that you may not be able to withdraw money at the ATM in Kathmandu and Namche Bazaar (we couldn’t).
Things to avoid
  • All kinds of meat as it is not fresh and may cause food poisoning. Stay vegetarian if possible. It’s alright to have meat at Lukla but not anywhere else 
  • Try to order Asian food and not Western food (e.g. pizza, spaghetti or sandwich) as it’s not up to the standard you’d expect. The food at all the lodges is low in quality. However, the local food Dhal Bhat tasted good in all the lodges. 
  • Avoid alcohol when ascending as it will affect your acclimatisation and your stomach
  • Unbottled water. Lots of people use tablets/drops to sterilise the water, and we were planning on doing that but in the end decided to stick to bottled water just to be safe (and as it tastes better)
Costs for the whole trip
  • Ground package with Amigo Treks and Expedition – US$1,250 per person based on twin sharing. If single supplement, add another US$150
  • Nepal visa on arrival – US$25
  • Plane tickets – depending on which airlines and where you are coming from.
  • Travelling insurance (which includes medical evacuation by helicopter) – US$100 for a couple
  • Cash – assuming nothing goes wrong during the trek, you only need US$100 per person

3 comments:

  1. I think wearing the the same clothes for 7 days is the worst part of it.
    rent tickets
    rent event tickets

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  2. Everest Base Camp Trek is an amazing adventure! I had the privilege of completing the trek and the views of the Himalayas were breathtaking. No matter what time of year you go, the trek is an incredible experience. The local people and their hospitality make the journey even more special. Everest Base Camp Trek is an unforgettable experience. The views of the world's highest mountains and the beauty of the Sherpa villages are absolutely breathtaking!

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