Day 7 - On to Everest Base Camp (Tibet)

Today is the day I was looking forward to most on this trip.

It’s the day we’d set foot at Everest Base Camp!

Sadly I only ended up getting no more than 4 hours sleep last night as I woke up at 3:30 in the morning because the air in the room was so dry.

I’ve also had a runny nose forever from, I’m assuming, the constant changes from hot temperatures inside and cold outside.

But, on the bright side, I did bang out yesterday’s blog in the wee hours of the morning last night.

Anyway, before long, it was 7:30am and time to get on with the day.

Outside it was a brisk 5c but it actually felt much hotter because at this altitude we’re closer to the sun.

I looked at temperatures awaiting me in cities I’ll be visiting over the next week and here’s what awaits me:

-6c at Everest Base Camp
30c in Kathmandu
37c in Bangkok
24c in Osaka

Talk about a swing in temperatures!

I’m going to go from being bundled up with a scarf, gloves, and a beanie to wearing a tshirt and shorts in a few days.

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery

I packed up everything, had breakfast, and met the group in the main lobby.

Before we headed out of Shigatse and onto the open roads towards Everest we stopped at the nearby Tashi Lhunpo Monastery here in town.

No matter how many monasteries and temples I’ve already seen on this trip, the experience of visiting another near wears off.

The grand architecture of the buildings, the devout faith, the smiling monks, and the rooms filled with display after display of statues and art.

This monastery featured the highest statue of a Maitreya, or Buddha in training.

Built in 1914 and standing 46m tall, it stands there looking down at you.

One of the saddest things about all these visits is that we’re not allowed to take photos or videos inside and, honestly, there’s just so much beauty there.

So, I guess you dear reader will have to come visit and see for yourself!

5000km marker

At 10:45 we were finally headed out of the city on the famous National Highway 318 that will lead us to our final destination of the day.

We wouldn’t hit our next stop for a good hour and a half so I took the chance to catch up on some sleep in the van.

At just after noon we arrived at one of three viewpoints we’d visit today.

This one was significant because it was officially 5000km away from Shanghai.

Why is that significant? Um, I actually don’t know. I guess cause it’s a nice round number. Maybe there’s similar places celebrating the 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 distances as well.

All I know is that the Chinese tourists visiting here couldn’t get enough of the place.

You think I, as a blogger, would research that kind of stuff and give you the answers but, newsflash, I ain’t that kind of blogger.

Google is your friend.

Except here in China where it’s your enemy and Bing is your friend.

After a brief visit, we were off again to the city of Lhatse to have some lunch.

It was an hour away so, again, I tried to catch up on some sleep.

Lunch in Lhatse

At 1:30 we arrived in Lhatse and were ushered into a restaurant.

Unlike yesterday where we got a home cooked meal, today we’d be ordering off a menu and paying ourselves instead.

I chose two dishes, the minced pork with eggplants strips and egg fried rice.

Hot damn, I had forgotten how good Chinese food was.

I’ve kind of had to give it up ever since I was diagnosed celiac but eating this lunch brought it all back.

I have been trying really hard to avoid gluten on this trip but I’m pretty sure most of the sauces served in my dishes have had gluten in them including todays.

In the middle of lunch our guide Tenzin pulled both me and Juan Carlos aside to inform us that if we wanted separate rooms on the last two nights of the tour that we’d have to pay 50usd.

Ah, the mystery of the single supplement fee has finally concluded.

I mean I was fine with sharing a room but Juan Carlos immediately said he was fine paying the 50usd so I just went along with it.

My view about it all was that I ended up in a room by myself for all 7 nights of this tour for only 50usd when, in fact, it should have been 150usd so I look at it like I saved 100usd.

Gyantso La Pass

Our next stop was to the Gynatso La Pass over two hours away.

Instead of sleep this time, I pulled out my laptop and finally watched the latest episode of Survivor.

The show was just about to conclude with the reading of the votes when we had reached our destination.

Oh, cmon, couldn’t you wait 5 little more minutes?

The cliffhanger! Who was going home?

It was 3:30 when we piled out of the van.

Holy crap was it cold!

Going from a nice, toasty van to a gusting, windy outdoors is quite the temperature change, that’s for sure.

My poor little, runny nose.

It was 17000 feet (5200m) up here and with the gusting wind, it was the first time where I wish I had put on gloves.

Tenzin gave us 20 minutes to stop here but we were all done within five.

Just a quick few photos of the dozens of prayer flags violently flapping in the wind and back in the van.

I was literally breathless and not the “oh my God this is amazing kind” but the “wow, I can not catch my breath”.

Anyway, I watched the last 5 minutes of Survivor as we continued down the road towards Everest Base Camp.

The first sighting

And then, at 4:15, it happened!

Our first sighting of Mount Everest!

This was the moment I was waiting for and it reminded me so much of that time I rounded a corner and saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time.

It’s just hard to explain.

I grew up seeing images of all these amazing places and monuments around the world and then, here I am, seeing them with my own two eyes.

After yet another police checkpoint to check our passports, we arrived at the North Gate to Mount Everest.

Getting closer…

108 Turns

Soon after passing through the gate we were on the most infamous part of the highway, the 108 turns of the Gawula Pass.

Spanning a 40km stretch the road just keeps weaving from east to west turn after turn.

In the middle of it was another viewpoint where we could get photos of the impressive pass and it’s winding road from above and, of course, more photos of Mount Everest looming in the distance.

Getting closer…

Everest Base Camp

At 7pm we were ever so close.

To get to camp we had to switch from our van to an eco bus that takes everyone the rest of the way.

To that end we all had to make sure everything we needed was packed in our little daypacks as we’d be leaving our big bags and suitcases overnight in our trusty van.

My day pack was probably as full as it’s ever been as I crammed my laptop and cables in there along with winter gear and toiletries I would need in the morning.

But in it went and off we went on the last final stretch to get to Everest Base Camp.

Outside it was -2c but inside the bus you could see a LED display at the front telling us that it was a whopping 26c inside.

I swear they’re trying to kill my poor little runny nose.

And then, after yet another passport check, we arrived at camp at 8pm.

We were supposed to be staying in the large tents that were setup nearby but ended up booked into the somewhat luxurious hotel here just down the road from them.

I mean, I don’t know how to feel about that.

Part of me was really looking forward to that authentic experience of sleeping in a tent and the other part of me was “wow, the floor in my room is heated!”

Guess I’ll just have to suffer in luxury tonight with a nice heated room, my own private bathroom, and a big comfy bed.

I dropped everything off in my room, got situated, and headed back out pretty quick as the sunset was soon approaching.

Now, in my mind, I always naively thought that Everest Base Camp would literally be at the base of the mountain but it’s actually still a few kilometers away.

I exited the camp’s hotel and walked 15 minutes down the road to a viewing point.

Despite not being at the actual base, being here and witnessing this grand mountain was spectacular.

I just couldn’t believe I was here! I mean this trip didn’t even exist two months ago and now here I was taking selfies in front of the largest mountain in the world.

Or at least trying to take selfies.

The mountain was so bright and white that despite whatever setting I did on my phone’s camera, I just couldn’t capture Everest looming behind me.

At 9pm the sun had gone down and it was time to walk back to camp.

As I walked I saw something I wasn’t expecting – thunder and lightning.

And then snow!

Snow!

While I hate snow back home because of the treachery to my ability to drive, I was beyond giddy to be walking through it here.

I may have over exerted myself here because by the time I reached the dining hall at the camp I was feeling a bit dizzy and was short of breath.

This altitude is no joke.

Dinner was another buffet at a cost of 80yuan ($16) which was well worth it.

Again, love the Chinese food!

By 9:30 I was back in my room and after uploading some photos and getting the outline ready for this blog here, I tucked into bed at 11pm.